ROSALINDA.
"Sei morto!" I heard a voice yell while I was leaning on my best friend’s car, smoking in the underground parking lot of a club. Out of curiosity, I peeked up to see what was happening, and the smoke of the cigarette suddenly filled my lungs at the sight of what I saw, and I puffed. A blonde man who had bruises all over him was on his knees, surrounded by men. Dangerous men. One of them was holding a gun to his head. I was born into a world of crimes, and I witness things like that regularly. But I still haven’t gotten used to it. "Who is that?" I heard a voice say, and it was followed by footsteps. I quickly started thinking of ways to run away; I didn’t want to get into trouble. If my dad knew I was out clubbing, I’d be in deep shit. Before I could gather my thoughts, an image suddenly appeared before me, and I gasped. He was breathtaking! He had dark brown, lustrous hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes. He had a strong jawline and was dressed in a tailored black suit that accentuated his physique. His presence exuded power, and in an instant, I knew that, without a doubt, he was a powerful mafia boss. "What are you doing here?" He asked, his Italian voice was rich and deep. I laughed awkwardly and lifted my cigarette up for him to see. "Smoking. Obviously." "What did you see?" He asked sternly. "Nothing." I quickly said. "I said, what did you see?" He asked again as he took intimidating steps towards me. But I wasn’t intimidated. "I said nothing." I repeated. "You must not mention this to anyone." A small smile crept on my lips as I replied. "I know." My father is a mafia don, and I know the rules. I wouldn’t be that stupid to mention what I saw to anyone. He raised a questioning brow as he stared at me. I knew he was wondering why I wasn’t afraid of him. He had expected me to shriek and shiver at his presence. But men like him don’t scare me. "Even if I mentioned it to anyone and the law enforcement got to know about it, you'd still find your way out." I continued when I didn’t get any response from him. "I know." He nodded. "It’s going to be less trouble if they don’t find out. And I wouldn’t have to hunt your silly ass down." "And do what?" I raised a brow. "Kill me?" "That’s what’s frustrating." He pressed his lips together. "I don’t touch women." I wasn’t surprised. Most mafia bosses have that rule. They don’t hurt women and children. Suddenly, I had the curiosity to know what that man did that caused him to beat him to a pulp. I knew it was none of my business, but before I could even stop myself, I quickly asked. "What did he do?" He stared at me, amused. "You seem fearless." A small smile touched my lips. "Maybe because I’ve seen this multiple times." He squinted his eyes. "So you know who I am." "I don’t know who you are, but I know what you are." I muttered. "So, tell me." He inched closer to me. "What am I?" I couldn’t explain why, but his close proximity caused me to start breathing heavily. "A mafia boss." I quickly said. He nodded slightly. "I guess you’re from a mafia family also. Who is your dad? And why did he allow you to come to a place like this? without a body guard? Girls in our world are meant to be protected at all times." Something about him amused me. He seemed hard and, at the same time, soft. He was a combination of both. "My dad thinks I’m in bed, sleeping." I said, and I subconsciously licked my lips. "You sneaked out." A small frown creased his forehead. "What if you get attacked?" "No one’s after me." I blurted out. He took another step closer and cocked his head. "What if I do? If I had pulled that trigger and if you had seen me—" he suddenly curved his big palm around my throat and pinned me to the car, causing me to let out a sharp gasp. "You know, I could have gunned you down also." "My dad would have hunted you down." Was what I managed to say. "He wouldn’t have known that his daughter was out here getting killed." Damn, he was killing me. His hand on me was causing heat to lick every sensitive part of my body, and I hated it. He was a stranger, and I wasn’t supposed to feel that way for him. The more I stared at him, the more his lips called for me, and the more I wanted to get a taste of it. Before I could even stop myself, I stepped on tiptoe and sought his lips. "What’s happening here?" I suddenly heard my best friend say, and I quickly went back on my feet. She saved me. He released his grip on my throat and turned to look at her. "And you are?" "She’s my friend." I quickly said. "We came here together." He returned his gaze to me. "Be careful." He muttered and dashed out before I could even reply. I stood there, mesmerized, as I stared at his retreating figure, unable to believe what I was about to do, unable to believe that I could react to a stranger the way I did—a mafia boss at that. And in a flash, that stranger was gone, with no means of contacting each other. "Who is he?" My best friend, Ruby, asked, snapping me out of my trance. "Did you get yourself into trouble?" "No." I said as I pulled the car door open. "Let’s leave here." There was no way I was going to tell her that I almost kissed a man who almost killed someone. She knew nothing about my family or the underworld. If I told her what happened, she would undoubtedly freak out.