SAM’S POV
I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the pile of case files, but my mind wasn’t here. It was stuck on the conversation I had with Dante earlier when he had dropped me off. His words had caught me off guard, leaving me in a whirlwind of confusion.
“I like you, Sam,” Dante had confessed, his voice so soft, almost vulnerable, in contrast to the steady, confident man I had come to know.
The confession had shocked me, and now, hours later, I was no closer to figuring out what to make of it. He had even texted me, and I hadn’t responded. I didn’t know how to respond.
My phone buzzed on the desk, and I glanced at it, half-expecting it to be another message from Dante. But it wasn’t—it was an email from a client. Work was piling up, and I had so many things demanding my attention, but I couldn’t focus. My mind was spinning, trying to process Dante’s feelings, and the tangled mess of emotions I was starting to feel for Renzo.
Dante’s confession had come out of nowhere, and it had only added to the chaos already brewing inside me. My life was complicated enough—handling Renzo’s case, navigating his dangerous world, and trying to maintain some semblance of professionalism while being constantly drawn to him. And now this—Dante—his feelings added another layer I wasn’t prepared for.
I rubbed my temples, trying to calm the storm in my head. Why now? Why did Dante have to say something now, of all times? I had enough to deal with without the added complication of my personal feelings getting in the way.
My phone buzzed again, this time with a text. From Dante.
“I’m sorry if I made things awkward earlier. I just wanted to be honest. I hope this doesn’t change things between us.”
I read the message over and over, my heart racing. Dante was a good man—loyal, kind, and he had been by my side throughout this entire ordeal. But what he didn’t know was that my heart wasn’t free. I was already caught up in something deeper with Renzo, something I couldn’t quite explain or control.
But how could I tell him that?
I picked up my phone, my fingers hovering over the keyboard, unsure of what to say. How could I respond without hurting him, without making things even more complicated? I felt torn—torn between the life I’d built for myself, the boundaries I’d set, and the emotions swirling inside me that I could no longer ignore.
Renzo’s presence loomed large in my mind, even when he wasn’t around. There was something about him that drew me in, something dangerous yet irresistible. The more I tried to stay away, the more I found myself being pulled into his world. And now, Dante’s confession had only made things messier.
I let out a frustrated sigh, dropping the phone back on the desk. There was no easy answer, no way to make sense of the feelings I was trying so hard to suppress.
The knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. “Come in,” I called, trying to compose myself.
My assistant poked her head in, holding a stack of files. “Ms. Reyes, you have a meeting in ten minutes. Just wanted to remind you.”
I nodded, grateful for the distraction. “Thanks, I’ll be there.”
As she left, I pushed myself up from the desk, taking a deep breath. I needed to focus—focus on the work, on the case, on anything but the mess of emotions swirling inside me. I couldn’t afford to get tangled up in feelings right now, not when I was already walking a fine line with Renzo and his world.
But as I walked to the conference room, I couldn’t shake the image of Dante’s face when he had confessed. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter how hard I tried, things were about to get even more complicated.
VICTORIA’S POV
I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to make sense of everything swirling in my head. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Mr. Blackwell’s sudden entrance into my office shattered my focus. His smug grin as he strolled in told me he was up to no good.
“You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind,” he said, amusement flickering in his eyes.
I shot him a cold glance. “Why are you here, Blackwell?” I wasn’t in the mood for his games, especially not now.
He casually sank into the sofa by the door, looking far too comfortable for my liking. “I just wanted to talk about our little plan involving Renzo,” he said, his tone casual but laced with something sharper.
I averted my eyes, leaning back in my chair. “Not now, Blackwell. I don’t have time for this.”
“Not now? And why is that? What, do you know everything already?” His voice took on an edge, and I could hear the mocking in it.
I straightened in my chair, my patience wearing thin. “What? What are you talking about?”
He laughed, that infuriating, smug laugh that made my blood boil. “Seriously, Victoria? You’re telling me you don’t know?”
His words stirred something dark inside me. I clenched my jaw, glaring at him, my irritation rising by the second. “Enough with the riddles, Blackwell. If you have something to say, just say it.”
He flashed a smile that only made me angrier. “Chill, Victoria. I just enjoy a little suspense.” Then he stood and slowly walked over to my desk, leaning down slightly, invading my space in a way that made my skin crawl. He perched himself on the edge of my desk, far too close for comfort.
“Didn’t you know?” he said, his voice low but dripping with malicious glee. “Your father is killing Samantha’s mother.”
My heart skipped a beat. I stared at him, frozen. What? That couldn’t be true. Why would my father—?
“And,” Blackwell added, his voice slick with satisfaction, “did you know that Samantha’s sister is Shayla? The same Shayla that Renzo was obsessed with back in the day. And now it’s Sam who has his attention.”
I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. Shayla… was Samantha’s sister? And Renzo’s obsession had shifted from her to Sam?
I couldn’t hide the shock on my face, and that only seemed to encourage Blackwell. He leaned in closer, his grin widening. “Yeah, I thought that might get your attention. The De Luca family and your family—so many dirty little secrets, huh?”
I was still trying to process the bombshells he had just dropped. My father... Samantha... Shayla. How was this even possible? If what Blackwell was saying was true, everything I thought I knew about my family’s history was a lie. And Renzo—his fixation with Sam wasn’t just some dangerous infatuation. It went deeper, into something darker, something I couldn’t yet grasp.
Blackwell stood up straight, clearly pleased with himself. “Anyway, just thought I’d share. Let you in on a little family drama. But don’t worry, Victoria. You’re not alone in this. We both have a part to play in how this unfolds.”
I clenched my fists under the desk, doing everything I could to maintain my composure. “Get out,” I hissed.
His smirk lingered for a second longer before he turned and walked out, leaving me alone with the weight of his words.
I slumped back in my chair, my mind racing. My father had Samantha’s mother killed? How was that possible? Why would he do such a thing? And how could I not have known? And if Shayla was Samantha’s sister, that meant this whole twisted situation with Renzo and Sam went deeper than any of us realized.
I had always known there were dark secrets in our family, but I had never expected this. Now, I had to figure out what to do with this new information, and fast. Because if Renzo found out... this was a game I wasn’t sure I was ready to play.
NOTE: Hi everyone! This is the last chapter of Book 1. The next part of the story will be in Book 2 which means the next chapter will be part of Book 2 since the story has become quite long. Please stay tuned and wait for it, mwa!