The Mafia’s Forbidden Desire

ANTONIO Me and Rosalinda’s minds were troubled all night. Just that it was for different courses-she was troubled about her sister’s safety, while I was troubled because of her safety. I received a disturbing text from an unknown number on our way to the hospital last night, and I hadn’t been able to get it out of my mind. It was a threat to Rosalinda’s life. I had always known that being with her would make her a target for my enemies, but I never anticipated it happening so soon. Words about how much I cared about her would have gotten out, painting her as a prime target for those seeking revenge against me. When I ascended to a position of power in the underworld, accumulating a lot of enemies with the successes I had made with the business and putting a lot of them out of business, I vowed never to let anyone in the form of a lover be my weakness. But… Rosalinda came, and all my self-imposed barriers crumbled in an instant, even without realizing it. She became the most important person in my life, and it was safe to say I loved her more than I loved myself, as I could give my life for her. Oh, I loved her with a depth that surpassed all rationality. Not even once did I ever regret falling so deeply in love with her. She was my everything, and the thought of losing her was unfathomable. Losing her would mean losing my mind, and I couldn’t lose either. After she fell asleep, I went to my office to work. Soon after, Marco came walking through the door. “How is Sofia?” He asked as he approached me. “Quit acting like you care.” I grunted. “It’s just a common courtesy.” He shrugged, taking the seat opposite me. “Considering she was your fiance and now your…sister-in-law,” I raised a brow, annoyed. “What point are you trying to make?” He raised his arms in defense. “None.” “Better.” I groaned, glaring at him. He shrugged. “I guess.” I hissed. “You have to accept Rosalinda. She’s here to stay, and there’s nothing you could do about it.” “Accepted.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. I shook my head. “Whether you accept her or not, she’s one of your priorities now, and you have to protect her, even with your life if need arises.” I groaned with annoyance. Marco narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. “Can’t you see how much she’s changed you?” “Can’t you see how being with my sister almost cost you your life? But you still couldn’t stay away from her.” I countered sternly. “That’s what love does to you.” I was aware that he and Camilla were still seeing each other even after I had warned against it. I was livid at first, but after thinking about it, I decided to let it go. Everyone deserved a chance at love, just as I found love in the most unexpected person. He adjusted to his seat, pressing his lips together as he suddenly went silent. “That’s by the way. I called you here for another reason.” I picked up my phone and flashed the screen at him. “Someone sent this to me after the golden auction.” His eyes narrowed, and he pulled back slightly. “A threat?” I nodded. “From who?” I shook my head. He averted his gaze, confusion on his face as he wondered out loud. “Who could it be?” Returning his gaze to me, he continued. “Think.” “As if I hadn’t been doing that since I received the message.” I hissed. “Forward the number to Michael to track it and find out who owns it and their address.” He suggested. “Did that the second I got the message.” I sighed disappointedly. “He got back to me this morning.” “What did he say?” He asked eagerly. “The number belonged to an old lady who used to live at a care home. She died three days ago.” I told him. He raised a brow. “Family?” “None.” He sighed. “That’s fucked up.” “Yes.” I agreed with him. Rosalinda’s phone suddenly started ringing, and I reached for it. I had taken it from her to enable her to have enough sleep without disturbances. “What?!” I exclaimed, my eyes narrowing as I stared at the number flashing on the screen. I picked it up immediately and put the call on loudspeaker so Marco could also hear. “Rosalinda, right?” The person from the other end of the phone said. It was a lady, and she had a voice that wasn’t familiar. “Whatever, I just called to inform you that your days are numbered.” The call ended immediately, before I could even get a chance to speak. I tried calling the number, but it wasn’t reachable. That call had narrowed my guess down to a woman. It wasn’t a man. Who could it be? I thought. I hoisted my head, and my eyes met with Marco’s. “Do you recognise the voice?” He asked, and I shook my head. Suddenly, the phone started ringing again, and I quickly picked it up, hoping it was the same caller. But a pang of disappointment coursed through me when I realised Giovanni was the caller. “What?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment when I picked it up. “Sofia’s awake.” He informed me, sighing. “How’s Rosa?” “I’ll pass the message to her.” I told him before ending the call. Leaping to my feet, I made my way to our room to deliver the news she had been desperately expecting. But seeing how deeply asleep she was, I couldn’t bring myself to disturb her peace. She needed it. I carefully strode to the bed and sat beside her as I watched her sleep. The more I stared at her, the more the threatening text kept replaying in my mind. “You think you could be happy? Hahahaha, jokes on you. You’d never know peace. I would come after the girl, and I would murder her.” I never wanted to lose her. The mere thought of that caused my chest to squeeze so tightly, almost suffocating me. Whoever the person who sent that message was, I would hunt them down and erase them from the face of the earth before even attempting to make a move. “Sofia. No. Please don’t leave me.” Rosalinda suddenly mumbled, her voice filled with desperation as she tossed and turned in her sleep. A wave of worry washed over me. “Please no!” She cried out, anguish evident in her tone, before her eyes snapped open with so much intensity. Confusion clouded her gaze as she scanned the room. I held her close and rubbed her back soothingly. “It’s a nightmare. It was just a nightmare, baby. Sofia is okay.” I assured her. She shook her head vigorously, her troubles palpable in her features. “I have to get to the hospital now.” “You should…” I trailed off when she jumped out of bed. I wanted to tell her to rest a little bit more, but knowing the woman I loved, she wouldn’t relent until she saw for herself that Sofia was fine. My eyes trailed her every movement as she walked to the closet and hurriedly got dressed while sweating profusely, despite the cold weather. The sight of her broke my heart, and I wished there was something I could do to ease her pain. Suddenly, she paused and placed her palm over her forehead. “What is it?” I asked at once, closing the distance between us. “I feel…” she trailed off. “I feel kind of… dizzy.” The worries vibrating through me intensified. “You should rest, Rosa.” She opened her mouth to reply, but what came out was retch. She clasped her hand over her mouth as she ran to the bathroom. I hurriedly followed her to see her ejecting all the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.

Fuck! Different scenarios began to play in my head as I crouched beside her and gently pulled back her hair. Her life was threatened, and now she felt sick. Her sudden illness triggered a flood of worries within me. Could it be that she was poisoned at the Golden Auction yesterday? No. Rosalinda wouldn’t bear the consequences of the vendetta between me and my enemies. I wouldn’t allow that.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.