• Author / Uploaded
• Maria Crisol Olicia

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The Wallflower's Revenge [PUBLISHED] by sweetblunch ***Published under Pop Fiction*** “I will come back for my revenge.” Those were the words Tatiana Rostova promised herself as she fought for her life in the sea on a cold night when the two people she loved the most betrayed her, watching her as the ruthless ocean tried to swallow her. She would even sell herself to the devil—even if the devil is in the form of the six foot-two, silvereyed Italian duke named Lucca Cavelli. She would take everything that was rightfully hers—and this will be the start of the wallflower’s revenge.

================= Author's Note So this is the first book for my series. I always love books with revenge as the main theme in the story and the plot of this story was stuck in my head for quite while now. That's when I decided to try and write a story here in wattpad and give it a shot. I hope you will like THE WALLFLOWER'S REVENGE as much as I did when writing it. Note: This book is unedited expect alot of grammatical errors if you want a polished version please buy the book. :) PUBLISHED UNDER POP FICTION IF YOU ARE LIVING OUTSIDE PHILIPPINES AND WANTS TO HAVE A COPY YOU CAN CONTACT THEM AT THIS WEBSITE: http://www.summitnewsstand.com.ph/popfiction Series in Order: 1.

The Wallflower's Revenge

2.

The Orsini Bride

3.

The Substitute Bride

4.

The Borrowed Bride

5. A Sicilian Marriage xoxo, SweetBlunch

================= Prologue: The Betrayals One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope. -Steven Deitz

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I froze in the doorway. My brain refused to translate what my eyes had been telling me. It can’t be happening, I told myself repeatedly. My stepsister, Sabrina, whom I loved more than a real sister, is not in the bed naked with the man that I loved with all my heart...my fiancé, is it? He just resembles the man I adored. His twin, maybe? But the naked shock on the face of the two people lying in the cabin bed mirrored mine, it was like we were some figurines displayed on the shelf. “What the hell is the meaning of this?” I asked to the stark silence. It seemed that the two of them finally recovered from their surprise and realized that they were showing their full glory to my innocent eyes. They struggled to cover themselves with the white sheet that was rumpled on the bed. “Tatiana,” Paolo, my lying fiancé, started looking around desperately for his discarded boxers on the floor. “Let me explain.” Until that moment I was praying that my Paolo had a twin that he’d forgotten to mention to me. The headache I had been experiencing during the dinner was nowhere near to the pain in my heart right now. The reason I came to Sabrina’s room was to ask for some medicine when I found them together in the bed! “Explain?” I repeated coldly. “Explain what? That you’ve been enjoying in bed with my sister while your fiancée was in the other room suffering from headache?” “Tati.” For the first time, my mendacious stepsister joined the conversation. I tried not to cry out loud and demand an answer from her. I treated her like the sister I never had and she did this to me? I mentally blocked the image I had seen earlier

from my brain...Sabrina sobbing my fiancé’s name as he pleasured her. What an idiot I have been. I should have known from the start that a gorgeous Italian would never fall in love with a woman like me. A wallflower... A woman who always faded into the background in social gatherings, a woman who is so socially awkward that she couldn’t even carry a proper conversation in the parties. A woman who preferred baggy clothes to flashy ones that accentuated her figure. Paolo Ranaldi belonged to someone like my stepsister, who was often dubbed as the ‘darling of the Manhattan society’. With her blond hair and pretty big blue-eyes she was New York City’s most celebrated socialite. That’s why I felt like Cinderella when Paolo swept me off my feet. But I should have known that there’s no such thing as real life fairytale. The handsome prince would always belong to the beautiful sister...not the ugly one. “Tatiana. Please, let me explain to you.” Paolo said reaching for his pants. I looked away while he put on his pants. Despite the fact that we will be marrying in months’ time, Paolo and I had never shared a bed even once. I stupidly thought that he just valued my innocence to patiently wait for our wedding night. It never occurred to me that he’d been enjoying my stepsister’s bed to even bother seducing his ugly fianceé. At the thought of them having an affair behind my back, God only knows since when, I wanted to do something violent. “Don’t bother,” I smiled at them, I felt like my jaw would crack in effort. “You don’t have to explain things to me. I will spare the two of you from the lies you’ll try to spin.” I removed the engagement ring laid on my fourth finger in my left hand and tossed it to Paolo not caring how much that blasted ring had cost. “I am happy to tell you that the engagement is off.” With every ounce of dignity left in me I walked out of that cursed room without a backward glance. I may be a timid woman but I still have the pride of the Rostovs in my veins, I will not shed even a single tear for their betrayal. “Tatiana,” My just now became ex-fiancé called after me, walking out of the room only with his jeans on. “Let me talk to you first.” I hastened my pace. “Leave me alone, Paolo. I have nothing to say to you. As far as I’m concerned you and Sabrina are dead to me.”

I gasped. Did I just say that? Apparently...judging from the stunned reaction of Paolo. I walked away. He persistently followed me. I headed to the deck to clear my head. It should have been a happy vacation with the two people I loved with all my heart in the beautiful Amalfi Coast in my family’s hundred and fifty-foot yacht. But the idle vacation had just turned into my worst nightmare. “Tatiana,” Paolo grabbed my arm. “Please. Talk to me, per favore.” I removed my arm from his grip. I already hated his touch. “We have nothing to say to each other. By tomorrow the New York tabloids will know that I broke our engagement.” “Cara mia,” He cajoled, holding my hands with his, once I used melt when he would utter that endearment, now all I could feel was disgust. “Please...” I struggled to be free from his touch when I noticed that Sabrina had also come on the deck. Great, now they will try to feed me with lies. “Let me go, Paolo!” I struggled hard. I didn’t want him touching me with those hands. “We’re through. Done! It’s over!” Then the unexpected thing happened, he suddenly released me and I lost my balance making me fall into the cold sea below. I gulped some salty water as I tried to keep myself afloat which is hard when you don’t know how to swim. “Help me!” I called out. They knew I can't swim. “Help!” “Dio!” Paolo exclaimed, looking down at me. “Tatiana!” “Don’t save her.” Had Sabrina just really said that? She wants me to die here? “This is a good opportunity, right? She’ll be out of our lives forever and the Rostov billions would be ours.” “But Rina...” “You don’t intend to marry her for real, do you?” Sabrina said brutally. “You’re just after her money, right?” How many more home truths was I blind to see before? If finding them in bed together broke my heart, this information shattered my broken heart into pieces. So the real reason why Paolo had courted me was because he was just after the

Rostov fortune? He was not really in love with me? I was praying that my Paolo would deny it fiercely. I will forgive him for his affair with my stepsister if he just tells Sabrina that he had loved me even once. Seeing his silence Sabrina pounced again. “Let’s go and leave her here to die. By tomorrow the news about the death of the Rostov heiress would be in the international media, we’ll claim that she accidentally fell off the deck.” The stepsister I trusted with my life, was she really capable of such a coldblooded murder? It’s like she’s an entirely different person. I helplessly watched her drag the only man I had ever loved away from the deck. They’re dead set on killing me! “No!” I cried frantically, struggling to stay afloat in the water. But as I tried to open my mouth I gulped more salty water. I heard the yacht engine start and slowly move away from me. I can’t die here, not yet, not until I have avenged the people who had played me for a fool. If only... I started getting tired of paddling and keeping my head above the water when I glimpsed a light...is that the light from heaven above? I don’t want to die here. Swallowing plenty of water I gradually surrender to the darkness, muttering to myself. “I will come back for my revenge.”

================= Chapter 1: The New Beginning The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. -Ivy Baker Priest

Tatiana Rostova's POV “Hmm...” I mumbled. Where was I...in heaven? I could smell the fragrant smell of the fresh flowers and hear the sea outside through the open windows.

I wanted to open my eyes but they were too damned heavy at the moment. I heard people murmuring softly but I was too dazed to understand what they were talking about. “Lei andrà bene.” A male voice assured in a low whisper. So where was I? “Hmm...” I mumbled again, shifting on the soft bed on my back. This time I summoned my heavy eyes to open. The first thing I noticed was the high ceiling and cream walls with expensive paintings hanging around. I looked around slowly and noticed that two men were also present in the luxuriously decorated room. The first one stared at the endless ocean outside on the French windows with his hands tucked in each pocket of his expensive Italian trousers and the other one stared at the man with his gray head bowed slightly. “Sua Eccellenza...” The second man said, as he noticed that I was already fully awake staring at them with confusion in my eyes. The man facing the sea turned around and I felt like my breath had been knocked out of my lungs as a pair of silver eyes stared at me. “Ci lasciano.” The man with smoky eyes said with undisguised authority and the other man bowed again before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Italians? So I was still in Italy...not in heaven then. The man with the pair of striking gray eyes moved closer to the bed and stared at me. “Come stai—” I shook my head. I was good in speaking fluent English, Russian and French but I was hopeless in Italian. I will have a big problem if my savior didn't understand English. But he surprised me when he switched to flawless English. “How are you?” “I’m fine.” I tried to sit on the bed but I felt a little woozy in the process, large hands suddenly shot out to support me. I smiled sheepishly. “But a little dizzy, I think. Where am...” “You are at my villa here in Amalfi,” The good-looking stranger said, staring deep

into my eyes. “You were lucky that my yacht was passing by when I saw you struggling to stay afloat in the water nearly drowning, signorina.” So it was the light from his yacht that I saw before I lost my consciousness, not the light from heaven? I closed my eyes remembering the night before and how the people I thought would be the last to see me hurt were the same people who laughed behind my back for my naivety. “...signorina?” I stared at the man who had saved me from my death, a frown marked between his strong eyebrows. “Forgive me.” I replied weakly. “My mind is somewhere else. I haven’t thanked you yet for saving me last night, Signore...?” “Cavelli.” He supplied with smile in the depth of those silver eyes. He extended his hand. “Lucca Cavelli.” I shook the offered hand briefly but it was enough to send electricity into my body which I didn’t understand. It seemed that my body was aware of the very masculine aura of this man. “Tatiana Rostova.” “Russian?” “Yes. My father.” “Pleased to meet you, Signorina Rostova.” I nodded coolly. “Likewise.”

Lucca Cavelli’s POV The woman I saved last night from the brink of her death was now awake. I had been checking her from time-to-time but she was unconscious though out the night. The doctor had assured me that she had just swallowed a lot of sea water but she will be fine once she wakes up and recovers. What happened to her when I found her floating in the middle of the dark sea? I was stunned momentarily when my gaze was held by a pair of violet eyes. Those beautiful eyes showed profound pain and betrayal as she held my gaze. Whatever had

happened to her last night, she’d been badly hurt in that. She wasn’t classically beautiful with her pale skin and jet black hair that was out of style. She could be considered as ‘plain’ but when you stared at her uncanny amethyst eyes you could set her apart in the crowd as if she has been transformed into someone else. Right now, those violet eyes were hidden from my view as she lowered her eyes. “Are you okay, signorina?” “Forgive me,” She said weakly, her voice was soft and melodic...and all American. “My mind is somewhere else.” I bet my fortune that she’s remembering the events from the last night and how she ended up in the sea almost drowning and dying. “I haven’t thanked you yet for saving me last night, signore...?” I bit back my smile. Did she seriously not know me? Maybe she was still in a state of shock that she didn’t recognize me. “Cavelli.” I completed for her, extending my hand. “Lucca Cavelli.” There’s no need to brag my title...yet. Taking my offered hand she shook it briefly, just as I thought her hands were as delicate as the rest of her, she withdrew her hands giving me her name totally unaware of my thoughts. “Tatiana Rostova.” I was perplexed for a moment. I didn’t see that one coming. “Russian?” “Yes. My father.” “Please to meet you, Signorina Rostova.” She nodded coolly. The woman is icy cold. “Likewise.” A discreet knock on the door disturbed me from the fascinating lavender fields that were her eyes I was busy admiring. “Come in.” I said in Italian. A maid entered with trays of breakfast for me and my guest, Tatiana Rostova. She silently placed the fresh fruits, smoked hams, cheese and bread with a pot of hot tea and a local newspaper on the terrace table overlooking the blue sea before taking her leave. “Breakfast is ready, signorina.”

She shook her head, standing from the bed. “Thank you. But I need to go. I have a plane to catch for New York.” She looked down and noticed that she’s only wearing my silk pajama top showing her white creamy legs, which in my opinion were really sexy. “If you could just ask for my clothes from your servants, I will be really grateful to you.” I shook my head in return. I was not going to let her go without knowing that she's truly fine. “You are not leaving without having breakfast. You should eat first and then we’ll call your family to assure them that you are safe here in my villa.” The amethyst eyes turned cold as the arctic region. “I don’t have a family to worry about me anymore.” I frowned at her answer. “But, someone who knows you might be going crazy looking for you right now.” “No one would be anxious if I am missing, signore.” The woman was damned stubborn. “I’m sure...” “Has anyone ever told you that you’re so annoying?” She snapped, her violet eyes spitting fire. “No.” I answered honestly. No one would dare. “Well, you are!” I smiled privately. She was the first person and probably the last who dared to tell me in the face that I was annoying and bravely defied my wishes. I admired her for that. “You know what? Why don’t we discuss my annoying attitude and why no one would be concerned if you are missing, over the breakfast?” “I’m not hungry.” Tatiana Rostova said persistently, which I, of course, know that is not true. “Indeed,” I mocked. “Still, why not sit in the terrace with me and watch me eat. After all, I love the company of the people who are annoyed with me.”

================= Chapter 2: The Breakfast Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.

-Alfred A. Montapert

Tatiana Rostova’s POV The man was impossible, all right? He is the most arrogant and exasperating man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting! Lucca Cavelli wasn’t taking no for an answer and he was so damned sure of himself that he could win any argument. And he had. I was sitting I intended to possible, and below and the bother him at expected that

in front of him as he devoured his breakfast leisurely. The fact that move out of his villa and make my way to New York as soon as that I was stuck here sitting with him watching the waves of the sea clearest blue sky above refusing to eat my breakfast didn’t seem to all! The man didn’t know how to ask...he just issued orders and the world will move according to his wishes as if he were a king.

“Why don’t you try to eat your breakfast?” He asked pleasantly. The man was either dense or just didn’t care about my dark mood. From the corner of my eyes I could see that he was studying me as I kept my gaze fixed on the beautiful Amalfi Coast spread before us. “I don’t want to.” “You know,” Lucca Cavelli drawled in a bored tone, “When you don’t eat, tesoro, a slight wind can toss you back in the ruthless sea just like last night.” But I could hear the laughter in his rich sexy voice. I gritted my teeth, still refusing to look at him...and his magnificent silver eyes. He was making fun of me, I concluded silently. “Why don’t you just ignore me like I do you?” I snapped. The old Tatiana Rostova would never have snapped at people no matter how rude they were. But that woman had died last night and the new Tatiana will scorn, snap and be rude to anyone whenever she wants to. “Are you ignoring me?” The laughter was still visible on his voice. His silver eyes gleamed with delight. “Forgive me. I was not aware, cara.” “Don’t call me that.” I glared at him. “Anything but that blasted endearment.” “Ah...” A calculated smile flashes on his sexy mouth. “Some Italian guy broke the heart of Miss Tatiana Rostova. I wonder who?”

I cursed myself for the slip. Lucca Cavelli leisurely opened the newspaper blocking my view of his beautiful face...not that I care. I let my gaze fall back to the sea. My stomach grumbled but I ignored it. I will not eat anything on this table. I will not let him prove that I am very hungry. I know it is silly to fight him like this but I couldn’t help it. “Why don’t you take a look at this?” He showed me a page of the newspaper he was reading. I couldn’t understand a word of it because it was in Italian but I recognized our yacht in the picture below the bold headlines and I knew that the article was about me. “I don’t understand Italian.” I shook my head and confessed. He translated the title in English. “The Heiress’s Accidental Death.” I wanted to snort or laugh...maybe both. So, Sabrina had been serious about showing that it was an accident, huh? That I stupidly drowned myself in the coast of Amalfi last night? “Would you like me to read?” My host offered. “Please.” For the first time since I was dragged to this table I give him my full attention. “On one condition,” He bargained. “Eat your breakfast.” I gave him a dirty look. “That’s blackmail, you know.” The devil just merely shrugged. I gave a resigned sigh and started to dig at my food forcing myself to eat just for him to read the blasted article. He gave me a guarded look momentarily before clearing his throat and beginning to read...

“The world was stunned early this morning when the news broke-out that the sole heir of the famous Rostov International Hotels, Tatiana Rostova, was reported missing from the coast of Amalfi last night. The Guardia costiera are searching the vast waters for the signs of the missing hotel heiress. Miss Rostova was on vacation with her fiancé, a well-known Italian businessman, Paolo Ranaldi and her stepsister, socialite, Sabrina Hunter. The three of them were having an early celebration party in lieu of the upcoming twenty-fifth birthday of Miss Rostova in their family’s hundred and fifty-foot luxury yacht. Rumors circulating in the business world for the past few days were suggesting that the missing heiress was

to take over the famous Rostov hotel chains as the new CEO soon after her upcoming birthday and nuptials. Words were also spreading that Miss Rostova was reluctant to take over and manage their billion-dollar hotel empire. People have now begun to speculate if this was really an accident or suicide. Has the reclusive hotel heiress committed suicide? Her grieving and teary-eyed stepsister Sabrina Hunter in a short interview to the paparazzi said, “Tati said that she was suffering from a severe headache after drinking too much alcohol last night. We tried to stop her but she said that she is having good time. She told us she wanted to clear her head and went to the deck...” Signore Ranaldi couldn’t give any comment about his missing fiancée. He was still in a state of shock and distress to answer any questions. An inside source tells us that Mrs. Amanda Hunter-Rostova, stepmother of Miss Tatiana Rostova would be flying to Italy to personally seek the search and rescue operations of her stepdaughter...

I let my expression remain poker as Lucca Cavelli finished reading the article. Paolo and Sabrina were one hell of actors. They deserve Oscars for their performance. Grieving? What a laugh! Undoubtedly, everyone was being played by their deviousness. The last thing they would be doing right now is mourning for my death. They are probably in my penthouse celebrating the fact that I was finally out of their lives. Well, I have surprise news for them. I will come back and avenge my supposed death; God has given me a second chance to payback the people who tried to kill me. I will take back what is rightfully mine. Everything that belongs to me...the whole thing and more! I will not rest until I have avenged everything, every broken promise, betrayal and the hurt that I had to suffer! I will not give them the satisfaction of spending my family’s fortune for their selfish needs. Just wait and see...soon they’ll realize that it was not a good idea to incur the wrath of a member of one of the oldest and most powerful families in Russia. Just wait and see...

Paolo Ranaldi’s POV I am blindly staring at the news on the television...all news is the same... about Tatiana’s death. My conscience kept me awake last night remembering the pleading voice of my fiancée, even as I tried to close my eyes and get some sleep, all I could see was her struggling in the water. I had killed her! I have never killed anyone in my life before.

I should burn in hell. “Why aren’t you eating your breakfast?” I glared at the beautiful blonde, who wore nothing but a bathrobe, leisurely eating her breakfast in the spacious dining room cum living room. “Seriously... is that all you can say, Sabrina? Breakfast? While my conscience is eating me alive?” I never thought that this woman could be so heartless. “Aren’t you worried about Tatiana?” She gave a snort and continued to eat her buttered bread. “Why should I be worried? Aren’t you happy that she’s finally out of our lives forever and the Rostov’s fortune would be ours? Besides, we didn’t kill her, darling. She accidentally fell off the deck.” That’s it! I get up from the sofa I’ve been sitting on for the past few hours and stalk towards her. I wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled. “Why are you so indifferent about our mistake?” I demanded. “Why do you dislike your stepsister so much?” “Dislike is not the word I’d use to describe what I felt for her.” Her pretty blue eyes turned cold. “What I felt for her was hatred. Pure and simple.” I gaped at her. She hates Tatiana? But the woman was her best friend, wasn’t she? “Why?” I whispered, searching her face. “Why?” She repeated. Her eyes were like the coldest night of winter. “Because she’s simply her...the blessed Tatiana Rostova...the woman who had everything in life but stupidly threw it away. The woman who always refused the invitations of the upperclass society for the reasons only she knew. The same woman who was constantly asked by famous designers to dress her up but repeatedly kept refusing them. I have only ever dreamt of what she was throwing away in reality.” I never thought that Rina was so consumed by her jealousy for her wallflower stepsister. Jealousy could turn a woman into a bitter being. “You know what’s worst?” She continued with a brittle laugh. “She also took away my mother’s love for me. Mother always cared for her more than her own daughter. I genuinely liked my stepsister at first. But growing up she started to hide behind those bedraggled clothes and behind the huge library doors of our house. The more she tried to fade into the background the more curious attention she got. If she didn’t want the attention I would have gladly replaced her.” But that was not entirely true, I would say. During the time I’d been courting Tatiana, I sometimes got to see glimpse of the real woman who was hiding behind the

library doors and those hideous clothes. It’s not like she didn’t like social gatherings but she was just too shy to talk to other people. In fact, when we were alone Tatiana was fun to talk to and she had great knowledge about many things and I used to genuinely enjoying her company. “So don’t feel guilty about her.” Sabrina dragged me out of my reverie. “She’s gone now. And you are now finally mine and mine alone.” She hooked her arms around my neck and kissed me. But the missing Tatiana still lingered at the back of my mind.

================= Chapter 3: The Italian Duke Sometimes a little bit of space is all you need to realize what you truly want. -Unknown

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I still wonder if my decision of showing Tatiana the newspaper articles was right or wrong. She was in a vulnerable state yet, trying come to terms with the horrific betrayal that her two most trusted companions had inflicted upon her. Even though I didn’t know the whole detail, the articles were enough for me to guess what had traversed on the decks of the family yacht last night. For an heiress, she seemed really naive, but you never know! Now, as I drive towards Rome in my Ferrari for a business of mine that required my immediate attention, I am thinking that this is also a good time to gather information about Tatiana Rostova. Right now, she is safe in my villa waiting for my return. I have instructed my servants to call me immediately if my guest tries to leave without notice. I frowned slightly. I don’t even know if I should bother to seek information about the woman staying in my villa. In fact, this matter is none of my concern anymore. I saved her. She has already expressed her gratitude and I should be sending her away ...but I haven’t. “I must be mad.” I told myself. Usually I don’t permit any woman to take residence in my villa in Amalfi for however short time it may be. Because it’s simply mine. I go there when I want to unwind, stay away from the bustling city of Rome. Hell! None of my previous mistresses had even set foot in my Amalfi villa...they had just been to my Rome penthouse. So why am I letting this woman stay there until

she recovers fully? I didn’t want to linger too much on my impromptu decision. Instead I recalled our last conversation before I left... “What do you intend to do now?” I asked her casually. The spitting madwoman a while ago was gone. She was now replaced by a delicate young woman in her mid-twenties whose expression remained passive. “I don’t know.” She replied, she brought her creamy sexy legs to her chest and hugged them as if to protect her-self. “Honestly, all I could think at this moment is my desire for revenge on my ex-fiancé and stepsister.” I was amused but the steely determination I saw on her face suddenly reminded me of an old adage and I muttered it unknowingly. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” She glared at me, her violet eyes shooting daggers. “I’m happy that I provide you amusement.” “Forgive me, signorina. I am not making fun of you.” I bit back my laughter. “Why not stay here until you figure it out what will be your next move?” I suggested. I didn’t know which one was more shocked, me or her? I, for actually inviting her to stay here...or her, thinking that I’ve probably lost my bloody mind...maybe I had. “Don’t worry, signorina.” I assured her, when hesitation was evident to her eyes. “I need to go to Rome for a business of mine that requires my immediate attention. I shouldn’t be back until late in the evening.” “Why are you doing this for me?” She asked in bewilderment, as I stood up from my chair preparing to leave. “Why are you being so nice to me?” “I saved you, right?” I told her simply. But in truth I have no idea either. “I intend to protect you.” Protect, indeed. I mused as I continued to drive through the gruesome traffic of Rome. I don’t know why I was behaving like this towards Tatiana Rostova...maybe because she looked like a lost child over our breakfast that I felt an urge to protect her from any harm. Right now, the only thoughts I have in my mind was to keep her safe.

Tatiana Rostova’s POV

Finally I was wearing my own clothes which were thankfully washed for me. They also gave me a pair of flat shoes because mine were lost at the sea last night. I felt like I was back in my own element. I was not comfortable wearing only the silk pajama top that probably belonged to Lucca Cavelli. I was not at ease when my legs were exposed and some silver-eyes were boldly appreciating the sight of them. I like wearing my own things...my long dark-brown skirt and beige sweater which gave me a sense of protection. I walked around my room in Signore Cavelli’s beautiful villa. I admit was starting to feel bored. Are there some kinds of books around here that I could read? I was about to leave my room to walk around the house and ask for available books that I can borrow when someone knocked on my door. “Come in.” I said in English. I don’t know if the person on the other side of the door can understand me. A young woman entered and curtsied. “His Excellency said that I was to be your personal maid, Miss. My name is Allegra.” She said in slightly accented English. His Excellency? “Who?” I asked, wanting to make sure that I had heard it right. “His Excellency...” She repeated. The woman’s dark eyes went wide as she stared at me. “Don Lucca Domenico Cavelli, the fourteenth Duke of Caprielle.” Just what kind of joke is this? I was saved by an Italian duke? I didn’t even know that there are still titled gentlemen in this age. Suddenly, in a flash of a memory, I remembered the secret smile that had crept in his gray eyes as he told me his name the first time when we had talked. The devil was making fun of me because I had no idea who he was... and he had a grand time toying with me! Well, I have some news for the arrogant by another Italian man in my life. Once I will make sure that he understands my he will never again dare to have fun on

Italian duke. I will never again be played the conceited man comes back in the evening opinion about being deceived like that and my account.

“Miss?” Allegra asked worryingly. “Are you all right?” “Yes,” I reassured her, with a forced smile. It was not her fault that I was fuming angrily at her master. For now, I will wait and try to tame the bubbling anger inside me until the duke arrives. “I am just wondering if there are books that I can borrow so that I won’t be bored until His Excellency arrives”

“Certainly!” The young woman beamed at me innocently. “Shall I fetch them for you, Miss? Or do you prefer to see the library for yourself?” Oh! I knew it. This place has a library. I wouldn’t be deprived of the opportunity to see his collection of books. “I wish to see the library, please.” She nodded, opening the door for me. “This way, Miss.” I followed her through the impressive hallway silently. For now I will forget about my anger towards Lucca Cavelli and indulge myself with his books in his library. I could hardly wait to see it... The day flew fast. I didn’t even realize that it was almost twilight when Allegra informed me that His Excellency had finally arrived. I took a deep breath as I waited in his library for him. All day I had a great time reading and Allegra had been serving me equally great food for lunch and teatime. I could hear firm footsteps in the hallway and I didn’t understand why my heart started to beat faster as the footsteps neared the library. It has nothing to do with him, I assured myself. My heart is beating loudly in my chest because I am preparing to confront him. It has nothing to do with seeing him again. A discreet tap sounded on the heavy wooden door before the door opened to reveal Lucca. The sight of him was all it took for me to recognize what a lie my own assurances had been! “Tatiana.” My traitorous heart triple jumped in my chest and I could swear that he could hear it. “You must be very happy toying with me, isn’t it?” I spat at him before even he had the chance to close the door behind him and the confusions in my heart grew even more. “What?” He asked, closing the door behind him. Surprise was evident in his eyes before he blinked it away. “The fact that you forgot to tell me you’re a duke.” I reminded him, crossing my hands on my chest. “Do all Italians love to deceive other people for their fun?” He stalked towards me. I tried not to be cowed by his strong presence even when his silver eyes turned frosty making them look like hard granite. “Do not make assumptions about all the Italian men just because you happened to be deceived by one.”

I blanched at his blunt words. I never thought that he would so ruthlessly use what he had read in the newspaper articles about me and Paolo. Unfeeling bastard. Cold-hearted devil. I thought at first that my savior must have been sent by heaven to save me from my death, but it never occurred to me that he might be the very devil that would hurt me even more. “I’m not making assumptions here!” I denied fiercely, trying not to wince at his cold stare. “I’m just making a point.” “Well your point is incorrect!" He retorted back. “Then, how do you explain it?” He shrugged and for the first time looked away. “I just thought that it wasn’t necessary. It is a novelty for me that a woman actually didn’t recognize me. Women usually do.” “Not me.” “Not you.” My anger doused a little. Was he telling the truth? I couldn’t be sure. I don’t have enough expertise in dealing with men to know which one was honest and which one was not. If I knew how to read them I wouldn’t be here, would I? “Well?” He asked at my silence, his eyes held an unmistakable grin suddenly making them lighter in shade. “Are we going to continue our fighting or have a decent dinner together? It's been a long drive through the traffic of Rome and the hairpin drive of Amalfi.” I could feel my lips twitching in a smile. His smile was infectious. Even though we halted right in the middle of an argument and didn’t resolve anything, the mood had completely changed. It was almost laughable that my anger had dissipated at the first hint of his smile! I heard myself mutter. “Dinner then...”

=================

Chapter 4: The Bargain Sometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all. -Laurence Hill

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I had been thinking it over last night and I am not sure if this was the right time to discuss it with the duke. I peeked at him quickly before settling my gaze back on my plate. We were having our breakfast on his terrace near the pool overlooking the picturesque scenery of Amalfi. This place is really breathtaking. “What is it?" His Excellency asked, sipping his coffee while reading the newspaper without looking at me. I cleared my throat. I’m not sure if he will laugh at my bargain but I decided it is worth the effort. “Your Excellency...” “Call me Lucca.” “Lucca...” I tested his name on my lips and I liked it. “I have a proposition to you.” He raised a dark eyebrow and stared at me. “Sounds naughty. Let’s hear it.” The devil was making fun of me again. I took a deep breath and stared at the gleaming silver-eyes. I can do this, I tried to reassure myself. All I need to do is to say the words which I have never said to a living soul before. “Will you marry me?” Unmitigated shock was noticeable in his eyes. Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. Obviously, no woman had ever proposed to him before, at least not like the way I was doing. His face was priceless. “What...” “Before you refuse me,” I interrupted him. “Please, hear me out.”

“By all means,” He replied, closing the broadsheets that he’d been reading and giving me his full attention. “Let me hear your proposition of marriage.” Abruptly, I felt nervous but I decided it’s best to be honest with him. “I have been thinking last night, if I want retribution from Paolo and Sabrina, I will need is a powerful man to help me achieve it.” “So you think that man is me?” I nodded. “Yes. You’re a powerful and wealthy duke. You have broad connections and I need the likes of you if I want destroy them both.” He appeared to be thinking the matter seriously. I couldn’t blame him for it. It is not an easy decision make... to help a total stranger woman to avenge the people who had hurt her. “What can I possibly get from this union?” he asked after some deliberation. I knew he will get to that part. Thank God, I already knew what to offer him so that he can’t easily refuse. “If you agree to my plan and marry me, I will give you the Rostov International Hotels.” He sat up on his chair, as if a fireplace poker was inserted in his spine. “You can’t possibly be serious?” “I am.” I told him honestly. “If you help me destroy Paolo Ranaldi and Sabrina Hunter, I will give you my family’s hotel after our divorce.” “You’re really going to give a complete stranger your family’s billion-dollar hotel empire just for some revenge?” He asked incredulously, as if I was insane. “Is that how bad you want your retribution on those people?” “Yes.” He can’t understand the pain I have suffered because of them. I bet he was the one who usually ended his affairs with his women. “Few weeks from now it is my twenty-fifth birthday and I will have the sole rights to my family’s hotels.” “Need I remind you that the world thinks that you are probably dead in the sea by now? How can you be sure that you will still have the powers over your family’s business in weeks from now?” I fixed my gaze on him to explain. “Because they can’t do anything until they find my body, which they won’t ever. And most importantly everything stays the way they are, Mama...I mean, my stepmother, will still act as the president of the company until I am declared dead. They can’t announce me dead if they don’t find my body.” I could see that he was weighing things inside his head. “You have thought about

this matter very hard last night, haven’t you?” I smiled thinly knowing that I was making a progress here. “Don’t worry, once they have been totally ruined, I’ll seek for divorce and hand you over the ownership of the hotels.” “Are you saying...?” It seemed like he had finally comprehended. “Of course. I’m offering you a marriage of convenience.”

Lucca Cavelli’s POV The last thing I expected when I woke up this morning was a marriage proposal from the woman I’d saved two nights ago. But here I am, considering her proposal against my better judgment. Dio! But, who the hell would not consider her tempting offer when she was practically handing you an entire hotel empire, well-known all over the world. To make the offer even sweeter she was just offering a marriage of convenience. I know it’s already past time that I should marry and produce an heir my mother was hinting about, not so subtly either. Hell, I am already thirty-one. Rostov International Hotels, when added to my company’s portfolios, I will be one of the most powerful men in Europe and America. But there was still something that kept nagging at me... the fact that she was so remote and emotionless in explaining how the things would be. I wanted to shake off her cool façade. “There are still some things that you forgot to discuss, tesoro.” Her delicate eyebrows frowned. “Like what?” “Like for example, do you intend for me to remain faithful to you throughout our marriage?” A pretty blush colored her pale cheeks. Good, I am making a progress in penetrating her guard. “I never said we’ll have a normal marriage, sir. Ours would be a

platonic relationship with occasional kisses and affection in public if necessary, but nothing in private. You can take mistresses if you want, but all I would ask is for you to be discreet in conducting those affairs.” My eyebrows rose upward. “You mean to say that I can’t bed my own wife?” Blush colored her cheeks even more. Amazing, I thought with satisfaction, that a woman can still go red like her. “Yes.” I don’t think so. Those tempting legs that I had seen the first morning she was here were now hidden behind that hideously dull skirt. I have spent my time in the night imagining them wrapped around my waist as I enter her while staring at violet fields of her eyes. “Ah, but I don’t think so, gioiello mio.” Alarm entered her violet eyes. “What do you mean?” I grabbed her hand and kiss her palm. “Why will I take a mistress if I have a wife to satisfy me?” She snatched her hand back lighting fast, looking away from me. “I will not satisfy you.” “But you will.” I told her bluntly. “Soon you will be mine.” “I will never be yours.” She replied stubbornly, but the red stain still remained on her pale cheeks. You are going to be mine, Tatiana. The moment I found you in the sea half-dead, I knew you were destined to share my bed. I didn’t say it out loud but I might as well have for she gaped at me in shock as if she had heard my thoughts. Absolutely, my dark thoughts said in my head. I had already lost my appetite for breakfast; nothing was more appealing than taking her to my bed right now. But I will wait, I decided, running my gaze on the tempting body hidden behind those ugly clothes. It is definitely more satisfying in claiming what you have waited for so long.

================= Chapter 5: The Preparations Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.

