"I'll see you tomorrow night?" Xavier asked as he slipped into his draws. Serafina lay on the bed, half of the sheets thrown over her body as she watched him with careless abandon. He was one fine specimen. Sex with him had been great. It would have even been better if Giovanni wasn't all that filled her mind. And she didn't really like how hard he was coming onto her. She felt like she was being love bombed and this was her first time of experiencing it. It creeped the hell out of her. "Why don't we give each other some space?" She asked as she sat up in her bed and pushed herself against the headboard. "I need some alone time after my near death experience last night." He sighed. "You still don't like me, do you? Or didn't you enjoy the sex?" Sighing, she threw back her covers and slipped out of the bed, walking over to him before cupping his face in her hand. "I enjoyed having sex with you, Xavier. And I see myself doing it a few more times in the future but this is
Giovanni's trip to Italy was brief. He had gone to visit his grandfather, Calogero Mancini. He was a household name in Italy, owning almost every establishment around the country. Apparently, he had a lot going on and had fallen sick from working so much. So he had called on his grandson to help him finish off a few things. A few things that had involved him slitting the throat of the Ravenclaw Mafia boss. That was Giovanni asking for a war but he was the least concerned as he knew Calogero, his grandfather was going to take care of it. He wasn't the only one fighting for justice. His son had died a gruesome death and even in his sickness and bad health, he had promised to fight to his last to make sure he brought down everyone who had a hand in taking his son's life. Nothing else had mattered in that moment until he slit his throat and watched him spasm until he took his last breath. This was just the beginning. They had gotten a lead at least. One of the men w
"I have always hated espresso. I believe Italians enjoy it only because they want to have a taste of bitterness. I mean, why would you want to drink black coffee with no creamer or sugar?" Serafina shrugged and lifted the cup coffee to her lips, blowing air into the cup and watching as steam danced into the air and dissipated into the atmosphere. "In our genetic baggage lies a gene that influences the daily need for caffeine, Sigrid. It's just something that comes naturally to us." "And if it doesn't taste awful?" She contorted her face like she had just thrown a ball of sour candy into her mouth. "It does taste awful but like I said, it is in our genetic make-up to always crave for it." After taking a sip from her cup, she raised the cup to Sigrid. "Un caffè." Her ears perked at the sound of a car honking in front of the house. Sigrid went over to the window overlooking the front of the house and her eyes widened slightly before she turned to look at her. "Mr
Over three weeks had passed since Serafina had last seen Giovanni. It had bothered her greatly but there was nothing she could do about it so she delved into work, deciding that she was going to use the rest of her six months here, working for just one purpose. A work permit. Today, she had nothing to do. Working with RYSWELL Organizations had given her four free days in a week to live like a normal human while the remaining three were used for working. After her encounter with the minister, she'd been given minor jobs of just seducing and stealing, one of the easiest jobs she'd ever taken and she was more than thankful for it all. Xavier had stopped picking her calls and she wondered why. Well, she'd only called him twice and it had gone straight to voicemail. Geraldo was the only person in RYSWELL she spoke with on a daily basis. Well, maybe Sigrid. But she did not really count as a worker since she had no idea what was really going on in the company.
