Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
I want to run.
I want to escape.
Eyes land on me, watch me as I make my way through the crowd. The burning of their gazes makes my skin hot and my stomach twist as I try to escape. But I know there’s no getting away from this.
I’ve seen far too many young women practically sold off into marriages they didn’t want. I didn’t consider I’d be one of them someday. And yet, here I am.
As more and more guests arrive, the more my anxiety coils in my gut like a snake, twisting around itself, tightening with every step I take and every set of eyes that lands on me.
Finally, I head out onto the balcony because it’s the only place I feel at ease. It doesn’t take long for someone to find me, though. As soon as I calm the tension racing through me, I feel a presence.
Turning, I glance over to see my cousin standing at the door. He offers a smile, but it’s not a friendly one. He has always wanted my position in the organization. He wants to take over from my father, but because he can’t, the resentment has always been there.
“Cassio,” I murmur his name, knowing that if I play it calm and coy, he’ll leave me alone soon enough. Our relationship has never been easy, and because of his hatred of me, he has always ensured I feared him.
Deep down, I wish my father would choose him to take over rather than me. But Daddy will never do that.
“The princess is hiding,” he whispers in a low, threatening drawl. His voice is gruff, but I can tell he’s raging beneath his calm exterior. The problem with Cassio is that his poker face is terrible.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him, trying to move away, but there’s a darkness in his gaze as he watches me.
“I’m just making sure my cousin is behaving herself,” he tells me as he smiles, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
The silence after his words is ominous, and then the door squeaks and a soft female voice says, “Cass… You should join me.” There’s no doubt this is his plaything for the night. I know my cousin doesn’t do love. He enjoys himself as a playboy of the mafia, but there’s violence to his actions that scares me. And I wonder deep down if these women know what he’s truly like.
Part One
First Love
Chapter 1
Lelia
Ihaven’t thought about anyone or anything else since the party. If my father knew what was going on inside my mind, he would probably have me murdered. I can’t tell a soul about my feelings. I wanted to run away the moment I saw his face. The second his lips touched mine in that tender kiss, I knew my heart had been stolen.
He may be my mortal enemy, but there was nothing to hide the butterflies he awakened in my stomach. I’ve met boys before. Men who want my hand in marriage have sauntered through the doors of my family’s estate time and time again, but nobody has ever made me feel like Domenico.
It’s the first time I’ve seen him. I knew there was a son living next door, the only son of the Montesano family, but he’s been elusive. He didn’t attend the local schools, and I knew he wasn’t one of the boys who would race around the town in a fancy car. It’s strange because the rest of the Montesano clan tend to show off their wealth, parading it around, making sure the rest of us know exactly who they are.
But he’s different.
And now that I know what he’s like, what his lips taste like, I can’t get him out of my mind. Those hazel eyes consume my thoughts as I make my way down to breakfast. The house is alive with staff rushing around, tidying up after the party last night.
I pray I don’t have to talk to anyone, but the moment I step into the dining room, I find my father at the head of the table. He looks up as I walk in and offers me one of his loving smiles. He may be a tyrant and want to destroy his enemies, but when he looks at me, there’s a calmness and affection to his expression.
“Morning, Papa,” I greet him as I lean in to press a kiss to his wrinkled cheek. Even though he’s not that old, there are tiny lines that already mar his face. Perhaps it’s the stress of running an organized crime family all these years.
“My angel,” he says in that gruff tone I’ve come to love. “Today, I want you to spend the day in the office with me. There’s a lot for you to learn, and the sooner you get started, the better.”
“But I have—”