Alessandro's pov:
I order, "Give me a heads up once the snipers are done with their job." I say, calmly, "Amber, follow me." My voice gives her a clear idea about how crucial the matter is.
I warn her, "Don't speak, if you do, know that it might be the end of us." She trails my path and we head toward the painting I despise. Next to it, there is a reading corner with a few books and two sturdy chairs. I pull the lever hidden amongst the books.
The door next to the painting opens up. Amber gapes at the sight, I push her inside and say, "It is dark inside, just walk ten straight steps, then take a sharp right and sit tight. Here wear these." I hand over a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
I hear Giovanni Flavia, the head of the gang. I close the door and seat myself behind the bookstand strategically. I open the trunk hidden under one of the tiles and get a hold of my rifles. I load them, fully and unlock the door again. I step inside and shut it, tight.
"AHHHH!" Amber screams. I cover her mouth with my hand, pull her headphones off and say, "It's me." She breathes deeply. "Alessandro, what's this?" She says while touching the rifles. "Just a bat. For self-defense." I lie.
"No...It's a gun!" She squeaks. I cover her mouth as tears trickle down her eyes and I feel her shiver. One sound, and we're as good as dead. On the bright side, this can be Amber's first step to overcoming her phobia.
I drop the rifles, then, pull her close to me, and grab her behind. She escapes my grasp and says, "What the hell are you doing?!"
I grip her wrists, tightly and order, "Kiss me!" Her body stopped shivering, I could feel rage radiating off her. She kicks me right where it hurts, the kick was not too hard, but it still hurt. "What in the world?" She squeals.
"Better?" I ask her. She asks, still angry, "What were you trying to do Alessandro?" I look at her and say, "You broke out of it." She takes her time before saying, "Yeah...I did."
After a few minutes, I say, "The best way to get out of a traumatic experience is to distract yourself, I learned that from my... doesn’t matter."
The front door breaks down, and the noise confirms it.
I hear something drop to the floor. "What's that?" I whisper. She whispers back, "Oops, my headphones." I bend down, to look for it. "Found it!" she exclaims.
Then, we hear gunshots, fired continuously. Amber pants as she grips the front placket of my shirt. I say, "Amber, stay with me. You can do this, I am here with you."
She weeps, "I wish my mother had someone to protect her on that day." Her tears seep through the panels of my shirt and reach my naked chest. I pat her head, softly and say, "I'm sorry about that, but know that I am here for you." I wasn’t sure if I meant what I said but it came out naturally. She faints, after ten solid minutes. That is progress; her first milestone.
As the gunshots stop, I receive a call from Ken.
“Alessandro, the snipers have cleared out about forty men, but one of them has been wounded, bad.”
I say, “Dismiss them, I can take on the ten of them.”
Ken says, casually, “Okay, but know that they’re inside your house right now.” I cut the call and then, place Amber down on the ground, safely.
Gripping my rifles, tightly, I press the button to unlock the door. It opens and exposes me to two armed men, I take them out easily. The sound, as expected, startles other men around the house.
I get shot in the arm, it knocks the rifle off my hand and four men hold me, tightly. I knock out one of them before getting unarmed. "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite Bianchi! Oh, sorry that was Amos," Giovanni mocked me. I stay quiet. Three hefty men walk toward me. Giovanni orders, "Punch him, kick him, do as you please, but keep the sounds coming!"
The three men do as he says, but I make sure that no noise escapes my lips. After thirty minutes, I end up with one broken rib, a fractured arm, and a couple of scars. The usual for me. The three men get exhausted and they rest on the floor.
I mock Giovanni, "That's all that you've got?" He scowls. Then, says, "Shut up, Alessandro, you know that death is inviting you." With quick moves, I grab my rifles and shoot the three hefty dudes. I laugh and see Giovanni's hair rise. Pools of blood cover my clean marble floor.
"You know, Gio, I hate blood on the floor," I say. He gulps, nervously. "Just three more to go before it's you versus me, huh?" I chuckle, knowing that Gio did not have enough power or wit to face me. Three men attack me at once but I stab them right in the heart with the pointed end of my rifle.
I walk to Giovanni and say, "Bow down to me." Pride flashes in my eyes as he kneels before me. I smile at him and say, "Fifty men? You thought that they would be enough to eliminate me? You weren't wrong, but you forgot...Forgot that I've got a family, one which I can rely on and trust." Giovanni, to my surprise, laughs and says, "One that you think you can trust." His laugh gets louder by the second and soon turns hysterical.