Flashback… "I don't think I can help you, Mr Hudson." "What? Why?" Giovanni asked, his voice coated with fear. "Why can't you help me? You were there when it happened. You saw it all happen. Why can't you help me?" George stood from his seat and stalked towards Giovanni who sat before him, pensive. He stopped and took a seat at the edge of the desk. "Because there are powers that be. If I try to plunge myself into that fucking rollercoaster, I would not come out of it. It's what your father did. He thought he could bring justice and throw them all into prison. But see where it landed him. Into his fucking grave." Giovanni's fingers sank into his thighs. He tried not to look how he felt on his insides. "But we can make things right. He made a mistake. A terrible mistake that could have been avoided. We can do better. If we don't make a move, they would do worse. They would kill innocent people and they would cover it up with money and fucking influence!" "Do not raise your voice a
"You shouldn't be here. You do not belong with us and I am sure as hell that you know that, don't you?" Daneesha snarled at Serafina who had just walked into the club. Geraldo had invited her for a get together with the others. It was a monthly gathering for those who were interested and a way to make them mingle and make friends but Serafina was definitely not welcomed here. The room was mostly filled with ladies and a few other guys she'd never really talked to. And Daneesha didn't seem welcoming, so did her friends. She regretted ever deciding to come here but what option did she have? Boredom was fucking debilitating and she didn't want to spend her day doing nothing but scrolling through her phone and staring at the ceiling and filling her head space with terrible thoughts. Being in solitude could be detrimental for her and also relaxing but she wasn't ready to bet on what it was going to be because drowning in her thoughts gave her the shivers, gave her anxiety attacks. Th
Blood. Rain. Water. Her feet slid against the marble floors and she fell face flat, her hands and feet planting into the pool of blood that spread across the hallway. She pushed herself off the floor, her sobs echoing around the monstrous building as thunder rumbles and bright flashes of lightning ravaged the rooms. "Mama?!" She cried out, walking in the dark and searching for any sign of her. "Where are you, mama?" No replies came. The blood. She had no idea who had it or where it came from. The gunshots that had her paralyzed and catatonic in her room must have killed or severely injured someone. Just as she made to move, her fit hit a soft body and she looked down, squinting in the dark to see who it was but her vision wasn't so sharp. A bright flash of lightning came and for a fleeting moment, she caught sight of her mother's body, her dark hair pouring out behind her, her eyes wide but dead. "Noo!" Serafina screamed and crumpled on the floor beside her. "Mama! Mama
It had been weeks since Giovanni last saw Serafina. After their very brief encounter at the club, her passing by him and him acting like he didn't see her, it had been the last he had seen of her. Well, he had been able to survive because Geraldo kept giving him updates and even had to stop at one point because he was starting to hyperfixate on her. Her jobs for the past few weeks had been excellent and she had gone higher in rank according to the board of directors and scorers of the organization. In two weeks, she was topping the last five of the best ten of the organization and now, she was two people away from meeting Daneesha who had been at the top for almost a year. Tonight, she was going for one of the biggest operations to ever happen in RYSWELL and everyone was counting on her to do a good job and come out alive. She had been given the details of what to do and now, all they were all waiting for was good news tomorrow morning. "Don't tell me you're thi
It had been six weeks since Serafina last heard from Giovanni or even Geraldo. Neither of the men had called her. After the contract termination, Serafina had expected Geraldo to ask her or visit for the sole purpose of finally ending everything but none of that had happened and she had patiently waited. So she decided that he didn't really mean it when he terminated her contract and the feelings of feeling like an outcast began to return. If the contract hadn't been terminated, why then hadn't any job been given to her? She deserved to know what was going on. The past month had been hell for her. This week was going to make it her fourth month here, which meant she had two more months let before the contract expired and in the space of that time, all she had encountered were scenes that threatened to mess up with her. Drake had been more persistent, threatening to do something terrible to her if she didn't provide him the necessary information and she had spent mo
It had been months since Cecilia saw her son and as soon as he walked into the room, she tore away from her friends and jumped into his arms, kissing every part of his face as she cried about missing him. Giovanni, easily catching her by the waist, burst into a smile and closed his eyes as he received her kiss. As much as things were slightly rocky between them both, they could actually pretend to care about each other. Giovanni did care but he knew he was in a really toxic relationship with his mother. She cupped his cheeks and gave him a once over before bursting into laughter. "Look at you! You're so ripped. Did you take steroids while I was away?" "Not at all, mother," he replied with a chuckle and looked over her perfectly made hair to see the women all staring and whispering. He ignored them and faced his mother. "Don't forget I am built like my father." She slapped his arm and laughed but it didn't get to her eyes. She slipped her arm around his and began t