-Confucius

Tatiana Rostova's POV I was reading when Allegra knocked on my room before entering. “His Excellency wishes to see you in his library, Miss.” What could he possibly want from me now? The unmistakable desire I had seen in his silver-eyes at our disturbing breakfast early this morning had left me shivering. I closed the book I had been reading for the past few hours and followed Allegra to Lucca’s library. Once we reached his library at the far end of the hallway on the first floor, Allegra bid her goodbye to me and left. I tapped lightly on the heavy wooden door before entering. As usual, I was struck in awe at the magnificence of his library. Several bookshelves filled with books of different genre. A huge painting hung above the fireplace, a thick carpet covered the whole room with sofa sets near the fireplace for comfortable reading and of course, a huge mahogany table graced one corner where the duke was sitting right now. “You wished to speak with me?” I asked him, closing the door behind me. “Sì.” He replied, putting down the papers he’d been reading and gesturing at the vacant chairs across him for me to occupy. I sat on one of the vacant leather chairs and looked at him expectantly. “What do you want to discuss with me?” Lucca sat back in his chair and studied me. “About our wedding.” Our wedding. I smiled at the irony. Few days ago, I was happily planning my wedding to a different man. Now I was sitting here to discuss my new wedding arrangements with a total stranger...but a duke, no less. “What about it?” He looked straight in my eyes and said. “As I am a duke, the cream of the Italian society would expect my wedding to be grand and lavish. But I think they will have a heart failure when they see my bride...” He smiled at the thought. “...the woman

the whole world thinks to be missing in the sea. So, do you want a grand wedding that could shock the Italian society?” I shook my head. It was never my dream to marry with hundreds of attendance. As a child, I always dreamt of a simple and intimate wanted a spectacular wedding, something befitting the heiress of as he once told me. That’s why my supposed wedding with him in a was more like a state dinner than a wedding.

guest in wedding. But Paolo the Rostov family, few weeks’ time

“Do you mind a simple wedding?” I asked him. This is not a real wedding, after all. “A priest with two witnesses here in your villa. I don’t yet want people to know that Tatiana Rostova is still alive.” “Is that what you want?” I nodded. “Besides, you can have your lavish wedding when you marry for real. Remember I’m only your temporary wife until I have my revenge.” His face was unreadable. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking. “When do you want the wedding?” “As soon as possible.” He smiled wolfishly, as he rubbed his five o’clock shadow jaw. “I am thinking of two days from today, is that okay with you?” I nodded in agreement, the sooner the better for me. “Fine with me. I would like to tell you something else.” “What?” “I have decided to change my name, for the world, I mean. A new identity. People will know me as Mariya Cavelli...wife of Lucca Cavelli, the Duke of Caprielle.” A private smile crossed his handsome face. “Mariya? In Arabic ‘Mariya’ means pure. But in Russian ‘Mariya’ means bitter. So which one of the two made you decided to use that name?” I could feel heat warming my cheeks. The devil was making fun of me again. I glared at him and said nonchalantly. “Does it matter?” Apparently, he had already guessed the reason why I decided to use that name, for he laughed at me. “From a name meaning Fairy Queen... to a name meaning Bitter, quite catchy.”

I grimaced. I should have known that Lucca Cavelli would have a vast knowledge of the origin of names. He seemed very well read if you go by his library. I will not underestimate him again. “Do you agree or not?” I asked him with scowl on my face. “Of course,” He was still grinning. “My turn.” I braced myself for what he was about to say. “What do you want?” “I want you to have a make-over.” “What?” I nearly leapt out of my chair at his suggestion. “You’re not serious, are you?” “I am.” He confirmed, gesturing at my attire with his hand. “Look at you. I mean, don’t get me wrong but no one would believe that I fell head over heels in love with a woman who dresses like an old aunt.” Ouch. He didn’t have to be that brutal in criticizing my choice of outfits. “Fair trade, wouldn’t you say?” He pressed in when I didn't answer. “A new identity and a new appearance. A look fit for Mariya Cavelli, the Duchess of Caprielle.” That’s when it occurred to me that once I married Lucca I will be a duchess! It never came to my mind that I will be a duchess. A make-over will really be required now that I was going to be a duchess, however short that period may be. But still, I have to trade my comfortable clothes for sexy outfits that would fit Mariya Cavelli, the Duchess of Caprielle. Was it worth the effort? “When do you plan that I start this make-over? What are the changes that you would like me to go through?” Lucca gave me wry smile. “From head to toe, of course. Only you would look like someone going to a prison at the chance of a make-over.” “When?” I asked again when he didn’t answer my question. “I’m thinking, the day after our wedding.” I gave a resigned sigh at the fate waiting for me in two days. “There can be an alternative,” he suggested. My spirits lifted with slight hope. “If we’ll have a real honeymoon, of course.” And my hope died quickly.

His eyes danced with wickedness. “No thanks.”

He laughed. “Spoil-sport.” “Is that all you wanted to discuss with me?” I asked, preparing for my leave. “Yes.” He straightened and got up from his chair. I nodded and turned to leave him alone when I heard him softly reaching for the door handle. “One more thing, Tatiana.” I glanced over my shoulder to find his face full of seriousness. “You said that this wedding is only an alliance in order to achieve your revenge. I hope in the process you don’t stupidly give your heart to me, because, I may end up breaking it.” “Don’t worry, Lucca.” I smiled thinly and said with the truthfulness inside my chest. “I don’t think I still have a heart to give anymore.” With that, I his warning. I’ve already asking for a

left him and walked to my room. I had given him an honest answer to I am not that dense to give my heart again to another Italian playboy. learned my lesson with Paolo and falling for a womanizing duke was permanent damage on one’s heart.

At this point, the thing that they call a heart that beats in my chest was filled with nothing but pure hatred...

================= Chapter 6: Rome, Italy A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. –Lao Tzu

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I was dressing in my room when the door met with the wall in a loud bang. My gaze was met by a very pissed off looking Italian duke. Thankfully, I had already finished dressing or else he would have found me half-naked in my room, which in my opinion would have been extremely awkward for both of us.

“What is this thing that I hear from Allegra? Have you ordered for a taxi?” Lucca snapped at me without preamble. I ignored his outburst and resumed arranging my clothes and hair looking into the mirror. “That is right. Now that you’re here perhaps you can do it for me.” “Where exactly are you going?” I met his very angry stare through the reflection in the mirror. “Rome.” I could tell that he was struggling to control his temper, but I couldn’t understand for my life why he was so maddeningly angry. “Why?” He asked. Seriously? Does he really need to ask? “I need to go to my penthouse to get some clothes and personal things.” “Such as?” I took a deep breath. “My passport, credit cards and some cash.” “Why do you need those in any case?” He asked me, as if he was talking to a child. “In case you haven’t noticed, I can financially support my wife very well.” “You don’t understand...” “It’s dangerous, Tatiana.” He interrupted me. “For all we know your fiancé and stepsister are still there now.” “Ex-fiancé.” I told him fiercely. “Thank you very much for reminding me. And don’t take me for a fool, Lucca.” I smiled slyly. “For all I know you have people watching their every move.” He looked surprised and lost for words for a moment. “Besides, I am tired of borrowing clothes from Allegra. I miss my own.” His silver-eyes clouded. “Need I remind you that you have agreed to have a makeover after our wedding? You don’t need your drab clothes anymore.” “But...” “Backing out already, tesoro mio?” He smiled wickedly suddenly doing a hundred and

eighty degree turn in his demeanor. Was he bipolar or something? “No!” An emotion close to triumph showed in the depths of his eyes for a brief moment but it was gone as soon as it had come. “Good. Now forget this trip of yours to Rome.” “No way!” I answered, glaring at him. “I have to go.” His eyes darkened. “Now, Tatiana. Do not defy your husband’s command.” The nerve of him to use the word command! “You’re not my husband yet.” I gritted through my teeth. Now I, myself, was getting maddeningly angry. Lucca glared at me but I glared back at him. A normal person would have probably backed down immediately from his thundering gaze, but I will not let anyone rile me again. By some miracle he was the first one to look away with a muttered a curse. “Very well. But I will drive you to Rome myself.” I bit back a smile of victory from my lips. I knew he wasn’t happy about my decision and would never let me go to Rome alone, so I settled for him to drive me to the city. “Fine.” A sardonic smile escaped him. “This might as well be a perfect moment to create some buzz.” Before I could ask what he meant by that comment, he had already left my room. He was back in a while with some designer paper bags in his hands. “Here, wear this.” I reluctantly took the bags and looked at the contents inside. “No way! I will not wear these.” He puffed out a sigh and gave me a patient look. “Do you want everyone to know that you’re alive? Because, that is what will happen if you enter your penthouse building dressed like Tatiana Rostova.” He said tilting his head to a side as if to question my sanity. I stared at the designer jeans and blouse inside the paper bag. “But...” “Wear them.” Lucca said firmly. “They are exactly right for what I have thought of

doing in Rome.” I searched his face and brought my gaze back to the expensive garments inside the paper bags. Seeing my confusion he said. “Dress. I’ll be waiting for you outside. Fifteen minutes.”

Lucca Cavelli’s POV Anyone who had ever thought that Tatiana Rostova was a wallflower was badly mistaken to the core. For a one thing, the woman doesn’t really fade into the background. She wasn’t in the least obedient as the report submitted to me by my private investigator had said. In fact, she was very stubborn and likes to fight me in everything. I kept reviewing the report in my mind as we drove to Rome for her idiotic plan to get some of her things from her apartment in the city. I could have had my men do it more discretely but no...she has to go there on her own! She hadn’t said a word to me since we left my villa in Amalfi. I bet she was still smarting that I ruined her plans. In the brief time that I had to gotten to know her, I have learned that she hates it the most when her plans are altered even tiniest bit. “Have you talked to your people to see if Paolo or Sabrina is at my penthouse now?” Tatiana asked me suddenly. I felt my lips twitching in a smile. “So you remember how to talk?” “Don’t worry,” She said frostily. “This conversation will be very short.” I couldn’t help but laugh. The woman was prickly. “Yes, Tatiana mia. The two of them left your penthouse a while ago.” “Good.” She was back to staring at the endless scenery out of her window. I couldn’t stop myself from goading her a bit. “You know, it’s not polite to treat the man you’re marrying tomorrow the way you’re treating me now.” “And it’s not pleasant to control the woman you’re marrying either.”

My eyebrows snapped together. “Am I controlling you?” “You know you do.” “It seems that we both have a different definition of the word ‘control’, amore mio.” I told her dryly. “Because, if I was controlling you mia cara, you would have found yourself in my bed naked right at this moment begging for my passionate possession.” The pretty blush that I like crept on her pale cheeks. If I was expecting a hot retort or fierce denial on her part, I was mistaken for she continued to ignore me for the rest of our long drive to Rome.

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I pulled the cap even lower over my eyes as I penthouse was located. Lucca had forced me to came across someone who could recognize me. I service elevator was. Otherwise, I would have trying to explain to the doorman why I should

entered the building where my wear it for my protection in case I was glad that I knew where the been hard stuck at the front door be let in!

I kept my head slightly bowed to escape getting caught on the security cameras in the corridors until I reached the penthouse. Thankfully, Lucca had agreed to wait for me in a restaurant nearby. I was halfexpecting him to insist that he will come with me. The elevator was empty when I rode it. I pressed the number of the floor, blocking my face from the camera in the elevator. After a minute or so, I finally arrived to my penthouse...my home! I made a mental note to myself to thank Lucca later, who had arranged for the key to my penthouse at such a short notice! I breathed in the familiar smell of it looking at the furniture that I had personally selected... No, I chided myself. This is not the right moment to reminisce, for all I know Sabrina and Paolo may be on their way back here now. I walked to my room where nothing had changed since the last time I had seen it. I fished out the key from where I had been hiding and cursed when the tight jeans Lucca had forced me to wear got in my way while I was bending. I couldn’t believe it! I cursed even more when the sexy jacket I was wearing also got in the way. Why

do women like to wear tight clothes when they can’t do anything practical in them? After few tries I was finally able reach the key and open my drawer where I kept everything important. I pulled out my bag and put my passport, wallet and some of my jewelries inside my bag. I felt like a common thief taking my own things! My operation was nearly complete when I heard the elevator door to the penthouse open. Crap! Someone was here. I peeked through my room’s door to see the newcomer ignoring my thundering heart. I sighed in relief when I saw a familiar middle-aged woman making her way to the kitchen. Signora Beltardi. Taking a deep breath I came out of my room to face my trusted housekeeper. She twirled around at the sound of my footsteps. “Signorina!” I clamped her mouth shut with my one hand while I placing the forefinger of my other hand to my lips. “Shh...” Her dark-eyes went wide briefly and she nodded in acquiescence before I removed my hand from her mouth. “Signorina! Everyone is going crazy looking for you. We even thought that you’re probably dead.” She frowned. “You’re not a ghost, are you?” I laughed silently. “No...” “But how are you?” Signora Beltardi asked in her accented English. “Where were you and what happened to you in these past few days? Signorina Sabrina said that you accidentally fell off the yacht. Are you okay now?” She shot off like rapid fire. Leave it to my housekeeper to fire several questions to me at the same time. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to answer her. “Signora Beltardi.” I said, taking her hands in mine. “I don’t have time to explain to you. But no one must know that I’ve been here, or for that matter, not even that I am still alive. Let everyone think that I am still missing in the sea. No one...I repeat, no one should know that you’ve seen me here today, is that clear?” I could see several questions in her eyes but she nodded finally. “Don’t worry.” I assured her with a slight smile. “Everyone will see me soon.”

I hugged my motherly housekeeper tightly before leaving my apartment for good. Lucca was probably waiting for me in the restaurant. I was hurrying across the corridors to make a quick exit I accidentally collided with a beautiful blonde who was wearing a sexy black dress. “Ouch!” The woman snarled at me. Sabrina. “Sorry.” I replied softly, securing my baseball cap on my head firmly. I ignored the pain clutching my heart at the sight of her. “Let’s go, Sabrina.” A familiar male voice said beside my devious stepsister. Paolo. “Watch your step, girl.” Sabrina reproached. I bowed slightly as another apology while every muscle in my body was screaming to hit them senseless until the rage in my heart lessened. Paolo dragged the glaring Sabrina to the elevator. This is the last time you’ll be pushing me around, I promised myself, as I watched the elevator door close behind them. The very last time...

================= Chapter 7: The Engagement An alliance with a powerful person is never safe. -Phaedrus

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I was patiently waiting for Tatiana in the restaurant where we had agreed to meet

after her visit to her apartment. The maître d’ had shown me the best table in the restaurant. I am still not sure if it was a good idea to let her go alone. What if her stepsister and fiancé...exfiancé, rather, saw her? I smiled privately, I have to remember to put an ex in describing Paolo Ranaldi in the company of Tatiana or else she would give me an earful again. Did she know that no one had given me a lecture ever since I graduated from the university? I get tempted to inform her so, but her blazing violet-eyes give me a pause. Maybe she was aware but she didn’t give a damn. I looked at my wristwatch again and fifteen minutes had passed from the time that we had agreed upon. I was starting to get anxious but decided to wait for few more minutes before storming to her penthouse. Looking out of the window which offered me the best view of the restaurant’s entrance, I recalled my conversation with my secretary earlier in the day... “Julia...” I said in Italian to the woman standing in front of me waiting for my further instructions as I read some papers. “Cancel all my scheduled appointments from tomorrow until the weekend.” My ever efficient but albeit a bit surprised assistant couldn’t resist asking. “May I know the reason, Sua Excellenza?” I gave a sincere smile. “I am getting married tomorrow.” “Married!?” Julia all but squeaked. I bit back a smile looking at my assistant who was gazing at me as if I had told her that I could levitate. “Sí.” I confirmed. “Reschedule my important meetings and hold my calls...only important ones are to be transferred to my villa in Amalfi. And check for the current status on Rostov International Hotels while I am away.” “Yes sir.” It seemed that she had finally recovered from my news and was back to being her efficient self. “Your Excellency, may I ask something if it’s okay? Does the dowager duchess know about your plan...?” “Lucca!” I snapped out of my reverie and turned my attention towards the woman who stood in front of me with her hands on her waist as she waited for me to speak. “Tatiana.” “Are you all right?” She asked, violet eyes studying me intently. “I’ve been calling your attention for a while now. What’s the matter?”

I shook my head and got up from my chair to pull out a chair for her. “No. Nothing important, tesoro mia.” She slid into the chair while I went back to mine across hers. I could see in her eyes that she was still studying me. Thankfully, the waiter arrived at our table for our orders. I ordered the first thing I read on the menu and waited for Tatiana to place hers. I also arranged for the best wine in their restaurant. Finally, the hovering waiter left us alone. “So, how did it go there?” I asked her. “Was everything according to the plan?” “Yes.” She blew out a puff. “I got almost caught twice!” “What do you mean? Did anyone see you, recognize you?” “Fortunately, no.” She went on to explain her encounter with her housekeeper and the devils themselves, Sabrina and Paolo. I could hear the pain in her voice while she talked about them. But I felt relieved that no one recognized her and she stayed safe to come back to me! I frowned at the thought. But, now was the moment I had been waiting. I dug in my pocket for the familiar box I had bought before coming to the restaurant. “For you.” I placed the little red velvet box in front of her. For some reason my heart thundered in my chest. Maybe because I had suddenly realized this morning while I was looking to purchase that thing, that I was really getting married tomorrow. Many women had tried before but I was not ready to settle down yet. Now I am marrying the woman in front of me for only practical purpose. She needed my name. I wanted her hotels. As simple as that. Our marriage will just be a practical alliance until we both get what we desire. That's what I want, right? So why the hell it took me a lot of time to buy the right ring for Tatiana? I told myself repeatedly that in order to fool everyone we must make it look as real a marriage as possible. No one would believe that I was marrying for love if I didn’t purchase the right ring that will suit my bride, a duke’s bride.

“Open it.” I urged when she showed no reaction to my gift. Tatiana looked at me before setting her gaze back on the small box in front of her. “Lucca, you don’t have to...” I shook my head. I opened the velvet box myself and pulled out the stunning diamond encrusted engagement ring from its nest. “Tatiana Rostova, will you marry me?” A pretty blush spread through her pale cheeks like wildfire. “Errr... yes.” I hid my smile at the lack of enthusiasm I heard in her voice. If she was any other woman she would probably be shrieking by now. “Your hand.” With great reluctance she gave her left hand. I slipped the engagement ring on her fourth finger and felt ridiculously happy because it fit her perfectly. I was aware of the curious stares we were getting in the restaurant. Mercifully Tatiana was still wearing the baseball cap I had given her. Our food had just arrived to our table when the paparazzi started to swarm outside the restaurant flashing their cameras non-stop through the glass windows trying to get the pictures of my mystery woman and me. My plan was working well. “Don’t look,” I informed her casually. “The paparazzi are trying to get pictures of us. Don’t let them see your face.” With a muttered curse Tatiana lowered her cap even more on her face, her violet eyes hidden from my sight. By tomorrow the news of my engagement to a mysterious woman will be on every newspaper in Italy. I could hardly wait for my mother’s reaction to this.

Sabrina Hunter’s POV I was in a bad mood when I arrived at the penthouse that Tati owns. I threw my purse on the white sofa and let out an angry sigh. It had been a bad day from the offset. First, it was the Italian authorities who were stubbornly refusing to declare Tati dead until they recover her body. Second, that stupid woman who bumped into me in the lobby, she reminded me of Tati. The housekeeper who has worked for my stepsister for years looked at me while cleaning the living room with unreadable eyes.

“Why are you looking as if you have seen a ghost?” I snapped at her. “Pardon, signorina.” She muttered in accented Italian. “Way to go, Rina.” Said a dry voice from my back. “Abusing the housekeeper.” I whirled around to face the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. “Who isn’t going to get annoyed when the authorities refuse to declare Tati dead? They say we have to wait at least five years.” He stepped closer to me and massaged the rigid muscles on my shoulder. “Take it easy.” I sighed. “I want to announce our engagement to the public.” The soothing hands fell and Paolo turned me to see my face. “What engagement?” “We’re getting married, aren’t we?” “Yes,” Paolo looked away. “But not now.” “When?” I asked my patience running out. “Until Tatiana is declared dead?” “Yes.” “But that’s damned too long!” He gave me a cold stare. “That’s how it’s supposed to be, Rina. Tatiana is still my fiancée.” My stepsister is dead but why do I still have to suffer because of her? The only man I’d ever loved is refusing to marry me until her body is found. If Paolo thought that I will be waiting for five long years then he is mistaken. Because I will do anything and everything for us to get married before end of this year.

================= Chapter 8: The Wedding

Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open. -George Bernard Shaw

Tatiana Rostova's POV I had dreamt of my own wedding ever since I was a kid. Imagining myself walking down the aisle towards the love of my life waiting for me at the altar wearing a wedding dress that I had personally chosen. Well, finally that day had come. It was my wedding day today. The joys and the jitters that a bride should be feeling on her very special day were noticeably missing in me. Allegra offered to arrange my out-of-style hair into a simple but elegant knot while I sat in front of my dresser examining my diamond engagement ring Lucca had given me yesterday. It was worth a fortune, I decided. Several times more expensive than the engagement ring Paolo had given me. I suppose Lucca has gone out of his way to make our union look more realistic than necessary. There's an old saying about that, isn’t there? 'Fool yourselves before you can fool others.' That must be it. "Nervous, Your Excellency?" I looked up and stared at Allegra through the mirror. "Huh? Not really. And please remove the 'Your Excellency' thing when you talk to me, Allegra." The straight-laced Italian girl shook her head. "I can't, my lady. Because starting today, you are the new Duchess of Caprielle." I sighed. If I have learnt anything in these past few days living in the luxurious villa of Lucca Cavelli, it was that his servants were very dedicated to their work and clearly adored their master. "You must have been shocked to learn that even though I have known the duke only for a few days, I am already marrying him." I said conversationally to Allegra as she put white lilies in the knot on my head. I don’t know why I wanted to know her opinion... probably I do have some wedding jitters after all. "Not really," She answered, her concentration was fixed on her work. "Mama believes that true love can never be measured with the time that the couple spends together.

There are couples who are married for forty years and yet they don't really know each other. Then there are some who have known each other only for a couple of days but they know it in their heart that they are made for each other." "Your mother is a wise woman." Allegra beamed at me through the reflection on the mirror. Obviously pleased by my remark about her mother. "She worked here at the villa for years as the duke's housekeeper. Mama loves His Excellency as if he was her real son. Unfortunately she is not here for the wedding. My sister gave birth and Mama needs to take care of my niece since my sister works in Rome." "Do you work here as your mother's replacement?" I asked, trying to learn anything about my groom-to-be. Allegra nodded. "When my Mama needed to quit I felt sad because I had to stop my college since Mama no longer had an income to pay for my studies. When the duke learned about this, he offered to fund my education until I graduated. You don't know how happy I was when Mama told me about it, Your Excellency." She smiled warmly. "In return I asked him to let me replay his kindness by working in his villa every summer for free..." "But, he still pays your salary?" I concluded. I already knew that Don Lucca Cavelli was a good man. He had already saved a drowning woman from the cold see, didn’t he? He even agreed to my insane plan in avenging the people who had hurt me. My maid nodded again. "The duke insists that the money is for my expenses in school. Don't worry, Miss. His Excellency is a good man and he will take good care of you. I have never seen him so besotted with a woman before." "I know." I smiled weakly thinking how wrong she was. "Now," Allegra said brightly. "Let's go and put your beautiful wedding gown." I sighed when my gaze traveled to my bed where the white French lace wedding gown, that had arrived early this morning from France, was laid out. I didn’t know when Lucca had ordered the gown but I seriously doubted if it will fit me. Allegra picked the stunning gown and pulled the zipper down at the back so that I can slide on the fabric. I stood up and carefully put on the silky smooth gown. I let Allegra arrange it around me. I didn't know what to think when Allegra zipped it behind my back. How the hell did Lucca Cavelli know my exact measurements? The man was lethal. He could guess the exact measurements of a woman just by looking at her. "Bello!" Allegra breathed. "You look like a princess, Miss."

"Thank you." I could feel my cheeks warming again from the unexpected compliment. Allegra must have realized that I was not fully convinced about her compliment, she drew me in front of the full length mirror. I gasped unable to believe what I was seeing. A beautiful woman with bright violet eyes was staring back at me in wonder. If I didn't know better I would have thought it was someone else who stood in front of the mirror. Because, the woman staring back at me in the mirror reflection wasn't Tatiana Rostova, a woman who always faded into the background... the wallflower heiress. But it was a beautiful and confident woman. It was hard to believe that I could transfer into someone else entirely with just a few polishing touches. "Let's not make His Excellency wait downstairs with the wedding official and witnesses." "Do you know who the two witnesses are?" I asked, as we walked out of my room in the villa. Allegra nodded, picking the bouquet of flowers from the dresser table. "Yes. Mr. Felipe, the family's butler in Palazzo di Cavelli and me." She looked sympathetically at me. "Too bad your family couldn't attend, Miss." Lucca must have provided that lie on my behalf. I knew that Italian men don't marry without the bride's family in attendance. And since my family thought that I was already dead, they weren’t included. As we descended the stairs, my nerves started to tingle and my legs became wobbly. If not for the balustrade I was clutching tightly, my legs would have given away. I noticed that Lucca was standing with two strangers in the receiving room. He looked sinfully handsome in his black tuxedo talking animatedly to the two strangers. The older man on Lucca's left stopped talking when he caught the sight of me on the stairs. Lucca turned to look and I felt as if my breath had been knocked out of my lungs when I saw a flash of fire on those gray eyes as he held my gaze. I felt like the time had stopped, the world halted spinning and the people around us faded into nothing. We were like the only people left staring at each other refusing to look away. Somehow I stood in front of him without even remembering how I walked until there. He gripped my right hand and squeezed it. I didn't know if it was for my benefit or his. But one thing was for sure, there was no going back now that we were about to get married. "Felipe," Lucca addressed the old man on his left. "I would like you to meet my bride, Tatiana. Darling, this is Felipe my family's butler for decades."

"Pleased to meet you, my lady." The older man said in heavily accented Italian. "You don't know how long I've waited for this day to arrive when the duke would finally take a wife and settle down." I nodded slightly unsure of how to answer the very kind man. If only he knew that we were marrying all for the wrong reasons... "Shall we begin the ceremony, Your Excellency?" The question came from the other man. He was clearly the wedding official. "Of course." Lucca answered, still holding me hand. Mr. Felipe and Allegra stood next to us as they watched us wed. By my request the wedding was in English since I couldn't understand Italian. The minister started officiating the wedding and I looked straight into the eyes of the duke wondering what he was thinking...

Lucca Cavelli's POV I waited patiently for Tatiana to arrive to the receiving room of my villa with my family's trusted butler for three decades and the English speaking minister who agreed to officiate our wedding posthaste. "The dowager duchess will be very upset if she finds out that you have married without her, Your Excellency." The old butler remarked. "Bad enough that you chose to get married when she is out of the country." I flashed a grin to the man. "We can't help it. I am eager to marry my bride as soon as I can. I cannot let other wolves come and steal her. I'm sure Mama will understand my reasons, Felipe." An understanding crossed Felipe's face. "Expect a thorough arrives in a weeks' in time. I'm sure she would expect you that the cream of Italian society would envy. I can bet my duchess will plan your church wedding as soon as she steps

inquisition when she to have a lavish wedding life that the dowager off her plane."

I couldn’t help but to laugh at my family butler's warning. I am sure that my mother would do something in those lines. I was fully expecting her to plan our wedding ceremony that will be held in a church with hundreds of guests in attendance. Too bad, Tatiana had something to say about it. Knowing well how she doesn't like

large crowds, I doubted such a wedding will be held any time soon. It's because of her insecurities and shyness which I intend to reform once she starts her training to boost her confidence in the days to come. "I must admit, sir." Felipe confided. "I am very curious of your bride..." The man stopped when his gaze went to the stairs. I consciously followed the older man's gaze. I think I forget how to breathe when I saw my bride descending the stairs slowly with Allegra holding her white bouquet of lilies. Anyone who thought that Tatiana Rostova was plain clearly hadn't seen her when she was groomed properly. The woman was exceptionally beautiful, with her dark hair pulled into a simple knot with white flowers surrounding it and pretty lucid violet eyes staring back at me. She's anything but plain. I instinctively held her hand, assuring myself that she's real and standing beside me in that pretty wedding gown I had personally ordered from Paris for our wedding. I never imagined myself marrying this beautiful woman hidden beneath those drab clothes when I agreed to her scheme. Suddenly, I realized that I was gawking at my own bride and had completely forgotten the other people in the room. I hastily introduced, "Felipe, I would like you to meet my bride, Tatiana. Darling, this is Felipe my family's butler for decades." "Pleased to meet you, my lady." The older man said with a bow. "You don't know how long I've waited for this day to arrive when the duke would finally take a wife and settle down." A pretty blush that was my favorite spread on her pale cheeks and she smiled at Felipe. Even now, simple things make her blush wildly. I next introduced her to the wedding official who shook hands with her briefly before the ceremony started. I couldn’t believe I was really getting married today... "...do you Lucca, take Tatiana Anastasia Spencer Rostova to be your lawfully wedded wife for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" "I do." The minister now looked at Tatiana. "Do you Tatiana, take Lucca Domenico Cavelli to be your lawfully wedded husband for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" "I do." She answered softly, holding my gaze.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister grinned in my direction. "You may kiss the bride." I smiled in anticipation. I'd been dying to do this part ever since she woke up the next morning I had found her in the ocean half drowned. I put my hands on each side of her face and placed my lips to hers in a simple but ardent kiss. The other people who were present in the room clapped their hands and said their congratulations to us. Just like that I was now officially married. I now have my own duchess. Only, I don't know how long it will last. When Tatiana finally gets what she wants, she would seek for a divorce and continue to live her life. It was damn awful even to think of the time when we will finally say goodbye to each other.

================= Chapter 9: The Town People get really caught up in their own trips. -Max Cannon

Tatiana Rostova's POV I was now officially Tatiana Rostova-Cavelli. Mrs. Lucca Cavelli, Duchess of Caprielle, the legally wedded wife of the powerful Italian duke. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I will become a duchess someday, let alone enter in a loveless marriage. It was still hard to believe that I married an entirely different man when only a few days ago I was planning to marry the man I thought I loved with all my heart, the one who betrayed me in the worst possible way. Now I stood with my new husband in the foyer of his villa and watched Mr. Felipe's car drive away making it’s way to Naples, the official home of the Duke of Caprielle for centuries, where Filipe had served as a butler for decades.

"So, mia moglie, what do you want to do on your wedding day?" Lucca asked me after Mr. Felipe's car left the villa. "Mia—what?" Gray eyes smiled down at me. "Mia moglie, means 'my wife' in Italian." "Oh..." I still can't get used to these endearments. Do all the Italian men like to use endearments so much? Even Paolo used them quite often...I frowned. Why should I think about that bastard on my wedding day? Not that this was my real wedding, but still I don’t like to think about him anymore. As far I am concerned he's nothing to me but a bitter memory. Lucca’s smile deepened evidently unaware of the trail of my dark thoughts. "So, what do you want to do? It's our wedding day, after all." "I want to go to the town." I said without hesitation. Ever since I recovered, I always wanted to go into the town but circumstances kept me in Lucca's villa. Well, apart from our trip to Rome two days ago when I burglarized my own home! "Town?" He asked incredulously. He obviously didn't expect me to say that. "Yes." I answered enthusiastically. "I've never been to the town on the Amalfi Coast before. You could act as my tour guide." A hesitant laugh escaped him. "No one must have told you that I'm a bad tour guide, tesoro." "Oh, you'll do." I told him dryly. "At least it's better than nothing." "Are you mocking me, Duchess?" "Who? Me? Mocking a duke?" I asked innocently, fighting back my smile. "You must be mistaken, Your Excellency." "Hmm..." He flashed a seductive smile that made my heart skip a beat in my chest. "Are you trying to seduce me, Your Excellency?" I raised my one eyebrow as I stared straight into his smoky eyes. "Is it working?"

"No." "Liar." He purred, his eyes glowing like mercury. "About the trip to town that you want." He eyed me from head to toe. "You might wish to change your wedding gown first...unless you want to hit the town with style. I'm fine either way." I couldn’t help but laugh at his suggestions. Maybe marriage to Lucca Cavelli wouldn’t be that bad if we can just be friends, everything might work out just fine. "You're incorrigible." "Go and get changed." He commanded. "Or else I will leave you here. Fifteen minutes." "You can't leave me!" I tell him with a laugh. "I was the one who asked you to take me to the town." "I could." I pretended to glare at him but it was futile. "Fifteen minutes, Duchess." The glare was still fixed on my face when I ran up the stairs to remove my wedding finery.

Lucca Cavelli's POV I was walking hand-in-hand with my wife in the little town in Amalfi Coast. I still couldn’t quite get used to the term married. I am now a married man. My wife requested a tour of the town and I readily agreed to prove that I needed to at least try to be a decent husband, however convenient our marriage was. I bought Tatiana a cream-colored brim hat with turquoise grosgrain ribbon to protect her pale skin from the hot Italian sun. I didn’t want her to get burned in the summer sun. It would be such a waste to tan her beautiful pale skin. Right now, we were on our way to a restaurant in town which hasn’t yet been discovered by the tourists...only the locals knew the delicious bistro. "Remind me again where we are going?" She asked, as we made our way on the streets of Amalfi.

"We're going to eat, tesoro." I replied watching her wedding and engagement rings glint in the sun. "After that we will hit the market." "Hmm... sounds lovely." Tatiana chirped. "You're not that bad a tour guide, after all." She said smirking. "Watch it, minx." I warned playfully. "Or you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere." "Is that a threat, Your Excellency?" "No. A promise." She grinned and we continued to walk towards the restaurant at the end of the lane. "Are you having regrets in marrying me, Lucca?" Tatiana asked suddenly in such soft voice that I didn't almost catch it. "No." I answered truthfully. "Do you?" It took a moment for her to answer. I was aware that my heart was pounding in my chest so loudly that I could swear that she could hear it. "No." She finally answered and I let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding while waiting for her answer. "Let's not deal with this 'regret thing' now, shall we?" I bargained as we neared our destination. "We entered this...alliance fully knowing what it means and let's deal with it the best way possible...hmm? Why not enjoy our day? This is, after all, your last day as Tatiana Rostova. Tomorrow you'll wake up as Mariya Cavelli, the Duchess of Caprielle." "Yes. Of course." She said with a smile that quite didn't reach her eyes. "Forgive me for spoiling our day." I just fervently hoped that we'll not regret anything in the future.

Sabrina Hunter's POV I am in a bad mood. Even four days after my stepsister, Tatiana, had drowned in the sea, things are the same as they were in the beginning. My mother had just flown in from New York upon

hearing her stepdaughter's accident and a nonstop search and rescue operation for Tati had been organized. She hired more divers to help search my stepsister. Why in the hell couldn't Tati leave me alone even after her death? Why do I have to still live under her shadow? I had stupidly thought that if she was out of my life, everything would fall in to place and whatever I wanted in my life would finally be mine. Instead, it seems like everything was slipping away from my grasp and it was even worse than when she was still alive. "Why don't you just stop searching for Tati's body, mom?" I suggested over the breakfast when everyone in the penthouse were looking like walking dead from exhaustion. "For all we know she's at the bottom of the sea by now." "Do not say something like that about your sister!" My own mother snapped, putting her coffee cup harshly on the table. "We'll not stop until she's found dead or alive. If I have to use all our money to find her, then I will." I rolled my eyes and left my mother at the dining table and went into the living area where Paolo was intently watching the news. I scowled. It's been four days and yet they showed news about Tati's death. Media was still engrossed in the sudden death of the Rostov heiress. Day and night the news was filled with nothing but Tati's death. Even the international media had pick up the story. "Why don't you eat breakfast?" I asked the man I adored, sitting beside him and rubbing his rigid muscles on his back. "You didn't eat anything last night." "I have no appetite." Paolo answered without lifting his eyes off the television screen. "You need to eat." Instead of answering me he stalked to his room and closed the door firmly behind him. I capped my anger with several steady breaths. Since the day Tati drowned it seems like Paolo had started to drift away from me more and more, now it was as if there was a channel that separates us. Whatever I do, I couldn’t reach him anymore. He even refused to sleep with me again since that night in the yacht when Tati had found us, always telling me 'not now'. Maybe he still thought it was our fault that Tati died, yes that must be it. I will give him few more days to accept that it was just an accident. Just few more days... and then I will demand to know what the hell is wrong with him. Because the alternative to his coldness was unthinkable.

