All Chapters of The Don's Property: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Nero povNo matter what loops I wedge through, I can’t reason my way out of the pathetic version of myself I became when Elara was having… Dysmenorrhea.I didn’t even know that fucking word existed before, and now I have a dictionary knowledge on it because I stayed up all night reading about it.I felt something close to panic. Actual, lung-constricting panic, especially when her breathing hitched that night. This wasn’t supposed to be new to me. People died right in front of me—by my hand, by others' hands. I have never cared about the preservation of life.Yet, I have never felt as helpless as I did beside her bed. And I fucking hated it.I would like to tell myself I did it because I need her to get to her father. That she is just an asset I need to keep functional. But that is too big of a lie to sell, even to myself.Though I’ll let Elara keep believing that’s the only reason.Maybe the fraud doctor isn’t so far-fetched after all. I might not be obsessed with Elara like she call

ELARA POVI stay frozen for a long moment, letting the suffocating silence press in on me as the weight of what happened settles on me like a wet coatNero just kissed me. Nero kissed me so hard, and I let him. Not only did I enjoy it so much so that I kissed him back. This isn’t a nightmare. This is real. I can feel his lingering touch on my thighs. I can feel his scent wrapping around my head and making me dizzy. I can still feel the delicious press of his hard body against mine. And most importantly, I can feel the phantom press of his lips on mine.Oh fuck.My hand flies to my mouth as my legs slide off the edge of the table, feet pressing onto the floor to ground me in reality. I blink once, then twice, not sure if I should curse, freak out, or hate myself.A war of shame and desire rages inside me, my chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, and my whole body is still lit on fire. As I stand, my legs wobble, threatening to give out, and I have to grip the edge of the table to s

ELARA POVMy chaotic thoughts fill the silence stretching between me and Nero during the drive to whatever party he mentioned earlier. We haven’t said a single word to each other since we left the house, but every now and then, his gaze flickers over my skin like a touch, and from the corner of my eye, I catch his fingers rolling that ring around his thumb like he does when he’s restless.My mind can’t help, but flits to his words in the library earlier.I couldn’t sleep a wink. If he was referring to the kiss, does that mean he’s affected by it like I am? If he is, why is he so nonchalant about it?I shake my head. No. Nero’s words should not be my worries, but my own actions.I would have let him kiss me the second time in the library if he so much tried to for Christ’s sake. Suddenly it’s like I can’t resist Nero anymore when I have been doing just fine before. Or is it just that he hasn’t pushed hard enough to make me see that I don’t have willpower to resist him in the first plac

ELARA POVMy stomach drops, but I play it cool and try to step around him while keeping my head down. "Excuse me."He purposely blocks my path.I take a breath, though my patience is hanging by a thread. “Move. Please.”He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thick roll of cash, peeling off several hundred-dollar bills and waves it at me."Is this enough for a quick fuck?" he slurs and the stench of scotch rolls off him.Christ, can my night not get any worse?"I don’t do that." I try to shove past him, but he’s like a brick wall.“Why? You are Nero Moretti whore,” he sneers. “Too small for what he pays you?”Of course. That’s what everyone here sees me as. An attachment of Nero. A property. I rip my arm from his grip. "I am not anyone's whore. Get out of my way."I lunge for the door, but he yanks me back with surprising strength. I stumble, fear finally piercing through my anger.“Take the money while I’m being nice to you,” he yells and spit flies into my face in the process.

NERO POVBitterness tastes like bile in my throat as I step out of Elara’s room. I hate the look she just gave me. It wasn't gratitude. It was terror. She looked at me like I was one of them. Like she expected me to hurt her, too.My hands curl into fists at my sides. I regret killing those men on the highway. I regret the mercy of a quick death. I should have let them suffer slowly for what they did, but I was blinded by rage.At least one of them is still alive.The thought soothes my frayed nerves. I intend to draw out the torture with this one. I will make a century out of his final hours.This is my damn fault. I should have never left her side, so now she flinches like my touch is poison. Like I’m going to bruise her just by existing in the same space.Fucking fuck.As I step into the large living room, the air feels too thin and too clean. It makes me want to taint it. A dark energy of violence and destruction bounce on my shoulders.Luca, who’s leaning against the archway with