"You have no idea, huh?" He asks. I stare at him, but don't let my confused expression show. He says, "Well, it is not my place to say." Should I leave him in the torture chamber with Ken? Yes, I should. I get hold of a knife and place it on his throat and ask him to beg for forgiveness. Giovanni says, "Never in a million-" A bullet pierces his chest.
I turn around to see Harlow, with a shotgun in hand. "Why did you do that?" I frown at him. "No one disrespects the capo," he says with an angry look. I roll my eyes at him. Harlow quickly retires to the front yard to clean up the hoard of bodies.
I turn around and see her, her eyes filled with terror still on the floor. She is frozen in place, her lips are parted and her body looks frail. "Amber?" I say, feebly as I walk toward her. "You...You...Don't come close to me!" She warns. I don't move. She runs up to our room and bangs the door shut.
Not the first time I'd scared her, but this time I could see the fear pouring out of her eyes. I help Harlow clean up as the men were on port duty today. As I walk up to the room, dinner in hand, I feel sick to my stomach. What if she hates me now? Pshh...Why does that matter to me?
"Amber, dinner's here," my voice sounded more coarse than expected. She said, "I'm not hungry." I sit next to her, she scoots away. "What happened, Amber?" I ask, foolishly.
She speaks her heart out, "What happened?! Oh, I don't know Alessandro, maybe we were under attack today and almost got killed, or that you killed ten people right in front of my eyes.." I cut in with, "Nine, Harlow shot the last guy." She glares at my face, then says, "Whatever, I can't do this anymore, Alessandro. I am afraid." Tears flow down her eyes.
I grip her wrists tightly and say, "Amber, you are not a child. You signed the contract under your will, I did not force you into this. Besides, I protected you today, and we reached your first milestone. You didn't faint for ten whole minutes." She said, "All of this might be true but that is not what scared me."
I wait for her response, and my hands hold her. She comes closer to me and says, "I saw you killing people and commanding them today, but rather than scaring me, it...It amused me." I was surprised by her answer.
I traced her lips with my thumb, her lips were wet from her tears.
Hey everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. What do you think will happen next??
Amber's pov:My heart fluttered as his thumb traced my lips. "Alessandro Bianchi!" I heard Harlow scream from the hall. Alessandro rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked away immediately. I could hear them screaming from downstairs. I am proud of myself today, for the first time in a very long, I didn't faint within the first few seconds of hearing the gunshots.Alessandro's protection somehow managed to help me, he did live up to his words.The next morning, the bed seems rather cold, as my eyes open, I notice that Alessandro is gone. "Mrs. Bianchi, today is the day of the masquerade ball. The gathering commences at 7 p.m. and will go on till 9 p.m. I've got outfits for you to choose from, all of them have been hand-picked by Mr. Bianchi," says the lady in black standing in front of me. I go over the dresses and the matching masks.All of them are beautiful in their way. I select an embroidered emerald gown with a matching lace mask. Alessandro would look great in royal green, I t
Amber’s pov:No. No, this can’t be happening right now. “Father!” I greet him cheerfully and hug him before pulling him away to a corner. He is confused. “What are you doing here?” He asks. “I don't have to give you an answer,” I glare at him. “Whatever. You were in close proximity to Alessandro Bianchi, you do know who he is, right?” He asks me, but I don’t reply. “Stay away from that man,” he warns me. “What right have you got to dictate that to me?” I ask. “Just because I kicked you out of the house, doesn't mean you aren't my daughter,” the audacity that he has to say that. I shoot him a dirty look before saying, “Look, Pietro, you have never been a father to me. Ever since my mother passed away, you have buried yourself in work and Gretchen. Not once have you bothered to ask me how I felt, or what I was going through. I was just a child, and yet, I had to deal with it on my own. Art was the only thing I could focus on, but every opportunity I got was stolen from me. Gretchen had
Alessandro’s pov: Today, the sun is shining brighter than usual. The rays of the sun plant themselves on her beautiful face. Her facial features are sharp...Just like her tongue. “Eyes off of me, Mr. Bianchi,” she whispers. “Just trying to get even. You were ogling me yesterday,” I tease her. She doesn't deny it, but rather walks into the bathroom. Yesterday, when her tender fingers stroked my rough chest, my heart pounded like never before. It was rather odd. I lay in bed, hearing her fill the tub, drop her clothes to the floor, and sit herself down in the bathtub. She hums a tune as she plays with the water. I want to walk in on her and…My phone rings and breaks me out of my trance. “Alessandro, you’re alive?” Harlow chuckles. “Pretty much,” I scowl. “Sorry for the smoke bomb brother, it was a borderline mistake,” he says. “I’m over it,” I say as I cut the call. “Alessandro, what happened yesterday?” Amber asks walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel covering her fine