… "Rosa!" I heard my mamma’s voice call, and I jolted awake. "What?" I asked with a sleepy voice. "Get up and give your sister something to wear!" She exclaimed as she trudged towards my walk-in closet, with my sister, Sofia, following closely behind her. "I can’t believe she doesn’t have a decent dress to wear." I drew my brows together in confusion. "Why are you looking for clothes for her to wear? Are you going somewhere?" She quickly turned to look at me with her face twisted into a small frown. "She’s meeting Antonio Russo today. You were told yesterday; how could you have forgotten already?" Antonio Russo was the man that my sister was said to be engaged to. I slammed my palm against my forehead and groaned. "I totally forgot." "I see." She grunted as she turned back and continued walking. "By the way, why are you still sleeping? You went to bed early yesterday." "I am just tired." I lied as I stretched. She had no idea that I went clubbing while I made all of them believe that I was sleeping. The thought of that brought back memories of what transpired between me and the unknown mafia boss, and I caught myself daydreaming about him. I quickly shook my head to push the stupid thought out of my head. There was no way I was meeting him again. And even if I did, there was nothing that could happen between us. Jumping out of bed, I followed them to my walk-in closet and watched as my mamma rummaged through my clothes. "Here. This should fit you." She said as she pulled out a black sequin dress and threw it at Sofia. "Mamma!" Sofia whined. "It’s not my engagement party." "It’s not too much." She retorted as she started walking out of the closet, leaving no room for Sofia to complain. She half turned to look at us. "You both should get ready before he arrives. He would be here in an hour." With that, she dashed out of the closet, leaving me and Sofia alone. "I don’t want to get married to him." Sofia groaned; the second Mamma was out of sight. "I just want to live happily ever after with Oliver." Oliver was my sister’s boyfriend. "Then…" I placed my finger on my chin thoughtfully. "Run away with him." She raised a brow. "Should I?" "Yes." I nodded. "But your love story would end before it even began. Papà would find you guys, and you know what would happen after that." "Oliver dies." I nodded. "Yes." "I hate this life!" She groaned in her hands. "You are not alone." I said as I inched closer to her and wrapped my arms around her. "But this is the fate we are born with. We cannot marry for love. We can only hope to find love in our marriages." I felt so bad for my sister because women in our world never get to choose their spouses. My sister was given out as a pawn in a business agreement. I would have been the pawn since I was the first daughter, but due to my dirty past, my papa considered me unfit for the agenda. "I’ve heard Antonio’s story. I’ve heard how ruthless he is. I can’t believe Papà betrothed me to him." She cried. "You’ll be fine." I consoled her as I patted her back. "I’m sure you would." I allowed her to cry on my shoulder for a few minutes while I told her soothing words before she finally pulled away from the embrace and wiped the tears off her face. We freshened up afterwards and got dressed, ready to meet Antonio Russo. A man who was popular for his ruthlessness. I couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like. "He’s here." Mamma said as she opened my room’s door, and Sofia gasped. "He’s in your father’s office. Meet us there now." After Mamma left, I turned to look at Sofia and held her hand when I noticed how shaky it was. "You’ll be okay." I assured her. "Let’s go now." Nodding, she started walking towards the door, and I walked right beside her with our fingers intertwined. When we got to Papa’s office, we stopped in front of it, and I could literally hear Sofia’s heart beating hard against her rib cage. She was nervous. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and assured her again. "You’ll be fine." "I hope so." She blew out a sharp breath and quickly opened the door. "They are here," Papà announced as we slipped through the door. Hoisting my head up, I saw a very familiar figure standing beside my Papà, and my heart sank into my stomach. No, this can’t be. I panicked. He can’t possibly be Antonio Russo. The guy from the club can’t be Antonio Russo!ANTONIO.Never in a million years did I expect to see the daring girl I met at the club yesterday here. The girl who enchanted me with her captivating green eyes. So, she was a Moretti. That explained why she was fearless and didn’t seem intimidated by me. Was she my supposed fiancée?"Antonio, I present to you Sofia Moretti." Roberto said as he gestured at the girl who came in with the daring girl. The girl who dared make my cock go crazy.She wasn’t Sofia. So, who was she? Rosalinda, her sister?"And this is Rosalinda, her sister." Roberto continued, confirming my guess as he gestured at her."Rosalinda." I muttered, my gaze fixed on her. Though my intention wasn’t to say that out loud, it just happened to slip off my lips."Have you met her before?" Roberto asked, with curiosity lingering in his eyes. Yesterday, she mentioned that she sneaked out of the house. Talking about our encounter would only put her in trouble. I didn’t know why I was protecting her, but—I flicked my gaz
ROSALINDA.Antonio Russo’s charm worked on me. Again. His presence had such an immense effect on me. An effect that made my body react to him in ways that it shouldn’t. I hated it. I hated him. Not only because I disliked his annoyingly bossy nature but also because he was my sister’s fiancée and I wasn’t supposed to be attracted to him. But I was."What’s happening here?" Papà asked briskly as he approached us."Rosalinda here needs to be taught some manners." Antonio said as he slouched on the chair where he was seated. "I wonder why you aren’t strict with your daughter’s. Strict enough to stop them from sneaking—" He paused, darted his gaze at me, and smirked smugly. "I mean, stop the them from going around and disobeying people."What was his deal? He was punishing me by making me believe he was going to expose my sneaking escapade to Papà. And hell yeah, his punishment worked because I almost hyperventilated. If Papà ever found out that I usually sneak out of the house, I’d be do