================= Chapter 10: The Makeover Extreme Makeover...they help people that are uncomfortable in their own skin. They really change lives. -Steven Hill

Tatiana Rostova's POV I woke up on my fifth day at Lucca Cavelli's villa in the Amalfi Coast. But now, not as his guest but as the mistress of the villa and his wife...his wife! It was still hard to believe that I was now married to him. It was late when I woke up in the unfamiliar bed when I remembered that Lucca had told me specifically that since we are now man and wife, I should be sleeping in his bed. Well, at first I balked at the thought that he was expecting me to share his bed. But he explained that I would sleep on the bed while he takes the couch. Now it was past nine in the morning. As I walked in the dining room for my breakfast and I stopped dead. I was expecting that no one else would be present in the room, but I was quite stunned to find it fully crowded. "Buongiorno, il mio amore," Lucca smiled at me as he got up from his chair and walked towards me. I braced myself when he lifted my chin and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. "Come, I would like you to meet some people." He led me to the table where an elegantly dressed woman sat regally on a dining chair with a warm smile on her beautiful face. And there was a young man, probably close to my age, standing near the window. There were also a team of people who stood nearby but all of them were dressed appropriately. "Mia amore," Lucca said to me, gesturing the woman who got up from her chair. "I would like you to meet Francesca Marcolini. She's going to be your teacher from now on. Francesca, I would like you to meet my duchess, Mariya." Lucca’s hand was placed securely on my waist. Oh! I almost forgot the makeover thing Lucca had bargained with me before our wedding. And most importantly starting from today, I will not be Tatiana Rostova, the wallflower, but Mariya Cavelli, the wife of Don Lucca Domenico Cavelli, Duca di Caprielle.

"Glad to finally meet you, Your Excellency." Francesca said, extending her perfectly manicured hand in my direction. "Likewise." I replied shyly, shaking her hands briefly. "Please, call me Mariya, Miss Marcolini." The woman smiled. "Then you must call me Francesca." "Francesca." "And this is your private driver, darling." Lucca gestured to the young man, standing near the window. "This is Giovanni. He will take you anywhere you want to go." "Driver?" I asked to him. "Why do I need a driver? I can drive myself." Silver eyes smiled down at me. "Because I'm not going to be around to drive you always." He reasoned out. "And I don't want to worry about your safety when you're driving in those hairpins curves of Amalfi." The women who stood nearby sighed with envy at the adoration in his voice. Lucca is one great actor. I will give him credit for that. "All right." I gave up the fight for my driver thing. He gave a smile of triumph. "Great. Now Francesca here will give you the lessons that you need for your make-over." "Lessons?" I pouted my mouth at him. "Plural? Are there going to be many?" Lucca laughed. "I knew you were going to say that. Of course, there are going to be numerous sessions, my darling. Francesca will teach you about etiquettes and personality development. She's the finest teacher in the country for that." "Leave her meant when first, but one of the

to me, Lucca." Francesca said with authority. "I now understand what you you told me that she's simple and shy. I honestly didn’t believe you at now I understand. Don't worry; by the end of our classes, she will be finest Duchess Italy has ever seen."

Satisfaction crossed my husband's face. "I knew you are the person for the job, Francesca." "Well now let's start your first lesson." She told me. "But first, why don't you leave us, Lucca?"

"Sì." The duke agreed, kissing my hair. I was still not used to this display of public affection. "Until later, my love. Should I say 'enjoy'?" He looked at my new driver. "Come on, Gio. I would like to discuss something with you." Lucca and my personal chauffer exited the dining room leaving me at the mercy of Francesca Marcolini and her team. "Well," Francesca said expectantly, eyeing me from head to toe. "Let's start. And when I say 'let's start' I mean we'll start at your hair, Mariya." Okay, I know my hair was too long and stick straight. And honestly, I also want to get rid of some of it. If they are such minor changes then I might enjoy this makeover, after all. A new look for a new life. "But first," My teacher said, presenting a box and keeping it in front of me. "You must wear them all the time, starting from when you wake up and until just before you go to sleep." I groaned when I opened the box. There was a new pair of black Christian Louboutin sky high-heel shoes. "They are too pretty just for practice shoes." "Don't worry," Francesca said dryly. "I have tons of them to spare. Only you would nearly cry in dismay over a new pair of Christian Louboutin shoes." With a resigned sigh I walked to a chair near the window and removed my sensible flats and wore the shoes that might probably break my ankle at one wrong step. Slowly, I stood from my chair all wobbly. I was shocked at the height that they gave me. "I knew that they would fit you." I smiled weakly. "Now, I would like to introduce my team to you." Francesca gestured every one of the girls with her. "This is Anna, the hair expert. She can do whatever hairstyle you desire." The woman had a dyed red hair and her hair was cut short in bob with sharp edges on both sides. "This is Sophie, she's a fashion stylist. She has dressed many Hollywood celebrities in the past." No wonder the woman’s style and fashion was admirable from her French beret hat to her velvet ankle-length boots. "And this is Gia, the makeup artist. She's well known in the industry." Now that I had met her team, Francesca led me to my old room where I had stayed until yesterday after being rescued by the duke. I walked slower than my normal

paced because of the cursed shoes. The room was transformed into a mini salon and departmental store. There was a dresser, mirror, chair and everything you could find in a salon, and a stock of signature clothes and shoes on the other side of the room. Francesca gestured me to sit on the chair while Anna did her magic on my hair. While Sophie scanned the rows of haute couture dresses and Gia looked for the makeup kit. I felt like Queen Bee being fussed over by servants. I sighed. This was going to be a long day for me...

Lucca Cavelli's POV The sunset was beautiful in Amalfi Coast. I have been watching the beautiful orange colors around the sun through the window of my study area for a while now. I haven't seen Tatiana since breakfast when I introduced her to my good friend, Francesca. I smiled privately, thinking that Tatiana was probably wishing that she's anywhere but where she was right now. I am confident that Francesca Marcolini is the perfect person for the job. She could teach Tatiana the confidence that she desperately needed if she wants to take revenge on those people who had betrayed her and had left her to die. A discreet knock on my study room's door brought me back to the present. "Come in." "Your Excellency," Allegra said in Italian as she curtsied to me. "The Duchess and Ms. Francesca are waiting for you in the living room." I felt my lips twitch in a smile. Perfect, I thought with satisfaction. The first day of Tatiana's makeover was done. I stood from my chair and followed Allegra to the living room downstairs. When I arrived at the foot of the staircase, I first noticed Francesca, who stood up from the sofa with a triumphant smile on her beautiful face. "Lucca!" She said, "What do you say about your wife's transformation?" My wife? I became aware of the other woman who was elegantly dressed as she got up gracefully from the sofa. She bore a striking resemblance to Tatiana. "So," Francesca said expectantly. "What do you think of her, Lucca?”

Dio! This is Tatiana? My Tatiana? The woman I married? She looked nothing like the simple girl I had married yesterday. The woman standing in front of me was too gorgeous not to notice. Is this beautiful woman who stood so gracefully in front of me was really Tatiana? "Lucca," She said in her familiar voice. "Say something. And make sure that it's something nice." I frowned. She may look different, but her confidence level was still low. But this is only the start...they have only changed her physical appearance. She still has a long way to go before she can attempt to get her retribution. "Lucca..." There was an edge in her voice now, her violet eyes filled with worry. "You're scaring me with your silence. Do I look good? Fine? Or horrible? Come on, say something!" I shook my head. "No, mi amore. You don't look horrible. You look...beautiful." "Really?" Relief was palpable on her face. It made me feel like a king granting his subject her wish. But in truth she was too beautiful for words to describe. Her out-of-style jetblack long straight hair was now cut in layers just past her shoulder with a wavy perm. The dowdy clothes she preferred to wear were now out of sight. They were replaced by chic couture dress. Her pale face was applied with perfect makeup that enhanced her pretty violet eyes. My gaze passed to her feet. The once sensible flats were traded to shoes with killer heels. "Heels, my darling?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. "Never thought I would see this day." "Oh, don't jest, Lucca." Tatiana groaned, sitting back on the cushion. "My feet are aching. I've been forced to wear them for hours." "And she'll be wearing them always from now on." Francesca inserted dryly. "Sexy." Tatiana glared at me, her eyes snapping with fire. "Well, I should be going." Francesca said, picking up her bag. "This has been a long day. I'll see you tomorrow." "Thank you for everything you've done, Francesca." I said to my good friend. "What you did is remarkable."

Francesca shook her head. "Don't thank me yet, Lucca. This is only the start of your wife's transformation. We'll be in each other's pocket for long while." "Still, thank you for your help." Tatiana added. "I never thought that I would have looked this pretty without your help." "You're a beautiful woman, Mariya." Francesca smiled to my wife. "You only have to believe in yourself." I could have kissed Francesca over the words she said to Tatiana, for she couldn’t have lifted my wife's confidence any more than this moment. Tatiana and I saw her to the door before we went back to the living room. Tatiana sat gracefully on the sofa and stretched her legs before her. "How was your day?" I asked sitting next to her. I pulled her feet up and removed her heels and started to massage her aching feet. My efforts were rewarded by a groan of pleasure from her that sent my blood into frenzy, but I kept my growing desire for my wife in check. Pity, I can't bed the only woman I have ever desired this much. "It was hell." She replied, closing her eyes, unaware of my thoughts. "But now it feels like heaven. Thank you." I picked her other feet and massaged it like the first one, ignoring the yearning in my gut. "Glad to help." "Don't stop." "Don't plan to." I massaged her feet until circulation started to flow smoothly again. We stayed like that and we continue to talk about our day until dinner.

================= Chapter 11: The Introduction There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. - Niccolo Machiavelli

Lucca Cavelli's POV Two days more had passed since the day of Tatiana's makeover. Every time we dined together at night, as we talked about each other's day I couldn’t help to but notice how stunningly beautiful she was and I still couldn’t get used to her new transformation. I almost pitied her ex-fiancé for throwing away such a jewel. If Paolo Ranaldi were to see the new Tatiana now, I was pretty sure he would curse the day he'd chosen her stepsister. I heard footsteps from high heels shoes on the marble hallways outside. My lips twitched in a smile knowing that Tatiana was coming. A light tap sounded on my door and Tatiana entered without waiting for my response. "Did you want to talk to me, Lucca?" "Yes, if I may?" "It is fine," She said, closing the door behind her. "Francesca hasn't arrived yet." Tatiana moved closer to my study table and sat on one of the chairs facing my table. I fought back my smile. She was starting to get comfortable wearing highheeled shoes. It had become our daily routine that I massage her feet every evening after Francesca had left before dinner. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked expectantly, crossing her legs. I sat back in my chair, trying to memorize her face. "I need to go to Rome today. My driver is waiting for me outside right at this moment." "Oh..." The spark suddenly died in her lively eyes. "When do you plan to get back here?" I couldn’t help the grimace on my face. "Since I took a vacation for our wedding, my work lagged behind and I have to be in the city to keep up-to-date with my business." I took a deep breath. "I probably won’t be able get back until the end of the week." "Oh, that long?" "I know," Dio, who would have thought staying away from Tatiana was going to be this hard? "Believe me I want to stay here with you but..."

Tatiana shook her newly styled dark hair. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Lucca. You're forgetting that this isn't a real marriage. I know you have commitments in the city and I will not let you forget your duty just because you suddenly got a wife." Bloody hell! How did our conversation lead here? One moment I was planning on saying goodbye to her and then suddenly I find myself staring at the cold woman in front of me. We were building our marriage with unsteady steps, but still there was friendship and so far everything seemed to have been working quite well. And now, she sits here, all her friendliness gone, reminding me that our marriage isn't real...only an alliance. In truth, I had already forgotten about it. I was now starting to enjoy my married life. Why was she behaving like this? "What's the matter with you, Tatiana?" Violet eyes looked at me with coldness as she stared at me through her lashes. "Not a thing, Lucca. I just want you to know that you could go to the city without worrying about me here. I will be fine here with your servants and Francesca." "Our servants." I corrected her. "This villa is now yours too." She nodded. But her eyes remained cold and distant. "Is that all you wanted to say? Francesca is probably here by now." "Yes." She stood from her chair and walked towards the door and went out without giving me a backward glance. Once she was in the hallway, I breathed deeply, wondering to myself what the hell had just happened.

"Earth calling to Lucca..." The dry comment came from my good friend, Marco Orsini. I had asked him to come over to my office in Rome as soon as I arrived earlier this morning from Amalfi

Coast. Knowing how busy he was with his billion-dollar empire, I was grateful that he had come to meet me at once. "What the hell is wrong with you, man?" Marco demanded in Italian, his dark eyes filled with impatience. "Sorry, man." I apologized, massaging my temple to sooth away the growing headache. I swore softly. "I have so much on my mind right now." "Sì. I can tell..." My friend replied sarcastically before exclaiming, "...holy crap! Is that a wedding ring on your finger, Lucca?" "Oh..." I glanced at the platinum wedding band on my left hand. I had forgotten that I hadn’t told Marco about my wedding. "Marco..." "Who is she?" My friend fired at me. "Is she one of your previous mistresses? Did she tell you that she's pregnant with your child? You're more stupid than I thought, marrying her without asking for a DNA test." Despite my headache about my bad parting with Tatiana, I couldn’t help but to smile at my old friend's outburst. Did he really think that I was that kind of a fool, marrying the first woman who told me that she was pregnant with my child? Hell, there were instances when one of my previous mistresses had tried to trap me with the lie of her being pregnant, but I knew better than just to accept it on the face. I would always ask for a DNA test. "Lucca? Did you hear me?" I held up my hands in surrender. "Can we slow down a damn minute here? Yes, I am married. But not to one of my previous mistresses." Marco's strong eyebrows burrowed as he sat in the chair in front of me making himself comfortable beneath his expensive handmade Italian suit. "Then. Who. Is. She?" I sighed, knowing my friend would not give up until he squeezed the information from me. "I am going to ask a favor from you, amico. In return I will tell you about my wife." "What favor?" Marco asked suspiciously. "I need an introduction to Paolo Ranaldi. Do you think you can do that?" "Paolo Ranaldi?" He repeated, rubbing his chiseled jaw. "I know that man. I have had some business dealings with him in the past. He's an Italian who has successful business in America. I recently heard that his fiancée drowned in the sea about

week ago." "Yes. That's him." "So why do you want an introduction to the man?" I avoided my gaze from his knowing eyes. "I promised my wife that I'll help her..." "Your wife?" Marco asked his dark eyes fixed on me. "Just who is your wife, Lucca?" "You have to promise me that you'll keep this a secret, my friend." My friend whistled softly. "Sounds interesting, let's hear it." "My wife is Tatiana Rostova..." "Wait a damn minute!" Marco shot to his feet. "Did you just say...Tatiana Rostova? Paolo Ranaldi's betrothed? The same Tatiana Rostova's who is supposed to have died in the sea last week? Are you crazy? How the hell did you happen to be married to her when the whole world is looking for her?" "If you just cool down I will explain." "Fine." My friend bit out and claimed his chair. "Explain. From the start, mi amico." I told him how I saved and met Tatiana. How her fiancé and stepsister concocted her death so they could get her money and how we decide to get married so that she could avenge the betrayal. "That’s a pretty coldblooded attempt to murder." Marco commented once I finished my tale. "I have met her stepsister once. She's very beautiful. She is considered the darling of New York society. It’s a bit hard to imagine her as a killer but..." "I know," I agreed, my heart still lurching every time I remember the night Tatiana had nearly died. "Can you help me with the introduction I need?" Even though I parted with Tatiana in less than amicable feeling early this morning, I wanted to start on our plan as soon as possible. My mind was filled with her thoughts now and I wanted to keep it off her. Marco snorted. "As if you really need my help, you are a duke, after all."

"Marco..." I warned. He held up his hands. "Fine. There is charity ball tonight. I believe Paolo Ranaldi will be attending." That's all I needed to meet Tatiana's ex-fiancé. I could hardly wait.

Sabrina Hunter's POV The grand ballroom glittered with lights. Women dressed up in finest gowns and adorned with priceless jewelries, glided through the hall in the arms of their dates. The crème de la crème of Italian society was present at the Bambini Orfani Charity Ball. I am one of them, I thought smugly, wearing my newly purchased black strapless gown and the Rostov jewelries owned by Tati. I had just arrived with my Paolo. He was a strong supporter of the charity and I came as his date. I noticed that people were whispering behind our back and wondering why Paolo showed up with his missing fiancée's stepsister. But I don’t care. Suddenly, I become aware that people inside the ballroom buzzed about some new comer, and Paolo was instantly by my side. "Rina." He said, gesturing the handsome man with him. "I would like you to meet my business associates, Marco Orsini. Signore, This is Sabrina Hunter my date." Oh my God! This Roman God was the famous Marco Orsini? He comes from the one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in Italy. With his dark brooding looks he was known as a heartless playboy all over Europe. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Orsini." I said holding my hand out for him to shake. "How do you do, Signorina?" Instead of shaking my hand, he kissed the back of it. The man was a charmer, all right. No wonder many women fell for his looks and ended up in his bed. "Marco." At the deep reverberating husky voice, I turned to look and could hardly contain the gasp out of my lips. The newcomer, about who the whole hall was abuzz, was far more handsome than any

man in the room. He looked sinfully and devilishly gorgeous with his breathtaking gray eyes. "Ah, finally you have arrived." Marco Orsini said to the stranger. "I would like you to meet my good friend." He said to us. "This is Don Lucca Domenico Cavelli, Duke of Caprielle. Lucca, this is Paolo Ranaldi and his date, Sabrina." "Glad to meet you." The duke said regally. Goodness! How could a woman get so lucky in one night? If I didn’t have my Paolo in my life, I for sure would be flirting with the duke right now. A duke, imagine the prestige and title to go with that sinfully handsome man. I could notice that every woman in the ballroom was eyeing him. Every one of them wanted a chance to talk to him and hopefully hold his attention for the whole night. Too bad since he took no notice of them. "I want to expand my business in America," The duke was saying to Paolo. "Maybe we could do business in the future together." "Of course, Your Excellency." Paolo answered enthusiastically. "Have I told you that His Excellency got just recently married?" Marco inserted smoothly. Dismay crept in my spine. I couldn’t help but to feel envious of the lucky woman who had managed to capture this handsome duke. The wedding ring on his finger flashed in the light. He was really married. "Where's your bride, Your Excellency?" Paolo asked. Smile lurked in his silver eyes. "She's out of town." "I hope we'll meet your bride in the future, sir." I suggested. I so badly want to meet the woman who has snagged this wealthy duke into marriage. "You'll meet her very soon." The duke said with a secretive smile on his face.

================= Chapter 12: The Misunderstanding

It's dreadful what little things lead people to misunderstand each other. -L.M. Montgomery

Lucca Cavelli's POV My brain hurt like there was an icepick stabbing it. I have been cursing the irritating tabloids since past half an hour for having me as their front page story. It was about that blasted last night’s charity ball event which I attended only so that I could meet Paolo Ranaldi. Now every damn tabloid had my photo with a woman. I don't even remember her name, but I remember talking to her because she was thanking me for my generous donations to her organization. The papers hinted that she was my latest mistress. Hell, only last week they had filled their columns about me and the mystery woman in the restaurant saying that I had proposed to her. This in reality was true since I was now married to that woman. But now they write rubbish that I have a new woman in my life and betting on how many weeks it would be before I got tired of her. I so badly wanted to tell them that I was already married! Thank goodness, Rome’s tabloids don’t reach Amalfi Coast...or else it would be hell to face Tatiana's wrath. "Well, well, well..." Marco strode into my office like he owned the damn place. "Have you seen the today's paper, Your Excellency? No? It's good thing that I brought one for you then." I scowled at him in way that often makes my servants shrink in fear. "Put that blasted paper away from me, Marco." He just merely smiled in my direction as he took the vacant chair in front of me. "Oh, I see you already have a copy." He said with laughter visible in his voice. "Well, I guess Italian tabloids aren't yet aware that you're already married, Lucca. Have you told your little wife about this? I'm sure she has a thing or two to say." I took a deep breath and settled back on my chair. "No. Rome’s papers don't reach Amalfi Coast. I think its fine." "But that doesn't mean that she couldn't get a copy of it if she wants to keep tabs on her faraway husband who is known as quite a womanizer."

I swore in Italian long and hard that made Marco's eyebrow rise. "Tatiana isn't like that. She keeps reminding me that our marriage is only of convenience. I am the one who keeps forgetting it." Marco laughed out-loud. "You? You're the one who keeps forgetting it? That's rich!" "So what?" I felt a little defensive which I didn't understand. "Is it a bad thing that I am enjoying being married to her? She's great to talk to. She has vast knowledge about many things. She practically grew up in their library." "Just how well do you know your wife, Lucca?" How well do I know Tatiana? I shrugged as I recite what I know about her. "She was known as wallflower in their society before Paolo Ranaldi swept her off her feet. She's incredibly shy and has a very low self-confidence. She likes to read books. In fact, she's the only woman in my knowledge who is extremely happy about the size of my library. She's fluent in English, French and Russian but she's hopeless in Italian. She's..." "Whoa!" Marco held up his hands. "That's enough. Clearly, you know her quite well. How long have you known her again?" "Eight days and four hours." "You keep the track, huh?" My friend commented dryly. Was it good that I keep counting the minutes too? "Still, you should call her, amico." Marco advised as he stood from his chair. "At least, she comes to know about the rumors from you the firsthand, before she hears it from another person, however convenient your marriage is." I nodded as Marco left me alone in my office. It took full five minutes of my inner debate before I finally had the courage and pick up the phone and dial Tatiana's number. After a few rings, my wife answers. "Tatiana, it's me." Oh God, how I miss her voice. After yesterday's silence between us, I was incredibly happy to hear her voice again. "Lucca." I frowned at the coldness in her voice. Maybe she was still mad at me. Thank God, I followed Marco's suggestion to tell her about the tabloid before she could hear it

from others. "Tatiana, listen to me. Something happens here in Rome and tabloids are filled of me and a woman. They say that she's my current mistress and-" "There's nothing to explain, Lucca." The ice in her voice was enough to freeze the whole Amalfi Coast in summer. "I had told you before the wedding that you can take a mistress if you want to. All I had asked of you was to be discreet. I don't want Paolo and Sabrina to guess that I married you so that I could take my revenge on them. We're supposed to be happily married couple in public." The wedding, she said. Not our wedding. Evidently, she already knew about the damn rags. It irritated the hell out me. I thought we could somehow mend our bitter goodbye two days ago, apparently I was deluding myself. "Do you want to say anything else, Lucca? She asked. "I'm in the middle of my class with Francesca to improve my Italian." Blaze and hell! The ice woman I had met eight days ago was back with vengeance. "No, it's fine. I...I need to work too." "Bye." She didn't wait from my goodbye before ending the line. She was still maddeningly angry with me. Fury bubbled inside me thinking what the hell had happened to make our married life, which was just beginning to look promising, go straight to hell? Maybe it was for the best if we stopped talking to each other and took a step back, because our marriage seemed to be moving too fast for us to catch up. Yes, that's what we both need now...some distance between us.

Tatiana Rostova's POV "...Mariya? Mariya? Are you listening, Mariya?" My attention was snapped by the concerned looking Francesca. I then realized that I had not been paying attention to my lessons in my Italian class. I blushed furiously that I got caught not paying attention. "Forgive me, Francesca." I said, looking down to my textbook. "My mind seemed to be flying in different directions at this moment."

"It's about Lucca, isn't?" Trust my friend slash teacher to cut it to the heart. It had been two days since Lucca left for the city and I had already regretted my harsh attitude when he had called me to his study to say a proper goodbye before he left. It was just that I was not prepared for him to leave me alone here so early. I had gotten used to his presence and the villa seems so lonely without him. "You miss him, don't you?" Francesca asked with smile. I shook my head. What kind of bride would she think of me, pining for her faraway husband? I remembered what had happened in the morning very clearly. After a whole day of gruesome silence from him, I had prepared myself to make an apology and had gone straight to the kitchen to ask Allegra for Lucca's office number. At my sudden appearance, the maids and Allegra looked as if they'd been caught red-handed as they tried to hide the newspaper they had been reading. "What's that?" I asked. "Nothing, Your Excellency." Allegra said her cheeks flushing with pink stains. "Let me see." I held out my hand for the newspaper. One of the maids reluctantly placed it in my waiting hand. I read the caption in Italian that, roughly translated in English, read like: The Duke's Latest Conquest. I was thankful that my Italian language skills had progressed well. It would have been awkward if I had to ask Allegra for the translations. I wanted to laugh. So much for my preparation to apologize to him! Apparently, the great duke didn’t need it. Hell, just hours after leaving his wife in his villa, his roaming eyes had already caught a beautiful woman. It seemed that Italian men were all cut from the same cloth. They all had one thing in common; they couldn't remain faithful to their partner even to save their lives. As far Lucca, soon as he stepped his foot in the city, he had continued his old pursuits. Of course, I knew that he was a playboy duke. The internet was full of his affairs with one woman after another. I knew he wouldn’t not change his ways just because he suddenly got a wife. It's just that I hadn’t expected it to hit me to the core so hard. I just didn’t know why I felt it more painful than Paolo's betrayal. "Your Excellency," Allegra said swallowed hard and avoiding my gaze. "That's a lie. His Excellency would never break his marriage vows to you."

"I know," I said regally, ignoring the painful thud of my heart... A distinct ring drags me out my reverie. "Excuse me, Francesca." With a nod to my companion I stood from our table and walked a little farther for privacy before answering my mobile phone. "Hello?" "Tatiana, it's me." Oh God, how I miss hearing his deep voice. "Lucca." "Tatiana, listen to me. Something happened here in Rome and tabloids were full of articles about me and a woman. They say that she's my current mistress and-" So, he did not call me because he missed me but to explain the newspaper articles about him. Well, I didn’t want to hear it and his lies to me. Not now, not ever. I have had my fill of lying men in my lifetime. "There's nothing to explain, Lucca." I put a distinct remoteness in my voice that belied all the emotions that twirled inside me. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that the blasted article had hurt me more than I would have thought. "I had told you before the wedding that you can take a mistress if you wanted to. All I had asked of you was to be discreet. I don't want Paolo and Sabrina to guess that I married you so that I could take my revenge on them. We're supposed to be happily married couple in public" There was a pause in the other line. I thought at first that he had hung up on me when I asked. "Do you want to say anything else, Lucca? I'm in the middle of my class with Francesca to improve my Italian." There was an audible sighed on the other end. "No, it's fine. I...I need to work too." I nodded, taking that as my cue that I was dismissed. "Bye." I ended the phone call without waiting for his reply. I walked back in the table where Francesca was waiting for me patiently. "Sorry," I said, as I took my chair back. "Where were we again?" Francesca assessed me under her knowing gaze, looking for answers on my supposed poker face. "You have had enough today of these lessons. I think you need some fresh air away from the confinement of the villa." I frowned. "Where are we going?"

"To the town." "But..." I protested. I didn’t want to go anywhere but it was too late. Francesca was already up from her chair looking at me intently. "I think it's time to put you to the test." She said. "Let's see if the new Mariya Cavelli can handle public stares. And honestly, it's a shame that your new wardrobe has never been seen by other people. It's time to show-off the new Mariya in town." I exhaled and stood up from my chair. One thing I had learned about Francesca Marcolini was, once she puts her mind to something she wouldn’t stop until she gets it. Five minutes later, we were safely inside the new black Rolls Royce that my personal chauffer said to be my transportation. Lucca had bought this new car for me without my knowledge. The drive to the town was short and filled with silence. Gio parked the car on the pavement in the centro. "We're going to walk on foot from here." Francesca told my driver as we got down from the car. "We'll be out for around three hours. Come back by that time, ok?" "Sì, Signora." Gio bowed before sliding back in the driver's seat and driving the car away. "Let's go." Francesca said, hooking her arm into mine like an old friend as we went into town for shopping. We continued to walk in silence before Francesca broke it. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" I looked at her as we continued to walk down the street. "I don't know what you are talking about." "No?" She repeated. "I know you're quite not yourself after Lucca left. Are you going to deny that to me? And you must have read the tabloid today to be acting like that. Don't worry, Mariya. Lucca is a good man he will never betray your trust." I look away from her eloquent stare. "It's complicated." "I know."

I glanced at her searching for some answers in her beautiful face. It was hard to decide whether to tell her the truth or not. After the betrayal, I have almost lost faith in humanity but at this time I badly needed a friend, a female friend with who I can share my heartaches. I didn’t know if I was taking the right step but I decided to take the risk and I chose the first. "Shall I tell you a tale, Francesca? A tale of a wallflower and how her life turned one hundred eight degrees in one night?" "Sounds interesting," My companion says. "Shall I hear it over coffee? It will be a pity not to enjoy the sun." We saunter into a nearest coffee shop at the end of the lane. Once we our orders were placed to the waiter Francesca turns to me with her full attention. "Okay, let's hear it." I take a deep breath wondering if I was doing the right thing. "You can trust me, you know." Francesca said. "I know," I said with a weak smile. "My real name is Tatiana Rostova," I started. "I was originally engaged to Paolo Ranaldi back in New York. When we decided to have a vacation here in Italy with my stepsister in lieu of my coming twenty-fifth birthday, I didn’t know what was waiting for me. Things were going well until I found my finance and my stepsister in bed together one night when we were about to turn back from the Amalfi coast..." I stop my tale when Francesca suddenly reaches out and squeezes my hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mar-Tatiana. I did hear about that accident last week." "It's okay." I swallow the lump in my throat. Every time I remember that night, it feels like it only happened yesterday. "Then I broke my engagement to him that night. But he refused, I went to the deck to clear my head but Paolo insisted on following me. He was like an insect I couldn't shake-off even if I wanted. The next thing I know, he drops my hand and I lose my balance and fall into the cold sea below. They didn’t even bother to save me. My step sister dragged my fiancé away while I was struggling to stay alive in the cold water. I thought I was really going to die that night." "But you didn't." I nodded, fighting back the tears from my eyes. "But I up, I learned that Lucca had saved me and I was at his revenge on the people I thought would be the last ones hurt. I asked Lucca to marry me and help me achieve my

didn't. The next when I woke villa. My resolve is to take who would want to see me goal."

"That's why you want a makeover." Francesca concludes. "You want to be an entirely different person so that you can take revenge on your fiancé and stepsister, not because you want to be the perfect duchess for Lucca?"

I nodded. Everything she said was true, however cold-blooded and manipulative it sounded. "But now you are upset about the articles in the tabloid and you didn't expect to be affected by them?" She adds. "Yes," I admit, "This was just supposed to be a marriage of convenience but it's starting to become more real marriage than I had thought." I look at her with confusion in my eyes. "It's scaring me." "Shouldn't you be feeling happy about that?" Francesca asked her amber eyes full of concern. "I mean, it may have started as a marriage of convenience, but now you both seem to be starting to care for each other. Maybe you will learn to love one another in time." I shook my head. "Love is out of the question, Francesca. I swore off love the day my fiancé betrayed me. I will never love again... let alone another Italian man." "Lucca is a good man." "I know," I told her with a watery smile. "He wouldn’t have agreed to my idiotic plan if he were not a good man." "Then why..." "Because... I was jealous." I admitted for the first time in two days. "I am jealous because he is surrounded by beautiful women and talking to another woman while I am so darn far away from him. It makes me anxious. Yes, I am wearing his ring but it's only a sham until I settle scores with Paolo and Sabrina. But now I think that I am starting to fall for him." "Oh, honey." Francesca murmured. "Lucca is in love with you!" I looked at her with tears in my eyes. "You're wrong, Francesca." She shook her head. "I have seen the way he looks at you, the way he cannot take his eyes and hands off you. He's smitten. I never see him like that before." "That's because we're pretending." "I think not." "I'm sure." I told her. "Lucca is not in love with me." "Fine. Whatever you say." She said, still not convinced. "Shall we put that to test, Tatiana?"

"How?" I frowned, not knowing if I like the glint in Francesca's eyes. "It's good to know that you have a handsome driver at your beck and call." "What are you planning?" Francesca smiled deviously. "I think we should start on your dancing lessons tomorrow." "Dancing lessons?" I asked. "Why do I need to learn how to dance?" "As a duchess you will be expected to dance at social gatherings." I still didn't understand how my driver would fit into this. "So what about Gio?" "When practicing, my dear." She explained to me. "You'll need a dance partner." I raise my eyebrows at her. "You don't mean..." "Well, of course, he will be your dancing partner from now on." Francesca grinned. "When is Lucca planning to get back from Rome?" "The weekend, I think." "Perfect," She clapped her hands together. "I can hardly wait for his return." There was a devilish twinkle in her eyes that I didn't trust. I may probably get into trouble for this...

