All Chapters of The Don's Property: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

ELARA/NERO POVThe dinner is exactly what I expected, considering the vibe I got earlier. Suffocating and painfully awkward with a thick, metallic tension that feels like it can slide through steel. We are all gathered around a long, mahogany table filled with various Italian delicacies with delicious aroma that is lost in a silence so thick it’s hard to breathe.The quiet is ossified, and even the clattering of forks and spoons against the fine china feels muffled, as if everyone are intentionally moving in slow motion to avoid making a single sound.“I made dinner worse,” Nero speaks out the obvious elephant in the room, and though I haven’t been here before, it does seem like everyone is being extra careful with the nervous glances he keeps getting.A round of awkward chuckles explodes around the table before withering into nothing.“Not at all,” a young man clears his throat, his eyes darting to the head of the table. “We love having you here, Don Nero. Though… there’s a little tru

ELARA POVThe next morning, the dining room is empty and cold and Nero is nowhere to be seen.“Where is he?” I ask Diana with clear disappointment in my voice.“Who?”“Nero. Why isn’t he here?” Panic rises to the in my voice like a rash.“Don’t ask me stupid questions,” Diana snaps. “I’m not his guardian.”I walk away, needles of dread prickling my skin. Why is he doing this? We were good last night. He had his hand beneath my skirt, whispering about how he’d make me beg. So why the sudden shift?I snap back into reality as a solid weight collides into me. When I look up, Mateo’s face comes into view, and though a smile tugs my lips, genuinely happy to see him again.“Mateo.” My voice rises with forced excitement. “What are you doing here?” I truly I’m happy to see him, but I can’t get it through the wool clogging my throat. He rubs the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at me. "With Luca."I nod, plastering on a smile that feels too tight. "That’s good."He watches me for a mo

ELARA POV The shrill ring of my phone drags me out of sleep, a dull ache throbbing instantly at the base of my skull. My eyes feel heavy and swollen from how much I cried yesterday. Diana had just sat there, patting my back in silence and I have gotten a strange, unexpected comfort coming from the woman I thought would be the last person to do that.I blindly pat around the sheets until my fingers brush against the metal of my phone. I swipe to answer without even checking the ID and press it to my ear.“Hello?” My voice is a wreck, hoarse and cracked.“Oh my god. You answered. I can’t believe you actually answered.”My brows furrow at the familiar, high-pitched voice. I pull the phone back just enough to squint at the screen. I bolt upright, ignoring the head rush as I lean against the headboard. “Vi? Hi…”“I know. Shocking, right?” Her sarcasm is thick but laced with relief. “I used to call you every day when you first went missing. It always went to voicemail. I just called today t

NERO POV; TEN YEAR OLDI stand in the middle of my mother’s studio, the afternoon sun casting long, dusty beams across the floor.I managed to make a little over three hundred dollars today. Yesterday, several strangers gave me money up to a hundred-dollar for doing absolutely nothing, and I realized I didn't have to pickpocket anymore. I could just stand in the alley by the train station, looking small and pitiful, and people would just give me money.It’s something shameful to do, and I know my mom will be mad at me if I tell her, but I can’t help but be happy because I have enough to buy my mom’s favorite snack which is fish cakes and also finger ice-cream.The bag with the fish cakes is warm in my hand, smelling of grease and fish which makes me want to gag, but other than that because I hate fish.My forehead pinches in confusion and concern as I stop at my mom’s latest painting and just stare. Painting was never her forte as her old work was just bad, but these… these are differ

ELARA POVJust as Nero told me yesterday, his beloved fiancée has arrived. She’s been moving her luggage in since this morning, and judging by the sheer mountain of trunks that has been coming and going, I can already smell that she’s going to be nothing but trouble.Okay, maybe that’s me being unnecessarily mean. It’s unfair to judge her before we’ve met just because of my unresolved, pathetic feelings for Nero.I’m currently hiding out in Diana’s room, fighting the itch in my fingers to rummage through her drawers, desperate to busy myself. I need a distraction. I don’t want to be alone with my destructive thoughts, and Kane doesn’t count. He’s currently sprawled on a chair, smiling at his phone and taking pictures of himself. I swear, the man is his own biggest fan.Seated on the small rocking chair opposite Diana, I bounce my leg nervously. “So, what are you doing?”“You asked five minutes ago,” she snaps without looking up. “Stop asking dumb questions. You have eyes.”True. I do h