Semua Bab HIS BUTTERFLY (BETWEEN TWO DONS): Bab 41 - Bab 50

“LIFE IS JUST BETTER WITH MY GIRLS.”DANTE.We all file into the office. Isabella stays outside, swinging her legs and looking remarkably unconcerned for someone who's in trouble."Isabella beat up Tommy Morrison," Mrs. Henderson says, pulling out an incident report. "Kicked him in the shin and then pushed his face so hard his nose started bleeding."I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. She actually did it. The absolute legend."Oh my God." Sofia covers her face with her hands. "Is Tommy okay?""He's fine. Mostly just his pride hurt." Mrs. Henderson's expression softens slightly. "Though I should mention that Tommy has been bullying Isabella for weeks. Several teachers have reported incidents. This appears to have been... a reaction to ongoing harassment.""So what happens now?" Sofia asks."Well, typically we have a zero-tolerance policy for violence." Mrs. Henderson looks uncomfortable. "But given the circumstances, I think a warning and an apology might be su

“NOT ALL LOVE ARE MEANT TO BLOOM”SOFIA.The words hit me like a slap. "What? No! Dante, no—""He's in the way." His voice is matter-of-fact. "He's keeping you trapped in a loveless marriage. Let me remove the obstacle.""He's not an obstacle, he's a person!" I push at his chest and this time he steps back, letting me go. "He's been good to me. He's protected me. I can't just—you can't just—"I'm pulling my dress down, fixing my hair, trying to compose myself while my body is still screaming for his touch."Marco is my benefactor," I say firmly. "He saved me when I had nothing.I owe him my loyalty at the very least.""Loyalty?" Dante's laugh is bitter. " Look baby,I would protect you.""You can't promise that." I wrap my arms around myself. "You're in a succession race. You have enemies. Someone tried to kill you three weeks ago. How is that safe for me?""Our world is never safe." His voice softens slightly. "But at least with me, you'd be alive. Really alive. Not just surviving.""M

INTERLUDE (MARCO’S POV)“PLEASE STAY…”MARCO.I make it to the hallway before my composure completely cracks.Engaged.Antonio is engaged.To a woman.The words keep echoing in my head, each repetition feeling like a knife to the gut.I've been careful. So fucking careful for years. Keeping my distance in public. Never letting anyone see how I really feel. Playing the part of the devoted husband, the family man, the heir to the Valentino empire who has everything together.And Antonio played his part too. The loyal consigliere. My father's right hand. Nothing more.But in private—in the stolen moments we could find—we were something else entirely.Or at least I thought we were.I see him before he sees me. He's slipped away from the crowd, from his beaming fiancée, seeking refuge in one of the side rooms.I follow.The room is some kind of sitting area, dark and quiet. Antonio is standing by the window, his back to me, his shoulders rigid.I close the door behind me. Lock it."What th

“IGNITE. MY LOVE. IGNITE”SOFIASomething goes over my head. A black bag, cutting off my vision, plunging me into darkness.Oh God. Oh God, this is really happening.I'm being kidnapped.Terror floods through me. I'm struggling, trying to pull away, but whoever has me is too strong. They're dragging me away from the car. I hear a van door slide open."Please!" I'm crying now, terrified. "Please, I have a daughter, please—""Easy, easy." A voice I don't recognize. Male. Calm. "We're not going to hurt you."I'm lifted into the van. The door slides shut. The engine starts. We're moving.I'm shaking so hard my teeth are chattering. This is it. This is how I die. Kidnapped by rival families or Marco's enemies or—Oh God, Isabella. What's going to happen to Isabella?"Please," I sob. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't hurt my daughter—""No one's hurting anyone." The same calm voice. "Just sit tight. We'll be there soon."There? Where is there? Who are these people? What do they want?I

“I WAS BORN WITH AN ENORMOUS NEED FOR ATTENTION AND AN UNQUENCHABLE DESIRE TO GIVE IT.”SOFIA.The moment his tongue touches mine, it's like being struck by lightning. Seven years of deprivation, of longing, of missing this exact sensation.I make a sound—need and surrender mixed together—and his grip on my waist tightens.His tongue is sliding against mine, exploring, remembering, claiming. It's too much and not enough all at once."I've dreamed about kissing you like this." His words are punctuated by kisses. "About tasting you again. Feeling you respond to me. Hearing those little sounds you make when you forget to be careful."I'm making those sounds now. Can't help it. Seven years of touch starvation making me desperate for this. For him."You're so beautiful when you let go." One of his hands slides up my back, the other staying firm on my waist. "When you stop thinking and just feel."Our tongues are tangling now, desperate and hungry. The kiss is deepening with every passing s