================= Chapter 13: The Jealousy Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be lifethreatening. -Maya Angelou

Lucca Cavelli’s POV “What the devil are you doing?” Three pair of eyes swung to my direction as I invaded the makeshift dancing studio in one of the rooms in my villa. “What the devil do you think you’re doing?” I repeated my question menacingly at the stunned trio. “Lucca!” It was Tatiana who recovered first. “What are you doing here?” “Last time I checked this was still my villa.” Tatiana scowled openly at me which made my blood boil up a notch. “If you were just going to be sarcastic and start a fight with me again...maybe you should have stayed in Rome.” So her anger with me had not lessened in the past few days of silence between us, had it? Well, I have some news for her too. So was mine. I had thought that if both of us were to cool down a little maybe we could solve our little misunderstanding once I got home. But I was not prepared to see her so damn happy dancing in the arms Veronesi, her personal chauffer. Clearly, she didn’t miss me like I didn’t look miserable like I’d suffered in the days that we weren’t other. If she was miserable, she wouldn’t be smiling with her dance they practiced waltz trying not to stomp on each other’s toes.

of Gio did her. She talking to each partner while

Every day since the tabloid thing blew up, each passing irritating minute I was sorely tempted to call her and beg for forgiveness, which I couldn’t even think of doing to another woman in the past. Every second her beautiful face consumed my thoughts. And every damn night I missed the simple things that we did together, like rubbing her feet after a long day of wearing her killer stiletto or a simple dinner on the terrace watching the night fall in Amalfi Coast. “Lucca?” My cold little wife dragged me from my dark thoughts. I noticed through the red haze in my head that she was still clasped in the arms of her driver. “Remove your hands off my wife or I’ll rip you into two.” I snarled in Italian at the young man. Tatiana gasped while my good friend Francesca, who had remained silent until this moment, looked at me as if I had grown horns. “I...I’m sorry, Your Excellency.” Gio stammered as he put some distance between them.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anger. “Leave us.” Francesca and the pale sweating young Italian left me alone with my wife. I composed myself before I faced my beautiful wife. “That was rude.” “Me? Rude?” I asked in disbelief. “You know you are.” She glowered at me with her violet eyes flashing in anger. “You shouldn’t have embarrassed Francesca and Gio like that.” At the mention of her chauffeur again, the rage came back instantly. “I will fire him,” I told her darkly. “That man is no longer your driver starting this moment. If you need a dancing partner you can have me.” “You will not do that.” She countered fiercely, her eyes blazed with fury “Try me.” I challenged her. “He didn’t do anything wrong, Lucca!” “He did,” I contradicted her, fixing my gaze on her lovely face. “He touched you, and I don’t like other men touching what’s mine.” Tatiana stared at me. Defiant gleamed in the depths of her eyes. “I am not yours.” “You sure?” I asked, as I stalked towards her, thinking like a dangerous predator at the moment. “Because the moment I found you in the sea you became mine, Tatiana.” Before she could deny the truth any longer, I crushed my mouth to hers in a hot and possessive kiss. I poured all the frustration I had felt in this past week knowing that Tatiana was angry with me and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it because I was too far away from her. And there was my work that kept me in the city when more than anything else I wanted to go to Amalfi to be with my wife. I invaded her mouth with my tongue. She gasped but I continued to kiss her as if I had been starving for her all of my life. I sneaked my arm around her slender waist and drew her closer to my body while my other hand clamped her hair to keep her neck so that I can deepen the kiss. She thumped her fist on my chest but I kept going. Kissing her again was like

coming home after a long absence. It made me feel happy knowing that I was here with her and I was not going anywhere without her again. But most importantly, it made me happy acknowledging the simple fact that she was mine. I will take her to Rome with me when I have to go back to the city. I will never leave her alone here in my villa. I will never let anyone steal her away from me. She is mine. Tatiana is my wife and I will never let her go...ever! When I was satisfied that she was no longer fighting me, I drew back my mouth slowly from hers and watched her passion clouded eyes as they stared back at me. I fought back my triumph seeing that she was not as immune as I had thought. She also likes me. “I hate you!” She said when she finally recovered from our kiss. “I hate you, Lucca Cavelli!” I smiled that kind of a cynical smile that indicated that I didn’t give a damn about anything. I decided to provoke her. “I don’t care. Hate me all you want. But that doesn’t change that fact that you’re my wife and you belong to me.” “You’re despicable!” She hissed, her violet eyes darkening with fire. “I have now started to regret the day I married you! I hate you! And if you fire Gio I will never forgive you, Your Excellency.” She surprised me when before even I could reply she stalked out the room and closed the door behind her with enough force to rattle the frames that hung on the wall. That’s right, Tatiana. The inner voice in my head said. Hate me with everything you have. Fill your heart, mind and soul of nothing but your hatred towards me. Day and night think of nothing but your hatred for your husband until it consumes you, then you’ll have no room for other men to think of but me.

Tatiana Rostova’s POV “For crying out loud, you’re her dance partner.” Francesca said in exasperation for the hundredth time this morning to Gio. “She’s not a bomb that will explode if you touch her. Try it.” “But, Signora the duke might sack me when he learns that I touched his wife.” Gio explained while cold sweat formed on his forehead.

“The duke will understand that his wife needs a dancing partner for her practice.” Francesca said patiently as if she was talking to a child. “Besides, he is not expected to arrive until tomorrow.” “But...” I laughed and decided to step-in on their growing argument just like yesterday. “It is okay, Gio. You can touch me. I’m not some fire object that will burn you if you put your hands on me.” Poor Gio. He was clearly struggling between defying Francesca’s command and the fear of what will happen when the duke finds out about it. Francesca was more devious than I gave her the credit for. Besides, I don’t care what the hell my womanizing husband has to say about this. We weren’t doing anything wrong and he was not expected to arrive here until tomorrow in any case. After being subjected to a week of silence from him, I really didn’t think that he would care whether I was dancing with my driver or gardener. “So,” Francesca said dryly. “Are you just going to stand there staring at each other for the rest of the day or will you two start the waltz step I taught?” With a resigned sigh from Gio and a grin from me, my struggling chauffer placed his trembling hand on my waist and the other held my hand as we began to move on Francesca’s count. A few moments later, Francesca groaned and drew our attention. She looked like she had just seen her worst nightmare. “Tell me,” She said. “Are you two trying to break each other’s toes so that you don’t have to dance anymore? Waltzing doesn’t require stomping on your toes, I might add.” Gio and I stared at each other and laughed. We had tried our best not to step on each other’s toes but it was hard when one of the two people dancing cannot dance at all! But our fun halted when someone suddenly barged in and nearly rattled all the frames hung on the walls of the makeshift room for my dancing lessons. We all looked at the fuming Italian duke who strode into the room looking like he was out for blood. Uh-oh, we were in trouble. “What the devil are you doing?” He thundered. “What the devil do you think you’re doing?” He repeated his question menacingly to us. “Lucca!” I was the one who first recovered. “What are you doing here?”

“The last time I checked this was still my villa.” I scowled openly at him which made him even angrier. “If you’re just going to be sarcastic and start a fight with me again...maybe you should have stayed in Rome.” His gray eyes were bright as hell frost. The devil wouldn’t look scarier than my husband bubbling with fury at this moment. He snarled at my poor driver, who took to his heals at the first given chance, shocked our good friend Francesca, threatened to fire the driver and made me feel embarrassed when he kissed me senseless in the middle of the room as if he had the sole right to my mouth and he can do whatever he wants with it. His kiss wasn’t the usual kiss that he would give me. This one was of pure possession, like the very devil who was claiming my soul in the form of this ruthless kiss. It petrified me for a moment to think that I was enjoying it. After a moment, I finally found strength to push him away. “I hate you,” I spat angrily. “I hate you, Lucca Cavelli!” I expected him to say something in equal rage, but he left me speechless when he replied calmly. “I don’t care. Hate me all you want. But that doesn’t change that fact that you’re my wife and you belonged to me.” I belong to...the nerve of him! “You’re despicable!” I hissed. “I have now started to regret the day I married you! I hate you! And if you fire Gio, I will never forgive you, Your Excellency” I didn’t wait for his reply and flew out of the door. I absently went into my room thinking why our marriage seems to be going straight down to hell in the past few days. An hour or so had passed. I was blindly looking down at the same page of the book I had been reading for the past hour in my room. My eyes went over the paragraph for a hundredth time now but my mind didn’t register a single word of it, as if it was written in old Latin than in English. A light tap on my door brought my attention back. I saw Lucca enter. “We have a problem.” He said without preamble. “What?” I asked, snapping my eyebrows together. “My mother just called,” He explained running a hand through his shiny black hair. “And she wants to meet my bride. She’s planning a ball on Sunday as our wedding celebration. We need to go in Naples tomorrow.” Oh my God, had the time to meet my mother-in-law already come?

The million dollar question that arose was will she like me? For some reasons, I was dreading to find out the answer.

================= Chapter 14: The Quarrel The test of a man or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel. -George Bernard Shaw

Tatiana Rostova’s POV The drive to Naples was more gruesome than confined in his ground-eating fast Ferrari were following us. I tried to keep my gaze passed like blur through the window. I was that little information to him.

our fight yesterday morning. We were which he drove as if the hounds of hell on the beautiful scenery that just scared to death but refused to admit

If Lucca Cavelli intended to kill me, he was doing a great job of it. He had surprised me when he had suddenly showed up in Amalfi on Friday morning after a week of cold silence. What I really hated was the way he had just barged in and blew the matter out of hand with his growling. He also made Allegra cry last night when the poor girl asked if he wanted coffee. “Don’t you think I will ask if I want one?” He snapped at her. “I...I’m sorry, forgive me, Your Excellency.” The teary-eye girl said as she had fled to the kitchen. “Abusing your staff is becoming your favorite past time, Lucca.” I told him once the poor girl was out of sight. He scowled at me. “If you want to fight with me just say so.” “Did I say I want one?” I asked him irately. Really, talking to him since he arrived was more difficult than leaning the intricacies of the waltz. “I just came here to ask what kind of clothes I need to pack.” He swore under his breath and closed his eyes. “I don’t know. Something formal and casual, maybe.”

I nodded deciding to provoke him. I had to admit that I was still angry about his attitude this morning. “I get it. Well, I will leave you now to your brooding, Your Excellency.” Before he could form any snarky reply, I had left him... “Aren’t you going to talk to me?” He dragged me out of my reverie. “Need I remind you that we’re going for our wedding celebration?” “Don’t talk to me, just drive.” I replied frostily, my gaze remained fixed on my window. I heard him take a deep breath. “What can I do for you to forgive me, Tatiana?” “Have you finally regained your sanity, Lucca?" I asked in saccharine sweetness. "Apologize to Gio.” I knew he will do anything but that. I’ve already asked him for that apology yesterday several times but he had adamantly refused. “He should be thankful that I didn’t sack him.” “He didn’t do anything!” I shouted as I faced him for the first time. “Why are you firing him?” “Because he crossed the line.” “What line?” “You are my wife and he’s just your driver and yet he dared to touch you.” He said. I could sense the fury bubbling again inside him as he changed the gear vigorously. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose for growing headache. “Your jealousy is out of place, Lucca.” “No, it’s not.” “Really?” I asked dryly. “From what I read about you on the internet, you wouldn’t care less if your latest mistress flirted with another man.” He gave a wolfish smile in my direction which annoyed me. “Ah, there’s a difference in that, my dear. They were just my flings and you are my wife which makes you my woman.”

“Temporary wife,” I reminded him, yet my heart jolted at his words. “Everything about us is temporary.” “We’ll see.” Oh, I will really see what will happen. I couldn’t let my heart be swayed by a handsome Italian ever again. One bad experience was enough to last for a lifetime. The rest of the drive to Palazzo di Cavelli was silent until we finally arrived at the magnificent palace, home of the Duke of Caprielle, which dated back to fifteenth century. It was a combination of Renaissance and Moorish architecture with marble statues in the garden and huge pillar in the foyer that pronounced the glory and pride of the Cavellis for centuries. Once Lucca parked his Ferrari in the driveway in front of the large foyer, he reminded me. “Remember, we are a happily married couple. We have to let people, especially my mother, think that we are in love and not in the middle of quarrel when I introduce you to her later.” “Don’t you think I know that?” I hissed at him as I unhooked my seatbelt. “I know how to play my part. I’m expecting you to do the same.” “Oh, believe me I will, Duchess.” He said as we slid out of the car. We were half way up on the marble steps in the foyer, the front door opened and half a dozen unformed maids greeted the duke and his duchess. Suddenly, I was transported back to my childhood days when Papa was still alive and we would get the same reception whenever we were in Russia. They used to bow to Papa as if he was the king himself. Coming back to present, at the end of the line I see Signore Felipe who stood with a quite smile on his leathery face. “Welcome to Palazzo di Cavelli, Your Excellency.” The maids automatically got our luggage from the car and took them through the grand staircase to our rooms on the second floor. True to his words Lucca played his part as my loving husband, placing his hands on my waist as he led me up the stairs. “I will show you to your room, amore mio.” I pretended to give him a sweet smile for the sake of the maids and Signore Felipe who stayed below discreetly watching the duke become besotted to his bride. “Thank you, darling.”

Amusement flashed in his gray eyes. He was enjoying this more than he should, wasn’t he? Well, once I get some time alone with the duke, I will tell him what I exactly think of him. He led me through the endless corridors before we stopped at the end of the south wing and entered the huge double door room. “This is your room.” He announced as we entered the huge room adorned with classical style furniture. “This has been the bedroom of the Duchess of Caprielle for centuries.” I looked at the beautiful room in which the previous duchess dating back to the fifteenth century had stayed. Then I noticed a connecting door on the other side. “What’s that door for?” Lucca smiled wolfishly in my direction heat flashing in his gray eyes. “That’s the door that connects to my room, mia moglie. So, yeah, my bedroom is next to yours.” “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” The smirk was still on his face. “I’m not.” “Well, I will ask Signore Felipe for the key.” I told him, refusing the stupid blush trying spread on my cheeks. “Because I intend to make sure that there will be no midnight visits.” Lucca surprised me when he laughed deeply. “You’re lucky that we’re no longer in the medieval ages, darling, or you would find yourself tied up in my bed forever and the only purpose in your life would be to please me.” “As if!” His reply was stalled when a discreet knock sounded on the door. A uniformed maid entered and made a deep courtesy. “Your Excellency, the dowager duchess is requesting you to visit her in her apartment with your bride.” My breath caught. I suddenly started feeling nervous. Taking my hand, Lucca said. “Let’s go.” With every measured step in my stilettos I followed Lucca petulantly where his mother was waiting for us. Will she like me? That was my final thought as I left my room.

Lucca Cavelli’s POV We walked to my mother’s private room. I could feel Tatiana’s hand shaking as I held it in mine. She was nervous. I led her to the other side of the palazzo where my mother’s apartments located. I didn’t know how she would react since she feels deprived of the opportunity to arrange my wedding. It took fifteen minutes of her scolding over the phone yesterday before she decided that it was enough rebuke for her son. Before she let me off the hook, she squeezed a promised from me that I will let her hold a ball to celebrate our wedding. I had no choice but to give in. “Don’t worry,” I told my wife as we neared my mother’s room. “She’ll like you.” “I certainly hope so.” I knocked on dowager duchesses’ room before entering. “Lucca!” My mother threw her arms around my once we entered. “How are you, mio figlio?” I lowered my head so she could kiss me on the cheek. “Hello, mama.” “Oh!” My mother said, “Is this your lovely wife?” I drew Tatiana forward so that my mother could see her. “Mariya, this is my mother, Sophia Anna Cavelli. Mama, this is my wife, Mariya.” “Hello, Your Excellency.” Tatiana bowed. “Please, call me mama.” My ever kind mother said warmly as she enveloped my wife in a hug. “You are now my daughter.” “Mama.” Tatiana repeated hesitantly as she hugged back my mother. I could see that she was fighting her tears. I wanted to comfort her but I didn’t think she will appreciate it when things were still brittle between us. “You know what, Lucca?” My mother was saying. “Why don’t you leave me and your wife so we could have a little chat and see if she wants to add anything for your

wedding ball tomorrow?” “Is that okay with you, il mio amore?” Tatiana nodded stiffly as my mother pulled her to the sofa. “We’ll be fine, Lucca.” My mother reassured. What else could I do? I bowed to them slightly before exiting my mother’s apartment. Thinking how in the hell were we supposed to behave normally at the ball tomorrow, when my wife and I barely talked to each other. People for sure would notice something amiss between us. Before this day ended we needed to mend our rifts, one way or the other!

================= Chapter 15: The Wedding Night Reunion after long separation is even better than one's wedding night. -Unknown

Tatiana Rostova’s POV “Oh, Tatiana. What happened, dear?” Three hours later and after some “talk” with the dowager duchess, I had called my good friend, Francesca and had asked her to come to Naples at once. She never gave a second thought. I now gratefully look at her as she stands in front of me. “What is it?” She asked her brown eyes filled with concern. “Is it about Lucca again? You two didn’t make up yet from your last quarrel?” I suddenly wanted to cry. For, Francesca understood it at once even before I had a chance to confess everything to her. “It is my fault,” Francesca stated, giving me a warm hug in my room. “I wouldn’t have let Gio to become your dance partner if I knew that your husband would behave like that.”

“No.” I told her, hugging her back. She was like my safe harbor. “It’s Lucca’s fault and mine. He was behaving a pig-headed idiot and I was behaving like a jealous wife.” Francesca drew back with a slight grin on her lips. “This is the first time I’ve heard a woman call the gorgeous duke a pig-headed idiot, that too his own wife, no less.” “Pretend wife.” I reminded her. Suddenly that thought left my knees weak. “We’re just pretending.” Francesca shrugged as if that wasn’t important. “So what’s the problem, Tatiana?” I sighed and walked towards the sofa. “Our misunderstanding that started with those tabloids in Rome and has become a rift between us. Now it seems like there is an ocean that separates us. Our once friendly marriage has turned into a bitter one that looks like a match made in hell.” “Oh, honey.” My friend sat beside me and clasped my hands in hers. “I’m sure you and Lucca can fix this misunderstanding that you have.” “I’m not sure about that.” I said warily. “Even his mother noticed the tension between us earlier. She asked me if we had a row.” “Would you mind if I asked you something, dear?” “What?” “I know that your marriage is just a pretend one” Francesca started, staring deep into my eyes. “Have you...well, consummated the marriage?” I could feel the blush spread to my cheeks. I couldn’t look straight in my friend’s eyes. “Errr... no. Consummating our marriage wasn’t part of our deal.” “Maybe that’s what you both need.” I gasped. Francesca held up her hands. “I’m not saying that you jump in bed with Lucca. I meant, do it only if the two of you want it.” “I’m sure Lucca doesn’t.” The devilish twinkle was back on my friend’s eyes. “Don’t put words in Lucca’s mouth, my dear. I’m sure he will have something to say in this matter.” “Francesca...”

“Don’t you feel a deep bone desire for the hottest duke in Italy, Tatiana?” she asked evilly. “I’m sure plenty of women would jump at the chance to be in his bed.” “I’m sure.” I agree darkly. “Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.” Francesca looked sheepishly. “My point is, this quarrel you are having is because you are both frustrated not really knowing what the other is thinking. And what better way to discuss this if not through pillow talk?" If I thought that my red cheeks wouldn’t go anymore red I was mistaken. Because my cheeks felt like burning at the images of me and Lucca doing our pillow talk inside me head. “I’m not sure about that, Francesca.” I said to her honestly. “We still haven’t resolved our issue.” “Why not resolve it tonight,” She suggested. “Go to his room and seduce your husband, Tatiana. I assure you that the outcome will be very pleasant.” “Francesca!” I laughed at her outrageous suggestion. “What you’re saying is downright scandalous.” “Try,” She urged, her brown eyes filled with seriousness. “I’m sure he will be more amenable to suggestions. Men are pretty hopeless when desire clouds their mind.” “I’m not seducing him.” I stated. “I’m still mad at him. He should apologize to poor Gio first, his behavior was irrational.” Francesca shook her head. “Your demand will only fall on deaf ear, my dear.” “Why?” I frowned, knowing she was right. I had tried it yesterday several times. “He’s a duke. He should behave honorably.” “He might be a duke but he’s still a man, Tatiana.” Francesca countered. “And men are known for being the last ones to admit their mistake.” “Still, I’m not seducing him.” “Think about it,” She said. “You might extract a promise from him that he will apologize to your driver.” “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re planning on giving me a lesson in

seduction.” I teased her. “Did Lucca tell you to add that one in our lessons?” “Of course not.” Francesca replied with a grin. “Consider it our private lesson.” “But I don’t know how to seduce a man.” The evil grin in Francesca’s eyes left my heart pounding in my chest. She was planning something devious again. “It’s a good thing that I bought some new lingerie for you before I came here.” “Oh my God...” Lucca Cavelli’s POV If I ever thought that I will find a way to mend my rift with my wife, I would say I was deluding myself. After a full afternoon of sitting in my study thinking what we could do to solve our problems, as it was only twenty-four hours before the ball, I got nothing. Now I am in my bedroom and my brain hurts like hell from thinking of solutions to my dilemma without any result. My wife is just one door away from me and obviously hating me right at this moment. Could we survive tomorrow’s ball without killing each other? I was about to jump in to the bed and try to get at least some sleep, when the door adjacent to Tatiana’s room opened. I gaped openly while my mouth went dry when I saw my wife standing on the edge of the connecting door to my room, wearing nothing but sexy black lingerie that was straight out of male fantasy. Her creamy white legs showed their full glory to my eyes. What the hell was going on here? Did I somehow die and went to heaven without knowing it? Or maybe I had fallen into a deep sleep with fantasy dreams...if so, I don’t want to wake up anymore. “Tatiana.” I swallowed hard. Making sure she was real and not just my hallucination. “Lucca.” She purred sexily, like a seductress who had come down to earth just to tempt the male race. “I have been waiting for you for hours.” “Tatiana.” Oh, God. I was in trouble. My brain wasn’t working anymore as if it was deprived of blood. “What the hell is going on here, Tatiana?”

“I just wanted to talk with you.” I swallowed again, restraining myself as she walked to where I stood. “If you were smart, my darling, you would know that this is not the right moment to conduct conversation.” “Why not?” Tatiana’s violet eyes gleamed with light. “Because if you take even a single step more, I will throw you on this bed and ravish you.” I rasped, praying that she’ll heed to my warning. “So do it.” That was all I needed to hear before I took three long strides, picked her up and threw her on my bed. I immediately jumped on the top of her. My efforts were reward by a gasp of delight from her. Dio, it was like forever since I heard her laugh. “Tatiana,” I asked her, tucking the wisp of her dark hair away from her pretty face, her eyes were like a pair of amethyst shining up at me. “What are you really doing here?” “I came to seduce you.” She said with a smile on her lovely red lips. “I came to give you your wedding night.” “My darling,” I said, ignoring the hard pounding of my heart. “If we do this, there will be no going back. We will consummate our marriage. Do you understand that, Duchess?” She nodded. “I do.” The way she replied reminded me of our wedding where she had said her wedding vows as solemnly. “I want you, Lucca.” I permitted myself to smile. “Believe me, Duchess. You couldn’t want me more than I want you at this moment.” “Then love me, my duke.” “I will.”

I claimed her mouth in hot passionate kiss. I trailed my hands down on the delicate curves of her body and up again to the globes of her breast. She whimpered when I deepened the kiss, yet I couldn’t get enough of her. “Do you have another lingerie like this?” I asked hoarsely. “Yes. Why?” “Then, it’s okay if I do this.” I told her while clutching the flimsy fabric on both sides. “Hell, I’ll buy you as many as you want.” “Do what...” she gasped when I ripped the fabric into two exposing her delicate body and feasted my eyes on her beauty. “Are you sure about this?” I asked trying to make sure that she didn’t regret this later. “Yes.” The next few moments I did nothing but to explore her body like I had wanted to from the first moment I had seen a glimpse of her pretty legs the morning after I had found her from the sea. I ran my hands on her pale legs and searched her intimate parts. When the time came to be intimately joined to her body, I positioned myself as I entered her with one powerful thrust... Dio mio. It can’t be. How can...impossible she had a fiancé for heaven’s sake! “Tatiana...” I whispered her name. I wanted to withdraw because I was hurting her untried muscles but my body was protesting to be deprived of this pleasure. “Tatiana...” “It is okay, Lucca.” She said but I could see the pain in her eyes and something else...insecurity? “Unless you have decided that you don’t want me after all?” There was nothing on this earth that I wanted more than to remain like this forever with her. “I do want you and it’s going to be okay, I promise.” I attempted to sooth her fears. I moved slowly waiting for her muscles to accommodate me. For the next hour I did nothing but love her relishing the deep satisfaction of being her first lover. When I thought that I was going to lose control...her orgasms hit before I spilled myself deep inside her. After a moment I removed my weight from her and spooned her to me. I draped my hand on her waist as a propriety gesture. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked when we finally recovered our breaths.

“Does it matter?” “No.” I told her honestly. “I would just have made love to you more carefully.” “I didn’t want that.” She said with laughter in her voice. “I wanted you to ravish me.” “I did ravish you.” I kissed her pale shoulder. “And I am very satisfied with the result.” Tatiana giggled. “Thank you, Lucca.” “For what?” “For making me a woman.” A self-satisfied grinned broke on my face. “You are a woman. My woman.” “Yes. I know.” I thought she was going to deny it fiercely but she surprised me. Then she added. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” “For not listening to your explanation about the tabloid thing.” I drew her back so she could look at me. “I’m sorry too for how I reacted yesterday. It was just that I felt jealousy for the very first time in my life. I reacted badly. Forgive me...” She placed her finger to my lips. “I forgive you, Lucca.” Then I decided that it was time to tell her about the progress we had made on her revenge. “Tatiana. I’ve already have introductions with Paolo Ranaldi...” “Shh...” She stopped the words from my mouth. “I don’t want to talk about them and ruin our perfect night together. Tomorrow we’ll discuss it.” I smiled at her. “Sí. Good night, wife.”

“Good night.” She kissed me on the lips before she slept on my shoulder.

================= Chapter 16: The Ball A holiday cocktail party is where some stranger will learn more about you in an hour than your spouse has learned in a lifetime. ~Robert Brault,

Tatiana Rostova's POV I was starting to get bored. I had been sitting on the chair for the past few hours while the make-up artist and hair dresser fussed over me. One hour from now, the ball given by my mother-in-law in celebration for our wedding will be starting. I could hear the cars outside which meant that the guests were starting to arrive. Yet, even as the ball preparation was progressing below in the magnificent grand ballroom of the Palazzo di Cavelli, I was still stuck on my room while the makeup artist and hair dresser worked their magic on me. I was just getting bored out of my wits when a tap on the adjacent door sounded and the very handsome duke you could ever meet walked into my room. "Your Excellency," The two women fussing over me bowed at the sight of my husband. "Are you ready, Duchess?" He asked me, as a secret smile played on his lips. I hadn't seen him since I slipped out of his bed so that I could start my makeover for the ball. He looked devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo with a red sash on his right shoulder slanted to his left waist that proclaimed his status as a duke. "All I need to do is to slide on my gown, Your Excellency." Heat flashed in his silver eyes as he eyed me from head to toe since I wore nothing but a robe. "Leave us. I'll help the duchess with her gown." The two women were too trained not to look at each other at the bold command of the duke to help his bride to dress. Once the women were out of my room, Lucca moved closer to me and picked my princess style ball gown. He held it up so I could slide

on the beautiful evening dress. There was a devilish glint in his eyes as he watched me expectantly while I disrobed myself in front of him. I stood wearing nothing but sexy lace underwear that belonged to my new wardrobe, thanks to Francesca Marcolini. "Come on Duchess, wear the dress." He warned me softly, his eyes held a predatory gleam in their depths. "Show me your full glory one more damn second, I'll throw you on that bed and make love to you ...to hell with this ball." I grinned at him playfully. "I don't think your mother will appreciate it." "So put me out my misery." He almost begged. I finally gave in and allowed myself to be covered with the ball gown he was holding. His expert hands effortlessly found the hidden zipper and hook at the back of the gown and eased my satin arm length gloves over my hands. "You're so good at this, my duke." I told him as he hooked the buttons of my gown. "A man should have talents, Duchess." "Dressing a woman is a talent?" I teased him as I met his hot gaze through the dresser mirror. "I've never dressed a woman before, my darling." He replied, sliding his large gloved hands around the middle of my waist. "It's always the other way round." I tried to look disapproving but a smile was forming on my face. "You're incorrigible." "I know," He agreed, kissing my ear. "I'll show you tonight." I gasped when he trailed series of hot little kisses on my cheek down to my neck. There is a difference in making love to a man and watching him do it in front of the mirror. Somehow it's more erotic. "So beautiful even unadorned." He breathed down to my neck. "Which reminds me of..." Lucca turned me around to face him. He showed me a large velvet box and opened it to present the contents. "For you," He said with a smile on his lips.

I almost gasped at the sight. "I can’t..." "Yes, you can." He retorted, pulling out the emerald diamond necklace from its nest. "These are the jewelries given by the duke to his bride on their wedding. Everyone at the party would expect you to wear the emeralds." He grinned. "With the tiara." "Tiara?" I squeaked as I looked in his eyes. "Do I need to wear a tiara?" "Of course," He said. "Now turn around so I can put this." I watched him as he fastened the emerald necklace around my throat, put the emerald earrings in my ears and walked to a table near the wall to bring the tiara he had promised. "They are perfect for you, Tatiana." Lucca said in satisfaction. "They complement your pale skin." I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt that there's an entirely different person staring back at me. I couldn't believe that I could be this beautiful. "Who all are attending our wedding celebration, Lucca?" His lips twitched with a smile. "Every member of the cream of Italian society will be present, my dear. Everyone is eager to meet the woman who has finally enticed me into marriage when several had failed to do so." "Oh." The thought was downright scary. "Don't worry." Lucca assured me. "You are now Mariya Cavelli, the new Duchess of Caprielle. You are no longer the wallflower you had once been." I smiled weakly. "Of course. Thanks to Francesca's help." "There's one more thing, Tatiana." He said as he led me to the door so we could go and greet our guests below. "I have invited Paolo Ranaldi and Sabrina Hunter. I think it is the right time to meet them again." The pain was back in my heart but I ignored it. I've come so far in this and now I could finally meet the people who betrayed me and finally led me to Lucca Cavelli. I've waited for this day like forever. This should be a very interesting night. "Are you okay with that?"

I could see the concern in Lucca's gray eyes. I smiled bravely. "Yeah. I've been waiting for this day to arrive." With that he led me to the waiting crowd.

Lucca Cavelli's POV I stood looking around the ball room at my wedding celebration ball given mother. She still thought that I had deprived her of arranging my wedding had married Tatiana while she was out of the country. I couldn't help it. not a real marriage as Tatiana keeps saying repeatedly, but I cannot help wish sometimes that this was a real marriage.

by my when I This was but to

I sighed. I didn't like where my wayward thoughts were going. But right now, I was very happy that finally we had consummated our marriage. Oh yeah, so damn happy about it. The fact that I was her first lover gave me an unholy feeling of triumph. Paolo Ranaldi didn't know what he had stupidly thrown away. Looking at her now, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the wallflower girl who had blossomed into a sophisticated woman mesmerizing everyone around her at our wedding celebration. "What did you do, Your Excellency?" Marco said to my wife with devilish grin on his face. "The duke is looking smug tonight. I believe you both have already bridged your rift." Tatiana smiled regally. It was one of the things that Francesca had taught her in this past week. "Everything is well with us right, darling?" I smiled down at her beautiful face. I would never get tired of looking at her face. "Of course, tesoro." "I should be the one who should look smug, Signore Orsini." Tatiana said to my friend playfully. "For, I am the envy of the entire female population of Italy by seizing the handsome duke into a good marriage." Marco laughed. "Where did you find this creature, Lucca? I want to find one like her too." "Sorry, old chap." I replied, placing my hand on Tatiana's waist. "But my wife is one of a kind."

A strange shadow crossed my friend's dark eyes. "You might be right. Every man should have his own kind of woman, doesn’t he?" Before I could asked what he meant I was interrupted by Tatiana. "Darling," She said. "Aren't our friends coming?" I didn't need to ask who she was referring to by the term she used. She was asking for Paolo Ranaldi and Sabrina Hunter. "I'm sorry, my love." I told her honestly. "But Paolo Ranaldi called me a while ago, apologizing for not being able to attend our party as his date was not feeling well. He sounded very upset." I didn't miss how her violet eyes turned cold at the mention of her ex-fiancé taking care of her stepsister’s wellbeing. "Is she?" She asked casually, as if she's genuinely concern but I could hear the underline anger on her voice. "I hope she's going to be fine. I so look forward to the time when we meet again." "I'm sure." I reassured her, squeezing her waist.

Sabrina Hunter's POV "What the hell are you still doing slouched on your bed?" I groaned and closed my eyes at the harsh way Paolo addressed me. Did he think that I want to lie in this bed feeling weak? "Aren't you coming?" Paolo asked impatiently, moving closer to where I was laying. "The Duke of Caprielle invited us to his wedding celebration. Didn't you say that you wanted to meet his bride so badly?" I peeked to look at him when I smelled his signature smell. It was the perfume I had bought for him when we first dated and since then he had continued to use it. My heart swelled with love at the sight of his handsome figure in tuxedo. If I didn't feel dizzy I would be in my gown now and ready to leave, but I cannot. I have very good news to tell him. "Can you just send your regard to the duke that we couldn't attend?"

"Why?" Paolo asked frowning down at me. "Because I'm not feeling well." "That's not a good reason, Rina." Paolo countered. "The duke will be an important connection to my business. We should win his favor." "But I'm not feeling well." I told him, sitting up on my bed. "I should be more important than your business." He snorted and paced my room. "You're not making any sense, Rina. If you don't dress up in fifteen minutes I'll leave you alone." "You can't leave me here!" I shouted that made me dizzy all over again. I ran into the en suite bathroom and threw my stomach's contents out. "Sabrina?" Paolo was at my side in an instant. "Are you all right?" "Yes," I smiled weakly. "Everything is fine. In fact, everything is perfect." I place his large hands on my tummy. "I have a secret to tell you, honey." When the confusion was evident on his face I smiled and told him my good news I had been keeping for a while. "We're going to have a baby. I'm pregnant, darling." Paolo paled beneath his tan complexion. Did he feel happy or... Before I could ask anything he removed his hand from my belly as if he was burned. "I better make a call to the duke."

================= Chapter 17: The Invitation An invitation to a wedding invokes more trouble than a summons to a police court. -William Feather

Tatiana Rostova's POV "I have some news for you."

I looked up at my husband who had just walked to the terrace where I was enjoying my breakfast. We were back in his villa in Amalfi after the ball in Palazzo di Cavelli in Naples two nights ago. "What is it, Lucca?" I asked casually, sipping my coffee. He took the iron chair in front of me and placed an elegant envelope in the middle of the table. I look at him expectantly. "For us." He said grimly. "It's an invitation to an engagement party." I took the invitation and opened it. My heart constricted with pain. It took every ounce of my self-control not to rip the paper into pieces in front of my husband. It was an invitation to Paolo and Sabrina's engagement party. They were getting married! They didn't even wait for a year after I went missing before they announced to the world that they were getting married. The fiancé and the stepsister consoled each other after the death of their beloved Tatiana. What a laugh! I'm sure that they will make it look like that. They'd been each other's support while grieving my death and accidentally fell in love with each other. I now know how they play their game. "Tatiana?" Lucca dragged me out of my reverie. "Are you all right?" I gave him a false smile which I guessed from the look on his face that he knew. "Yes. I'm fine." "We don't have to attend if you're not ready to meet them again." I was always touched by the protectiveness Lucca showed towards my wellbeing from the first day we met. He agreed to help me in avenging the people who betrayed me and transform me from being a wallflower to a sophisticated woman who belonged to their world. That's why I need to give him the hotels that I promised as a part of our deal so that I could repay his kindness to me. He scarified his freedom for a woman like me. "No," I answered him, "We need to attend. It's high time they met me again."

"Are you sure?" Lucca was still not convinced about it. "The engagement party is in New York. Probably at your family home, are you up for that?" "Yes." Lucca was searching my face for something. "We don’t need to attend if you're not ready to face them again, Tatiana." I shook my head fiercely. "No, Lucca. This is the right time to shake their perfect little world again. They couldn't make to our wedding party, so it's time for us to invade their den." "Are you sure?" Concern was visible in the silver eyes staring at me. "Rumors are circulating that the reason for their hasty engagement is because Sabrina Hunter is already pregnant with their child." My heart stopped in my chest. Sabrina and Paolo were going to have a child, obviously a result of their affair behind my back. Lucca was looking at me with his intense gray eyes. I tried to not show any of my emotions like Francesca had taught me for dealing with difficult situations, but it was hard when emotions swirled in my heart. "Are you all right, Tatiana?" "Yes, I'm fine." I stood from my chair and walked towards the open French door that led to the receiving room. "Where are you going?" "To pack," I told Lucca behind my shoulder as I continue to walk inside the villa. "We're going to New York tomorrow. It's high time to go home."

