Our family’s dysfunction ran deep. We were raised as competitors, not siblings. As we got older, competitiveness shifted to hatred. Did I know my brothers hated me? I did. They believed I was just like our father. Did I give a fuck? Nope. I couldn’t care less what any of them thought of me. Our family dynamic had always been that way. And it would always be that way, no matter how much Gianni wanted to fix things.
How we viewed one another had been ingrained in us since we were kids. It didn’t matter that our father was dead. Our hatred ran so deep nothing could fix it, even if the former priest wanted to for the sake of his family. However, no matter how much we hated each other, we were still brothers. There was no getting around that. So, I’d go to his little dinner so he could try tosquash all the animosity between us even though it would all be in vain.
The other reason I wasn’t eager to go was Seraphina Blaine Drakos—the only woman I will ever love. I hated that goddamn last name. Every time I heard Drakos, all I saw was me stabbing her husband, Dorian Drakos in the neck with my blade. Then severing his head from his body and shipping it in a cardboard box to his brother, Vasilas, the head of the Drakos Syndicate. Greece’s largest criminal organization.
Her goddamn last name should be Puglisi. Seraphina Puglisi had a nice ring to it. If I killed him, I could make it happen.
I ran my hand down my face, trying to erase the wonderful thoughts of Dorian Drakos being wiped from the face of the earth. What a lovely day that would be. But I promised her, I would leave her alone and let her live in peace. One of the few promises I’d made to Seraphina that I kept.
“Fuck. I think this is going to be harder than I thought it would be.”
Seraphina hated me, and she had every reason to. But it didn’t matter because I loved her. I fucked up many times, and she forgave me. I had put my father’s wishes before her more than once, with the last time almost getting her killed.
At the time, I took her love for granted. And I only realized that after she was gone. Then, I spiraled. Everything in my life revolved around getting Seraphina back. I took my love for herto another level. I could admit I made her life a living hell. But love made me do crazy shit.
Did I stalk her? Well, some called it stalking. I didn’t. All I wanted was to apologize for all the shit I’d done to get us to this point in our lives and get her back. But I couldn’t do that if she wouldn’t talk to me. So, I did what I had to do.
Did I become a little obsessive? Maybe. I followed her around. Made sure she didn’t date anyone because she was mine. I sent her a shit ton of gifts that she returned or trashed. None of it worked.
But when she decided to marry Dorian Drakos, she finally spoke to me. Well, I cornered her at a restaurant during her engagement party, so she didn’t have a choice. She pleaded with me to let her go. Not because she didn’t love me, but because she didn’t want Drakos to come after me. She was concerned about our love starting a war between the Puglisi's and Dorian’s family. I didn’t give a fuck about all of that shit, but I gave a fuck about her being caught in the middle.
Did I regret my decision to walk away from her? Every damn day. But I made that promise to her. And I’ve lived with that damn decision.
It was like going through fucking withdrawals, but I did it, even found a decent girl. Rachel didn’t piss me off a lot, minded her own fucking business, and was a decent fuck. Was she Seraphina? Hell no. There would never be another Seraphina Blaine. But Rachel was alright.
What more could I ask for?
“Are you alright?” Rachel asked, with concern plastered all over her face.
If I weren’t in love with another woman, I would marry her. She was beautiful, smart, and outgoing. She just wasn’t who I wanted.
“You’ve been pacing like you’re nervous. It’s just family.”
We were staying at an oceanside villa not too far from Gianni’s home. He had offered us a room, but I didn’t think that would be the best place to crash, even if it was only for a few days. My sister-in-law hated my guts. I can’t say I blamed her, but I also didn’t want to risk running into Seraphina. One night would be enough.
Lorenzo swore Rachel was Seraphina’s look-a-like, and all my other brothers agreed. But I couldn’t see it. No one, not even the woman standing in front of me, compared to Seraphina.
“We don’t get along.”
She smiled. “Most families don’t. Cancel, and we can go see the sights.”
Rachel wasn’t excited about this dinner either. She didn’t believe she fit in with my family. She didn’t. But she wasn’t fucking them. She was fucking me. So, I told her not to worry about it.
I wasn’t interested in doing anything but getting my ass back to the States before I did some shit that caused a ton of trouble for my family. I was the Enforcer for the Puglisi family. If I killed Dorian, we would be at war. But could I let this chance to see Seraphina just one last time pass me by?
“No, we’ll go.”
She kissed me, but when she tried to deepen it, I pulled away. Her brow furrowed as she looked at me, confusion written all over her face. My mind wasn’t on Rachel. In a few hours I would see the woman who held my black heart in the palms of her hands. My soulmate. I didn’t think this night was going to go the way anyone expected.
Chapter Four
Seraphina
I was dreading this night so much. It felt like the calm before the storm. A heavy feeling settled in my chest like a lead weight, causing my anxiety to shoot through the roof.
I spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to sleep as I thought about how I knew this night would end with Dorian pissed at me, and another bruise I’d have to hide.
My husband, Dorian Drakos, the Enforcer for the Drakos family, the most powerful Greek mafia family in Europe, was nothing more than a chameleon. Someone who masked who he was to get what he wanted.