Amber’s pov:I feel a strong pair of arms picking me up, bridal style. My eyelids are too heavy to lift, so I just stay still in his warmth. As my body touches the soft mattress, it is hesitant to let go of the warm embrace. I grip his bare arms strongly and request, “Don’t let go.” His warmth lingers around me until I fall asleep.“Good morning, Tesoro,” he gently kisses my forehead. I caress his cheek with my hand and speak through my yawn, “Good morning.” I open my eyes and realize that I was daydreaming. I can’t wrap anything around my head ever since he kissed me. I felt the need to rip his shirt off him that very minute, but I controlled myself. I shake those thoughts off me as I dress up in a short wrap skirt and a lace top, both black. “Lilly,” I greet her with fake cheerful energy, “Let’s go, shall we?” I ask her. She drags her feet across the room, and out the door, her eyes stuck on my man. I mean, Alessandro. “Lilly, are the invitations set to go out?” I ask her. “Yeah,”
Alessandro’s pov: Amber is unlike any woman that I’ve met before. All the women that I’ve brought here so far had been engrossed with swiping my card for drinks, dresses, jewelry, and whatnot, but here she is working on her hobby, literally standing out of the crowd. Her lips are pressed together, nervously as my hand is set on her waist. “We should call it a night,” she says, standing up and adjusting her skirt. “As you wish,” I say as we climb down the flight of stairs hand in hand. We head back home after a short drive. As usual, she goes to bed while I use the bathtub. I want to ask her why she drew Bianca’s portrait, but maybe she doesn't want anyone to know right now, so I’ll keep it that way. I slip into bed, and we share the same quilt. My hand grabs her fleshy thigh under the sheets. “Alessandro, keep your hands to yourself,” she says trying to escape my grip. “I don’t feel like it,” I tell her, squeezing it harder. Slowly, I move my hand up, tracing every inch of her uppe
Alessandro’s pov:“Got it!” She says holding onto my concealed gun nervously. She places the gun on the stand behind her and walks away with her rosy cheeks and watery eyes. I chuckle to myself and put the gun right back in its place. Damn, this woman is something else. I regain my composure quickly.Ken messages the details of the location. We landed two hours later. “Mr. Bianchi, here’s the bulletproof vest, and the shotguns as you asked,” Garret gears me up after Amber and I exit the jet. “I need a few men as well,” I tell him as I tighten the vest, “But keep them out of the gang’s sight until and unless they make a wrong move.” “Mrs. Bianchi, meet Garret, my inventory man in Romano,” I say as Garret hands over a case to hold the shotgun. “Pleasure to meet you,” he bows down. She smiles at him, and says, “Likewise.” A chauffeur pulls up at the station, and I say, “Amber, Garret will be around you for protection at the hotel, I will be back in a few hours.” She whispers in my ear
Amber's pov: I kiss him, hard. The sounds that leave my lips in ecstasy merge with that of the waves brushing ashore. My hands wrap around his neck and grip his hair tight. “Don’t stop, Alessandro..” I request him. The moonlight shines bright as we get lost in our world of desires. He pulls away from me, and says, “A good shot for the paparazzi.” I turn around to see a group clicking pictures and our bodyguards tackling them to the ground. That was for the cameras? My legs wiggle as I swim back to the shore. I quickly put on my clothes, grab the keys from his trousers, and race to the bike. I hop right on, put on the helmet, and drive myself back to the hotel. He can crawl back for all I care. I take a cold shower and clear my mind. The bed calls me and I don’t resist. After an hour or so, I hear the door unlock, “Amber?” He asks. I keep my eyes shut, and breathe steadily. He showers and then slides under my sheets and turns my body to face his. “What the hell was that?” He asks ho
Amber’s pov:“Father-in-law! What a pleasant surprise,” Alessandro says shooting one of the men’s hearts. My heart rate spikes up. The other man starts to run away. He walks up to me like he’s my savior, but deep down, we all know that he’s the devil himself.“Bianchi,” Pietro was shaking, “You know that Amber is not going to receive a cent from my multi-million dollar empire, right?” Alessandro nods, and asks, “And you know that you’re not going to receive a cent of my sympathy, right?” No, he can’t have Pietro’s blood on his hands. I walk up to Alessandro, still shaking, and panting. My vision is blurry. Words don’t leave my mouth, but I grip his arm. “Pietro, please leave before you make me do something I’ll probably not regret, but take note of what I say next,” Alessandro says placing his revolvers back in the socket, “If you ever dare to raise an eyebrow at Amber, know that it’ll be your last time seeing the daylight.” Then, he says, “Oh, and try to hire better bodyguards.” An