Then, as if the storm never happened, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
___
Her body trembled in his arms, blood seeping from her wounded feet as she leaned heavily into him. Every step she took felt like needles piercing through her flesh.
Matteo didn't say a word as he simply bent, scooping her up in one swift, possessive motion.
Aurora winced, a sharp cry escaping her lips as her legs shifted. He held her tighter.
"Shh… I've got you" he murmured, voice low and barely a whisper.
He carried her out. The brutal silence between them buzzed with something raw.
As they entered the bedroom, he gently laid her on the edge of the mattress. She tried to sit up, but the pain forced her back down with a strangled gasp.
Matteo's gaze never left her.
His lips pressed against her forehead again, softer this time.
He stood there, watching her.
"Why are you treating me this way?" she whispered, her voice strained, barely audible over the sound of her own breath.
Matteo didn't answer immediately. He just stared at her with his jaw tense, his eyes burning with a twisted cocktail of obsession and restraint.
"You think I want to hurt you?" he said finally, voice hoarse. "You think I enjoy seeing you like this?"
Aurora blinked at him, her lips trembling. "Then why, why do it at all?"
"Because you make me insane" he growled. "Because every time another man looks at you, I want to rip his fucking eyes out. Because you're mine and I don't know how to love without ruining everything I touch"
He crouched in front of her, his hands gripping the sides of the mattress.
Aurora flinched as he reached out again, brushing his fingers over her cheek gently, like he hadn't just made her bleed.
"And I don't care if I have to burn this whole world down to keep you by my side"
His touch lingered for a moment longer before he stood to his full height.
"You still haven't answered my question" she said.
"Your question doesn't deserve an answer" he pointed out.
Matteo said nothing more. Instead, he turned on his heel and disappeared.
Aurora lay still, every inch of her aching.
Moments later, he returned with a white towel, a bottle of antiseptic, and a small first-aid kit.
She instantly shifted back, eyes wide.
"No," she croaked. "Don't touch me"
His eyes narrowed. "You're bleeding"
"I don't care. Just leave me alone. You caused it anyway"
He took a step forward.
"I said—" she tried again, scooting back, "—don't touch me, Matteo"
But he didn't stop. He dropped the towel beside her, cracked open the antiseptic, and grabbed her ankle before she could crawl away.
Her nails clawed at the sheets.
"Let go of me!" she shouted, tears stinging her eyes now, more from the burning in her soul than her foot.
"You want to hate me?" he said coldly, gripping her leg tighter. "Fine. Hate me. But you'll sit still"
He poured the antiseptic over her wound, and she screamed a raw, guttural cry that echoed through the room.
Matteo didn't flinch.
"You think I want to do this?" he muttered, pressing a clean cloth to her foot as blood soaked through. "You think I enjoy seeing you like this, huh?"
"YES!" she spat with pain and rage. "I think you do. Because it makes you feel powerful. It makes you feel like I'm yours"
He paused just for a second. Then his lips twisted.
"You are mine"
With ruthless hands, he picked out the tiny shards of glass embedded in her skin while she writhed and hissed, her knuckles turning white from gripping the sheets.
When he finished bandaging her foot, he didn't look at her right away. He rose slowly, wiped his bloodstained hands on the towel, and stared down at her with unreadable eyes.
"I don't regret what I did, and I will do it over and over again every damn time you refuse to obey me… every time you let another man touch what's mine"
His words hung heavy in the room like a curse, coiling around her chest like chains.
Aurora's throat tightened.
She looked up at him, lips trembling, and spat the words like venom.
"I hate you"
Silence.
Something flickered in Matteo's eyes... Satisfaction.
He leaned down slightly, face inches from hers, his breath brushing her skin.
"Good" he whispered, voice dripping with darkness. "It'll make loving me feel like sin"
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.
•••
MORETTIS EMPIRE, VIPER'S SUITE*
Midnight…
The water in the jacuzzi shimmered under the dim gold lighting, steam rising around Viper.
She sank deeper into the heat, her bare skin glistening, her dark hair tied messily on top of her head. A cigarette rested between her lips, the cherry tip glowing faintly as she took a long drag, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
A half-empty glass of rum sat on the marble edge beside her, the bitter liquid doing little to numb the ache in her chest.
Matteo.
The name alone twisted something deep inside her.
Her boss.
The man she had sworn loyalty to.
And the man she could never have.
Her fingers skimmed lightly over her collarbone, tracing invisible patterns over damp skin as her mind replayed the way he spoke, the way his presence filled a room like thunder waiting to break.
She let out a shaky breath, dragging the cigarette again before stubbing it out.