Paolo Ranaldi's POV "What the devil is this?" I held up the invitation that I had found in the living room of the Rostov mansion in the Upper East Side when I visited Sabrina to check on her condition... her pregnancy. We had come back to New York two days ago after I sent my apology to the duke that we couldn't attend his wedding celebration due to Sabrina's condition. Now I find this idiotic invitation about my engagement to Sabrina. "Can't you see?" The woman answered with an evident scowled on her brows. "It's

invitation for our engagement party." "We're not getting married." Cold blue eyes stared at me. "What did you say?" "We're not getting married." I repeated my statement. "At least, not now." Sabrina stood up from the sofa she'd been sitting on. "When do you plan on getting married, Paolo? If you think that I'll just wait for you to decide then you're mistaken. I will not let our child to be born without his parents married." I sighed. Really, a man should have a patience of a saint when talking to Sabrina. "You don't understand." "What I don't understand?" She asked stubbornly. "We can't marry just because you're expecting a child." I reasoned out to her, rubbing my forehead soothing a growing headache. I haven’t been able sleep these past nights thinking about her unplanned pregnancy. "If you have forgotten, I have a fiancée who has just drowned in the sea not more than two weeks ago. What will people think when they learn that I am about to marry the stepsister of my missing fiancée?" "Sooner or later they will learn about my pregnancy." Sabrina retort back. I bit back my frustration. She couldn't see, could she? "And people will know that you are the father of my child." "Exactly, my point!" I exploded, pacing the elegant living family where the large portrait of Tatiana was watching us eyes. "They will realize that we were having affair behind we probably killed her. The elites of the New York society want to."

room of the Rostov with her cool violet Tatiana's back and that can be cruel when they

"I don't care." "Please, Sabrina." I begged, couldn't she see it? "You are not a Rostov. I don't think you can survive the onslaught of the society once they learned we killed the Rostov heiress not to mention the legal problems we will land ourselves in." "I grew up like a Rostov," Sabrina said obstinately. "People were just kind to you because you were cosseted by the late billionaire philanthropist Nikolai Rostov." I said brutally so that she could wake up from her delusion. "But the cream of New York society still thinks that you're just the girl that didn't belong to their circle. You aren't born into the privileged life like

them, you're just lucky because your mother married to their kind." I hardened my heart at the pain in her eyes. "How do you know all about this stuff?" She asked. "Because that's what I felt every time I mingled with their kinds." I told her honestly. "I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I worked my way up to where I am now." "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Compassion showed in her pretty blue eyes. "Now you can forget about this ridiculous engagement party." She frowned. "But I've organized everything and invited few people who know us very well. I have even invited the duke and his bride. I sent the invitation to him before we left Italy." "We need canceled them." I said in frustration. Before she could reply the phone in the living room sounded and broke our conversation. Sabrina walked and answered it after a while a strange smile fitted her lips. "What is it?" I asked cautiously. "It seems that our engagement is still going to happen tomorrow." She announced with triumph in her voice. "That's the duke's secretary who just called. She confirmed that the duke and his bride will fly to New York for our engagement party tomorrow night. Now, we can't disappoint the duke, can we?"

================= Chapter 18: The Uproar Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge. -Scott Adams

Tatiana Rostova's POV "Are you sure about this?" I looked up at my husband as he guided me to slide out

of our car in front of my family's Upper East Side mansion. He has been asking me that question for at least hundred times since we arrived in New York. "It's not too late to back out if you are not yet ready to meet them." I shook my head. "No. I've waited for this like forever, Lucca. It's time to shake their perfect little world at their engagement party. The ghost of their past would pay them a visit." I hardened my heart as we walked to the familiar steps of the house where I grew up. Everything looked familiar. It was hard to believe that I've been gone for only few weeks. Now I was back here with a new identity and married to a powerful duke. I glanced at Lucca as we ascended the stairs in the foyer. He was really devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo suit, hard to believe that he was married to me and we had already consummated our marriage. A blush spread through my cheeks. Oh yes, since the night before the wedding celebration ball given by his mother, I have been sleeping in his bed every single night. Our marriage that started as an alliance had now become a real one. We were like any ordinary couple and sometimes I tend to forget the reason why I married him. There were only few once in a while days when I remember that there are still people that I need to take revenge on. "Beautiful home," Lucca commented once we entered the receiving room of my family's mansion. "Are you ready to create uproar, my darling?" I looked around the home where I grew up. My heart filled with bitter sweet memories as we entered the grand receiving room of the Rostov mansion. I held my head high trying not to flinch at the stares of disbelief the guests were giving me. I clutched Lucca's arm tightly as we walked into the room. Everyone was whispering and some paled beneath their perfectly applied makeup because they thought that I've come back from the dead. Hell, yeah. I've came back from hell to create chaos in their lives again. Oh, this will be a very interesting night. "Everyone is looking." I murmured to Lucca was we walked in the middle of the crowd. "Everyone is wondering why the hell I resemble Tatiana Rostova." Lucca's gray eyes smiled deviously down at me. "That's the reason why we attended this party, right? To shake the Manhattan society?" Before I could answer my husband, we arrived at the middle of the living room where the newly engaged couple was talking merrily to their circle of friends.

"Congratulations to your engagement, Ranaldi." Lucca announced as he made us be known to Paolo and Sabrina. "Your Excellency!" Paolo said happily, shaking my husband's hand while Sabrina's arm was wrapped around Paolo's arm like a vine. "I'm so happy you could come all the way to New York for our engagement." Lucca smiled thinly. "Ranaldi. I don't believe you've met my wife?" He said smoothly as he drew me forward. "May I present my wife, Mariya Cavelli. Duchess of Caprielle." Oh, the look on their face was priceless. It was the kind of image that I would treasure until my death. "Congratulations." I said regally. "It's pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Mariya." "Y-you...Tatiana!" "Excuse me?" I asked Sabrina blinking away the satisfaction in my eyes. "You're Tatiana, right?" Sabrina asked her face was as white as the linen clothe. "But you're dead!" "Rina." Paolo warned his newly acquired fiancée. "Do not create a scene." "I am sorry, I do not understand but what's going on here?" I asked innocently. Oh, why nobody told me being devious could fill your heart with such elation. "Forgive us." Paolo said to me, his eyes devouring every part of me. "It's just that you really resemble someone we know." "Oh, really?" I asked, enjoying every moment of this. "Where is she?" "She's dead." Sabrina said coldly. "She drowned in the sea two weeks ago."

Sabrina Hunter's POV No, it can't be! I told myself repeatedly. She's not Tatiana. My stepsister was dead. She'd been swallowed by the ruthless sea two weeks ago. This woman was not

Tatiana who has come back from hell to avenge her death. This woman was too gorgeous and sophisticated to be my wallflower stepsister. "Congratulations." She said with the same tilted voice of Tatiana. "It's pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Mariya." "Y-you...Tatiana!" No, she can't be. I won't let my stepsister ruin my engagement party. "Excuse me?" She asked with a pure satisfaction in her violet eyes before blinking it away. "You're Tatiana, right?" I asked trying to be sure, sweat forming on my forehead. This was not how I imagined my engagement party would be like. To be haunted by my stepsister. "But you're dead!" "Rina." Paolo warned me. "Do not create a scene." "I am sorry. I don’t understand but what's going on here?" The mirror image of Tatiana said looking at me with her cool violet eyes. She couldn't be Tatiana, right? Because my stepsister died in the sea two weeks ago, I saw that with my very own eyes. This wasn't her. She's Mariya Cavelli, the wife of the powerful Duke of Caprielle. It's just she just bears a striking resemblance to my dead stepsister. Mariya Cavelli was stunning in her designer black strapless gown, a nice contrast to her pale skin and her throat was adorned with a diamond necklace that might have cost a king's ransom. Her aristocratic face was covered with perfectly applied makeup with a bloody red lipstick that drew the attention of men to her. She likes the attention she gets from the crowd. She's very different from Tatiana who liked to fade into the background as much as possible. "Forgive us." Paolo said to the woman. I couldn't help but notice the way his eyes stayed on the woman. "It's just that you really resemble someone we know." "Oh, really?" Mariya asked, casually. "Where is she?" "She's dead." I replied. "She drowned in the sea two weeks ago." Something cold flashed on her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry for your loss. That must be very hard on you two." "Yes," Paolo replied, clutching my waist tightly silently warning me.

"Is that her?" The duke glanced at the elegant portrait of Tatiana above the fireplace. "Yes," I respond, looking at the shy woman on the portrait. "That’s my stepsister Tatiana." "She's rather plain, don't you think, darling?" Mariya Cavelli asked her husband. "The resemblance is there, mia moglie." Her husband answered with a glint in his silver eyes. "I could say you might be her missing twin. You don't have a twin, do you?" Mariya laughed. "I assure you, darling. I am an only child, I don't have siblings. There's no way that this woman could be related to me." "But the similarity is uncanny, isn't?" Paolo said. Mariya looked at my Paolo before settling her gazed back on the portrait. "Yes. But I can assure you that there's a vast difference between me and that dead woman."

================= Chapter 19: The Ghost No ghost was every seen by two pair of eyes. -Thomas Carlyle

Paolo Ranaldi’s POV “She’s Tatiana, I’m sure. She came back to take revenge on us.” I rubbed my forehead in frustration. This conversation with Sabrina was getting out of control. She has been repeating those words over and over like a broken recorder even two hours after our engagement party had ended. We were the only people left in the magnificent living room of the Rostov mansion. “She’s not Tatiana,” I told her almost for a hundredth time now. “The resemblance is there. But we both know that Tatiana drowned on the Amalfi Coast and the chance that she’ll survive was very slim since she didn’t know how to swim.”

“But you saw her right?” Sabrina was pacing the living room like a caged animal. “Those unique eyes...the unmistakable Rostov violet-eyes... that stared at us coldly...” I shook my head in resignation. “You are deluding yourself, Rina.” “I know what I saw!” I walked to the table and poured whiskey in the two glasses from the decanter. Then I remembered that Sabrina was pregnant and couldn’t drink liquor. “I know. I saw her too, so did everyone in the party, Rina. And everyone would agree with me that she’s not Tatiana Rostova, your stepsister.” “No,” Sabrina contradicted. “She’s Tatiana. I know she is. I can feel it.” I drank the content of my glass. “If she is Tatiana then why the hell did she just came back now and why she’s having a new identity?” “I don’t know.” I sighed in resignation. This conversation is going in circle. “You are just being paranoid Rina, maybe due to your pregnancy hormones. I’ve read about it. Your emotions can be unstable.” “My emotions are just fine, thank you very much.” Sabrina retorted back hotly. “Of all the women in the world that could resemble Mariya Cavelli, why the hell did it have to be Tati?” “Strange things do happen.” Sabrina’s blue eyes filled with frustrations. “Tati must be laughing wherever she is right now, seeing our mess with this Mariya Cavelli.” I frowned at her. “Tatiana was not like that, Rina. She had the kindest of heart.” Hatred burned in Sabrina’s eyes. “You still care for her even when she is already dead and you are marrying me and I’m having your baby!” I sighed. “That’s not what I meant!” “Then what?”

Talking to her was pointless. I figured it out the moment she started this conversation two hours ago. I should leave her alone so she could rest. “I should leave now. You’re stressing yourself and it’s not good for the baby.” “Our baby, Paolo.” She replied, looking at me straight in the eyes. “This is our baby. We made him together.” Right behind Tatiana’s back. Every time I remember that my conscience eats me alive. I should be burned in hell for this. “Still, I need to go. You need your rest.” The seductress in Sabrina Hunter was back the instant I took my first step to the door. “Why don’t you stay, darling?” “I can’t.” “Yes, you can.” She contradicted, while moving to where I stood with desire visible in her pretty eyes. “Make me forget the woman who ruined our engagement party...” “Sab...” “Please, darling?” Sabrina purred. What else could I do but to pick her up and walk to her bedroom?

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I was trying to catch my breath after a long night of making love to my wife. I still couldn’t believe that our marriage was now real in every sense of the word. Right now Tatiana was naked and lying in my arms. “What do you plan to do now that you have made your way back into their lives?” I know it’s not the best topic to discuss in our bed but I couldn’t help it. Violet eyes stared at me with strange light. “I am planning in making Paolo Ranaldi fall madly and deeply in love with me until Sabrina goes insane with jealousy. Then I will cast him aside as he did to me when he chose my stepsister over me.” I still couldn’t believe that the one who had pure soul once was now turning into a bitter person who has revenge high on her agenda.

“Are you sure about your plan?” “What do you mean?” Her beautiful face was filled with insecurities. The sophisticated and confidant woman at the party a while ago was noticeably missing and the real Tatiana was back. “Do you think I’ll fail in seducing Paolo Ranaldi?” I shook my head slightly. “That’s not what I meant, my dear. I only wanted to know if you can stop your heart from falling for him again. There’s a big chance that your heart will be swayed again by him in the process.” Tatiana’s face becomes clear. “You don’t need to worry about that, Lucca.” She reassured me, caressing my cheek. “I am not stupid enough to fall in love again with Paolo Ranaldi. I know that he’s not to be trusted.” “Are you sure?” I asked, turning my face so I could kiss her palm. I couldn’t help but wonder. “Yes,” She answered, as if trying to reassure me that she and Paolo Ranaldi were really through. I certainly hope so. “Lucca?” “Sí.” “Is it okay, if we stay in New York for while so I can start my plan?” Tatiana asked carefully. “I mean, it’s just fine if you leave me alone here and go back to Italy because your business awaits you, but it would make...” I put my finger on her lips and smiled to her. “It will be fine. We will stay here. I will not let anyone hurt you anymore. I will protect you.” The smile that lit on her face was priceless. “Thank you, Lucca.” She moved forward and placed a kiss on my lips. My heart jolted at the gesture. “Sleep now,” I said, tucking her head in the crook of my shoulder. “Let tomorrow take care of itself.”

================= Chapter 20: The Encounter

It is better to meet danger than to wait for it. -Charles Caleb Colton

Sabrina Hunter’s POV “Sabrina is that you?” I groaned at the familiar voice that drawled my name from behind. Of all the people that I could encounter at the famous lingerie store in Manhattan, why did it have to be Mariya Cavelli, the infamous mirror image of my stepsister Tatiana Rostova? “What are the odds to see you here?” She said with an icy smile on her aristocratic face. She wore a showstopper designer dress that made men gape at her openly. She was very different from my wallflower stepsister who liked to fade into the background. “Your Excellency,” I murmured, trying not to show the displeasure at meeting her again. If I have my way I would never see her again but Paolo desperately needs her husband’s connections. “I see you are buying new lingerie.” She commented pleasantly, eyeing the garments I had been holding in my hand. “For your honeymoon?” I gritted my teeth together. Her tone was pleasant one but there was an undercurrent of coldness in her voice that I perceived. Mariya Cavelli was the kind of woman that one should avoid at all cost. She was very dangerous. She was nothing like Tatiana, just like my Paolo had said to me last night. They only share the same face but nothing more. This woman in front of me is manipulative and treacherous. “What about you, Your Excellency?” I asked her instead, “What are you doing here? Are you buying new lingerie?” “Yes. I see we have the same taste in underwear. You see, I have to buy new ones because Lucca ruined the one I bought for our honeymoon.” Violet eyes stared at me. "Please remove the 'Your Excellency' thing, you can call me Mariya. I can foresee that we're going to be great friends in future." I gasped at her bluntness. She doesn’t hesitate to voice out what's inside her head. "Have you've been to New York before or is this your first time here, Mariya?"

She shook her beautifully styled jet black hair. "No. This is the first time I've been in New York." "How do you like it?" There was a wintry glint in the depth of her violet eyes that made uneasiness creep into my spine. It was the first time in my life that I couldn’t read what a person was thinking, considering that she was the mirror image of my stepsister. Tatiana was dead. She’d been swallowed by the ruthless sea, I saw it myself. This is not my stepsister. “New York is a great city,” She answered regally, hiding all emotions in her voice. “In fact, I convinced my husband to stay for a couple of weeks here so that I can explore the city.” It took every ounce of my self-control not to let my jaw drop to the ground. She and her husband were going to stay here in New York? On my home turf? “Have you found what you wanted to buy?” Mariya asked me, browsing through the sexy lace and silk lingerie on the rack. “Yes.” I answered. Though, in reality I had not yet found what I like, but the faster I get away from this woman the better. “Really? Is that all you’ll be having?” She twirled to face me, eyeing the single pair of underwear in my hand. “Yes.” Oh, god how I despise her face. Mariya randomly pulled the stack of lingerie from the shelf. “Let me pay for it to mark the start of our friendship.” “You don’t have to do that.” I shook my head. I won’t let her buy things for me, however cheap or expensive that costs. The lingerie in this shop was ridiculously expensive but renowned for making you feel sexy. “I insist,” She smiled at me that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She pulled me to the counter to pay for my purchase. She pulled a black credit card from her purse. “One of the perks of being married to a wealthy duke, sky is the limit when it comes to shopping.” Before I could argue she paid for my purchase. Now I was in debt with her. And I hated it. “Look, Mariya. I will pay for this...”

“I don’t want you to pay for it,” She interrupted me. “But I will be grateful if you treat me to a cup of coffee and suffer my company a little longer.” Before I could reply my mobile phone rang. Eternally grateful to whoever that called me at the right moment, I looked at the screen and saw Paolo’s name. “Hello, darling.” “Rina, where are you?” “At lingerie store, why?” I asked. I could detect a frustration on his voice. “Could we cancel our lunch at Blue Moon?” Paolo asked, “I have a business meeting with the duke and he wants to discuss my proposal with him as soon as possible. This is a kind of rare opportunity hard to leave behind.” What a rotten luck. “Lucky. I just bumped into his wife here.” “You’re with her?” Paolo asked incredulously. “You are with Mariya Cavelli?” “Yes.” I answered gravely. “In fact, I am having coffee with her.” I heard Paolo sigh. “That is probably the best, Rina.” “I’ll see you in a bit.” I closed my phone and looked at the expectant Mariya Cavelli. “Your fiancé, I presume?” “Yes.” I murmured. “And he said he is going to have a lunch meeting with your husband.” “You know what?” Mariya surprised me by saying it, “Why not join the men folk in their business lunch meeting...or whatever they want to call it. I’m rather famished myself.” Before I could even argue with her she pulled me out of the lingerie store and walked to her waiting car.

Paolo Ranaldi’s POV

It felt like I was once again a university student waiting for my professor to finish as he read my term paper. But the only difference is that the man that sat across to me was not my professor in college but a powerful Italian duke named Don Lucca Cavelli. We’ve been having this meeting for at least fifteen minutes now, yet I felt like I was sitting on my chair longer than that. He was busy reading my business proposal and I took the chance to study him. At the age of thirty-one, Lucca Cavelli, the Duke of Caprielle, was considered one of the richest men in Italy and one of the most powerful in Europe. With his title, wealth he was painstakingly ruthless in the boardroom and with his looks he was a perfect lover to his mistresses. Even with the string of women that had been linked to him, he still remained a private person though he was the favorite topic of the Italian tabloids. From what I had read about him, many of his previous mistresses had failed to trap him into marriage. Many had been betting that the duke will never settle down. The drop dead gorgeous Italian duke, that’s what they called him. But the world was stunned when he suddenly married a woman they’d never seen with him before. A mysterious woman. That woman is Mariya Cavelli. The woman who bears a striking resemblance to my dead fiancée... Is this all coincidence or fate was just really cruel to me? Of all the people that could be the mirror image of Tatiana why did it have to be Mariya Cavelli, the stunning wife of this powerful duke? “...is everything all right?” The duke’s concerned voice brought me out my reverie. “Sorry. My mind is elsewhere. Forgive me, Your Excellency.” His mouth twitched into a smile. “Thinking about your new fiancée, are you?” I felt the color rising on my face. But I didn’t bother to correct him. Sabrina was not the woman on my mind but Tatiana, the kind woman who loved me with all her innocent heart. But I mistakenly broke it by betraying her. Even since the day she drowned in the sea, every damn minute of it, I have regretted not saving her. I guess I didn’t jump to save her because of my cowardliness or the fear that she could ruin me if she survived the night. “Not that I could blame you,” The duke added. “A woman could turn a man into a hapless being and playing right on the palms of her hands.”

“Is that what happened to you, Your Excellency?” A cryptic smiled broke on the handsome duke’s face. Before he could answer a familiar voice floated towards us in the restaurant. “Darling!” The duke and I looked at the stunning version of Tatiana with Sabrina in tow. But she was not Tatiana, she was Mariya Cavelli. The duke stood from his chair to greet his wife as I reluctantly did the same. “What are you doing here?” Lucca Cavelli asked his wife, dropping a kiss on her bloody-red lips. “I thought you said that you’re going to spend your day shopping?” “That was the plan,” She smiled dazzlingly. My heart jolted at the unexpected smile, it was the same as Tatiana’s. It seemed that every male eye in the restaurant was fixed on her. “But then, I ran into Sabrina and we decided to gatecrash your meeting.” The duke looked at me with resignation on his cold gray eyes as he helped his wife sit on the chair next to his. “I think it’s better to postpone this meeting, Ranaldi. We won’t be able conclude anything if our women are sharing the same table with us.” “I will be glad to reschedule this meeting, Your Excellency.” I replied, pulling a chair for Sabrina just like the duke did to his wife. “Now, where’s the waiter here?” Mariya asked, looking around. “I’m rather hungry after invading the designer shops of Manhattan.” One thing was clear to me; she was way too different than Tatiana in terms of attitude. But that smile was very familiar to me. It reminded me very much of Tatiana Rostova. The wallflower I had come to love.

================= Chapter 21: The Start Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start. -Nido Qubein

Tatiana Rostova’s POV “Did you see their faces over our lunch, Lucca? One might think that they’re dinning with the grim reaper.” I could see the twitching of smile forming on my husband's gorgeous face as I relate the event awhile ago involving my ex-fiancé and stepsister at the fabulous restaurant in Manhattan. “I say that fate was in good mood to let you collide with your stepsister in the middle of Manhattan.” I snorted at Lucca. “Fate has nothing to do with that, Your Excellency. I know that’s Sabrina’s favorite lingerie store all I need to do is to wait for her to show up.” “You are more devious than me now, Duchess.” Lucca teased, settling more comfortably on the back of the car beside me. “I learned from the expert.” I teased back. It was wicked of me but I felt such elation over the progress I’ve been making on my revenged. Lucca grinned at me, taking my hand into his, he asked. “What do you plan to do next, Tatiana?” It was the question I’ve asked myself repeatedly since we bid our goodbye to Paolo and Sabrina. What will I do next? Then out of the blue I suddenly know what to do. A slow satisfied smiled fitted my lips. “What a better way to start my revenged on them than to seduced Paolo and poison their relationship?” It was devious but the thought gave my heart such happiness that I never thought of experiencing again after their cruel betrayal. “Are you sure you can do it?” Lucca asked me with concerned coated his every word. I frowned at him. Doesn’t he like my idea?

“Why?” I asked him in return, hiding the pain in my heart that he doesn’t like my plan in avenging to the people who deceived me. He shrugged casually, looking straight into my eyes in a stare that he look every inch of a powerful duke that he is. “Don’t get me wrong, Tatiana. I just don’t want you to get hurt in the process.” I scowled at him openly. I was one of the few people who could do it in front of him. “I don’t get hurt.” I reassured him. “I’m past being hurt by them. Why would I get hurt in the first place, Lucca?” There was something in his expressive gray eyes that gave me a paused. There was something dark and dangerous flashed on their depth that I read. “Maybe because that you loved him once and there’s a chance that you’ll fall in love with him again.” Suddenly, I couldn’t speak. All I could do was to stared at my husband. If I didn’t know better I would think that he was jealous. This drop-dead-gorgeous Italian duke who had women falling under his feet would be jealous over my relationship with a self-made Italian millionaire. The idea was ridiculous yet it gave a strange satisfaction. That somehow this man that I married had learned to cared for me for who I am with all the emotional baggage I carried. “I am right, isn’t it?” Lucca said darkly while his eyes were as dark as his voice. “You still have feelings for the man who choose your stepsister over you.” His harsh words might have hurted me over month ago. Too bad I was over with Paolo and he couldn’t hurt me any longer. So Lucca’s words had no effect on me. I smiled at my devilish looking husband with a smile playing on my lips. I couldn’t help it but to teased him. “Are you jealous, my lord?” If I thought that dark stares he’d given me awhile ago couldn’t get any worse I was mistaken. Because the looks he’d gave me this time was enough for a sane man to shrink back with fear. Well, not me. “So what if I am?” He surprised me by asking. “Don’t I have the right to be jealous? I am your husband, after all.” Oh, my word. I was eternally grateful that we were sitting or else my legs wouldn’t hold me any longer. Did he really just say that? He was really jealous over Paolo? Francesca was right about him!

I moved closer where he was sitting. I caressed his handsome face. “You don’t have to be jealous over Paolo.” I reassured him. “He and I were truly over. I was only after for my revenged and the fact that they tried to kill me.” “Are you sure?” Who could have thought that even the ruthless duke could be adorable when he was jealous? I smiled at him. “Yes. Very sure.” When he still wasn’t looked so convinced, I moved closer until my lips met his. It was supposed to be brief and playful but when Lucca started to move his mouth against mine and gripped my hair into his hand suddenly I realized that I was in trouble. That there was consequence in waking up a slumbering predator. Now that I woke him up, what will I do?

Lucca Cavelli’s POV Now that I was trapped inside my car with my wife I couldn’t help but to revisit the events today inside my head especially the one involving Paolo Ranaldi and Sabrina Hunter over lunch... “Sorry to barge in,” My Tatiana had said without an ounce of sincerity on her voice. She was a great actress I will give her that credit. When she was done on her revenged thing I will recommend to her that she should try acting. “I hope we’re not intruding your business meeting.” “If you were interrupting it we couldn’t say it out loud.” I told her playfully. And that earned gratitude on the depth of her pretty lavender eyes. And it was ridiculous of me but I felt such happiness inside me. “Isn’t that right, Ranaldi?” I looked at him only to know that he was busy ogling Tatiana. Suddenly, my mood instantly turned into the darker side. Was he perhaps known in his gut that this was his missing fiancée who was supposed to be death in the sea? Or he was so busy examining every feature of Tatiana and comparing the likeness between the two. I don’t like it not one bit. As far as I am concern, the claimed he has on Tatiana ended when he decide to left her dying on cold sea. When I remember the suffering my wife had suffered from their hands I want to do something violent to them that stunned even me. I want to tear them limb by limb until they felt pain Tatiana suffered hundred

times harder. Honestly, I’ve never been this brutal before. I have never had the urge to protect a woman so fiercely that scared the hell out of me. “Ranaldi?” I drew his attention. I just barely hide the irritation from my voice. “Sorry, Your Excellency.” Paolo said, looking away from my Tatiana. He had the nerve to blush, has he? I tried to dose my anger by slow measured breath. I could do this, I told myself repeatedly. “So, where the two of you meet, Your Excellency?” For the first time in like an ages the beautiful, socialite Sabrina Hunter joined the conversation. Clearly, she’s not enjoying this lunch more than me. Tatiana spared her a glanced but I couldn’t miss the coldness in her eyes before smiling thinly. “We met the last summer on Sardinia.” “Was it loved at first sight?” The ready smile on Tatiana’s lips slipped away. So I decided to step in. “No.” I answered truthfully. “At first, she hated my gut so much that she never hesitated to slice me in half with her sharp tongue.” My favorite blush spread through her pale cheeks. Good, was she too remembering that day we met? It feels like it’s been years since that day not only weeks. “It must have been an achievement for you to snare the elusive duke to a good marriage.” Sabrina said acidly to Tatiana. There was pure hatred on those pretty violet eyes before Tatiana blinked it away. “Would you believe that he was the one who did the dragging to the altar?” Sabrina gasped openly. And Tatiana added smugly. “He married me even if his mother was out of the country. He couldn’t even wait for his mother’s return before we speak our vows.” “Why the haste, Your Excellency?” Paolo asked warily. A looked at him in the eyes and said. “A man should not let the jewel he found slipped away in his hands. Some men were fool enough to do that but not me.” I took Tatiana’s creamy hand and kissed it. “When I found this woman I knew I should have her.” I could see happiness and desire on her pretty eyes as we stared at each other like

we’re the only person inside the restaurant. “I would kill anyone who will try to steal her away from me...” “Did you their faces over our lunch, Lucca? One might think that they’re dinning with the grim reaper.” My reverie was interpreted by my wife’s enthusiasm. I smiled down at her as she continue to chatted what she felt about the start of her revenged to her ex-fiance and stepsister. All in all, I think we’re making a huge progress. I certainly hope so...

================= Chapter 22: The Phone Call No matter how busy someone is, if they love you and care they will find a way to make time for you. Even the smallest text message or quickest phone call can say a thousand words. -Rebecca Press

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I stared the full-length mirror on the bedroom that I shared with my husband on our penthouse in Manhattan. A beautiful woman in her stunning black evening gown stood in front of me stared back. She’s like a princess—or perhaps even a queen with all that regal beauty and confidence I saw in her violet eyes. And she was me. My other persona. She’s the successful and confident Mariya Cavelli, Duchess of Caprielle. The woman living inside the shy and wallflower Tatiana Rostova. Thanks, to my eventful summer in Italy my whole world turned upside down and the people I thought would be the last persons on earth that want to see me hurt where the ones that betrayed me. But if not for them, I wouldn’t meet my fabulous husband and the kind people in his world who helped me to my avenged to my ex-fiancé and stepsister. I sighed. I should be stopped thinking about Paolo and Sabrina. It would only bring grief and despair to the promising night ahead of me.

Tonight was the fifty-third birthday of my stepmother, the only mother I have ever known, since my biological mom died when I was still two years old. My papa remarried so he could give me a mother. I believed papa had also loved my stepmother, Amanda, who is the biological mother of Sabrina. She’s kindest stepmother I could ever ask and she treated me like her own child and I loved her with all my heart. Sometimes, it grieves me at night when I imagine her sobbing face at the thought that she believed that her other daughter died tragically at the sea in Amalfi Coast. A familiar ringing brought me out of my reverie. It was my phone. I looked at the screen and smile. It was Francesca. Calling all the way from Italy. “Buonasera,” I greeted Francesca over the phone. “Actually,” Francesca said on the other line. “It’s buon giorno, Taitiana. It’s already 1 a.m. here. But you’re getting good with your italian, my dear. I’m so proud of you.” “Oh, dear. Why are you still awake?” I heard Francesca sighed. “I came from a party. I just got home, dear.” “I was about to call you to say thank you for the beautiful evening gown you sent me.” I twirled around a little checking the perfectly fit gown. “It’s gorgeous and perfect.” “I know,” Francesca said a little smugly. “When I ordered that in Paris I already knew your measurements that’s why I know that will fit perfectly on you.” I suddenly remember the weeks in Amalfi when she's the one who picked what I should wear everyday. “So...?” “So what?” I asked which I don’t understand her. I heard her blew a deep breath. I could just imagine that she got her feet freed from her favored killer stilettos that one she insist I should wear from now on. “What are the improvements?”

“Improvements?” I repeated with a slight smile on my bloody-red lips. “Oh, nothing much. I finally have my way back to Paolo and Sabrina’s life. In fact, we are on our way to attend my step—” “That’s not what I meant!” I frowned. “Then what?” “What’s the improvement on your relationship with your husband?” Francesca said bluntly. “Oh,” I could feel the blushed spreading through my cheeks. “That.” “Yes,” My good friend answered. “That.” “Well—” “Well...?” Francesca continued. “Does the duke continue to share bed with you?” “Francesca!” I laughed. I didn’t know if I wanted to reprimand her or plead not to ask such question. Apparently, she guessed and laughed. “Sorry. I should have known you’re not that ready to discuss such things. But are you happy, Tatiana? Does Lucca treat you well? Does he still express his jealousy?” I laughed again and sat on the massive bed. “Yes. I’m happy, Francesca. Lucca does treat me well. And as for the jealousy thing...no, after the stunt you pulled in involving my poor driver, Gio.” She laughed rather sheepishly. “Sorry about that, dear. I only wanted to test my theory if that devilish duke would really be jealous when some guy is touching his wife. It was high time for Lucca to have a taste of his own medicine.” “You’re rather ruthless for that matter.” “So, where is your husband?” Francesca asked. I looked at the doorway. “He’s still probably at the study room taking a phone call. He told me we’re leaving once he finished with a phone call.” “Workaholic, was he?”

“You bet.” I told her with a fond smile on my face. “Well, I don’t see it a problem to your relationship.” Francesca remarked. “As much as I loved to chat with you, dear. I think it’s better to end this phone call and be on your way. I’m rather sleepy myself.” “All right,” I smiled. “Bye.” I listened to my good friend as she bid me goodbye and added few pointers to remember in dealing with the people who knew me in the past. She’s the best teacher and friend a woman could have. I am so thankful that I met her in my life. When I hung-up the phone. Suddenly, I missed the simple coffee we shared in Almafi in between my lessons. When Lucca and I got home, I will treat Francesca a cup of coffee. Home... I never thought that this day would come and I will think of Lucca’s villa in Amalfi as home. How odd that could be? Before I could dwell on my thoughts deeply. The door was finally opened and my sinfully gorgeous duke walked inside in his tuxedo suit. “Are you ready?” He asked me while his silver eyes raked over me. “Yes,” I said as I stood from the bed while I took a deep breath. “Francesca just called.” “Has she?” Lucca asked sardonically, as he helped me to my coat. “You two are not plotting something evil against me again, correct?” I couldn’t help but laughed as I looked at him. “We are not plotting anything, Your Excellency.” “Good.” I was still laughing at the seriousness on his face as we walked out of the

penthouse and to the waiting car. “Are you ready to see your mom again?” Lucca asked. “Yes.” I answered truthfully. Though I cannot hugged her like the ones I always give her. “Are you aware that this will create uproar now all of the cream of Manhattan society would be present? And everyone would think that Tatiana Rostova came back to dead?” “I know.” I replied sliding to the waiting car. Lucca looked at me for a long after sliding in the car and nodded. Whatever he saw on my expression proved to him that I was ready. “Then, let’s do it.” He looked at our driver and ordered. “Rostov Hotel.”

================= Chapter 23: The Birthday A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. -Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Tatiana Rostova’s POV So here we are at the Rostov Hotel, one of the hotels owned by my family around the world. My great-grandfather started the business of hotels when he bought a century old mansion in St. Petersburg in Russia and turned it into a luxury hotel. Now decades later the Rostov International Hotels were well-known hotel chain around the world. I glanced at Lucca once he helped me to slide out of the car. He was busy looking at the magnificent building in front of us. The same hotel chain that would be his once my revenged was complete. “I never failed to be impressed with your father’s taste of luxury. The Rostov Hotels were known for their opulence and comfort.” Lucca remarked with his silver eyes gleaming under the lights.

“This is one of the hotels that would be yours once my revenged is finished.” I reminded Lucca thoughtfully. Something dark and dangerous flashed on his silver eyes. “Now is not the right time to discuss that, Tatiana.” Lucca said coldly. I frowned slightly. Have I said anything to him that he didn’t like? The way he looked at me it seem distant and every inch of an Italian duke. And right now, he is the powerful Italian duke that everyone feared. He led me to the entrance of the Rostov Hotel and the concierge slightly frowned at me. As if, he saw a ghost that should have been dead long time ago. Here we go, I told myself as I took the first step on the marble floor of my family’s hotel. I walked gracefully in the arms of my husband, a powerful Italian duke. Lucca led me to the grand ballroom but I couldn’t help to noticed that my knees were shaking badly. Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t do it—couldn’t face my mama again and act as if I don’t know her. It’s too painful to bear the disappointment on her face when I deny that I am Tatiana, her younger daughter. I was about to pull away from Lucca’s arm but it’s too late. We already reach the entrance of the elegantly dressed ball room of the Rostov Hotel. The chatter inside the room abruptly stopped and looked at our direction with stunned reaction from the cream of Manhattan society. A distinctive squeeze on my hand reminded me that I could do this. I should endure their stares like I’m used to it. Even I was shaking badly inside. I hated it when people stared at me. With an encouraging nod from my protective husband I took the first step towards the waiting uproar on my mama’s birthday. As we walked to greet my mama on her birthday I couldn’t help but to hear people murmured as they stared in my direction. It’s Tatiana! She came back from the dead? No, she’s not the missing heiress.