"You should give it a rest, Giovanni," Geraldo said from where he sat at the other side of the room. "She clearly isn't to be trusted. Overthinking won't change what she did." Giovanni had been pacing around the room, obviously angry at Serafina. He couldn't quite place why she was speaking to Drake in the first place. What had he not given her? A roof to live under? The luxury to pay for whatever she wanted and to have literally anyone at her beck and call. So what was it this time? He wasn't so sure anymore but one thing he was most definitely sure of was that he would never trust her. Not anymore. Drake was an enemy and anyone who discussed him was also an enemy. "Of course, it wouldn't!" He snapped. "Do you think I don't know this? Hell, I haven't trusted her since the first day I met her." "But you spent how many months looking for her? Almost a year even," Geraldo burst into laughter. "You care about her more than you are willing to admit." "Not an
"Good girl. Yes, keep going. Don't you fucking stop." "But I am overstimulated!" Serafina cried out, spasming against the table. "I am feeling too much at a time." Pushing towards her, Giovanni snatched her wrist and placed her fingers back on her wet nub. He hissed a breath before taking a few steps back and folding one arm over the other. "Keep going until your nerve endings are no longer excited." He took a few steps back and drew out a seat this time, watching with legs spread apart as his hands brushed his crotch from time to time. He could imagine her mouth wrapped around his thick length, himself pushing in and out of her with deep, brutal thrusts that would leave her mouth sore for days. He could imagine himself slipping in through her and feeling her walls clench around him as he kept thrusting in and out. Her cries filled the room and she kept spasming and calling out for him to hold onto her but he didn't. He just remained seated, watching her with so much c
She kissed him. She pressed her lips into his, moved until she could fit into his body before she glided hers against his. She didn't stop there. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, with everything within her. Two weeks. She had yearned so badly for him for two good weeks and he hadn't touched her. Now that he had given her the permission, she felt like she was burning up, like her skin was aflame with a fire only him could extingusht. His fingers sank into the skin of her waist as he returned her kiss with the same fervency. He himself had nursed his feelings for two weeks. He had held back solely because he didn't want her to feel like he was coming onto her because she was at his home. "Do you know how long I waited for this to happen?" He sighed into her mouth before his lips grazed her jaw softly. "Do you know how hard it was to not touch you? I literally was stripped of everything and I held onto the last thread of respect so I didn't touch you." "I d
Roderick pulled away from her immediately, breathing heavily and glaring down at Serafina who remained on the chair, trying to catch her breath. Roderick attacking her had come as a shock. Hell, she hadn't seen it coming. She knew she should have trusted her guts when he started acting all strange. Giovanni on the other hand, grabbed Roderick roughly, pulling him across the room as they made for the exit. "You're still as crazy as ever, huh?" Giovanni hissed as he pushed him forward. "I knew I hated you the moment several women came up talking about how you assaulted and molested them because they said no to you. That's how tiny your ego is, huh?" "Fuck you, Giovanni," Roderick hissed and turned to glare at him. "You think you can have any woman you want. Of course, they throw themselves at you. You know nothing about a deflated ego because you're seen as an epitome of masculinity all the fucking time! It's why the women let you fuck them. It's why they come bac
In less than two weeks, Serafina was up and standing strong. Giovanni had insisted on her remaining at his place for safety purposes but she wasn't used to being so close to him. "I should go back to my apartment," She said to him one evening at the dinner table. Giovanni gently placed his spoon on the dining table and looked up at her. "Why?" "It gives me a sense of individuality." She replied and forked a chunk of meat into her mouth. It wasn't the full truth but she went with that. It would be weird telling him how she hadn't felt wanted since she woke up.Sighing, he picked his fork. "If you insist, I'll have you driven back to your penthouse tomorrow morning." It was so easy for him to let her go. She'd expected him to make her stay by either begging her or making her see reasons but he hadn't. She was suddenly annoyed by that fact. He hasn't touched her since she arrived at his place. Even after she'd healed properly. She remembered when they stayed up
"Where the fuck is the doctor, Geraldo?!" Giovanni yelled at the top of his voice as he lifted Serafina's unconscious body out of the car. "In here!" Geraldo called out from where he stood at the side of the door. Giovanni hadn't panicked this badly in his whole life. Seeing her bleed out had stirred something in him and he wished he had taken the bullet instead of her. The doctor was waiting when he got into the ward. A nurse rushed in right after she was placed on the bed, a tray filled with sterile instruments in her hand. "How long will it take for this procedure to happen?" Giovanni asked. "I'll have to see how severe the wound is before I can tell," The doctor said as he began to inject IVs into her hand. They worked on the machines and moments after, he turned to Giovanni. "We need her stabilised first. She lost so much blood and she might need a transfusion." "Okay. How does that work? Do I donate my blood or something?" "We'd have to check her
No way was Uncle Jaime standing before her. It had to be a dream. She blinked a few times to be sure that it wasn't. That grin. That sinister pair of blue eyes that matched hers. Her hands trembled as she walked into the room and she tried hard to remain in composure. She fell back into her native language as she spoke. "What are you doing here?" "Too afraid to speak English so they don't hear you?" Jaime laughed. "He can hear everything you're saying." "Does it matter?" She asked. "What the hell are you doing in America?!" "Sweet, sweet niece. It is absolutely none of your concern. I mean, if you had chosen to remain with me, maybe life wouldn't have taken a bad turn for you." "You!" She hissed. "You took everything from me! You gave me no option!" "I did," He took a few steps close towards her. "I asked if you wanted to be adopted." "At eighteen?!" She screamed. "Are you fucking for real right now? At eighteen, I had every access to my parents pr