ROSALINDA. The following day, Antonio picked me and Sofia up from our place as planned, and he drove us to Lily Bridals.The only thing we’d said to each other since he picked us up was a simple greeting. Which was good, I guess, because the less we spoke, the better. The better I would be able to resist the scorching attraction I had towards him.When we got inside the building, we were welcomed by a receptionist.Her smile was broad as she spoke. "Welcome to Lily Bridals. How may I help you?""Uhm… My mom called and made a reservation for Sofia Moretti. We are here for—" Before I could complete my sentence, a lady suddenly appeared beside me and interrupted."Ahh... Sofia Moretti." She beamed as she tucked her blonde bob hair behind her ear, revealing more of her beautifully sculptured face. "Welcome to Lily Bridals. I have been expecting you." A small scowl suddenly flashed on her face. "She told me you were petite and had a little..."She had mistaken me for Sofia. Before she cou
ROSALINDA. Sofia’s dress was complicated, so I couldn’t help her pull it off on my own; I had to call Lily to help her out since she designed it.She was standing in front of the small room when I stepped out. She must have understood that Sofia was not in the best of moods and waited for me to comfort her, hence why she stood outside and didn’t go in with us."Is she okay now?" Lily asked concernedly the second she saw me."Yes." I nodded slightly. "Her dress is still on. Can you help her pull it off?""Sure." She said as she hurried towards the door and pushed it open.I strolled back to where I was seated and sat on the sofa while trying my very best not to glance at Antonio. A walking temptation.The scene of what he did to me before Sofia and Lily walked out of that small room kept replaying in my head, and I wanted to know why he did that. Was he also attracted to me?Before I could stop myself, I cleared my throat and asked. "Why did you sniff my neck the other time? You shoul
ROSALINDA. When we entered the pub, I immediately spotted Oliver sitting alone at the bar, and a wave of relief washed over me."Where are they?" Antonio asked, scanning the pub intently.I yanked my hand away from his grip and shrugged. "I don’t know what you are talking about. I came here alone.""I know you didn’t come here alone." He firmly grasped my shoulders, intently staring into my eyes. "After you followed her into that room, I followed you and overheard your conversation." He admitted, and I shot my brow at him.How creepy. I shrugged again, trying to appear nonchalant. "After you warned me about sneaking out, I changed my mind about going with Sofia. I didn’t want to get her into trouble.""Where is she?" He persisted, emphasizing each word.I looked around the room, desperately hoping Sofia wouldn’t show up until he left. Where the fuck was she, by the way?"I told you the truth." I stood my ground as I started walking away from him."Where the fuck are you going?" He g
ROSALINDA.Not even for a second before I fell asleep did the thoughts of what happened between me and Antonio leave my mind. I fell asleep thinking about him, and now that I’m up, thoughts of him were the first to cross my mind.Was he also attracted to me, or was I misinterpreting things? Did he sniff my neck so sensually only because he liked my scent?Could it be that he was only under the influence of alcohol? I kept asking myself endless questions. Questions I had no answers to.I could still remember the way I involuntarily pressed myself against him as I allowed myself to feel his hard, defined body. I could still remember how intense my arousal was as he rubbed his thumb over the red sting spot and sniffed my neck.As those memories coursed through me, I caught myself absentmindedly rubbing the same red spot, feeling my folds contrast as I let out a short moan.I quickly snapped myself out of it, shaking my head in disbelief at what I was doing. He was out of bounds for me, a
ROSALINDA. The past few days have been really overwhelming for me. I've been deeply involved in assisting with the arrangements for both Sofia's wedding and her Engagement party. Today, however, was the engagement party.I was dressed in a red lacy dress that boasted an off-shoulder neckline, gracefully revealing my décolletage and an enticing amount of my cleavage. The lower part of the dress had a thigh-high slit, exposing just the right amount of my legs. The entire look exuded flirtatiousness, but did I care? I simply dressed in what I felt beautiful in.The moment I stepped into the garden where the party was being held, I sensed the gaze of unfamiliar eyes upon me, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable.Everyone appeared cheerful, dressed in their elegant and expensive dresses and tuxedos.I looked around, anticipating seeing the one person that I had been longing for. The groom-to-be. It’s been a week since I last saw him in the kitchen, and not even a day has passed that
ROSALINDA.Antonio might be crazy, but I’m even crazier.He ruined my dress just because he wanted me to change into something more decent, but I defied that cause. I went back into my room, swiftly removed the ruined dress, and slipped into something even more daring—a silver sequin mid-thigh dress with striking waist-high slits on both sides.After I finished dressing, I stood in front of the mirror and spun around in a complete 360-degree turn, marveling at my own reflection. Boy, do I tempt myself?I looked so hot, and I was well aware that my father would disapprove of my outfit, but I couldn't care less as long as I got to spite Antonio.Grabbing a silver clutch, I made my way back to the garden. I looked around, searching for Antonio, and before I could figure out where he was, I heard a familiar voice call my name.Oh, shit. Not again. I had hoped to avoid encountering him again, but luck was clearly not on my side. I pivoted to face the source of the voice, forcing a fake sm