Tatiana... Who is she? Who am I, indeed? I should ask that question to myself. Because I was not raised by mama to be a vengeful woman. All she wants for me is to achieve my dreams and be a woman whom my father will be proud of. But I didn’t become that woman. I was betrayed by the people I trusted with my life. Then before I knew it we were at the middle of the ballroom where my mama was talking with her friends and sadness was visible on her midnight blue eyes. Even though she’s smiling her eyes were dull. Lifeless. My heart constricted with pain. My poor mama was still grieving for my death. “Happy Birthday, Mrs. Rostova.” Lucca’s commanding voice boomed inside the room. The semi circle group of people who were talking animatedly to my mother suddenly broke apart and parted like the red sea. Paolo and Sabrina were with them and I could see the displeasure in Sabrina’s eyes as she saw me again for the third time this week. The fluke of champagne my mama was holding slipped from her hand and smashed through the marble floor. The tiny pieces of broken glass on the floor were mirror to my heart when I saw the tears forming on mama’s sad eyes. “Tatiana...” she whispered as she placed her hands on her quivering mouth. “Tatiana, my baby.” I wanted to run to her and hugged her tightly. I will reassure her that I was fine and alive. That I survived the accident that I— But the firm gripped on my hand stopped me from my foolishness. Lucca is reminding me of what I nearly forgot in seeing my mama. He discreetly nodded on Paolo and Sabrina’s direction. Reminding me that they were watching us. “Tatiana!” My mama surprised me by hugging me tightly and broke into tears. “Tatiana, my daughter, you are alive.”

With every ounce of self-control I had, I dug my fingers on my palms welcoming the pain of my nails from preventing me in hugging mama. I also fought back the hot tears that wanted to escape from my eyes. When I was certain that I could control myself. I ignore the pain my heart as I removed the arms of the woman who had loved me like her own daughter from the day Papa brought her home. “Mi dispiace,” I said with a forced smile on my lips. “You must be mistaking, Signora. I’m Mariya Cavelli.” The painful rejection in her eyes nearly broke my resolved. I’m sorry, Mama. I thought silently. “But—” “She is not Tati, mother.” Sabrina said coldly. “She’s Mariya Cavelli. She is the wife of Don Lucca Cavelli, Duke of Caprielle. She was just resembled to Tati.” “Is that true?” Mama asked. “Sì.” I nodded, placing a sympathetic smile on my face. I should have known that it was hard to detached your heart from your plan of revenged. One way or the other someone will be hurt and right now I am hurting my mama. Papa will never forgive me for this. But I wanted to give mama a gift even for a short time to see her other daughter. Even if I will deny her eventually. I should prepare myself from the disappointment of papa towards me. His girl was behaving badly. “Forgive me,” Mama had said, tears were still in her eyes. And that sight is killing me because I knew that I was the reason of her pain. “It’s just you bear a resemblance to my younger daughter.” “Ah, to Tatiana Rostova?” I asked, ignoring the painful thud of my heart. “Yeah, I know that I might be similar to her in our appearance. Paolo and Sabrina mistaken me for her the first time we met. But I assure you that was the last thing we have in common.” I slide my gazed on them with a slight smile forming on my lips as I remembered that day. The perfect day Sabrina had dreamed but I crashed it by my sudden appearance. “But the resemblance is uncanny, Mrs. Cavelli.” Mama had said to me with hope still

lit on her eyes. Lucca surprised me by saying. “The similarity was there but if you will look at my wife closely you will notice that she’s very different from your younger daughter, Madam.” I looked at Lucca with gratitude on my eyes. He never broke his promised that he will take good care of me and support me in this revenge of mine. I am forever grateful that I met him in my life. That when my revenged is finally complete and we have separated and go back to our own lives. I will be always grateful that I have to know a great man like him. Even the thought of divorcing him would leave a permanent scar on my heart that might never heal forever.

================= Chapter 24: The Prank It's funny the way most people love the dead. Once you're dead, you're made for life. -Jimi Hendrix

Sabrina Hunter’s POV If looks could kill Mariya Cavelli should be dead by now. From the glare I’d been sending her was enough for an average person to die on the spot. But not Mariya Cavelli. She’s too treacherous and dangerous to be that kind of person. Right now she’s chatting merrily to my mother’s guest as if, she’d born into to these kind of gatherings. That she knew this people around her and she’s happy to be reacquainted with them. Oh, how I really hate her. It must be the face, I concluded. The face of the woman I have hated since my childhood days. The face of my wallflower sister. The tears that fell on my mother’s eyes when she saw Mariya Cavelli was enough for fuel my hatred towards my dead stepsister again. Clearly, mother wasn’t yet recovered from grieving Tatiana’s death. She’s still mournful for the stepdaughter she had loved more than her real daughter.

Why should she love me, my mother? I was the product of a disastrous marriage. And from her second marriage she had gain a daughter who was good in everything except socializing with people. “Stop glaring at her, for heaven’s sake.” A hissed of whispered came to my side. It was my Paolo looking at the same direction as I, looking at the Duke and Duchess of Caprielle. “I know you don’t like the duchess but you can’t do anything about it. She’s the wife of the powerful Italian duke that everyone feared. Of course, expect her to be present at every social gathering like this.” That was the problem. Her husband, the powerful Lucca Cavelli was too important guest of the elite society at every occasion that everyone wants to have a chance to talk to him. He’s like a modern Roman god that could make or break you. “‘Don’t like’ were not the words I would used in describing what I felt for this woman who is resemble to Tatiana.” Paolo frowned at my direction. “What would that be?” “Loathing, maybe?” I told him. “But not dislike. Dislike is such a light word in describing what I felt for her.” “Why?” Why? I stared at my fiancé. Had he lost his mind? Did he actually ask me why I loathed the Italian duchess? “Why?” I repeated his question. “Because every time I see her loathsome face I couldn’t help but to remember Tatiana. That she can be a mirror image of anyone in this world except Tatiana. Never Tatiana!” “Sabrina.” Paolo had warned for several heads turned towards our direction. Apparently, my voice was slightly raised. “Excuse me.” I told Paolo and run to the powder room. I lost my composure on my mother’s birthday thanks to Mariya Cavelli. I went to the cubicle because my felt that I want to pee. Really, does being pregnant make you a frequent visitor of ladies room? As I am done, I went to the sink to wash my hands but my gazed fell on the mirror with words written on a bloody red lipstick.

MURDERER

I screeched at the top of my lungs. I fell on my steps backward until my back touched the wall of the cubicle. Who the bloody hell would pull such tricked on me? Paolo was the first one who came inside the ladies room with few of my mother’s guests. “Sabrina, what happened?” I clung to him while I pointed the spotless mirror with vandalism. I could hear my heart beating wildly as if it would stop any moment while I heard Paolo cursed softly as he tucked my to a warm embrace. I didn’t kill Tatiana. I didn’t. I saw my mother went inside the room. “What happened, Rina?” I couldn’t speak the muscle of my body couldn’t move. It was Paolo who answered for me. “Somebody played prank of her.” He indicated the mirror with accusing word. Mother gasped as she read the word. “This is a bad joke. Whoever did this I want him to be caught immediately?” The people swarm around the room started to whispered and murmured to each other but I couldn’t understand any of them. My ears still ringing with the word that was written on the mirror repeatedly. Murderer. I swear I didn’t kill Tatiana. It was an accident. An accident. She fell on the deck accidentally. I have nothing to do with her death. As the guests who came to see me after I shout all of my heart’s content drifted back to the party a new pair guest entered the room. “What had happened?” I groaned silently hearing that despicable voice. It was Mariya Cavelli and her husband the powerful duke. I never hated myself more than this moment when the last

woman on earth I wanted her to see me weak and hopeless because of a damn practical joke. It didn’t help when I saw an absolute satisfaction on those unique violet-eyes. The satisfaction didn’t last long before she blinked it away and replaced it with a sympathetic look. But I saw it anyway. Now would anyone still wondering why I hated this woman? “Oh, goodness!” Mariya Cavelli gasped. “Who could do such evil things like this?” She’s a one damn fine actress. I will give her that credit. If I didn’t see the pleasure in her eyes awhile ago watching me at my fragile state I would believe that she’s genuinely concern about me. “Are you, all right now?” She asked me. I wanted to give this woman a hot retort. I wanted to tell her that silence from her was a lot better than false compassion. But I was thrown away with the next words that come out of her mouth. “What could you possibly done that have caused someone to pull this kind of trick on you?” She looked me at the eye squarely with cold violet eyes. “You haven’t killed anyone before, have you?” “I didn’t kill anybody!” I finally found my voice. “It was an—” I stopped when I realized that Paolo gripped my waist tightly. I had to remember to keep my mouth shut or else they would deduce that we tried to kill my stepsister. “Forgive us,” The duke had interrupted the growing exchange of blows between me and his wife. “My wife was known for speaking what’s on her mind. Sometimes it gets her to trouble.” “No offense was taken.” Paolo reassured the duke. “Let’s go, darling.” The duke escorted his wife back to the party. But it didn’t escape me the smile playing on Mariya Cavelli’s lips. Once we were alone on the ladies’ room Paolo looked at me. “Who did this? Did you see her?” “No!” I shook my head. “If I did, I would have slapped her senseless.” “Maybe this prank wasn’t for you.”

“That can’t be!” I countered, shuddering while seeing that blasted word. “I am the only one on the restroom when I entered. That means that ploy was aim for me.” “But—” “Could you remove that horrible prank first?” I told Paolo. “Every time I look at it chill seep through my bones. Tatiana was probably laughing at the bottom of the sea right this moment for my misfortune.” “Do not say that, Rina.” Paolo hissed, while removing the red lipstick on the mirror with tissue paper. “Someone might hear you.” I sighed and gripped the sink tightly, looking at my scared face on the mirror. “How I really wish this party would be over soon.”

Tatiana Rostova’s POV Since we arrived I knew Sabrina didn’t want me to be here in Mama’s birthday. From the dark glare she’d been sending on my direction was enough to know that she didn’t want me here. But I wasn’t going anywhere. She will see more of me than when were still treating each other like real sisters. I could see she’s having a row with her fiancé. My ex-fiancé to be exact. The man I ever loved who she heartlessly snatch away from me. But that was now a distant history. Paolo Ranaldi was now an ancient history to me. From the corner of my eyes I saw Sabrina dash to the powered room. Finally she had lost her composure. I decided to go and console her to whatever disagreement she had with Paolo and used it against them. I excused myself to Lucca and his business associates and followed my stepsister. When I entered the ladies’ room she’s nowhere to be found until I heard her on one of the cubicles. I opened my pursed to reapply lipstick on my blood red lips. Then a wicked I idea crossed my mind. I wrote down on the spotless mirror the word: MURDERER. Once I was satisfied with my work I flew out of the ladies room and joined Lucca as if nothing happened.

A few minutes later we heard a scream of a woman on the ladies’ room. I couldn’t help the satisfaction inside me when I realized that it was Sabrina. The guests rush into her inside the room while Lucca and I remain on the ballroom. My husband threw a dirty look on my direction probably guessing what I did. That I was the responsible for Sabrina’s fright. “What?” I asked innocently. “I know you’re guilty on whatever happened to your stepsister inside the ladies’ room.” “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Lucca sent me a dark look. “I know every inch of you, Tatiana. I know when you did something from the look of your expressive eyes.” I smiled slightly at him. “Want to know what I did?” “Why don’t we just check it?” Lucca suggested as he offered his arm on me. “I’m sure it’s pretty interesting given the shriek your sister just did. It was enough to wake up the dead.”

================= Chapter 25: The Morning Paper The tabloids are like animals, with their own behavioral patterns. There’s no point in complaining about them, any more than complaining that lions might eat you. -David Mellor

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I am enjoying my breakfast over my newly purchased Manhattan penthouse reading tabloids. I don’t usually read this kind of stuff. Actually, I hated it since I am often the main topic of tabloids back in Italy. But this time is different. I had to read them instead of my favored Wall Street Journal. Because my wife, Tatiana, or publicly known as Mariya for the time being just attended one of the most sought after party of the year.

Amanda Rostova’s fabulous birthday party—my wife’s stepmother. It was last night and we attended glimpsed of my wife. Who will not died on the sea more than a month refined glory. Like a caterpillar

it. The crowd was stunned when they got a get chill when they saw a woman they believed ago walked back to their circle with all of her finally blossomed into a beautiful butterfly.

But Tatiana likes to play with their heads. She wants to be known as a different person very unlike to the real her. A new persona. And I wasn’t mistaken for she is the front page of every tabloid in New York City this morning. I wonder how she would react with this. “What are you reading?” I looked up to see the subject of my thoughts walked in wearing her favored outfits when we’re alone. Right now, she’s not the sophisticated Mariya Cavelli but the vulnerable Tatiana Rostova. Oh, how I came to loved those unsophisticated pajama. “Tabloids, my darling.” I smiled faintly at her direction. “You read tabloids, Lucca?” A quirk smirked formed on her soft lips. “Does the earth tilt upside down this morning? How come you read those rags?” “For your benefit, Signora.” “Oh?” She asked, as she took a chair to start her breakfast. Obviously, she wasn’t aware that she’s on every front page. It was wicked of me but I decided to shake her façade and showed her the newspaper articles I’ve been reading for a while. “Why don’t you read it, Tatiana?” She looked up from the plate she’s been busy digging and stared at me skeptically. Reluctantly, she took the offered tabloid and started to read...

Manhattan Tattlers

September 18, Heiress Returns from the Grave?

On one of the most sought after social event of the calendar everyone who got the golden invitation for lavished birthday party of the queen of New York society, Amanda Rostova, everyone was stunned when the powerful Italian duke, Lucca Cavelli showed-up with his wife. The same woman reminds you of the Rostov heiress who died tragically on the sea four weeks ago. (See photo above) “She’s like the mirror image of Tatiana. But she’s not definitely the Rostov heiress.” One of the guests had confined. Everyone at the party would have agreed that staring at the mysterious woman was like looking to the missing heiress whose body was never recovered on the aquatic of Amalfi Coast. So who was this unknown woman who attended Amanda Rostova’s lavished birthday party? We dug any information about this Mariya Cavelli but we couldn't found anything. Is she a high-profile woman whose identity couldn’t easily be found or just a nobody before the drop-dead gorgeous Italian duke swept-off her feet and married her? If Tatiana Rostova was still alive and had come face to face with her doppelganger one would wonder of what would be her reaction to see a woman with the same face as hers but more sophisticated version of her. But one couldn’t missed the look of Paolo Ranaldi had been sending on Mariya Cavelli since her arrival with her husband. Was he remembering his timid fiancée who drowned on the sea more than four weeks ago and thinking how beautiful she could be if she just knew how to polished herself like this Cavelli bride? But if that’s the case, he wouldn’t let himself become engaged with his fiancée stepsister just four weeks after his shy bride-to-be sink on the sea. Either fate or coincidence, one thing is for sure this Mariya Cavelli had bombs that hoard for us. We’d better keep an eye when she decides to drop them...

“So what do you think?” I asked Tatiana once she’s finished reading the article. Right now, she gives nothing on her expression and it’s somewhat worrying me. She gave a slightly forced smiled. “It never occurred to me that I could turn the New York press into an uproar upon on my arrival having another character.”

“What makes you say that?” Tatiana shrugged drinking her coffee. “Well, let’s face it. Growing up, I tried so hard to be left off their radar and it’s so hard when you are your father’s only heir. Being the only child of Nikolai Rostov makes the society and media wants to know everything about you.” “And you don’t like it.” I stated rather than asked. I could level. Being the only child and heir to the title of duke, I scrutiny of the society and media every damn moved was being sometimes I just wished that I was born an ordinary man away

relate on her on that grew up at the reported to tabloids from the public eye.

Tatiana gave humorless laughed. “Who likes to be in rags every day? I hated them, they dissect my way of dressing and speculating if I could run my family’s legacy if I was this shy woman who couldn’t even present herself to the world as the proud daughter of Nikolai Rostov.” She said bitterly. “They say that the Russians were formidable in business and the press was wondering if I could manage an empire.” “You could.” I told her, from the look she’d suddenly given me she obviously didn’t expect that to hear. I did not tell her that just to boost her confidence but it was true I believed she could do it. She’s a strong woman only she didn’t know that yet. Wait, maybe she had but she think she cannot do it but Tatiana is now learning how to be strong and face the scrutiny of the society without flinching. I will teach her how to do it, how to be strong. I will never let anyone hurt her again. I will protect her with my life until she can be on her own. She is my wife after all. Tatiana was still looking at me with question swirling on her pretty violet eyes. “How—how could you put so much trust in me when I couldn’t believe myself that much?” “It’s not about trust, my love.” I said, holding her hand that was rested on the table. “I just know you can do it. You are Tatiana Rostova, after all.” “Lucca—” “You know what?” I told her cheerfully. “Why don’t you take a break from this revenge thing and we’ll have a holiday.” “Holiday?” “Yes, a holiday.” I grinned the way she hated before. “A noun meaning a period in

which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation. It is often done by people who are stress from work and now apparently by people with vengeance is high on their agenda.” Tatiana gave a throaty laughed. “Your sarcastic wit never failed to impress me, Lucca.” I am so happy that her mood was lifted thanks to the impromptu vacation that I think that would suit her. “Great,” I announce, I could feel the grinned was still fixed on my face. “Is that okay with you?” “When is this vacation you proposed will be effective, Your Excellency?” Tatiana’s eyes tinkle with delight. “How about tomorrow?” I suggested. “Fine by me.” She replied happily as she stood from her chair. “I will pack now.” I watched her walked back to our bedroom when she threw me a look from her shoulder. My wife’s eyes still sparks like amethyst gemstones on sunlight. “Where are we going, Lucca?” I gave her a mysterious smile. “It’s a secret, my darling.” Tatiana raised an elegant eyebrow. But she surprised me when she grinned and said. “The hell I care!” Before she fled to our bedroom.

================= Chapter 26: The Holiday Holidays are about experiences and people, and tuning into what you feel like doing at that moment. Enjoy not having to look at a watch. -Evelyn Glennie

Tatiana Rostova’s POV

“So where are we going?” I have been asking that question repeatedly since we board on Lucca’s private plane. He who was busy reading papers since we took off finally looked at my direction through the top of those documents. “I thought you said yesterday that you don’t care wherever I took you?” I frowned at him. “I changed my mind. This secret trip of yours is starting to get on my nerves, Your Excellency.” Lucca laughed and shook his head. “You are impatient, Tatiana. Why not enjoy the surprised I had for you?” “I hate surprises.” I muttered under my breath. He continued to look at me with laughter still placed on his rich gray eyes. I don’t really know if I want those gleamed or not. So I decided to look at my window instead and let him continue whatever surprised he had for me. I could see from the reflection on plane window Lucca had gone back reading those documents. Only few occasion that I have the chance to study the powerful Duke of Caprielle without being notice by the man himself. My Papa was a prominent man but I couldn’t not compared the authority he had to this man I married so I could avenged on the people who played me for fool. Everyone in Italy had feared and almost worshiped him to the ground. Being an influential duke he is also a high-flying businessman who had a billion-dollar empire. One of his previous mistresses had even told the tabloids that her ex-lover’s heart was carved in the hardest diamond and coldest ice. But from what I’ve seen on Lucca he’s not that kind of man who his heartless—ruthless maybe but definitely not callous. “Stop judging me.” I twirl my head back to the man who just accused me of judging him. “I’m not judging you.” “Oh, yeah?” He asked sardonically to the way I hated before. “From the look on your expressive eyes you are criticizing me inside that head of yours.” I almost smiled. Almost. To the way he hit what am I doing right this moment. “What makes you say that, Your Excellency?”

Lucca gave me the look like a five-year-old child who is trying to outwit him. “Really, duchess. I am not like the average person that can be monopolized with your game. Give me some credit than that.” This time I really smiled at him. “Are you anxious that I am judging you?” “Hell, no!” He answered far too quickly before he could think his action that makes my smile turned into a full-watt grinned. As he caught the glimpsed of my victorious smile he scowled at me. “Dio, stop that stupid grinned this is not funny.” Oh, how evil of me. But I still decide to provoke him. “So the duke doesn’t like a woman criticizing him. Hmm, I wonder why the tabloids didn’t know that.” “It’s not about any woman, mi amore.” He said warily that I didn’t almost catch. “You are different to any other women. Simply because you are my wife and your impression to me is very important.” I was quite stunned because I didn’t expect for him to tell me this kind of stuff. I thought that our platonic relationship had only added a few spice when we decided to share a bed. Like any normal people who enjoy sex without complications. I didn’t expect that Lucca valued my opinion on him more than I thought. I still couldn’t see the heartless man the tabloid had painted him to be. All I could see on the man in front of me was the kind drop dead-gorgeous Italian duke who saves me from the brink of my death. He would still remained as the only person on earth I would trust with all of my life. He had proved himself to be kind and carrying husband to me. “I’m not judging you.” I told him honestly, giving him my full attention. “I am just studying you, Lucca. I still don’t understand why you chose to help me with my plan on setting the score with my stepsister and ex-fiancé.” “I told you before that I—” “Your Excellencies, we are finally arrived in Athens, Greece.” The pilot had said. I looked at Lucca with bewildered expression. “What—” Lucca smiled faintly. “It seems that the captain had spoiled my surprise for you.” He removed his seat belt once the plane standstill on the tarmac of the private airport. He offered his hand to mine once I took it he smiled down at me. “Welcome to Greece, Tatiana.”

================= Chapter 27: The Island In Greece wise men speak and fools decide. -George Santayana

Tatiana Rostova's POV I never took off my eyes on the picturesque scenery of my surroundings since we arrived. Greece was a beautiful country it's a shame that I've never been here before. From the private airport in Athens a car was waiting for us on the tarmac we were greeted by the Greek hot sun. Lucca ushered me quickly on the cool interior of the waiting car since then I never took off my eyes on my tinted window as the vehicle fled to the city. "Where are we going?" I asked the silent man beside me. Lucca, who was devastatingly handsome in his casual wear with a pair of aviator sunglasses that conceal his silver eyes smiled sardonically on my direction. "Really, you've been asking that question over and over again from the moment we stepped on my plane, Duchess. Does the word 'surprise' wasn't on your dictionary anymore?" I scowled at him openly. He was being on his sarcastic self like the first time I met him not so long ago. It felt it happened a lifetime ago but in truth it was only not more than several weeks. "The arrogant Italian duke I met on Amalfi Coast was back." I intent to pricked his ego by my rude comment but he surprises me when he threw back his dark head and laughed heartily. "Stop being annoyed on my surprise, Tatiana. You will like it once we finally arrived." I pouted at him like a child. "I first thought that we're just going around in New York but then we board on a plane then the next thing I knew we're in Greece. Imagine only yesterday I am enjoying my breakfast in our penthouse in Manhattan now I am travelling on a foreign land to me." "I take that you didn't often travel before?" I shook my head. I don't know why I felt a little defensive about it since it's

true but I didn't like to travel before especially to the place which I wasn't familiar with-like Greece. "Why didn't you take holidays often?" Lucca asked indecorously. "You have the resources at your beck and call. Why did you choose to stay and hide at the Rostov mansion?" "I don't like to travel." I told him, which true before. But now I realized that traveling was more fun than isolating yourself from the world. "From now on we will travel from one country to another if we have time." Lucca announced as if it was the most logical thing to do. Before I could react to his autocratic declaration I noticed that the car lead us to a port where there was a waiting luxury yacht. Lucca helped me to slide out of the car while I openly gaped at the proud yacht on the docks. "Yours, I presume." I stated rather than asked. If it not the name that engraved on the stunning yacht to gave away. It was name after his title: Caprielle. I was quietly astonished when I noticed that a delicate stain spread through his Roman cheeks. Oh my word, my husband was actually blushing! "Yeah," He answered warily. "I own it." "Just how many means of transportation you owned, Your Excellency?" "A few." "Like this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his direction. "You know what?" He asked a little irritated that I roast him with such questions. "Why don't you just board on that thing and get on our way. It's already lunch time." I grinned at him while walking on the planks. It's not every day that the handsome duke wasn't sure of himself why not enjoyed it for a while. Suddenly, my nerves seemed to freeze once I was on the yacht. I couldn't breathe my summer dress appear to be too much tight on my body. I was remembering that night. Not so long ago when I nearly died. It was the same as this boat I was on the deck when I fell when... "It's okay." Lucca's voiced registered on me as his strong arms wrapped around my body. "Nothing will happen to you. You are safe. I promised." I looked at him gratefully beneath my teary eyed eyes. He brushed them away and

hugged me like I am the most fragile thing in the world. "It's all in the past now. I will not let anything happened you, my darling." I just nodded trying to calm my nerves. I could do this, I told myself repeatedly. Lucca is with me he will protect me. I felt his lips on my forehead. I close my eyes as the yacht sets to sail on the Aegean Sea. We stayed like that that the rest of the journey. After half an hour of that nerve racking journey the yacht's engine finally stops and we were once again on the docks on a small island with many cafés and restaurants on the seaside with locals and tourists walking on the side lanes. At the top of the hills there were charming white houses and I could see a castle too stood proudly in the middle of the island. I looked up at Lucca questioningly before I summoned my brain to starts functioning again my husband smiled down at me and said. "Welcome to the island of Kithira, mia moglie." It was a small island but it was a beautiful one with crystal blue beach and powder white sand. Kithira was like a small paradise on earth. Lucca helped me as I walked on the wooden dock, his arm was still securely placed on my waist while his other hand pulled his mobile phone from his trouser pocket and dialled someone. I am stunned when I heard him speak in fluent Greek. Amazing, just how many different languages this man can spoke? Once the phone conversation ended he looked down at me with a slight smile on his handsome face. "Our flight arrived earlier than I expected so my car hasn't arrived yet." Lucca explained while placing back his mobile on his pocket. "Since it's already lunch time why don't we just eat here first?" Actually, I don't feel like eating at the moment because of my boat ride fright but I decide not to tell that information to Lucca. It wasn't that important I don't want him to think that I'm such a scared little cat. He led me on the beautiful restaurant nearby. We walked hand in hand Greek sun before we arrived at the cozy little restaurant. The place bit crowded but when the middle age Greek man saw Lucca he beamed at into a rapid Greek and few seconds only we were seated on one of the the restaurant.

under the hot was a little us and spoke best place in

"I take you knew the owner of this place?" I asked him once we are settled and have menus on our hands. "I know Pirro for a long time." He answered casually without even looking at my direction. "Yes. I love this island. My mother grew up here."

"Your mother?" I asked. Before he could answer a female voice interrupted our conversation in a fluent English. "Lucca?" We both looked at the beautiful woman stood beside our table. She dressed stunningly and clearly every man on the restaurant had eyes for her. So who was she? "How are you?" She smiled at my husband a little adoringly. "I'm so glad you came for a visit."

Lucca Cavelli's POV I looked at the good friend of mine who stood beside on our table. I wasn't expecting to see Alanis Karsouli here. "Alanis." I stood from my chair and greeted her. "How are you?" She grinned at me and slapped my shoulder playfully. "Why haven't you told me that you were coming?" I smiled a little. "It wasn't planned." Alanis happened to glanced at Tatiana's direction. "I see you brought someone with you." I moved where Tatiana was sitting watching us silently. I stood behind her chair and place my hands on both of her cream shoulder. "Alanis, I would like you to meet my duchess, Mariya. Darling, this is a good friend of mine Alanis Karsouli." The laughter on Alanis eyes seemed to be extinguished. "Oh, you finally got yourself married, then. Why I haven't heard of it?" "It was a whirlwind wedding." Tatiana had answered from where she'd been sitting. "Only few guests in attendance." "That's must be the case. You know what?" Alanis said to me, completely ignoring Tatiana. "Why don't you and your wife come to my party tomorrow at our family home here? I am hosting a party for a charity."

"Do you want to come, amore?" I look down at Tatiana. I know how she hated such event and I promised her that this holiday was for her. But she surprised me when she looked up with sparks on her lavender eyes. As she placed her hand over mine on her pale shoulder. The simple gesture sent a jolt on my heart. "Why not, my darling? It's for charity after all." Why do I have a feeling that this thing could lead up to trouble?

================= Chapter 28: The Greek Heiress Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance. -Virgil

Tatiana Rostova's POV You are not welcome here. If you were probably translate the looks that Alanis Karsouli had been sending on my direction since Lucca and I arrived at their beautiful seaside mansion here in Kithira. I couldn't help to wonder what I have ever done to this beautiful Greek heiress to be on the wrong side on her good grace. "You can't blame here, Tatiana." Francesca had interrupted my thoughts. Right now, I am standing with her on the side of the living room where Lucca was talking to his good friend-probably his best friend, Marco Orsini and a group of Greek businessmen not far from us. "What do you mean?" Francesca looked straight on my eyes and smile. "Because she sets herself for that role you are playing on Lucca's life long time ago." "You mean-" "Yes, Tatiana." Francesca completed for me. "She's in love with your husband since she's eighteen years old."

The revelation had shook me to the core. I wasn't expecting it. Admiration, maybe. But not being in love with Lucca for that long. Now I understand why she's being cold towards me since she learned yesterday that Lucca Cavelli suddenly got himself a wife. "What happened?" I asked my friend, looking at the Greek heiress across the room. "Does Lucca know about it?" "Lucca never saw her as a woman that he can be romantically involved with. She's just a good friend or a little sister to him always. And that was the problem." Now I felt sorry for her unrequited love for a man who never saw her more than a little sister. "How did Lucca not see how beautiful she is? And how suitable she is being his duchess?" "Perhaps, suitability had nothing to do with it." Francesca reflected. "Because if that's the case Alanis was the perfect bride for the duke simply because she had perfected being a fabulous hostess on her father's home." "Doesn't she have suitors to swept her off her feet and to forget her unreturned loved?" Francesca snorted. "She has tons of them. But she threw them all away thinking that one day Lucca would finally see her as the perfect duchess." She added mischievously. "Of course, that is, after his womanizing way stops." I couldn't help but to laughed at my friend's bluntness. "You're incorrigible." "I see that Alanis Karsouli wasn't the only one kept glancing on our direction, Tatiana." The casual remarked of Francesca brought back my attention to her. "Who else kept looking in our direction?" I maybe in the form of the sophisticated Mariya Cavelli now but inside I still cringing when someone was staring at me and probably judging me. "Your husband, of course." Francesca rolled her eyes. "He must be wondering what our whispered conversation all about. I bet Lucca was thinking that we were once again plotting something against him." I permitted myself a little smile. "Is it? You must be friend with Lucca for a long time now, Francesca. You two have this easy relationship."

"I've known Lucca before I even got married." I gaped at her. I didn't know that she was a married woman. "You are married?" "Was married." Francesca's smile was perceptibly sad. "I'm surprised that Lucca didn't tell you about it. He's such a gentleman." "So what happened?" I bite my tongue I sound tactless about my question. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to pry." "It's okay." She answered. Sadness crept into her beautiful brown eyes. "It happened long time ago. I was once married to a great man, Tatiana. In fact, I was just twenty-one when I married him but I know in my heart that he's the one for me. But he died on the day of our wedding." My hands flew on my mouth. I didn't know that Francesca had this heartbreaking tale about her. "What happened?" She took a deep breath as probably remembering that fateful day. "On our way to the reception our bridal car was hit by a vehicle with a drunk driver. I didn't have a scratch on my body but my husband took the blow he was severely wounded. I never thought that I would spend my wedding day on the hospital emergency room with my husband's blood on my wedding gown." "I'm sorry, Francesca." She gave me a brave smile but I still could see that whenever she remembered that day it's still painful for her. What a great love it was. "It's okay. It's been seven years since that day." I want a loved just like that. An inner voice whispered inside my head which I pointedly ignored. No, I do not like that kind of love.

Lucca Cavelli's POV I couldn't help but to glanced on the direction of my wife. Not just because she was stunningly beautiful tonight but the fact that she was having a tête-à-tête with Francesca. I shouldn't be affected by it, really. But since they start shooting glances in my direction and in Alanis, uneasiness crept in into my spine. I scowled. Had Francesca feeding my wife some gossips between me and Alanis? If so, I will-what? Okay, one of these days I will have a word with Francesca Marcolini. Every time she was with Tatiana something bad will happen.

I knew it from experience. "Stop ogling your wife, for heaven's sake." Marco had practically hissed on my ear. "You are going home with her later remember?" It was on the tip of my tongue to tell to this man that I wasn't thinking anything sexual. I am just merely worrying. But how silly was that? This devil friend of mine would probably laughed at me. "You know what?" I told my good friend, having my resolute resolved to come and join my wife. "I think it's time to join my wife over there, Marco." I didn't even wait for my friend's reply but nevertheless I heard him muttered something under his breath. I hide my grinned as I walked where Tatiana and Francesca had been talking-or probably plotting something again. Tatiana had finally learned to become confident very different from the fragile wallflower that I have save on the brink of her death on Amalfi Coast. She's now every inch of a duchess that I should be very proud of. "Are you two again scheming something evil?" I said to them without preamble. Francesca grinned shamelessly at my direction. Clearly, she was enjoying my uneasiness too much for her own good. "Scheming something evil? Such a harsh word, Your Excellency. I assure you, your wife and I weren't brewing anything." I looked at my lovely wife who was obviously fighting back her smile. I frowned. Really, should I feel worried about it? But before I could debate further the hostess of the party approached us. "Lucca." Alanis had said with a smile on her face. "You haven't dance with me yet. Let's dance." That's the other reason why I approached Tatiana and Francesca because I want to dance with my wife. But now I am forced to dance with Alanis. A man should at least dance even once on the hostess of the party and it was entirely different matter when he refused her open invitation with other guests looking at your direction. I know that I have no choice but to dance with her. "Can I leave you for a minute, darling?" I whispered to Tatiana who remained silent when Alanis never even acknowledge her. "I will dance with her. It's a protocol, cara mia." The coldness on her violet eyes was enough to frost the entire Greece at this moment but it was belied by the sweet smile on her lips. "Of course, Lucca. You may dance with her all you want."