Her hand moved over her thigh slowly, distracted, her body responding to memories her mind tried to lock away.
She wanted him.
A bitter chuckle escaped her lips as she reached for her drink again, swallowing the rest in one go.
"If only you knew, Matteo" she whispered into the steam.
Steam spilled from the bathroom door as Viper stepped out, completely bare, skin glowing under the dim light.
She didn't flinch or cover herself when she spotted the figure lounging casually on her bed.
Storm.
Black hoodie. Combat boots on the floor. Arms folded behind his head like he owned the place.
Her gaze sharpened.
"How did you get in here?" she asked, strolling toward her dresser.
Storm smirked. "I know your password, remember?"
She pulled out a pair of red silk panties. "Then I need to change it"
He sat up slowly, eyes dragging down her body like a lazy storm rolling in.
She ignored the heat of his stare, until his presence was suddenly behind her.
Soft lips brushed the nape of her neck… then lower…
Right over the black Viper tattoo coiled along her spine.
Her muscles tensed then snapped.
In a blink, her hand grabbed a dagger from nowhere sliding out from under a candle on the dresser and pressed it to his throat.
"Easy, easy…" Storm murmured, hands lifted in surrender, though his eyes still glinted with heat.
"I just wanted to play with you"
"I don't like that play"
Storm tilted his head. "Come on, won't you consider what I've been telling you?"
She rolled her eyes, stepping away from him, the dagger still in hand.
"We're mafias, Storm. Love makes us weak. So kill that fucking love"
She turned fast, grabbed his hoodie, and kissed him hard.
He kissed her back without hesitating until she bit down on his tongue, just enough to make him groan and jolt back, a drop of blood sliding from the corner of his mouth.
Storm stumbled a step, breathing heavy. "Shit…"
Viper wiped her lips slowly with the back of her hand, that wicked smile tugging.
"Play with fire, get burned"
Unpredictable. Deadly. Addictive.
She turned her back on him again like it never happened.
And Storm?
He just stood there, bleeding, grinning like a man falling willingly into a trap.
Minutes later, he stepped out of Viper's suite, jaw tight, the faint sting of her bite still fresh on his tongue.
Her scent clung to him. Smoke, danger, and jasmine. A wicked blend.
The hallway was dim, shadows curling along the walls like silent sentries. Just ahead, sitting lazily on the arm of a leather couch, was Blade.
He was tossing his butterfly knife in the air, catching it between fingers like it was part of his bloodstream.
Clink. Flip. Catch.
"Rough night, lover boy?" Blade smirked, twirling the knife again without looking at him.
Storm didn't answer. Just kept walking.
Blade stood, falling into step beside him, his grin widening.
"She bite you again?" He flashed teeth. "Next time, wear chainmail"
Storm halted.
His cold eyes slid to Blade.
"I could rearrange your face if you need a reason to stop running that mouth"
"Ooooh" Blade flipped the knife closed, held it to his heart mockingly. "Careful, big bro. You know how fragile I am"
"You're not fragile. You're just stupid" Storm said flatly, stepping past him.
Blade laughed.
"I'll take stupid. At least I'm not standing there hoping a viper learns to love me back"
Storm didn't turn back, just kept walking.
"Play with that blade long enough, and someone's going to drive it through your throat"
Blade's laughter echoed behind him.
"I'd prefer it be Viper. Sexy way to die" He stood there, twirling his knife again, the glint catching the hallway light.
Storm's boots echoed down the corridor.
Blade's smirk remained as he slowly turned back toward the shadows, flipping the butterfly knife one last time with a whispered chuckle.
"Sexy way to die…"
He sheathed the blade with a snap and disappeared into the night like a ghost.
•••
NEXT MORNING AT A HOSPITAL, VALENTINA'S WARD*
Valentina had been awake since the previous morning.
She hadn't moved much. Just lay there in the silence of the private ward, eyes fixed on the ceiling like she was memorizing every crack.
The IV dripped slowly beside her, the monitors beeping in a steady rhythm. Her body was healing.
By the time morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, she was already sitting up.
The door clicked open and a young nurse stepped in with a polite smile and a clipboard clutched to her chest.
"Good morning, ma'am. Just here to check your vitals—"
"Discharge me" Valentina said coldly.
The nurse blinked, thrown off by the blunt demand.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but you're not cleared yet. You lost a lot of blood, and the doctors still need to monitor your recovery—"
"I said discharge me" Her tone hadn't risen, but it had grown icier like a blade pressed against skin.
The nurse hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. "Ma'am, please, it's for your own safety—"
Valentina moved.
