Amber’s pov: “Over my dead body,” a low guttural voice asserts its dominance. Then, before I could comprehend what was going on, a hole formed in between the man’s eyes, and blood leaked out of it. His soul left his body right in front of me. I sink to the ground, but a pair of strong hands hold me right before I hit the bottom. “Tesoro, it’s okay, I’m here,” his whispers reassure and so do his strong arms. “Ale…Alessandro…” Only sobs leave my throat and water flows down my cheek, “Was that…Santino Martino?” “It was his brother, they look strikingly similar,” Alessandro says, scooping me up in his arms and leading me into the light, once again. He carries me to the car and takes me home. “What did he want?” My voice was still shaky. “I’ve got no idea,” Alessandro holds me close, asking, “Are you okay?” I nod, feeling better with every passing minute between his arms. Then, we enter my flat. His body still supporting me. “Stay with me tonight, Alessandro,” I request. “That goes
Our kissing session comes to an end as my phone rings. I pull away, my breath unsteady and my soul craving more. I stand on my feet and pick up the call. “Hey, Amber,” Liam says. “Hey,” I utter. “I will visit the art galleries today, and my training is coming along pretty well,” he lets me know. “That’s great,” I utter. “I hope you had fun yesterday,” Liam chuckles. Though confused by this gesture, I say, “Yeah, I did.” “Just don’t be mad at me for that,” he utters, and this adds more to my confusion. Nevertheless, I play it off with, “Yeah, no I’m not.” “Okay, then, have a nice day,” he ends the call after I wish him the same. I turn around to face Alessandro. He’s decked in last night’s suit again. Last night, I didn’t take time to note how beautifully it sits on him. “You look great in this,” I tell him. “Thank you,” he says, adjusting his sleeves. “I’ll get going now, Mrs. Bianchi,” He kisses my forehead before leaving. It is said that life is all about moments. Last night,
Two Months Later Alessandro’s pov: “Mrs. Bianchi, how have the past six dates been?” I question, my arm carrying my satin coat. “Great, but this one might be the best,” she whispers as she scoots closer to me, eliminating all the space between us. “I never thought that you’d be so romantic, Alessandro,” she clutches onto my arm. “Me neither,” I chuckle, “The things I do for you.” I shake my head. She raises an eyebrow. “I’m not complaining,” I smile at her. “I’m so happy for you. The company’s profit share has increased this year tremendously,” she smiles at me. “Thank you, I received some help from an angel,” I whisper in her ear. Amber’s fame in Canoli has helped me gear up in my business. Other than the import and export business, I’ve also invested in artist agencies. Besides, my art pieces have started to get sold. Everything becomes better with her by my side. I never want to let her go. As the hot air balloon raises higher, her eyes sparkle, and she points at her favori
TW: Mature Content Amber’s pov: Alessandro seems to be frozen in place. “Alessandro?” I whisper. He kisses me without a warning. “I fall for you every day, is that possible?” He questions, his hazels soft and relaxed. I smile at him and play with his hair as I say, “Don’t be late, Mr. Bianchi. I hate latecomers.” I turn around and go to sleep. His hands explore me for a while until they come to rest on my chest. The Next Morning “Amber, we can invest in our venture, why the external sources? They’re always risky,” Alessandro tells me as I hand over a plate with pancakes. “That’s what I thought of, but the investors will be donating the profits to charity and I know that we can do it on our own as well, but I had promised to help them out and this seems like the best way,” I explain. “Beauty with brains, you never fail to impress me,” Alessandro drizzles honey on his stack of pancakes. I interrupt it with my finger and suck the honey off my finger. His eyes quickly divert to my
TW: Contains Mature Content Evening, at 6 p.m. Alessandro's pov: “The staff will arrive soon, so I think that this is good enough,” she places the roses in the vase. “Yeah,” I tell her, my eyes studying her every move. “You should wear black more often,” I tell her as I help her up the ladder. “Not the unicorn PJs?” She questions as she adjusts the decorations hanging from the ceiling. “No, that’s reserved for me,” I smile up at her and she smiles at me as she looks down. Then, she climbs down and we arrange the chairs. “Doesn't it feel great to do this work on your own?” She questions from one end of the hall. “Not really,” I’m honest with her from the other end. “I’m just doing it in honor of our mothers,” I let her know. “Hey, at least you’re doing it,” she chuckles and I get on with hammering the screw at the marked points. “Damn it,” I groan as the hammer jams my thumb. Amber turns around and rushes to me. “You didn’t groan when you got scarred, but a hammer hurt you?” S
Many Days Later “Kenna & Bella’s Dreams has been the week's hot topic and I’m sure that the hype will remain on an increasing scale for the year if not the decade,” a reporter speaks. “I’m rooting for the decade. The day of the inauguration was a grand success and the art gallery has been flooded with guests from all across the globe,” another reporter adds. “Isn’t it romantic how they have an art gallery together? Insider news says that Alessandro Bianchi got in touch with art nearly over a decade after his father’s demise because of his wife,” the third reporter chimes in. “They truly are a power couple,” the first reporter says, astonished. “Damn right we are,” Amber says, her eyes glued to the television screen, her hands fumbling with the remote, and her phone on speaker mode with Alessandro on the other end of the line. “Cocky much, Mrs. Bianchi?” Alessandro chuckles. “I’m not changing my statement,” she smiles at the television screen as they display pictures of them and
Amber's pov: The sound of the waves crashing ashore might be loud, but Harlow’s words were louder. Tears flow down my eyes uncontrollably. This can’t be happening. It feels surreal. I’m going to break before this goes down. My phone rings. I can’t pick it up…It’s Alessandro. One of the guards walks in, and orders, “Pick it up! And act normal!” I pick up the call. “Alessandro…” My voice breaks. “Tesoro, is everything alright?” Alessandro is worried. “Yeah, it is,” I justify. “It sounds like you’ve been crying,” he says. “I just got emotional thinking about us, like how far we’ve come and all that,” I tell him. “Tesoro…” he chuckles, “I love you.” I whisper, “I love you too.” He then goes on, “This Friday, I won’t be coming home to you.” “What?” I question. “I’m going to have you driven somewhere,” he utters. I know. “Oh, okay,” I say. “That’s all that I had to say,” he utters. “Mhm, okay,” I can’t form sentences. “Are you sure that you’re okay?” Alessandro questions. “Yeah,” I
“How’re you feeling, diletto?” Harlow questions a very agitated Amber through her earpiece as the car drives her to the venue. She doesn’t speak, causing him to growl, “Answer!” “What the hell do you expect me to say?” Amber mutters. “Nothing, just follow my lead,” he smirks, “I’m going to be your mouth for the day.” Amber rolls her eyes and shifts her focus to the gun hidden under her long dress. “Oh, and don’t think I don’t know about the gun you’re hiding,” Harlow whispers, causing her to shiver for a split second. FLASHBACK Five Hours Ago Amber lingers around the necklace, admiring it and trying it on one last time. “Hurry up already, we don’t have all day,” Harlow rubs his face. Amber places the necklace back in place and the guard runs a check through it. Amber heads to breakfast. Harlow talks, “The car that Alessandro sends, you’ll step into that and sit there like a good girl.” Amber internally barfs at his choice of words. He continues, “You’ve got to get this earpiece