The danger, itself, is masked with the promise of a prize. A reward, as such, should you follow the path to the golden ticket.
But not every story is a success.
Not every prize is worth the heartache.
Obsession, often spun with lies and deceit, can damage one’s soul, and others caught in the vicious web.
And when one finds themselves in this predicament, desperation will overcome them. There’s no rhyme or reason to their actions, and the consequences they must pay if caught acting unholy becomes an afterthought.
When night falls and darkness prevails, the monster inside comes out to play.
He’s thirsty, captive to his own mistakes, and will follow your every move, consumed by the sick mind games he plays inside his head.
So, here lays the tale of a scorned man.
A man, who once upon a time refused to see the jewel who presented herself with all intentions of loving him despite his flaws.
A woman, who clung to the sheer hope of what they could become, sacrificing herself as his part-time lover until time ticked away, and her heart so easily ran away.
To someone else, someone always destined for her.
The scorned man is sure she’s made a mistake. It’s never too late when love is involved.
But what he doesn’t know is that she isn’t the one who will ultimately possess his cold heart.
She may be his obsession, for now, but little does he know that someone else is watching him.
Someone he doesn’t even know exists.
Chapter One
A Year Ago
Dominic
“Please don’t forget that we have the Governor’s Ball to attend this Friday.”
I was sitting at the head of the long marble table, half-listening to the frivolous conversation my wife insisted we have over breakfast. The food she requested be served appeared stale—my preference of coffee over grapefruit unsatisfying her need to control everything in our marriage.
“Your attendance is mandatory,” she continued, busily typing on her phone. “You’ll need to be fitted for a new tuxedo immediately.”
“I have meetings all day,” I told her while narrowing my eyes with a frown. “I’m sure one of the many tuxedos hanging in my closet will do just fine.”
“I suppose if you can’t leave work, it may do,” she responded, less enthused. “Dominic, please eat something.”
I scraped my spoon across the surface of the grapefruit and took a bite with minimal interest, just to shut her up. The woman was tiresome. Her constant nagging made our marriage all the more a chore. Was it so fucking hard just to let me do my own thing? I didn’t care for Governor Balls, nor did I care for grapefruit. If it were socially acceptable, I’d be nursing a cognac right now to drown out her presence.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, your mother is coming over for dinner tonight.”
When it came to my mother, I had all the time in the world. Though annoyed by her last-minute notice, I crossed my arms while watching her furtively.
“A little notice would’ve been appreciated, Allegra. My last meeting finishes at seven tonight. Unlike some people, I must work. I can’t afford to frolic all day and play socialite to keep up appearances.”
With a pinched expression, Allegra was anything but pleased with my dig at her daily activities. She played the role of my wife, which in her eyes meant brunches, dinners, shopping, and whatever else she got up to in between.
I wasn’t as oblivious as she believed.
She had needs, and it wasn’t me who was fulfilling them.
“We can wait,” she simply stated.
Irritated, I finished checking my emails on my phone, eager to get out of here. I had a full day ahead of me, and no doubt, Allegra had a busy day of fucking whoever it is who caught her attention this week. Someone young, perhaps, a playboy who could get her off in a minute while snorting a line of coke off her ass.
“I need to get across town by nine. I’ll see you tonight.”
I grabbed my phone and drank the remains of my coffee, the cup emptied of the dark roasted caffeine which went down like a treat. “Dominic, wait.”
I placed the cup down, closed my eyes with frustration, and released a grit in my tone as I answered, “Yes?”
“Gianna has organized to take the yacht out for us girls. I was thinking next week in Milan, then out on the yacht. It’s just the girls, but perhaps you could join me for a few days once they leave?”
My attention shifted, and slowly my body turned to face Allegra. Once upon a time, it wasn’t all that bad between us. There were moments when we enjoyed each other’s company when I craved her body because of its accessibility. She was in my bed, so why the fuck not.
But soon after our engagement, the reality of what we’d become came to full bloom.
Allegra is the only daughter of Bruno Mancini, one of the richest men in Sicily. His fortune is owed to his grandfather and had passed down to each heir. The Mancini name is attached to many businesses worth billions of dollars, and unfortunately, not all of that was earned without blood on those who carried the family name.
The fact of the matter was that I owed Bruno Mancini my life.
Years ago, I had made the mistake of trying to bail a friend out. The so-called friend had landed himself in trouble and owed the wrong people money. When the lies and deceit spun out of control, it wasn’t just the money he owed, his life was hanging in the balance.
There was only so much I could do without jeopardizing everything I had worked hard for. Not only that, by association, my name had been dragged in the circles of those willing to kill, putting my family at risk.
Allegra came at the right time. It was the Governor’s Ball, ironically, when we first met. She was beautiful, and I needed something to take the edge off with all the stress I had gotten myself into. Allegra supplied what I needed
