LOGINORTENSIA:I looked like an angel, a direct contrast to the world I had permanently bound myself to. My right wrist rested gently against the delicate fabric of my skirt. The room was completely quiet, save for the soft, rhythmic rustle of silk as my mother stepped closer, her chest heaving with a deep, shaky breath.My mother sniffed, as Ortensia wiped the tears away from my mother."Oh, Tensia," she whispered, her voice cracking as my fingers gently brushed the dampness from her cheeks.She reached out, her hands trembling as she smoothed down the edges of my veil, her eyes glassy with an overwhelming wave of motherly devotion."You look absolutely beautiful. I always prayed I would see you stand in a dress like this, but after everything... I didn't know if this day would ever come."I was dress in a bridal dress, today is my wedding, and my mother was emotional. She held my hands tightly, as she looked down at the platinum ring already waiting on my finger."I am so happy, Tensia,"
A Month Later:ORTENSIAThe bedroom doors clicked shut, locking out the dangerous, blood-soaked world we had left behind at the docks. I leaned my back against the wood, my chest heaving as the residual adrenaline finally began to recede from my veins. The room was bathed in the soft, warm glow of the bedside lamps.Vito stood a few feet away, his broad shoulders rising and falling with a slow rhythm. He unbuttoned his leather jacket and tossed it onto the nearby chair, his unblinking dark eyes fixed entirely on me."Come here, doll," Vito murmured, his voice dropping into a low, commanding tone that made a sudden shiver ripple beneath my skin.I didn't hesitate, I stood up and stepped directly into his large frame. His hands reached out, gripping my waist with an unyielding, possessive strength that instantly anchored me to reality. For months, our physical connection had been a battleground of dominance and punishment, a starving game of control.But tonight, the rules had completel
Valentino stood beside the open trunk of Vito's SUV, his gaze fixed on the bound young man kneeling inside.The captive's head remained lowered, his wrists secured behind his back with zip ties. Bruises covered his face, and fear shimmered in his eyes. Everything about him matched the intelligence Valentino had gathered over the years on Ricardo's secret bloodline.He looked exactly like Ricardo's son. Valentino slowly turned toward Vito. "Why didn’t you start with this?"Vito's expression remained unreadable. "I've been waiting for the right time to use him."That was only half the truth, the kneeling man wasn't Ricardo's son at all. He was Rico.Hours earlier, Vito’s disguise specialist had fitted him with a hyper-realistic silicone mask, complete with custom prosthetic ears, a reshaped jawline, and expertly blended makeup. Every detail from the texture of his skin to the faint scar beneath his left eye… had been recreated to look like Ricardo.Unless someone peeled the mask off his
The rough fabric of the blindfold scratched against Ortensia’s skin, plunging her world into darkness the moment she stepped past the mansion's outer perimeter gates. She had willingly walked into the trap, as she let the armed guards secure her.Ortensia was put inside a vehicle, as the engine roared to life, racing away from Vito's estate and toward an unknown fate. She sat in total silence during the grueling drive. She kept reminding herself that she was doing this to save Vito's life, keeping her mind locked on the hidden tracker resting against her collarbone.By the time they got to their destination, the vehicle ground to a sudden halt on coarse gravel. Rough hands unceremoniously hauled her out of the backseat and marched her into a damp, concrete-walled room.With a loud tug, her eyes were opened, the blinding glare of a single overhead bulb forcing her to blink back tears. She expected to see the soft, pastel luxury of her father's estate. She expected to see Valentino sta
The doors of the master bedroom slammed against the wall with a deafening crack. Vito walked into the room angrily."What the fuck..." he growled, pacing across the room like. "Those are definitely Valentino's men, and Ricardo's men. Every single one of them."He had just gone to have a meeting with a high-profile businessman in a secure, exclusive clubhouse downtown—a routine meeting to secure shipping routes. But the second his drink hit the table, chaos broke loose. Gunfire erupted out of nowhere, shattering the premium crystal and tearing through the plush leather booths. It wasn't a standard, localized hit. It was a synchronized, chaotic mess, and it seems it was Ricardo and Valentino's men turning a public lounge into a war zone just to get to him.He had to leave before his entire security detail was wiped off the board, forcing his way through the back alleys while bullets tore up behind his tires.He sat down on the edge of the cushion, running a scarred hand through his ha
The bedroom was drowning in a frustrated silence. Ortensia sat on the edge of the mattress. Vito stood near the dresser across the room, buttoning up a clean, pitch-black shirt. His movements were slow, and entirely detached. Vito had refused to touch her, that was the punishment. Funny how the table had turned, it was him who used to punish her using sex, but now starving her with sex. Whenever she had been stubborn or defiant in the past, his dominance in the sheets was his weapon to break her walls.Now, his complete and utter withholding of intimacy was a far more brutal execution. He was locking her out of his space entirely, turning into a cold ghost.She hated it. She wanted him, she missed him, the physical craving for his touch mixing dangerously with the residual terror of Valentino house. She stood up from the bed, as she crossed the space, stopping just inches from his broad chest."Vito, look at me," Ortensia said, her voice cracking a little.Vito didn't even flinch.
The sudden vibration of my phone cut through the tense silence of the room. I snatched the device off the bedside table, my thumb swiping across the screen.The message was from an unknown, encrypted number. I read the words out loud in my head, each sentence dripping with mocking malice:You said
VITO:Just as I thought, Dr. Alex was dirty. I looked over at Enzo."Enzo," I muttered, my voice cutting through the quiet room. "The plate number. The one I managed to scratch down before the warehouse doors slammed. I need you to run it right now. Look it up, and find out exactly whose name is on
VITO“No, doll.” The words came out as a harsh, ragged whisper, tearing at the back of my throat.The silence that followed the gunfire was suffocating. My heart hammered against my ribs. There was absolutely no way I was going to leave her. Not now, not ever. She was everything, and the thought of
A week had passed, and Vito still hadn’t returned. Not a single message, not even a short call to say he was alive. Every time she dialed his number, the phone rang endlessly before going silent. No answer, no reply, just nothing.Enzo kept insisting Vito was fine and told her to stay put, to trust







