All Chapters of Promised to The Don: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I sit in front of the mirror and take deep breaths. So turns out knowing his secrets is way worse than not knowing. My makeup is light but heavy enough to hide the eye bags under my eyes. I cancelled my shift just to take Matteo to see his dad.I brush my hair for the millionth time, something I do when I am thinking. His dad was nothing I expected.Since we were kids, growing up in the same neighbourhood I always thought our mom’s dated the same brand of men. Glaring red flags who are playboys and definitely trouble. In a way I was right. His dad is Lorenzo Romano, the Lorenzo Romano. Owner of three five star Hotels in New York and various clubs and casinos. But outside the tabloids, in the whispers he is the leader of the new York mafia, the ‘don’.I shiver, I don’t blame Matteo as his girlfriend. Can you imagine telling your girlfriend that your father is the head of one of the strongest crime syndicate and which you may be the sole heir? Fucking crazy. But as his childhood best fr

Riley POVWe didn’t have a lot of stuff, the furniture belonged to the apartment complex so only a couple of boxes which we put in storage.I have never gotten the chance to travel, though right after high school Matteo had tried to convince me to go on a road trip with him and his friends.We land in New York late in the afternoon. A black SUV that just screams crime boss picks us up. This time no multitude of men just a driver and one guard, way to make us feel special.I settle into the leather seats and close my eyes, letting the glory of the big city envelope me. The traffic jam is bad and it takes us an extra hour to get to the villa. It’s a traditional Italian villa in a fairly large estate. Tucked in long Island, it was close enough to conduct business bit far enough to be private. The classic terracotta tile roof gleams in the night and the beautifully arched door seems to invite us.Its night and we are tired and hungry so I cannot fully appreciate the architecture. Thankful

Lorenzo POVIt’s been two weeks since Matteo moved in and I would say everything is great. Sure sometimes I think he might murder me in my sleep but he hasn’t tried so far.I still don’t like the girl he brought along, Riley. She hasn’t caused any trouble yet and I am grateful, my life is stressful as it is. My car pulls up at one of our casinos. Its during the day so of course it isn’t busy, but here and there you can find some gamblers who just don’t know when to quit.There are servers around so I flash my harmless play boy smile, I swear it still does something to the ladies. Most give me cautious smiles or avoid eye contact completely. They work here so of course they know what I do. But they don’t mind, I pay well.I hardly go to the casinos and clubs, I prefer handling everything in my very legal and very non threatening five star hotel.Instead of making my way to the office I go to the basement aka the place we keep our enemies. Every one of my businesses has one.Enzo says t

Riley POVIt’s around nine and there is a long line to get into the club. Some of the perks of being part of the mafia is that Giana and I walk past all those people in the line until we reach the beginning.“Hey you bitches, stand in line like everyone else!” some random dude who had probably been waiting for quite a while shouts. But then our two guards pull up. At this point I am feeling like a queen. I could get used to it. The bouncers at the door just nod at Giana and let us in.Before the music muffles the outside sounds, I hear an escalating conflict and someone who definitely talked to us rudely is punched. I smile. I don’t know why I like this feeling.The smell of sweaty bodies clings to the air. I pull Giana to the middle of the dance floor and we dance. She is stiff, but I know that after two or three drinks she will be fine. I don’t know why, but I feel a sting at the back of my head and for some weird reason I look up.There, standing near the rail of what I assume is t

Riley POVThe hardest part isn’t lying. It’s the timing, everything has to be just right.By the fourth night, I have it down to a science. I wait until the house settles and the footsteps in the courtyard thin out that’s how I know the guards are switching shifts its always after every two hours.I make a big show of yawning, stretching, complaining about how tired I am. I let Giana tease me about being boring. I even say goodnight out loud. Of course she knows where I am going but she doesn’t say anything.Then I wait until around one. My shift starts at two and ends at four. I listen for doors. Sneaking out is so thrilling, I haven’t done that before, my mom never cared about what I did or where I was and once she left there was no one to police me.My uniform is hidden inside my bag, folded so neatly it almost feels like an insult to what I’m about to do. Black shorts. A fitted shirt with the club’s logo stitched discreetly on the breast. Comfortable shoes. Hair ties. Lip gloss I