5 YEARS LATER... LEONARDO'S POV I reclined in one of Enzo's plush office chairs, half listening to my cousins drone on about business. My gaze landed on Enzo's hands as he gesticulated, and I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing. His nails were painted a glittery pink and decorated with Hello Kitty stickers. When he caught me staring, Enzo shrugged. "Gigi ambushed me this morning." "Daddy-daughter time looks good on you, brother," I teased. Enzo shot me a wry look. "We'll see how you handle it when your little hellion grows up." I chuckled thinking about my spirited son. "Adriano keeps things exciting, for sure. Just yesterday he finger-painted a mural on his bedroom wall using Rosalina's lipstick." My cousins howled. "Takes after his old man," Luca said. "In all the best and worst ways," I agreed. Right on cue, my cell phone rang. I didn't have to check the caller ID to know it was Adriano's teacher. "That'll be Mrs. Dawson now. Let me guess - he set off stink bombs in
Heads turned as the beautiful woman in an ivory white dress robed under a white doctor's lab coat walked into the Mansion gates. Her wavey brunette hair swayed as she took each graceful step, climbing up the stairs of the wide front entrance. At the doorstep, another, much older woman greeted her. "Welcome to our abode, Dr. Russo!" She said, spreading her arms dramatically. "Thank you for your warm welcome, Sasha." Lilliana Russo greeted, flashing a cordial smile. "Our La signora is waiting for you. She had been asking about you all day." Sasha said with a bitter edge in her tone. Lily ignored it and followed her upstairs. They stopped before a wooden door. Sasha twisted the brass knob and pushed the door open for Lily to enter. A frail old woman, tucked in a thick layer of silk bed sheets, slowly looked at Lily. For a moment, she blinked, and soon her weary eyes lit up in recognition. "Cara Mia! (My dear!) Here you are—!" The old lady broke out into a fit of violent coughs. Lily
In the far corner of the grand Salvadori Auction House, a tall, handsome man stood with a glass of century-old red wine in hand, slowly stirring it and taking slow sips as his calculative dark eyes observed everything around him.His presence was felt in people's bones and women occasionally glanced at him, honoring his enigmatic form, but no one plucked up the courage to ask him out, even if they craved to.If being sexy was a sin, this man would be the devil himself.And his name is Vincenzo Salvadori.A tall, bald man scurried towards him and in a very hushed voice said. "We got him, Enzo."Enzo gave a slow nod and finished the rest of the wine. "Good. Drag him to the back garden."Desperate shouts and cries of a man echoed in the back garden as two men dragged him by his arms, the rest of his body scraping the stone pavement.Enzo stared at the groveling rat squirming beneath him with an unreadable expression. "You think hiding in this petty auction will save you from me?"The man
The sun had settled down in the west; the sky sheathed in an obsidian blanket with no visible stars to stare at. Lily's heart fluttered as her car neared the Russo mansion gates. Finally, home. The driver, Sebastian, hurried and picked up her luggage, and carried it inside. She stepped out of the car and two familiar faces showed up, with big smiles and open arms. Rosalina, her cousin, and best friend engulfed her in a bear hug. "Welcome home after what seemed like a fucking eternity," Rosalina said. "Language, young lady!" Lily scolded playfully, but of course, no one couldn't fix Rosalina's spitfire of a mouth. Rosalina laughed and kissed Lily's rosy cheek and stepped away to let their beloved nonna warm up to her favorite granddaughter. "I missed you so much, nonna." Lilliana gave her a long hug. Lilliana had stayed a week in an apartment near the Salvadori residence so she could treat Elena Salvadori in secret. "I missed you too. You must be tired after all the work. Go f
"Are you gonna cry all night?" Rosalina asked Lily, who lay on her stomach on the large queen-sized bed in her room, burying her face in the feather-stuffed pillows, muffling her sobs with it.Lily hiccupped and thrashed her legs on the bed, now cringing at herself for being so overly sensitive. She hated it when people raised their voices at her, especially nonno.There was a time when nonno kept his tone in check when he was around her. There were times he would be kind enough to speak fondly of her, but after that incident, they grew apart, and whenever they interacted; it ended up in bitter disputes like this.Rosalina crossed her arms and slumped down beside her. "Okay, Miss Waterworks, I'm just gonna stare at your pretty face until you stop crying."Lily stopped crying and wiped her tear-streaked cheeks. She stretched an arm towards Rosalina. "Come here. I need a hug."Rosalina rolled over to her side. Lily wrapped her arm around her cousin's slender shoulders, cuddling her. Lil
Later the same night in the Salvadori house, a tall, tan, handsome chad showed up on their doorstep, sporting a black leather jacket and jeans, carrying a bunch of heavy backpacks in his hands.The servants had left by now, so he had to carry the load all by himself.Elena's silvery grey eyes lit up with glee after recognizing who it was. "Leo! My boy!" She was about to hurry downstairs when Sasha stopped her, afraid she might lose her foot in all the excitement and end up rolling down the steps."Surprise, beautiful!" Leo dropped all of his bags, ran towards his grandmother, and gathered her frail body in his arms, smiling brilliantly."You tease! Stupido!" Elena playfully hit his rock-hard chest and his laughter rumbled throughout the entire mansion.He pressed his lips on her wrinkly cheek, adoring her. "I heard you had a terrible fever."Elena slightly frowned at him. "It wasn't all that terrible! Look at me. Do I look sick?""Nope." He said, still keeping her in his arms. "You lo
The phone kept ringing for attention in the living room. Lily hurriedly draped the bathrobe around her still-wet body and picked it up."Hello?""Who is it, Lily?" Nonna asked, placing the knitted sweater on the table and sitting beside Rosalina near the fireplace to get some warmth. Outside the house, it was a cold, mundane, rainy day.Nonno had gone hunting with her uncles and cousin Saint and will be back tomorrow while the three women nestled inside the house.Lily, with a worried look on her beautiful face, said. "It was Sasha, the Salvadori's housekeeper... Elena... she died. Sasha asked us to attend her funeral.""Died? How?" Rosalina asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and leisurely taking a bite."She had a stroke..." Lily said woefully."I don't think Matteo will attend," Nonna said.Of course, he won't.Nonno would rather choose to step on burning coals than attend the funeral of a Salvadori."It's okay. I'll go attend." Lily paced to her closet and changed into
EIGHT YEARS AGO...Nonna was in a hurry to church. A friend’s husband had died, and nonna was needed there to console her. Whoever this ‘friend’ was, seemed very close to nonna, although she never mentioned this ‘friend’ before. As she followed nonna to a small hill leading to the church, Lily’s eyes wandered around, not really caring. That’s when she spotted a tall young and magnetically handsome man leaning against a black SUV parked in the steep driveway, with a lit cigarette between his fingers. He was looking up at the church as if he was waiting for someone. Lily had not intended to stare, but her eyes kept glued upon the man as she walked, and she tripped over a rock. “Lily!” Nonna turned around. “Careful, it’s slippery up here” “I’m fine,” Lily murmured. When she looked back at the man, her heart almost leaped. His gaze was now on her. She looked away immediately, flushed for no reason. “Bella!” She heard a plump old woman around nonna’s age practically running down from