I knew that moment I was in trouble. As I led Alanis on the floor I could feel Tatiana's eyes on us like a dagger of glacier ice stabbing my back straight to my heart. Once we were on the middle of the dance floor. Alanis place both of her hands on my shoulder in like a seductive way. I felt uncomfortable by it. I knew that kind of gesture, it was played by the women who wanted my attention in the past. Alanis too? "What are you doing, Alanis?" I said lowly to her in case some other people who are also dancing heard me. "You wounded me, Lucca." She said with those black said eyes. "I never thought that you would marry a woman like her. I always believed that you will see me as a woman befitting to be your wife once you are ready to have a family of your own." I always knew that Alanis had a thing for me. But I thought it was just a girly fascination and she would get over it as time passed by. "Mariya is a great woman." I told her truthfully. "She made me happier more than any other woman had ever achieved." Something dark and dangerous had change on Alanis eyes. "You can't mean that, Lucca. Look at her, she's clearly came from nowhere. She's a gold digger. She only married you to have the status and money that comes with you." You don't a thing about her, little one. "Divorce her, Lucca." Alanis whispered softly as her eyes pleading on me. "Divorce her and marry me. I will be a good duchess more than she could promise." I shook my head. "Alanis-" "It's just a whirlwind romance, right?" She interrupted me. "I'm sure you can't possibly love her in that short time. You don't know everything about her. She's perilous, Lucca. Believed me. There's something about her that's spoke vengeance and hatred." How precisely Alanis had hit that mark? I mused silently. Suddenly, I have enough of this ridiculous conversation. I removed her hands on my

shoulder and stopped dancing altogether. "Enough of this, Alanis. I will forget everything you have said to me tonight but promise me that you will never repeat this or I will be forced to end our friendship." I threatened, her hoping that she would heed. "Mariya was my choice of wife and I will not divorce her ever. I told myself before that I would only be married once in my life. Once I am finally married nothing and no one will ever separate me to my wife." "Lucca-" "Excuse me," I ignored her. "I think it's time for me to ask my wife to dance. The one thing I should did the moment we arrived." Without waiting for her reply I let Alanis stood on the dance floor alone with only thing on my mind. I will dance with my wife. But from the look Tatiana had been sending on my direction as I near with her. It wasn't going to be easy.

================= Chapter 29: The Dance When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. -Wayne Dyer

Tatiana Rostova's POV If I haven't experience jealousy before I am sure as hell I am experiencing it right now. Watching my husband danced to the woman who was in love with him like forever I had to braced myself for the pain I wasn't expecting to feel right this moment. Tatiana Rostova might cry or runaway to a place where her own misery could eat her. But not Mariya Cavelli, she's too sophisticated to be hurt by this kind of scenario. But it was hard to act as if you aren't affected by it. It wasn't as if I am in love with my husband, right? In love?

To Lucca? That's a laughed. I am pretty sure I haven't said that, right? That I am falling in love with my convenient husband. Because nothing was permanent with our relationship we might getting well but at the end after I finally had my revenged we will separate our ways. Right now, the beautiful Alanis Karsouli had been making moves on Lucca. I could see from I'm standing that she's talking to him-probably, even pleading about something. But what was it? I am surprise when Lucca removed the hands of that sneaky woman from his shoulders and stop dancing. I could see my husband that he was refusing whatever the beautiful Greek heiress had been telling him. Serves you right, a devilish voice inside my head had said smugly. Now Lucca surprised everyone when he left Alanis Karsouli standing in the middle of the dance floor alone. Once he caught my gaze he refused to let me escape his intense eyes. So I did. I refused to look away holding his gazed with such remoteness on my eyes. I will let him know that I am not jealous over that celebrated Greek heiress. "Dance?" A male voice had asked and surprised me. My view from my husband was cut by this handsome Greek. I smiled. It was on the tip of my tongue to refused but good manner dictate that I shouldn't refused his invitation. With a silent nod from Francesca on my side I place my hand on his waiting hand and saw Lucca's gray eyes darkened as this stranger led me to the dance floor. "So you are the elusive woman who caught the duke into the marriage net?" The Greek man had teased. I laughed. "Not that elusive I assure you, sir. But may I know the name of my dance partner?" The man smiled down at me as we dance. "Pardon me, Your Excellency. Stavros Aristedes, at you service." "I'm Ma-" "Mariya Cavelli, the new Duchess of Caprielle." I smiled slightly, looking at this Greek man's dark eyes. "I didn't know that I was

that famous here." "Everyone would be interested to know the woman who finally had the powerful duke settled into a good marriage." I laughed and shook my head on his outrageous view. Suddenly, my dance partner happened to glance where my husband and his friends were standing at the far end of the room. "It's seems that your husband wants to murder me on this very moment." Stavros murmured softly to me. "If you could translate what his eyes had been telling me. I think I should better give you back to him." I happened to glance where Lucca was watching us with a thunderous scowl on his Roman face. He was not clearly enjoying that I am dancing with this charming man. I lifted my chin in defiance with him. I am shaken slightly when his eyes turned dark and deadly as if he wants to march on the dance floor and remove me from my dancing partner. Suddenly, it seems that Stavros had enough of the dark glares my husband was sending on our direction when he finally stopped dancing and decided to return me to the duke. Slowly, I commanded my legs to walk straightly with all the grace of a duchess. But it's so damn hard. When Lucca stood in front of me I heard nothing but the painful thud of my heart as if, he too could hear it. "Your Excellency," Stavros greeted with a slight bow. Lucca at his most regal or at his most incredible rude-as I privately called it, turn his head on the other direction so he couldn't acknowledge the Greek man. Once the kind-hearted Stavros left me with this discourteous duke he turned back his attention to me. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with you, Duchess?" He held out his hand like a perfect gentleman on the Victorian novel I love to read on my teenage years, though his eyes held unholy amusement on their depth. The devil was challenging me. His silver eyes had been telling me silently: Go ahead and try to refuse me, my sweet. I am tempted-sorely tempted to refuse this arrogant duke. But people will realized that I had been jealous over the dance between my husband and our hostess. So I ignore my anger and place my hand on his. "Why not, Your Excellency?"

With the triumph on his silver eyes he led me to the dance floor.

Marco Orsini's POV I shook my head in disgust as I look at my good friend Lucca led his little wife on the dance floor. The duke got it bad. He's clearly falling for his convenient wifeonly he didn't know it yet or just stubbornly ignoring the fact. What had happened to the womanizing duke I've known since our teenage years? Who was this man who became a sentimental idiot who practically handed his heart right in the palm of the wallflower Tatiana Rostova? Well, now clearly the woman is no longer the wallflower heiress the American society had once dubbed her. She became an emerging butterfly and every single male eye on the room couldn't look away with this raging beauty. And that's the reason why Lucca Cavelli looked as if he had swallowed pile of rusty nails when a handsome Greek man asked his wife for a dance. I snickered. Jealousy is just for hapless fellow who thought they were in love but in truth their silly hearts is just mulling their brain. I couldn't take to see that my best friend had also fallen from the thing they called 'love' thank God I'm too clever to fall for a one woman only. A man needs variety of women in his life. My gazed moved on my left side. I could feel that my lips tugging a mirthless smile. I am sick of watching my good friend with love showing in his eyes as he gazed adoringly to his wife. Now it's time to harass someone so I wouldn't be bored on this stiff party. "He's fallen, isn't he?" I said by way of greeting. Warm hazel eyes swung on my direction they narrowed slightly when their gaze met mine. I fought back the triumph I feel inside me. "Signore Orsini." I smiled the way I knew she hated. "Such a formal way to greet me, Francesca. We're friends, aren't we?" "We are not friends." A scowled form on her delicate eyebrows. I must admit that I am starting to enjoy this party.

"We have mutual friends, then." I conceded. Annoying Francesca Marcolini was way better than watching your friend who has been fallen. The pretty young widow never failed to disapprove my friendship with her good friend, Lucca Cavelli who happened to be my best friend since our teenage years. She had been married at the age of twenty-one to a man fifteen years past her age. But tragedy struck on the day of the wedding when the bridal car hit but a drunk driver that had killed her husband. Seven years since that fateful day Francesca Marcolini never remarried again. The Italian society believed that she's still in love with her dead husband. Such beauty was just wasted with the memories of her perfect husband, I thought silently. I noticed that the ice woman was ignoring me again I decided to exasperate her more. "You know what? Chances that you're going to have suitors again if you try to lose that cool façade and try to smile often." My remarked was rewarded by icy glare from her beautiful eyes. "There's no reason to smile while in your company, Signore." "My company?" I asked indecorously, "You will be surprise how many number of women who wants to be in my company, Francesca." "No doubt, their foolish women." I smirked and glance on the women who had been sending me looks since I arrived. "The world had many foolish women. I believe I will not have a short supply." From the look on her face she wants to fire a hot retort but decided to keep it to herself. "You just ruined my night." Francesca muttered before walking out from me. "But you made my night, darling." I muttered back watching the woman walk gracefully at the other side of the room away from me.

================= Chapter 30: The Argument There is no winning or losing in relationships, it's about being on the same team, even when arguments turn you against each other. -Unknown

Lucca Cavelli's POV I led my wife on the dance floor but I might as well translated her body language as clear as: GO AWAY. I still don't understand her anger towards me. It was I didn't do anything wrong right? Deciding that the only way to found out what makes her furiously mad about me was to asked. "Tatiana..." I started as I drew her to my embrace for the dance. "Shut up." She hissed back. "Don't talk to me." I cocked an eyebrow on her direction. Didn't she know that she was achingly beautiful when she was very angry? Her beautiful violet eyes snapped with fire. So full of life. And I feel such elation knowing I am the one who put those sparks on her eyes. Either by fate or be chance the song played on the background turn sweet and dreamy so I have no choice but to pull my lovely wife closer to my body where her body press against mine. Knowing that that was the last thing she wanted the devil in me enjoy every moment of it. "So aren't you going to talk to me for the rest of the night, mia moglie?" I asked casually the way I knew she hated before. As if I am just making small conversation about the weather. Her eyes flashed like amethyst on fire. They're so beautiful when glowing with flames. Did she know that she's achingly beautiful when she's angry? I have notice from the converted glances she's receiving from the male guests in this annoying party. Suddenly, my own irritation was back with vengeance. I remember how that charming Greek man looks at my wife with such adoration on his eyes. As if, he's genuinely devastated that Mariya was already married to me. I am starting to regret coming to this party. I looked to be on was like annoying

down at my wife she's still pissed off with me. I wonder what I would do her good grace again. I thought of an apology but a half-hearted apology you aren't sincere at all. Because I didn't regret my actions towards that Greek man.

Tatiana is mine. She's mine alone. I will not share her with anyone else. As we dance on the dreamy melody I couldn't help not to noticed that she's avoiding looking at me. Her gazed was everywhere but on my face. My own anger was already bubbling on the surface wondering if I can ever fixed our misunderstanding. Since she's bringing the evil on me I might as well used it on her. I drew her even closer to my body until I am sure she could feel my growing manhood in my pants. I heard her gasped for breath. I smiled devilishly so much for her cool façade she wasn't immune to me. "What the devil are you doing?" She hissed her eyes ablaze with fire. "Dancing with you, my dear." I replied sardonically. "People would expect that I should dance sweetly with my wife." "It's scandalous!" Tatiana countered. "I am plastered all over your body." I could see the blush creeping on her pale cheeks. As much as she played the persona of Mariya Cavelli the sophisticated duchess deep down she's still the Tatiana the woman I save from the sea months ago. "Now, Tatiana." I cajoled, tightening my hold on her waist. "You don't people to realize that we're having argument here, correct?" "I want people to realize that all I wanted to do is to get away from you!" Tatiana replied trying to get away from my grasped. But her efforts would just futile. I will not release her not now not ever. People were starting to look at our direction so I did what I thought it was best on situation like this. I crashed my lips with her bloody-red one. Removing her lips stick with my kisses. She struggled but I held her close refusing to let go of her sweet lips. I invaded her mouth like a conqueror in the ancient times. I know I am making spectacle about us and probably were going to be the talk of the town with such public display of affection but I do not care. All I want to do is to kiss my wife senseless here. To end our absurd fight. Little by little I feel her hands weren't fighting me anymore but more on submitting on me. I could feel her hands sneaked on my neck and drew her body closer to me and kissing me back.

With a groaned from the throat I crashed her completely to me and kissing her so deeply I am sure we're making a show for everyone would see. After an eternity--or felt like an eternity I finally had the strength to pull away from her luscious lips. I could see those lavender eyes clouded with passion. "Not so immune aren't you, Tatiana?" Anger was back on her eyes in that instant. "You bastard!" Before I could comprehend she walk out on me on the middle of the dance floor. Leaving me wondering what the hell just happened? Why I am back to square one?

Paolo Ranaldi's POV "What the devil are you looking at?" I asked Sabrina. I am starting to get annoyed by her behavior. We were attending a charity ball here in New York yet she's still agitated it's starting to pissed me off. "Mariya Cavelli, who else?" She answered looking inside the crowded ballroom. I frowned. Why she's so obsessed with the woman who bear a striking resemblance on her stepsister. "Haven't you heard?" I told her offhandedly. "She's out of town with her husband." "What?" Sabrina's bright blue eyes snapped at my direction. "Why haven't I heard it? Why didn't you tell me?" I shrugged casually. "Because it's no importance with us, Rina. She cannot affect our lives so much just because she looks like Tatiana. Bad enough that it's felt we're living and playing right in the palm of her hands." "You're right." She replied taking a relief breath. Probably knowing that Mariya Cavelli was not in New York at the moment. "I thought she's planning something again that's why she wasn't showing up on the social events these past days." "Shh..." I rubbed her back affectionately. "Don't stress yourself about the

duchess. It's not good for the baby." "Our baby, Paolo." Sabrina pointed coldly to me. "This is our baby. We made him together." I still couldn't gasped the idea that I am going to be a father. Once I have imagined myself being a father when I am still with Tatiana. She's going to be a terrific mother. I stood frozen on my place. Cold sweat starting to form on my forehead. Did I really imagine myself as a father with Tatiana's child? When? How? Why now I am going to be a father with Sabrina's child I couldn't imagine myself as one anymore. What the hell happened? Did I fall in love with Tatiana without knowing it? Since when that innocent wallflower crept into my frozen heart and manage to capture it? Did I somehow kill the woman I loved without knowing it? Dio, I never regretted anything on my life other than this knowing I let the woman I ever loved died right before my very eyes. "Are you okay, darling?" Sabrina asked lovingly. "No." I replied frostily. I am still staggering with the realization. "I'm not okay. I will never be okay."

================= Chapter 31: The Surprised One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. -Henry Ford

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I woke up at the Greek morning sun that crept through the windows of the bedroom I shared with the duke. My hands automatically search for the next person that sleeps with me for almost every night. But only to found out that I was all alone on the massive bed. Lucca and I didn’t resolved our issue last night about the party we attended. We slept without talking with each other. You might as well parked a car in the space between us on our bed. Now fully determined to asked for an apology once I woke up I can say that my plan will only turned into futile. My husband—the duke, was clearly still pissed off with my behavior last night. He obviously didn’t want to talk or see me this morning that is why before I even woke up he left. I sighed the only person I could blame is to why we were in this kind of situation was myself. If I didn’t behave like a jealous wife last night we weren’t in this kind of condition. I threw the covers from body and sat on the bed preparing for the gruesome day ahead. I froze when I saw an elegant paper folded with the unmistakable penmanship of the powerful duke in my nightstand. Curious at could he possibly written to me I look at the content of the letter:

Good morning duchess, I hope you are in a fine mood this morning. Are you game for a little surprise, my darling? If no, that’s just fine but if yes walk to the terrace and wait for my further instructions. -L

I could feel myself smiling once I finished reading the letter. Lucca was planning some surprise for me. Again. I looked for my slippers and went to the en suite and do my morning rituals with a record time. I did what Lucca had instructed me to do. I went to the terrace and found it arrange beautifully with variety of Greek food on the table.

“Kali mera!” Lucca’s cheerful maid greeted me. “Kali mera.” I repeated the greeting as I slid on the iron chair to start my breakfast. “Kirios Cavelli wants you to have this.” The middle-aged maid said as she handed me the same elegant paper on my nightstand. “Efharisto.” I smiled and read:

I’m glad that you decide to humor me with my surprise. Now enjoy a good Greek food and wait for my further instructions, duchess. -L

I smiled at his little game as I placed the piece of paper on the table and start to indulged myself on the bountiful Greek breakfast on my table. What could Lucca have been planning? Since when did he thought of this surprise for me? Where is he? Those were just the few questions that runs into my mind as I eat my breakfast. I should have enjoyed my delicious breakfast and the picturesque scenery of my surrounding but all I want to do was to finish eating and see what’s Lucca had install for me. I finished my breakfast in record time. I looked around for a maid that will come to me and gave me my next clue. But all I could see was the empty place with maids busy with their chores. I walked away from the terrace and went inside the villa still no servants approaching me. So what will I do next? How will I know what’s the next step in Lucca’s surprised? Deciding to wait for it rather than asked. I went back to the bedroom I shared with the duke there I stood dead in my place when I saw a knee-length orange chiffon dress and a wide brimmed hat to match on the bed with the same letter beside them. I ran into the mattress and grabbed the infamous paper and read.

Such a beautiful day only to be wasted when you stay indoors, Your Excellency. Why not enjoy what Greece has to offer? Wear that pretty dress and hat and enjoy your day, duchess. The chauffer is waiting outside... -L

I smiled once I finished reading his note. I looked down at the pretty orange dress. Too much for my taste, the color was too bold for my liking. While maybe Mariya—my alter ego found it too simple for her taste. But since it will lead me to Lucca’s surprise I wore it along with the brimmed hat with it. I am quite stunned when I saw my reflection on the mirror. The dress wasn’t meant for the sophisticated Mariya Cavelli but it is more likely meant for Tatiana. The loud orange dress made the wallflower heiress bloomed into a beautiful woman. Had Lucca really pick this up for me? Since this dress intended for Tatiana I don for walking shoes rather than the spiky heels Mariya favored. I stride outside where my chauffer had been waiting for me as the duke had said. He’s already holding the passenger’s door waiting for me to slide at the cool interior of the luxury car. Once I am settled at the back the middle-age Greek man went into the driver’s seat to deliver me to my unknown destination. On the middle of the silent drive I became bored of looking at the scenery outside of my tinted window and looked at my poker face chauffer. “So where are we going?” I asked him in perfect English. The elderly Greek driver just merely looked at me at rearview mirror and slid his gaze back on the road. He both heard me and just not bothers to answer or he didn’t understand what I am saying since he didn’t uttered even a single word to me since I saw him on the villa. It’s so hard when there’s a language barrier on two people trying to have conversation—at least one of them was trying. So I gave up. I looked back at my tinted window and wait...

Half an hour or so the car finally abrupt at the busy section of the island where tourist where busy finding their way to restaurants, souvenir shops and other places. My driver opened my door signaling me that we finally arrived at our destination. I was greeted by the hot Greek sun outside Lucca’s luxury car. I pulled my brimmed hat even more to protect my eyes from the sun. I became quite nervous when my chauffer drive away leaving me in the middle of the busy streets with virtually no money. I kept telling myself that this was all Lucca’s surprise. I’m sure he was here somewhere. I start to walk around enjoying the panoramic view and excited on Lucca’s ‘small’ surprise at the same time. Then a young island girl approached me and gave a bouquet of peonies. My favorite flowers. “For me?” I asked the little girl. She just nodded at left me running back to her playmates. I smell the flowers and notice that there was a tag that hanged on the stem of the bouquet I look it up and saw a single word: WILL I frowned slightly. Is this still part of Lucca’s plan? I also became aware of the same paper that had me keyed up all day tuck beneath the bunch of flowers. I picked it up and read:

Enjoy a walk around the island with your favorite flowers to complement your beauty, duchess. And try to enjoy a fine Greek lunch across the street where are standing right this moment... -L

I smiled mockingly while I cross the street. Did he have any idea that I don’t have cash on me today? I thought this plan of his was just around his seaside villa. But as I entered the Greek tavern an elderly woman pulled me inside the restaurant a little enthusiastically. “Come in,” She said cheerfully. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

She led me to the one of the best table inside the tavern. I am quite dazed on what’s happening here but I remained to my seat. The next thing I knew was that the waitress is placing variety of delicious food on my table. “Oh, no!” I stopped her from placing the food my table. “You must be mistaken. I haven’t order anything yet.” She shook her head and continued to place it on my table and answered me in accented English. “No, miss. This is all for you.” Once she finished placing the sumptuous food in my table I notice that there was a tag again on the table napkin on my plate. There is a single word again: YOU ‘Will.You.’ what does that mean? As I ate my hearty lunch I tried to decode the words on each place that I went in. But it’s hard to concentrate when the food was so divine from the appetizer, main course and the mouth-watering desserts. Once I am done eating the thing I dread most has come. What will I use to pay this food? The elderly woman who pulled me inside the restaurant had come to my table. “You don’t need to worry about the bill, my child.” She said on her heavy accented English. “All is already taken care off. Here this is for you.” She gave me the same elegant paper I’ve been looking for all morning. “Efharisto.” I smiled and thank her. She gave me a kind smiled and left me to tend her other customers. I looked at the folded paper and started to read:

Did you enjoy your lunch, duchess? That tavern was known all over the island for having authentic Greek food. When you’re ready to leave try to look at the salon name Ómorfos. You will find my next clue there. -L

I went outside eagerly to find out what was Lucca’s plan. I knew that I am coming to the conclusion. Besides, half day was already passed. I walked around the island enjoying my pace and looking for the salon Lucca had said. The sun was so hot but I didn’t care. I am far too enjoying this thing to care about the hot weather. Finally after almost an hour of walking around the island I found the gloss interior of the salon the duke had mentioned. As usual, the staff beamed at me once they caught a glance at my direction as if they were expecting me all day. “Her Excellency,” One of the staff had said. “This way please.” I knew it. They were Lucca’s cohorts. They let me seat on the chair and started with magic on me. I knew this feeling. Not so long ago I suffered the same fate with Francesca’s team. Now here I ago again. I felt like a queen bee again fusing over by a group of three stylishly dress women. From hair, makeup and even nail polish they groomed me as if it was my wedding day. After a few hours they ushered me inside the salon where there is a private dressing room. I gasped a little when I saw a lavender lace gown that hangs. “The duke wants you to wear it, Your Excellency.” One of the staff had announced. It is so breathtakingly beautiful. I adored it. They help me to slid on the gorgeous gown and a pair of stiletto heels. It fits perfectly to me. I feel like a princess right this moment. Once I am ready the manager of the salon gave me my next clue:

Such a beautiful day let’s end with style, my darling. A car is waiting for you outside. I’ll see you on top. -L

Finally, an indication that I am going to be able to see my husband. I thanked the staff of the salon and went outside. I smiled when I saw my poker face chauffer earlier this morning. I knew from experience not to asked him anything. So I just

slid on the passenger’s side and let him drive. But it left me gaped with shock when I saw that he pulled on the helipad where helicopter is waiting. I am going to ride on that thing? Maybe I am, once I arrived the pilot approached me and opened the door meaning I need to climb up. This is my fist time to ride a helicopter and it’s scaring the hell out of me. Once I was safely strap I notice a note beside me. I took it and read the single word: FORGIVE I couldn’t help the smiled and tears anymore as the helicopter started to roar and fly me to my destination. All this effort Lucca had made was just to ask for my forgiveness over last night. After fifteen minutes of my first helicopter ride. We handed on the ancient monastery at top of the mountain. Candle lights and garden lamps where the only lightings on the monastery giving a romantic air. I walked through the garden and arrived at the spacious room where a table was arranged and the most handsome man you could ever saw stood near the table with his dinner jacket. Oh, how I missed him all day. “Tatiana...” He breathed my name. How I missed him calling my name. He offered me a piece of paper like the previous ones. But as I took it from him he said the word out loud. “Me. Will you forgive me, Tatiana?” I placed my finger of his lips to silence him. “There’s nothing to forgive Lucca. We’re both wrong last night. I might as well ask for your forgiveness.” “But—” “Shh...” I smiled up at him and silence him with the best possible way I knew. I kissed him with all my heart’s content. And finally admitting to myself what’s my heart had been whispering for a quite while. I can finally confessed that I am in love with my husband.

================= Chapter 32: The First Step

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I’m back to business. Those were the words that greeted me once I woke up on my first morning back in New York. The reports about Paolo and Sabrina’s finances had finally arrived. My vacation with Lucca was enjoyable and revelation at the same time. I just admitted to myself that I am in love with my husband on our last day in Greece when he pulled this little game with me. But I want to keep that information to myself for a while. I don’t want to get sidetrack with my mission—that is to get my revenge on the people I trusted most in my life. The persons I thought would be that I last one wanted to see me get hurt. “What are you reading?” I looked up to my husband who just walked into the dining room fresh from his shower. His midnight hair was still damp with water. Right now, he’s breathtakingly handsome. It never fails to give my heart a little jut and awake those butterflies I am not aware that they are residing on my stomach. “I have the reports I’ve been waiting for awhile.” I answered him casually, placing my delicate teacup back for the saucer. “Oh?” Lucca placed a light kiss on my lips before taking a seat on my side. “Does the report have everything you need, duchess?” I beamed at him. “Everything and more.” I replied. “The private investigator you hired had it everything from personal properties under their names to Paolo’s company’s net worth. It is all here in his reports even Sabrina’s money and her jewelry collection states here.” Lucca nodded, pulling the broadsheets and starts to read while the maid poured his cup a strong coffee. “He’s one of the best in the business, Tatiana.” “You might be right, Lucca.” I responded. “I didn’t know that Sabrina had a threestory penthouse apartment of her own in Carnegie Hill.”

“Oh, really?” I studied the reports closely. “Yes. It’s states here that it’s been three years since she bought that luxury penthouse and to think that she’s residing with me all those years at the Rostov Mansion when she had a perfectly luxurious house of hers. The value of it reaches seven figures.” “So pricey even for a rich heiress.” Lucca reflected. “The question is, where did she got the money to buy that penthouse apartment? To Ranaldi?” I shook my head. “Even Paolo’s business wasn’t that profitable three years ago.” “So what are you going to do now?” Lucca was still engrossed with the newspaper article he’s been reading. “I will now begin my first step.” The duke seems to find my answer more intriguing than the newspaper he’d been reading. “Your first step? Care to tell, Tatiana?” I sipped my tea leisurely before replying him. “Have you seen the tabloid this morning, Your Excellency?” “No.” He said curtly. “Why?” “Take a look.” I pushed to him the tabloid I’ve been reading for quite a while. “Damn those paparazzi.” I heard Lucca mutter under his breath. “I swear they have eyes from hell. I mean, how they could possibly know that were be arriving from our holiday.” I looked at our stolen shot picture leaving Lucca’s plane last night on page 6. “I tip off them.” “You’ve what?” “I said.” I repeated my statement. “I was the one who told the paparazzi that we’re arriving last night from our romantic holiday.” Lucca frowned. “Why? Why would you do such thing?” I smiled at my confused husband. I feel a little smug actually because of the plan

inside my head. “For Sabrina and Paolo to become aware that we’re back I’m pretty sure they realized that we were out of the country because they haven’t seen us on every social scene these past days.” Lucca was still frowning. “How can you be sure that they are concern that we left town. For all I know they are celebrating the fact that we were not in New York these last three days.” “Oh! You don’t know them like I do, Lucca.” I rolled my eyes. “They will be interested to know that we are back.” “Why?” “You can’t help but to be interested with the woman who has a striking resemblance with the woman they killed months ago whether they like it or not.” I could see that the duke was still absorbing what I have just said. I could see from his gray eyes that he’s weighing it. “What will you achieve from this, Tatiana?” Lucca asked, rubbing his freshly shave jaw. “Warning.” I straightened from my chair with a steely determination inside me as I look at the duke straight on his eyes. “Those articles were enough to convey my warning that I am back and ready to start my revenge.”

Sabrina Hunter’s POV She’s back to business. Those were the words that greeted me on the fourth morning Mariya Cavelli had been noticeably absent in New York. Well, so much for that. The perilous duchess was back with her powerful husband in New York from their vacation in some exotic place according to the tabloid articles. I didn’t know why but there was something about her that my instinct told me not to trust. There was artificial on her appearance I knew it. I could sense it. Maybe those cold violet-eyes that glared to people it reminded me of those same eyes as Tatiana when she caught me in bed with Paolo. That’s why I don’t trust her a bit.

She’s way too dangerous for my peace of mind. “What are you reading?” Paolo asked me over breakfast. “The duke and duchess are back.” I replied a little annoyed about that fact. “How did you know?” He asked joining me over the breakfast table. “They were in every page of the New York tabloids.” The more I think about it the more I get irritated. “Why is that I wonder?” I glared at him. The same way I will glare when I happened to cross path with the duchess again. “What about the fact that she bared a striking resemblance on Tatiana that’s why the paparazzi pick interest with her. What about the fact that she’s the only woman who manage to snagged the powerful duke into a good marriage—” I haven’t finished my sentence yet when my nausea hit me once again this morning and dash to the nearest bathroom and threw up my stomach’s content. Seriously, this morning sickness starts to piss me off. I felt strong hands rubbing my back while I feel dizzy on the bathroom. “Stop stressing yourself with the duchess, Rina.” I heard Paolo murmured softly. “It’s not healthy for you and the baby.” “This could only mean one thing, my love.” I told him weakly. “What?” “Disaster.” I proclaimed. “She’s back with storms of hell from her vacations.”

================= Chapter 33: The Trap Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count. -Dr. Robert Anthony

Paolo Ranaldi’s POV I don’t believe in destiny, fate, luck, curse or even karma. It’s up to a person to succeed or fail in his life. But know I’m starting to question that belief. With my hand was a piece of paper but it was as well as important as my life. I read the inscription again for almost a hundredth times since it arrived in my office. I looked at the crumpled paper on my hand and stare at the words that could ruin me forever:

I know what you did to Tatiana Rostova. Meet me at the lobby of Rostov Hotel 8pm sharp if you don’t want your name ruin on tomorrow’s paper.

I sighed and crashed the paper in my hand. I smugly believe that a man holds his own destiny—he wasn’t born to it. At the young age, I learned to work to myself and my mother. As the illegitimate son of a wealthy Italian businessman I never grew up with my father’s love. I have cheated my fate when I was born penniless bastard but I struggled to build myself from the slums of Italy to the suburbs of New York City. I wouldn’t call it luck when I met and swept the Russian wallflower heiress off her feet. I believe that she truly fell in love with a man like me. At that time I haven’t yet recognized the signs but I am sure now that I somehow slowly fell in love with my timid fiancée too. I didn’t know that time that my frozen heart was capable of loving. My goal was to marry her and be one of the most powerful men in the world. I might consider it as a curse that I met the stepsister of my wallflower fiancée, Sabrina. At one time I have enjoy her sexy hot body when I am left out on my prudish bride-to-be’s bed. And doubt that I would enjoy having sex with her than when I was in bed with her stepsister. And now probably this is my karma. Having betrayed the innocent Tatiana and broke her heart and leaving her to die on the cold sea in the dead of the night it seems that fate finally caught up with me. The crime we thought no one saw had a silent witness just waiting to pounced his opportunity.

“But that’s impossible.” I muttered to myself softly, rubbing my forehead for my growing headache. What is this new dilemma that we are facing? Just when the public started to lose interest about Tatiana’s death this thing blows up. Who the hell is he? What did he knows about Tatiana’s death? What does he wants? I looked down on my wristwatch five minutes had passed since the time he’d given. So where the hell is he? I sipped my whiskey and decide to wait for few minutes more. Suddenly, my mobile phone rings I glanced at the screen and I mentally flinched. It’s Sabrina. Great, I thought silently, just what I want, another person to saddled on my current problem. “Rina.” I answer. “Where are you?” She asked on the other line. “I called your office but your secretary told me that you left the office early.” “Sorry, babe.” I answered, looking around for the person I’ve been waiting like forever. “Yes. I left the office early because...” Because what? How could I tell her without her freaking out about our latest problem? Bad enough that she’s still upset because she learn that Mariya Cavelli—the woman who is uncanny mirror image of Tatiana—let just say a more stylished and polished version of my dead fiancée arrived back in New York with her husband yesterday. Sabrina didn’t like her and didn’t trust her a bit. Who would? Sometimes the woman stared at you violet-eyes as if she hated you with all her Sabrina even claimed that her stunning smile happy to mingle with people. The only time I

with such loathing in her arctic being before blinking them away. was faked like she was not genuinely caught her smile truly would be when

having private conversation with her husband—the powerful Duke of Caprielle. “...because of what, Paolo?” Sabrina’s annoyed voice from the phone dragged me out of my reverie. “Because I have a meeting with a client at the Rostov Hotel.” I improvised. I didn’t want her to be worried about it for now. It might affect the baby if she continues to stress herself. “Oh, really?” I frowned. Her tone was accusing. “Yes. Why? Don’t you believe me?” “Oh. I didn’t mean that way, darling.” She replied. “What time will you get home?” “I don’t know yet.” “Is that so?” “Yes.” “All right.” Sabrina had said. “I’m already sleepy myself. I don’t think I’ll be able to wait for you.” “It’s alright then, goodnight babe.” “Good night too.” Then she hangs up the phone call. I placed back my mobile phone on my pocket and continue to wait for that person who sent me that alarming note. Half an hour had passed and still no one had showed up. Maybe this letter was just prank to freak me out. I didn’t know that I’ll fall for this kind of trick. I drowned the last content of my drink intending to go home... “Paolo.” My body froze, as if ice cold water run through my veins. My nerves tingled with recognition. I know that voice—that soft melodic voice tinted with a little Russian accent. I knew it like I knew the back of my hands. Suddenly, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t look around. I am afraid to look at the woman who had just called my name. Impossible!

She’s dead, isn’t? With every ounced of strength that I could summon from my body I twirled around to face the ghost of my past—literally. I breathed a palpable relief when I saw her, but more of her doppelganger. “Mariya.” I said hoarsely. The smiled in her eyes full of satisfaction and something more...evilly, perhaps? “What are you doing here?” I asked in an awkward silence. “I was with me friends awhile ago.” She looked back on the secluded place of the bar. “I was about to go home but then I saw you. Are you with Sabrina?” “No.” I shook my head. “I suppose to meet someone here but he’s not around yet.” “Really?” She said, taking the seat next to me. “Mind if I join you while you are waiting for him?” I glanced at my watch. I am about to tell her that I decided to go home already but she beat me when she order two glass of martini. “My treat.” She said, pushing the glass in front of me. “One glass won’t hurt, Paolo.” I clinked my glass with her for silent toast and drink the martini at once. I let the vodka burned my throat. “Do you want another one?” She asked. “No.” I replied curtly. “Actually...” Whoa! What the hell is happening? I feel the ground beneath me is moving or even collapsing. What is going on? “Paolo? Are you okay...?” I could barely hear the duchess. My head was spinning. Suddenly I feel I am gradually surrendering to the darkness. I could feel myself

collapsing on the duchess’s arms...

================= Chapter 34: The Poison Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. -Carrie Fisher

Tatiana Rostova’s POV My plan of revenge started the following morning when I sent a note to Paolo’s office about the trap I laid specially for him. I know he couldn’t resist my bait when he realized that someone knew about the murder they did to me. So I waited at the Rostov Hotel on the secluded place where I could see everything inside the luxury bar. I am half an hour early on the time I wrote on that note. I couldn’t wait to see Paolo’s arrival. After my lunch date with my husband at the trendy restaurant in Manhattan I spend time grooming to be the best when I roll my plan into motion. Right now, Mariya Cavelli is in her full glory. A satisfied smile form on my lips when I saw a very anxious Paolo arrived and sits on the area and ordered himself a drink. He’s even five minutes early to the given time. Got you, a devious voiced inside my head had said. You and your lovely fiancée will start playing right in the palm of my hands. Starting tonight. I couldn’t wait to see Sabrina’s reaction when she sees the note a send to her. This will be an awesome reunion for the three of us. We are going back to where it all started. I notice that Paolo pulled something on his pocket and read. It’s the note that sent it to him!

