All Chapters of ROSES ON FIRE: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

CLARISSA“Another gala? Are you going to another gala with him?” Hannah asked, puzzled.“Yes, I’m going. And that’s where his life will end!” I said with a thirst for revenge that I so desperately wanted. So began our morning conversation over coffee on the terrace. We could talk freely. Riccardo and Fabrizio were off to close one of their many dirty deals and Aida was out shopping to stock the kitchen. Riccardo’s agents didn’t enter the house, they respected our privacy. That could only mean one thing. Riccardo’s trust in me was growing. It had been three months since I found out he was the bastard who turned my life into a nightmare. This time I wouldn’t hesitate.Hannah’s worried gaze met mine, and it filled her voice with concern.“Clarissa, what is on your mind? What are you going to do?” she asked, her tone almost pleading. Despite the fear in her eyes, I knew I couldn’t let that change my decision. Not this time.I leaned back in my chair, a small smirk tugging at the corner

CLARISSAWalking into the fancy ballroom, Riccardo and I were arm in arm. As soon as we crossed the threshold, he flipped a switch and started acting really weird. The crowd went quiet and everyone looked at us. Their gaze was intense, and their whispers of admiration felt like a soft touch on my ear. Riccardo, being the confident one, smiled and nodded while enjoying all the attention we were getting.“Clarissa, my love, behold our kingdom,” he whispered, his voice laced with pride. “Look around! All these guys came to see how beautiful and elegant you are,” he continued, and I could swear something was wrong in his ways.I couldn’t help but blush at his words, the corners of my lips curling into a timid smile. The ballroom was amazing, lit up by chandeliers dripping with crystals. I could smell fancy perfume mixed with a hint of cigars. Those gangsters in fancy suits looked pretty intimidating, with their sharp, calculating eyes.Riccardo’s friends, his loyal companions in both busi

FABRIZIOWe all cringed when we heard the sound of gunfire coming from the hall’s bathroom. “What the hell was that?” I asked Dimitri, one of Ricardo’s bodyguards.“I don’t know, but it came from the bathroom,” he said, drawing his gun and heading there.I did too. Step by step, we were getting closer and the smell of blood was getting more and more pungent. The scene that unfolded before my eyes when I opened the door was frightening. Riccardo was lying in a pool of blood, moaning in pain. “Ricky, oh my God!” I said and rushed to him. “Who did this to you?” “Fabrizio…” he moaned again, groaning in even more pain.“Dimitri, Piotr, take the car and rush him to doctor Antonov. He will know what to do! I have a killer to catch.” “No…” Ricardo whispered as the two agents were carrying him to the car.My mind was racing in the bathroom, trying to solve the mystery of who shot my brother. Time just froze and every second felt like forever as I frantically searched for any clue that cou

RICCARDOIt’s been a week since Clarissa’s betrayal messed up my peace in the shadows. Here I was, in my dimly lit study, surrounded by the scent of cigars and aged whiskey.I was stuck between forgiving or taking revenge. The struggle within me, Riccardo, the infamous mafia leader, was a battle fought not only with bullets and blades, but with the complexity of my own emotions.I still remembered the day I dragged Clarissa into my house, even though she didn’t want to come. She was a journalist assigned to write about me, the enigmatic figure in charge of the underworld. She was just a pawn in my plan. Her only job was to keep my secrets hidden. Once that was done, I would have let her go. But life had its own twisted sense of humor.Clarissa had this magnetic quality that pulled me in from the start - we just clicked. Maybe it was her spunky attitude or her fearlessness to uncover the truth, even if it meant putting her life on the line. The more I watched her, the more I figured ou

CLARISSAMy heart was pounding as I stood in front of the shabby apartment door. It was like a movie in my head, with all the good times, sad moments, and secrets we shared. Hannah and I had been roommates and coworkers for so long, navigating twists and turns together. But now, something messed up that connection. Betrayal.I was struggling with this decision for days, going through different scenarios in my head. But today, I was so angry and ready to seek justice that I decided to confront Hannah and make her take responsibility. She had sold me out to the mobster, Riccardo. The mere idea of it made me furious and sad.I wondered if Hannah even noticed I was gone from that house and if she was brave enough to deal with the consequences of her betrayal. Perhaps the sight of my absence had stirred something in her, urging her to escape from Riccardo’s house, haunted by the realization that they had used her as a pawn. Because that was how I saw her. A pawn in Milena's and Riccardo’s