The HamptonsNew York ◇ MYKAELA ◇ Wow. Just stunning. Every inch of this property was breathtaking, every view worth every penny. The photos my brother sent me last week couldn't compare to the real thing. This place was paradise on steroids. I should send him a big, pricey Thank-You gift for this much-needed vacation...in this private, safe, luxurious, and peaceful beachfront haven many could only dream about. The views looked like life-size wallpapers. "I could get used to this," I sighed, talking to myself while my hands got busy with the pan and spatula. If I didn't have a hospital job and if Enzo could work from home forever, I would pack up our stuff and move in here first thing. Too bad we weren't insanely rich like my brother. This was the newest multimillion-dollar property on his list of assets, and on my birthday, Magnus offered to lend this vacation house all weekend. Actually he said we could "use it whenever" we felt like going here. But of course I told him Enzo a
•••••••••••• ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2022 by M.Z. Mauve Scenes, characters, dialogues and events in this story are all invented. This story contains mature themes, profanity, graphic violence and graphic sexual content not intended for young readers. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this story or plagiarism of any kind is prohibited by the law. •••••••••••• This is the first draft of Book III of The Heir's Secret Obsession, my first crime/psych thriller/mafia romance story. Like the sequel, this is also written in 1st person narrative. If you've come this far and have read The Heir's Secret Obsession and The Alpha's Dhampirica, thanks a million ❤ Your continued support and interest in my stories is what keeps me going. Thanks for being patient! For the new readers' sake, the first few chapters (all free!) contain scenes from the first two books in this mafia romance series to provide some context and background info on the main characters' relationships.Some chapters i
Mariangela, Umbria2 years earlier ◇ MYKAELA ◇ Answers. I needed real answers. Right now we all did. Why did these people get hurt? Not one of them seemed eager to explain. What happened to the others was even more dreadful. Just inhumane. Did the local cops find out about the ambush yet? Who wanted to murder all of them in broad daylight? The list of reasons must be lengthy. A crime this violent couldn't be just a case of mistaken identity. At times, the fine line between a horrible dream and my own reality would blur. This morning was a prime example. Bloody. Nightmarish. The total opposite of what I pictured when I said yes to Miles. Did his parents call the cops yet? They still wouldn't say who caused all of this. Maybe they all thought the secrets I shouldn't be privy to should stay that way: Well-kept secrets. Miles didn't know anything. Or did he lie to me? But why? I took a deep breath. My face mask now smelled of coffee and blood. "Shit." I leaned against the cold
The Falco Estate◇ MYKAELA ◇ "We need to talk about your family." My family? "Do you know why, Mykaela?" Mr. Falco led me inside the old storage room in Ricchar's cold basement. One of the suit-clad guards switched on the lights. Pretty sure Mr. Falco never left his house without his security detail. The door locked with a soft click. The gun-toting bodyguard snuck out of the room without sparing us another glance.Mr. Falco turned to face me, his tone low, restrained annoyance tensing up his angular jaw. It pushed a sharp, ominous feeling deep down in my gut. The cold wall behind me somehow made my palms sweat buckets. Or it was this behind-closed-doors talk with the big boss, who, for some reason seemed eager to talk about my family. Why? Did Miles share something besides my father's recent hospitalization? Why bring up my family again? Why here and why now?"I-I'm sorry. What're we talking about?" The thumps in my chest ratcheted up. Grayish specs partly obscured his attentive
◇ MYKAELA ◇"How did you end up here if you're from New York?""I had to work full-time." I leaned over the bedside table and returned the bowl of warm porridge on the tray."Ah."I stared at the guy's bandaged arm, trying my best to ignore his curious tone and attentive eyes. To him, a young American med school dropout being here in the Falcos' estate on the same day he and his bodyguard almost got killed in broad daylight was rather suspicious. Well, okay. I get it. I'd definitely be questioning a bunch of people after what happened this morning. After hearing about Russian mobsters plotting against the Falcos and all, I'd be suspicious of foreigners, too. But no reason to take it personally. Perhaps Enzo just wanted to ask more personal questions to pass the time. The medical team and the jet must be half an hour away at this point. Yet it was getting more obvious that being helplessly stuck in this guest room, in someone else's mansion, was starting to irritate him. Besides his
• France • A year later ◆ MAXIMILIANO ◆ "Been friends with Archambault a long time?" "A while." Magnus, the short-haired businessman in the collared shirt grinned at me and my cousin. The guy's smile didn't touch his pale green eyes. Or they could be gray. Bluish gray. Light green. Who gives a shit... He and Mykaela didn't share any other physical traits besides their height, slim build, and dark hair. This 40-something wealthy entrepreneur—the firstborn son of a wealthier drug lord—also looked like he could knock anyone down with a single punch. The way he talked as if we'd already met only doubled the air of confidence around him. At least a few inches taller than me and Ricchar, too. "You trust him with your life kind of friend?" Ricchar chuckled beside me. "Excuse me. Phone call." Niccolo got up from his seat and flung me a 'Fuck! It's Stefano!' look as he walked off with his phone. Pappa must be calling to chew him out. Probably growing impatient. Downright paranoid like
◇ MYKAELA ◇ Barely six hours left before our next shift. Yikes. I was needed in the hospital first thing. It would be my last shift this month before our assessment next week. And I should be sleeping, not a slave to my phone, waiting for nothing significant. Another life-ending asteroid hitting Earth sounded more likely than Miles calling me up again. Unfortunately, my brain was in no mood to rest. Fixing myself a cup of coffee wouldn't do me any favors, either. Ugh. I just needed to talk. Vent to someone—anyone, really. Then maybe cry it out. Seek some post-breakup advice. Sadly everyone seemed too busy. Mommy Tilda, my sister Jill, and her baby were traveling with David, my brother-in law. They just left me on read. Barely responded to my chats all day. My bestie didn't even return my call. "Enzo," I muttered with a sigh, too lethargic to move, just melting on the covers I'd almost forgotten to change. "Distracted" would be downplaying how I felt the last couple of days.Was he
◆ MAXIMILIANO ◆ "Hey. You busy?" "Depends." I sat back after accepting the video call request from the unregistered number. A new one, but I'd already memorized the last digits before Niccolo sent me new updates on the Interpol guy's activities. He tilted his chin and eyed what my camera showed him. A white coat partly covered his black shirt. "You look busy.""You look like shit." I positioned my phone beside the greasy rag on my desk. By "shit", I meant he looked marginally better than the last time we hung out.For the first time in a while, he looked like he got a good night's sleep. Niccolo leaned closer to his phone, probably another burner. His brown eyes squinted at me. His grimace deepened as if my pastime disgusted him. "Che cazzo fai?" [What the fuck are you doing?] "Cleaning my birthday gift." "From who?" "Pappa." Niccolo shook his shaved head. The video feed on my screen lagged a bit. "What?" The smooth barrel glinted when I tilted it sideways. The other parts of