Her hand flashed to the metal tray beside her bed, grabbing a pair of surgical scissors. Before the nurse could react, Valentina lunged forward and jammed the sharp edge into the soft flesh of the girl's upper arm.
The nurse let out a strangled cry, stumbling back in shock, clutching the bleeding wound.
Valentina stood, unbothered, as she yanked the IV from her arm. Blood dripped down her elbow, but her face remained emotionless.
"I don't repeat myself" she said flatly.
The nurse was on the floor now, gasping for breath, her eyes wide with terror.
Valentina walked over her like she wasn't even there.
Still dressed in her hospital gown, she slipped on a coat that had been hanging on the back of the door and pulled the hood over her head. Her bare feet made soft taps on the cold tile floor as she stepped out.
No one stopped her.
A few nurses passed by, assuming she was just another patient out for a morning walk. No one looked closely enough to see the dried blood on her arm, or the dangerous glint in her eyes.
Once she reached the back entrance of the hospital, she pulled out a small burner phone from the inner pocket of her coat. She dialed a number from memory.
It rang once before a familiar voice answered.
"Miss Valentina?"
"Hospital. Back exit. Two minutes" she said.
"Yes, ma'am" Diego replied instantly.
She ended the call.
Her expression didn't change. She didn't flinch from the pain in her side or the sting in her veins.
Valentina Bellanti had left her bed, and she wasn't going back.
•••
The blacked-out SUV rolled to a slow halt at the towering gates of the Bellanti estate. Diego didn't say a word as he steered into the wide driveway, the soft crunch of tires the only sound between them.
Valentina sat in the back seat, draped in the hospital gown that barely covered her rage. Her hair was unbrushed, lips pale, and the bandage on her side still showed a faint hint of crimson.
As the SUV stopped in front of the grand entrance, the doors opened automatically. Diego helped her out gently, but Valentina brushed his hand away.
"I can help myself" She walked in barefooted.
She entered and at the top of the stairs stood Elena Bellanti.
"You're back" Elena said as if she'd merely returned from an evening stroll.
"You let her marry him, you gave her my place"
Elena descended the stairs slowly. "You were unconscious. The wedding had to go on. The alliance couldn't wait"
"I didn't die" Valentina snapped.
"You think this is about you?" Elena stopped three steps above her, her cold eyes meeting Valentina's. "This is about power. You were shot, Valentina. We didn't know if you would ever wake up"
"And the solution was to throw Aurora into my grave?" Valentina took a step forward, her hands clenched at her sides. "She was never meant for this. I was"
"She did what she had to do. What we all had to do. Matteo agreed. It's done"
"Then undo it" Valentina hissed. "Because I'm back. And I don't share what's mine"
"Matteo is not yours anymore"
Valentina smiled. "That's what you think"
And with that, she turned and walked upstairs, passing her mother.
Valentina stormed into her room, the familiar scent of her perfume still lingering faintly in the air untouched, as if the space had been frozen in time. Her eyes scanned the place like a predator reclaiming its territory. Nothing had changed. Yet everything had.
She grabbed her phone and immediately dialed Aurora.
It rang once. Twice. No answer.
She tried again. And again.
Voicemail.
Her jaw clenched.
She stood there in the middle of her room, wrapped in that flimsy hospital gown like a wounded lioness, her fingers trembling with restrained fury.
"Pick the damn call..." she muttered.
But Aurora didn't.
With a growl, Valentina hurled the phone across the room. It slammed into the mirror with a sharp crack, shattering both the screen and the glass behind it. Pieces rained to the floor like glittering ash.
She stood still, chest heaving.
War had just begun.
•••
MATTEO'S MANSION*
Aurora sat still on the bed, her legs tucked beneath her, her fingers curled tightly around the phone in her lap.
The screen lit up for the second time that morning.
VALENTINA CALLING...
She stared at it blankly and she made no move to answer.
She just watched it ring... until it stopped.
The door opened.
Matteo stepped inside and he paused by the doorway, dressed like he's going out.
"Who's been calling you?" he asked.
Aurora didn't look at him. "None of your business."
But she should've known better. Before she could react, he was already across the room.
Before she could blink, he snatched the phone from her lap.
"Matteo—!" she snapped, lunging to take it back, but it was too late.
His eyes skimmed the screen, and then that slow, cruel smirk tugged at his lips.
"Valentina," he drawled. "Well, well… I guess sleeping beauty's up earlier than expected"
He turned to face her, tilting his head with a glint of amusement or warning in his dark eyes.
"If she stresses you again," he said coldly, "let me know"
He dropped the phone back on the bed like it meant nothing.
"I won't hesitate to end her life myself"
His words lingered in the air like a dagger pressed to the throat.
And just like that, he walked away.