How stupid Paolo was for falling for the oldest trick in the world. I thought he’s too wise for this kind of ploy. I didn’t know that I would catch him this fast. I decide to make him wait and see how badly he wants to meet the one who sent that anonymous note to him. Half an hour had passed, he still there sitting and waiting for that person who sent him that alarming note. I didn’t know that my ex-fiancé has that kind of patience. Such shame that tolerance didn’t extend when we’re still dating. He hates waiting before. He couldn’t bear to wait for his shy wallflower fiancée when she doesn’t know what to wear on the parties they need to attend. He couldn’t understand that I need time to calm my nerves because I am going to face many people I am not really acquaintance with, whereas, he couldn’t wait to mingle with them. I refused to remember those bitter memories every now and then. Because my heart filled with such fury I don’t think I could control now that the man who broke my heart is within my reach. It might affect my plan for tonight. I couldn’t let it happened. I noticed that Paolo is on the verge of going home after he took that phone call. It was probably Sabrina demanding her fiancé to come home and be with her. So I decided to make myself known. He might bolt home and ruin my plan. I approached the man who I given my heart when he just trample it right in front of my face. With his back on me I call him that way I am calling him before. The way Tatiana would greet her handsome Italian fiancé. “Paolo.” I observed that his back went rigid at the recognition. Serves you right. I thought with satisfaction. He slowly twirled around to face me. I saw the palpable relief on his face when he realized that Mariya Cavelli was the one stood in front of him not the woman they killed months ago. “Mariya...” He breathed unevenly. I couldn’t stop the happiness that filled me. He was downright terrified. This is just the start, Paolo. A voiced inside my head had promised.

“What are you doing here?” He asked making a small conversation knowing it was the last thing he wanted to do. “I was with my friends awhile ago.” I told him looking back on the secluded place of the bar I occupied awhile ago. “I was about to go home but then I saw you.” I improvised, making my way to open a conversation with him. “Are you with Sabrina?” “No.” He shook his dark head. “I suppose to meet someone here but he’s not around yet.” Such a perfect alibi. “Really?” I asked innocently, taking the seat next to him. “Mind if I join you while you are waiting for him?” I could see that he’s about to refuse. The last thing he wanted was someone was with him when that ‘person’ arrives. And even if, that person didn’t show up he didn’t want to be around with me. Not that I could blame him. My hatred towards him and his new fiancée might get him right this moment that’s why he’s so edgy with me. “Two martini.” I told the bartender smoothly. I glanced at Paolo when the glasses where in front of me I could see that he’s still deep in his thoughts that gave me an opening to my next step. When he glanced at his wristwatch for almost a hundredth time since he arrives I spilled his martini with a very high dosage of sleeping pills. “My treat.” I said, pushing the glass in front of him. “One glass won’t hurt, Paolo.” He reluctantly picked the glass and clink it with me for silent toast. Paolo gulp the martini at once while I just sipped mine. I could almost taste my revenge on my martini. “Do you want another one?” I asked, making sure that the pill will affect him fast. “No.” He refused curtly. “Actually...” The drug was already working. He stood from his stool but already losing his balance. “Paolo? Are you okay?”

With a flashed he collapsed in my arms. “You need some help, miss?” The bartender on his early twenties had offered. “Actually, yes.” I replied struggling from keeping Paolo from falling on the carpeted floor. “Will you help me to bring him to my room?” The bartender looked skeptical but left his station and helps me still. “Of course, miss.” We help the unconscious Paolo with his each arms swung around me and the bartender we dragged him on the elevator. My must hide my face at every angle for CCTV’s on the lobby and for the next step of my plan. Luckily, no one was on the elevator. I pressed the floor where the room I secured earlier is located. We manage to drag the passed out Paolo Ranaldi up to my room. I slid the keycard and entered the luxurious room in the hotel owned by my family. We put Paolo on the massive bed. Poor things, he’s really passed out. “Let’s keep this thing secret, shall we?” I asked the bartender and giving him some roll of cash. “Certainly, miss.” He agreed taking the money and leaving the hotel room. Once the bartender left me alone with Paolo I face the sleeping man on the bed. “I have come back for my revenge, Paolo.”

Sabrina Hunter’s POV I just end my phone conversation to Paolo. My nerves were shaking like I want to hit something or probably someone. That bastard. He’s cheating on me. With my hands the anonymous letter that arrive later this day. I read the inscription again with my heart starting to fill with anger:

Your groom-to-be is having an affair behind your back. He’s at Rostov Hotel right now with his mistress. The room is 528.

At first, I thought this was just another prank to make me paranoid again. But when I called him to confirm where he was. It just stunned the hell out of me to know that he was, indeed, at the Rostov Hotel. That bastard he couldn’t do what he did to my stepsister, Tatiana. I will not let him deceived me this way. Nobody makes fool of Sabrina Hunter and go away with it. If I proved that he’s cheating on me I will ruined him and his woman’s life. I will use every power the Rostov family possessed in achieving it. I will not be helpless like Tatiana. With the determination to catch if my Paolo really having an affair I will go to Rostov Hotel to find it out. I fervently wished this isn’t true or I will send them to hell like what I did to my dear wallflower stepsister, Tatiana...

================= Chapter 35: The Suspicion Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind. -William Shakespeare

Sabrina Hunter’s POV I couldn’t believe it. It was like happening all over again. The same thing happened long ago the final moment before Tatiana’s death. I stood frozen on the hotel door my brain refusing to translate what my eyes had been telling me.

Paolo was sleeping on the bed naked. Ironically, the same situation my stepsister had been when she caught us in bed together. Only now there was no woman present with Paolo. Oh, God help them if that’s the case. Is this the kind of pain my wallflower stepsister had suffered when she saw us having sex on the bedroom next to hers? I closed the door walk slowly trying to calm my nerves—or rather, trying to prevent myself from killing my fiancé who is sleeping peacefully on the massive bed. When I reach the red I notice a note on the nightstand. I reach for it and read:

Thanks for this wonderful night. I really enjoy your company till next time. -M

I crushed the paper in my hand. This bastard he’s really having an affair. He couldn’t be content that we’re already having a baby he’s still sleeping with other women? Suddenly, I couldn’t stopped myself anymore from the rage that bubbled inside me. I slammed the purse I’ve been holding on his sleeping form repeatedly. “You bastard!” I raged at him. “How could you do this to me? How dare you!” Paolo suddenly awakened from his deep slumber. “What the hell! Sabrina? What the hell are you doing? Stop that, will you! Ouch!” “You son of a bitch!” I fired at him. My anger had not lessened a bit knowing he’s cheating on me. “How could you do this to me? Damn you to hell!” “What the devil are you talking about?” He asked me irritated tone. As he sat up from the bed the sheets only hide his private parts. “And what the hell are you doing here? You were supposed at home sleeping right now.” “The note told me that you’re here and you’re having an affair behind my back.”

Paolo scowled at me as if I am insane. “What note are you talking about?” “There is a not arrived at the penthouse early in the afternoon—an anonymous note telling me, that you were having an affair with other woman!” “That’s nonsense!” Paolo denied fiercely. “I don’t have an affair with other woman.” “Liar!” I replied to him. I couldn’t believe that he would lie straight into my face. “How could you explain that you were really here at the given hotel room number on that note?” “I don’t know.” He answered, rubbing his face with his hands. “My head is thudding painfully right now stop shouting at me.” “You will not get away with this, Paolo.” I threatened him. And I will make sure that he understands that I am not joking. “You and your mistress, I swear to God—” “Oh, for Pete’s sake, woman!” He roared at me. “For the last time, I am not having an affair.” “Then how can you explain this thing?” Paolo rubbed his forehead probably from his growing headache. “I seriously don’t know what’s happening here, Sabrina.” “Start with what are you doing here?” I suggested, sitting on the bed. “And why did you lie to me not telling me that you are here at the hotel.” He sighed and looked at me at his tired eyes. “The truth is someone also sent me an anonymous note at my office earlier this day—” “Let me guess, it says that I’m having an affair, right?” Paolo shook his head and run his finger through that shiny hair. I want to do that job personally but I remind myself that I’ll be concentrating on this matter first getting on the bottom of it. “It’s more serious than that, Rina.” “What do you mean?” I asked. It is my turn to frowned. “The sender of that note clearly said that he knew what we did to Tatiana and he wants to meet me here at the Rostov Hotel or else he will sell his information on the press next thing tomorrow.”

“What?” I shrieked, standing from the bed. I could feel that the blood drained from my face and my veins starts to filled with ice. “How? When...?” “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.” Paolo replied softly. “I didn’t want you to be worried about this.” “Are you sure he knew something?” I asked my head was possible people who might see that we left Tatiana to “Does he wants money? How much? We will pay him. Name issue here. And just tell him to closed his mouth and to his grave.”

already spinning on the die on the sea months ago. his price, money is not an bring the information he knew

“That’s the problem.” Paolo had announced. “He didn’t show up on the time he’d given. I waited for half an hour more but I didn’t see even his shadow.” “Do you think he’s playing with us?” He shook his head lying again on the pillow. He placed his arm to cover his eyes from the light. “I don’t know. Probably.” “But that’s not a reason to drown yourself with liquor when we have this kind of dilemma.” I reprimand him. “I didn’t.” He contradicted. “I was about to go home when I crossed path with Mariya Cavelli.” “Mariya...?” Oh, that woman again. I should have known better that she will be at the right time and the right place. “What happened?” “She offered me a drink while waiting for that mystery man...” “And then?” I asked, not sure if I will like what will I hear next. “I drink her offered glass of martini out of courtesy to her husband—the duke...” Paolo recollected the events early this evening. “...and then the next thing I knew I am about to make myself fool in front of the duchess because I knew I collapse in her arms. Then, I woke up from your hitting, Sabrina.” “She brought you here, didn’t she?” I concluded, like a jigsaw puzzle I try to connect the events that involve Mariya Cavelli. “Probably.” “Don’t you find it strange? That every time we turn lately she’s there as if fate wants us to meet her every opportunity.”

“What if fate has nothing to do with it?” Paolo asked mysteriously. “What if it was all about Mariya Cavelli’s plan to meet us at every damning occasion?” “What do you mean?” I am not sure if I knew what my fiancé had been talking about. “It was like she’s the evil version of Tatiana.” Paolo said matter-of-fact. “The one who resurrected from hell just to make us pay and give us a living hell for the crime of killing Tatiana.” I shivered at the examination of Paolo at the event involving the devious Italian duchess. What if it’s true? What shall we do about it? “Are you planning to do?” “We will hire a private investigator and do some backgrounds check on her. From her childhood until the day we met her on our engagement party.”

Lucca Cavelli’s POV The bedroom door opened and I breathed the sigh of relief knowing that Tatiana had finally arrived home from her dangerous activity this evening. “How’s your revenge thing tonight?” I asked I am already lying on my side of the bed reading some book waiting for her return. “Tiring.” Tatiana answered with a tired smile of her face. She walked on the en suite bathroom to take a quick shower. After few minutes later she emerged wearing her favorite demure pajamas. The nightwear I have come to adored while her perm hair shined like dark waterfalls. “My plan had been already set into motion, Lucca.” She said as she climbed on the bed beside me. I invite her to sleep in my arms as I closed the book I’ve been reading for quite awhile. “I couldn’t be happier seeing them suffer.” “You must be very careful, Tatiana.” I warned her, kissing her forehead. “Do not lose your guard to them. They tried to kill you once and it isn’t likely they can do the same for the second time.” “I will.” She promised. Honestly, this revenge of hers was starting to make me worry about her. There were times that I just want to tell her to stop it and let the law deal with her

stepsister and ex-fiancé. But who am I to tell her what to do? I am not really her husband—I am just her temporary husband until the day she finally got her revenge. There’s nothing I could do than to protect her with all the power and wealth I have to be sure that Sabrina Hunter and Paolo Ranaldi would never have the power to hurt my Tatiana again. Because if that happened, God help them or I will personally wipe them both on the surface of the earth. “I’m already sleepy, Lucca.” Tatiana muttered from her half-asleep form. “Good night, darling.” I cocooned, hugging her. “Sleep now, my love. Let me protect you while you sleep and until my last breath.”

================= Chapter 36: The Investigation Doubt, indulged and cherished, is in danger of becoming denial; but if honest, and bent on thorough investigation, it may soon lead to full establishment of the truth. -Ambrose Bierce

Tatiana Rostova’s POV “I have good news and bad news.” Lucca announced a week after the fiasco I created on the Rostov Hotel being played by Paolo and Sabrina. “Which do you want to hear first, Tatiana?” I look at my drop-dead-gorgeous husband who just arrived from his Manhattan office. It never failed to leave me breathless every time I see his handsome face and his arctic silver eyes. This morning I suffered from dizziness and nausea it seems that the food I ate last night did go well with me. “The good news first, Lucca.” “How are you feeling, cara mia? Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? You look pale.” He touches my pale cheeks tenderly. “I’m fine, Lucca.” But I truth after I ate crackers I still feel vomiting. Whatever

this plague had drop to me I hope it will leave soon. Those icy gray eyes filled with warmth and satisfaction as he handed me a piece of envelop. “About the good news, I officially invested on Ranaldi’s company and he used his company’s capital as compensate if anything bad will happened to the business deal.” “And something bad will happen to this business deal?” “Of course.” Lucca stated, sitting beside me on the settee. “From the start that investment had problem unknown to Ranaldi. I told him that I need assurance that my money would not be wasted in that investment so he reluctantly placed his company’s assets as leverage in the clause of our contract.” A satisfied smile fitted my lips. “That’s quite devious of you, Your Excellency.” “Is it?” He gives me a rakish grinned, the one that is Lucca through and through. Then I remember that Lucca’s news is not all happy there is also alarming bad new though I don’t have any idea how bad is that news. “What is the bad news, Lucca?” The laughter left his handsome face altogether. That got me worried. “I just found out this morning that Paolo and Sabrina have you investigated since the little encounter in the Rostov Hotel.” “Oh...” I should have known better that they will pick up the paced easily. Scheming is on their nature. They are finally awake from their shock and start to make their move. I knew this is not going to be an easy revenge on my part that they will try their best to fight me. But I am not the coward wallflower anymore. The one they easily push on the side while they are having a grand time of their own. I have come back on the brink of my death as a new woman who is not scared and will not be easily being pushed around by anyone. “What do you plan to do now, Tatiana?” Lucca’s question broke me into my reverie. “It’s not that will find out anything about Mariya Cavelli because she’s not really existing. Only it would rise questions about your real identity and probably concluding that you are indeed Tatiana Rostova.” I smile coldly into my husband’s smart enough with that move. But make one step forward in finding truth, I already made five steps

worried face. “Paolo and Sabrina think they are what they don’t know is that if they thought they out my identity, they’re mistaken. Because in advance ahead of them.”

Lucca frowned. Clearly, not following what I have been saying. “What do you mean, mi amore?”

“Quite simple, actually.” I told him, squeezing his hand for reassurance. “There will be a change of plans, Lucca. Now that Paolo’s company is on our hands I will no longer need to seduce him and make Sabrina crazy over it. The plan becomes easier, in fact.” “What is the plan, Tatiana?” Lucca squeezed my hand back. “Tatiana. What is it? You are making me nervous.” I smiled at him. He is really worried, had he? Oh, my adorable husband. Everyone thought that he’s powerful and ruthless with a heart that carves in granite but in truth he’s caring and cupcake inside. “I think it’s time for them to know that their beloved Tatiana is still alive and vengeance is high on her agenda.” Lucca’s face is unreadable. “Do you think that’s the best move, my darling?” “The only move possible, Lucca.” I answered honestly. “If I want to trample their plan against me I think admitting to the public that Tatiana Rostova is still alive is the best choice.” Even though, I finally plan it inside my head and I am ready in facing my stepsister and ex-fiancé as Tatiana Rostova again the anxiety still remain on Lucca’s eyes.

Sabrina Hunter’s POV It took one bloody week for that private investigator that Paolo hired to have his report about that mysterious Mariya Cavelli. So we are in Paolo’s office looking at the man in question. “So, what did you find out?” I asked impatiently, standing near the window overlooking the busy highway below. “Nothing.” A stark reply from the private investigator. “What do you mean ‘nothing’?” I swung from the window and face him. Paolo who sat in his office chair remain silent until this moment. “There is no available information about this Mariya Cavelli.” The P.I. declared.

“I thought you said that he’s one of the best in the business?” I asked Paolo who remain silent as if his mind isn’t here with us. “Forgive me, madam.” The P.I. answered frostily. Obviously, his pride had been hurt. “I have connections with the CIA and I am a retired FBI agent. So my credibility isn’t a question here.” “Then, how can a simple task as this one is so hard for you?” I fired up at him. I am really pissed right now. I thought the information we badly need is finally here. “All you need to do is look for the personal information about Mariya Cavelli. She’s the wife of a powerful duke in Italy, for heaven’s sake! Surely that makes it more easily for you.” “Sabrina...” Paolo had warned, rubbing his forehead for his probably growing headache. He looked at the private investigator he hired. “Tell us, why you couldn’t found something about the Italian duchess?” “There is nothing about her that I could find. The only thing I could find that had her name link is when she arrived in New York to attend your engagement party that the tabloids realize that she’s resemblance to your dead fiancée.” He said, pulling the file from his case. “See for yourself.” Paolo reluctantly get the offered folder and opened. I walk where Paolo is sitting and stared at the content below the open file with a stolen shot of Mariya Cavelli clip on the upper right side of the folder:

Name Maiden’s Name

: :

N/A

Age

:

Date of Birth

:

Place of Birth

:

Spouse’s Name

N/A N/A N/A

:

Issue Name of Parents

Mariya Cavelli

N/A :

:

N/A N/A

Siblings School Attended

:

N/A

:

Personal Information :

N/A N/A

I snickered when I finish looking at the curse information. “Could that even possible?” “There are two possible options for this, Ms. Hunter.” The P.I. had answered calmly. “What are those options?” Paolo asked, closing the file and placing it on his table carefully. “First,” The P.I. said. “The person is a very high profile that the government thinks it’s better to conceal his identity. It is usually granted to the government agents such as spies, people who came from the wealthiest family or it could be a family member of a mob boss, star witness to a crime and etc.” “What’s the other one?” I asked, sensing I will not like this one coming. “The other one is...” The P.I. continued in a sotto voice. “...if that person does not exist.” If that person does not exist.... If that person does not exist...those words repeated on my brain like a broken record. Does not exist... “Thank you, for your service.” Paolo announce. “The full payment for your work will be on your account first thing tomorrow morning.” The private investigator nodded and bid his goodbye. Once he was out on Paolo’s office I faced my fiancé who just acknowledge this whole scenario with astonishing calm. What a shame I couldn’t do the same. “You shouldn’t pay him at all,” I told him, folding my arms on my chest as I glare at him openly. “There is no result on his inquiry. We knew something about Mariya Cavelli more than his reports, Paolo.”

“Stop this, Sabrina.” Paolo said serenely, rubbing his forehead. “It wasn’t his fault if the personal information of Mariya Cavelli is protected. For we all knew she came from a wealthy family—a member of a royal family somewhere in Europe.” “Or could be Mariya Cavelli is not existing.” I suggested, thought right this moment that idea is becoming more realistic than what Paolo believe or wants to believe. “What shall we do now?” “We will conduct our own investigation about her.” I frowned. I like his idea but could we do it? Even the one of the best private investigator in the country had failed to pry information about this mysterious woman who is probably way too dangerous. Could we do it? “How do you plan to start the investigation?” “I think we need to pay Mariya Cavelli a visit to their home.”

================= Chapter 37: The Revelations People need revelation, and then they need resolution. -Damian Lewis

Paolo Ranaldi’s POV Sabrina and I were ushered to the fabulous two-story penthouse of the Duke and Duchess of Caprielle. But I have no time in admiring their remarkable home early this morning. Two days after I decide to hold a private investigation of our own to Mariya Cavelli, last night our search brought us to the bar where I crossed path with the mysterious duchess. Sabrina believed that it wasn’t just coincidence that I saw Mariya Cavelli on the bar that night. She planned it. At first that thought seemed to be ridiculous but now I am having a second thought. Sabrina also believed that the duchess spilled something on my drink that’s why I ended up unconscious on the hotel room naked when Sabrina arrived. After the trashing I promised to the bartender that night. He finally confessed that the woman I’ve been drinking that fateful night is, indeed, drop something on my drink so I will lose my consciousness. He even told us that he helped that

stunning woman to put me on the room she’d been staying. Sabrina’s theories have been correct. But why? What could we possibly do to her, for her to ruin my relationship with Sabrina? We finally arrived at the magnificent living room where the woman in question was drinking tea on the sofa. She looked so cozy in her husband’s fortress. “Good morning,” Mariya Cavelli greeted us with a friendly smile, as if she’d been expecting us all along. As usual, she was on her refined glory, her makeup was subtle but I could notice that she’s rather pale than the usual this morning and there are shadows under her violet eyes. She seems somewhat unwell. “Have a sit.” “Let’s cut the chase here.” Sabrina fired without preamble, glaring insolently at the woman sitting calmly on the sofa. “We know that you did to Paolo that night a week ago. You were trying to tear us apart. Well, sad to say you failed, duchess.” “So, this is not a friendly visit then?” The change in her was swift. Her friendly eyes that greeted us five minutes ago were replaced by the remoteness in their depth. She placed her saucer cup on the table and stare at us with her wintry violet-eyes. “Sit down.” “You cannot order us just because this is your bloody house!” Sabrina retort back hotly. She’s not really giving an inch to decency. “Sabrina...” I warned. “I said, sit down, sis.” Mariya pointed the sofa opposite to hers with a firm tone that didn’t take no for an answer. “You too, Paolo.” I froze from my spot. I couldn’t move while Sabrina paled. What the hell did she just say? “Excuse me?” Sabrina asked rudely, her pretty blue eyes narrowed at the woman in front of us. Surely, we just heard her wrong. “What did you just call me?” Mariya smiled evilly. She crossed her legs together. She’s a vision of a woman who was at ease as if she wasn’t playing games with us. “You told me to cut the chase, didn’t you? So I—” “I asked you, what the bloody hell did you called me?” My fiancée repeated her question with growing impatience. I stood beside her and place my arm around her waist in case she lost her sanity altogether and decide attacked the duchess physically. That scenario was unthinkable we could be at the receiving end of the wrath of the powerful duke if his wife comes into any harm in our hands.

“There’s no need to swear, sis.” This time she repeated it more firmly, so there’s no doubt what she’s been saying. “We’re sisters, after all. Not by blood but by our parent’s marriage, isn’t?” “The hell we are!” Sabrina burst. “Don’t play games with us, duchess. Do not use my stepsister’s memories into your games!” Mariya laughed humorlessly that made Sabrina’s eyes narrowed like a pair of glacier ice. “Such passion for your stepsister, Sabrina. One would think you are genuinely concern about her welfare. Well, not me.” “Who are you to judge my relationship with my stepsister?” My fiancée muttered menacingly. “Who are you? We’d like to know.” That gave us the perfect opening for what we came for here. The reason why seek Mariya Cavelli in person early this morning. Rich satisfaction showed in her uncanny violet eyes. She smiled callously as she stared at us like a queen eyeing her newly acquire slaves. “My name is Tatiana Rostova. Though, my legal name now is Tatiana Cavelli, wife of the Duke of Caprielle.” She said nonchalantly, but the cruel smile still playing on her lips. “It’s good to see you again. The last time I saw the two of you we were in Italy and I am on the brink of my death.” It feels like the ground beneath me opened a huge hole and it will shallow me any moment. Nevertheless, I think that’s way better than this nightmare I am facing right now. The woman in front of us just claim that she is Tatiana—my dead fiancée. She survived? How was that possible? Tatiana didn’t know how to swim. So how could she possibly survived in the sea? “I suggest you take a sit, first.” Mariya or Tatiana—whoever the hell she is suggested again. My feet refused to move. So I stayed on my place while Sabrina refused to be intimidated but take a sit on the sofa across the duchess. “I don’t know what you knew about Tatiana’s death but don’t use it to gloat us. Do not claim you are Tatiana just because you resemblance to my sister, duchess.” “I didn’t know you could be this dense, Rina.” She called Sabrina the same way as Tatiana will call her stepsister before. “Mariya Cavelli does not exist. She’s not a real person. She is a fabrication I made. I need her when I re-enter your lives again.”

“Why?” For the first time I joined the conversation. “Why do you need her? Why not just introduce yourself as Tatiana why do you need to play all of us for fool?” “Hello, Paolo.” Tatiana greeted me pleasantly, as if old friends that didn’t see each other for awhile like unforgettable night in Amalfi Coast didn’t happen. “Why, you ask? Hmm, I wonder. Maybe because the last time I saw the two of you were in the cabin bed naked cheating on me. Maybe because you are mistaken if you thought what you did to me is a zilch and I will just walk into your lives back as if nothing happened. Or maybe because you tried to kill me.” “You fell on the deck, Tatiana.” I told her gripping the sofa. I need something to support me or my legs will giveaway. “I accidentally fell on the deck, Paolo!” She suddenly stood from where she’d been sitting, her eyes flash with pure hatred. “I lost my balance. When I am on the freezing sea below I plead you to save me. You knew I couldn’t swim. But what did you do?” She stabbed her finger to Sabrina’s direction. “You listen to her! You just stood there watching me as the wave trying to swallow me you couldn’t wait to see me dead so you and your lover would be free from the ugly woman you call fiancée.” “That’s not true Tatiana—” “Oh, shut up!” She interrupted me harshly. “Did you honestly believe that I will fall from your lies again? Did you knew what I’ve felt seeing you in bed with her? But that pain was nothing when you refuse to save me. I will forgive you if you just save me that night, Paolo.” “I’m sorry, Tatiana.” I offered. I know it will mean nothing now. But at least, I try to asked for her forgiveness. “Your sorry was wasted. I don’t need it.” She said cruelly. She might as well slapped me in the face. “I will never forget what you did to me.” “What are you trying to say?” Sabrina whispered from the sofa. “What do you want to achieve when you came back as another person?” “I thought it’s quite obvious by now.” Tatiana said, her pretty eyes glared with disgust. “Of course, I came back for my revenge.” I stared at the woman in front of me. Is she really Tatiana? The wallflower that was so kind to everyone and had an innocent heart? No, the woman in front of me was so vengeful. She knew how to play with people. She was the type of woman you want to stay away at all cost. This new Tatiana was not the woman I have come to loved with her purity. The wallflower heiress. This woman stood in front of me was now every inch of the

aristocratic Rostovs of St. Petersburg in Russia. Who turn her to be a heartless woman—? “Cara mia?” The powerful duke just walked in the living room. He eyed me and Sabrina before settling his gazed to his lovely wife with a quite smile on his lips. “I see you have visitors, darling.” Perfect, now that Lucca Cavelli was here perhaps this will be a good day for revelations. What will this powerful duke do if he knew that the woman he married does not really exist? That Mariya was actually Tatiana Rostova? The woman the whole world thought she drowned. What will he say if he knew that the wallflower, Tatiana Rostova, had also used him in her game of vengeance to us? I cannot wait to see the duke’s reaction. “Yes, Lucca.” Tatiana answered. The coldness in her eyes replaced by the warmth glow I know she only reserve to the people who have a place in her heart. Does Lucca Cavelli have already a place in her heart? “My stepsister and ex-fiancé paid me a visit.” A calculating smile fitted on the duke’s aristocratic face. “So it seems, Tatiana.” What the devil...

Lucca Cavelli’s POV My heart was pounding loudly on my chest as I entered the living room where my wife entertained her visitors. I phoned the housekeeper to asked about Tatiana’s condition this morning since I left early for office. It’s been constant now that Tatiana is suffering from nausea every morning and it seems that her emotions are unstable. I keep telling her that maybe we should consult the doctor now that the ‘plague’ that drop on her seems isn’t leaving anytime soon. But she would just repeatedly refused telling me that tomorrow it will leave. I could hear her sometimes at the bathroom crying. For whatever reasons is that I am worried. I tried to asked her if there’s any problem but she would just brush off my questions like I am just hallucinating myself. At breakfast, she has no appetite she would only eat dry crackers and tea claiming she’s just fine with that. I am very bothered by it. Now I went home as fast as I can when the housekeeper told me that the duchess had

visitors early this morning. My gut

told me who might probably her caller.

“Cara mia?” I looked at my wife first then glance at Paolo and Sabrina before settling my gaze to Tatiana again. “I see you have visitors, darling.” From their rigid posture it seems that everything was out now. They finally knew that Tatiana was still alive and they were in the midst of argument when I arrived. “Yes, Lucca.” Tatiana answered, the relief in her eyes was palpable that made me breath properly. “My stepsister and ex-fiancé paid me a visit.” I smiled mockingly. “So it seems, Tatiana.”

================= Chapter 38: The Choice There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. -Denis Waitley

Tatiana Rostova’s POV “Did you see their faces early this morning, Lucca?” I asked my husband merrily as we eat dinner in our penthouse the same day Paolo and Sabrina paid me a visit. “Their reaction when they knew that I am still alive is priceless.” My husband who sat across to me remained silent since our dinner. “Lucca? Is there something wrong?” I knew in myself that I am beyond happy about the progress of my revenged on the two people I have loved so dearly once in my life but there’s something bothering Lucca and that got me worried. He stopped toying his food with his fork and look at me for the very first time since we sat on the dinner table. He took a deep breath and stared at me with his intense silver eyes. Okay, this is really worrying me now. “What’s wrong, Lucca? Please tell me.” “If I ask you a favor will you able to do it, Tatiana?”

I nodded. After all he did for me. He married me to give me protection with his name and title. He helped me to become a strong woman very unlike the wallflower he had saved on the sea months ago. Did Lucca think I will not be able to grant his request? I will do it whatever that maybe. “Anything, Lucca.” I informed him solemnly. “Anything?” Lucca asked. The disbelief showed in his eyes. “What if I ask you to stop this revenge thing of yours and start a new life as Tatiana Rostova? With me— that is—if you want.” I stared at him in horror. He was kidding, right? Lucca didn’t really just say that. “Well, Tatiana?” He asked, in that maddening way I really hated before. “Will you be able to do it for me?” “You’re joking, right?” I inquired him, trying to be sure that he’s not fooling me. “Please, tell me you’re teasing, Lucca.” “I’m not.” I leaned back on my chair. It seems that all of my energy drains suddenly. I looked at the man who I just recently find out that I am madly in love with staring at me seriously. He look like every inch of the powerful duke that everyone feared. He’s really dead-set with his request. But why? “Why?” I whispered to the silence. I couldn’t asking me to stop my revenge now? The revenge my reach. I could almost feel it.” I give him Lucca. Ask me anything but that, I can’t drop

meet his intense gazed. “Why are you I planned for so long is now within an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, everything now.”

He just stared at me like a man talking to an eight-year-old child. I don’t know what had gotten into him to just asked suddenly stop my vengeance. “Talk to me, Lucca.” I pleaded to him. “Please, tell me why do you want me to stop now?”

He sighed, as he focused his severe gaze to me. “It’s not healthy for you anymore this revenge thing of yours. Look at you.” He ran his eyes all over my body. “You lose weight. Day and night you think of nothing but setting the scores to your exfiancé and stepsister.” “Because that how it’s suppose to be, Lucca.” I defended. Why can’t he see it? The reason God gave me a new life so I can avenge to the people who betrayed me in the most hurtful way. “Yes,” Lucca retorted mildly. “But that’s before it’s affecting your wellbeing.” “I’m fine, Lucca.” “You sure?” He asked sarcastically. “Look at you. You’re so thin and pale. And lately, I notice that you are not sleeping well, you lost your appetite. The only reason I can think of in your current condition right now is the fact that you become so overwhelm with this thing.” “I’m not!” Lucca’s burning gazed continue to roast me in my place. “If that’s what you want to believe, Tatiana.” “Lucca...” I rubbed my forehead. I really hate having rows with him. It pained my heart when we fought like this. If only he can see that I’m fine. “As your husband, I want you to—” “You are not really my husband.” Oh, why—why did I just carelessly blurted that out? I peeked at his face and mentally cringed as if, there was dark cloud that park itself over his head. “I’m sor—” “Forgive me for forgetting, Tatiana.” The coldness in his voice was enough to froze the entire New York in the summer. “I’m just your temporary husband until you have your revenge.” “Lucca...” “No.” He interrupted me. He was not really giving me an inch into apologizing to my carelessness. It’s just a defense mechanism to me to defend myself. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Tatiana. What you said is correct. We are only temporary couple. Our marriage is not real.” “I’m sorry, Lucca.” I told him. “I didn’t mean to tell you that.”

“By the way,” He announced. Clearly ignoring my apology, stubborn lout. “Because of my lengthy stay here in New York my secretary had just called this morning to inform me that my presence needs at my Rome office as soon as possible. Are you coming with me or not?” The timing was off. I would love to come back in Italy with him but my revenge was already set into motion. I cannot just leave now. “I can’t, Lucca. I’m sorry. But I will be staying here in New York.” “That’s what I thought you will say, Tatiana.” He nodded in agreement but the coldness in his eyes left me shivering. “I will leave first thing tomorrow morning. I think let’s call it a night, then.” He stood from his chair and look down at me. “I really hope you will succeed in your retribution, Tatiana. And I hope your heart and your personality will not turn as dark and as cold as the people you want to avenge.” Lucca march down to our bedroom without backward glanced on my direction, once he was out of sight I felt warm liquid flowing down my cheeks and the most painful ache in my chest.

The next morning when I woke up, I found the bed empty. I went to the dining area for my breakfast and hoping to see Lucca before he left for Italy. But if I am expecting company for breakfast I am disappointed. The table was already set, as if someone already ate. I sat on the chair and casually asked the housekeeper. “Where is the duke?” “Oh, he already left, Your Excellency.” The maid replied, pouring my cup a strong coffee. “He told me that he didn’t want to wake you up so I will just inform Her Excellency that he already left for Italy.” Oh, he left without saying goodbye? “You know what, Mrs. Rhodes? I think I just lost my appetite.” And I did. Because the moment I smell the coffee I run to the bathroom.

================= Chapter 39: The Separation Separation gives a person time to let his or her heart grow fonder of a person and value them more.

-Damian Coleman

Tatiana Rostova’s POV On the fourth morning since Lucca left for Italy without resolving our problems my condition got worse—or so the housekeeper keeps telling me. I didn’t leave the penthouse almost a week now. Lately, I am noticing that I am always tired, no appetite, and likes to sleep a lot. Maybe Lucca was right, I become so overwhelmed with my revenge that’s why I got sick. That’s why I decided to take a break from my revenge and deal with my health issue for now. Let Paolo and Sabrina plan their next move but they can’t stop me. This morning, I rolled off the bed almost close to lunch time because the alternative was to have early breakfast but threw my stomach content before having an actual breakfast at the smell of coffee or fish. I wa surprised when I saw a stunningly beautiful woman sitting on the living room. “Francesca!” “Hello, Tatiana.” She replied regally, with a warm smile on her face. I run into her open arms as I hugged my dear friend. “Oh, Francesca...” I bursted into tears. It seems that this has become my favorite pastime this last few days. “Shh...” Francesca rubbed my back affectionately. “There, there, what’s wrong, dear? It has something to do with that stubborn duke you called husband, isn’t it? I knew it. I should have beaten him with the inch of his life when I saw him in Italy three days ago.” Despite my crying I can’t help but to laughed on Francesca’s humor. To think that she will thrash the six foot three Italian duke was laughable. Only Francesca will dare to do that. I pulled back from the hug of my dear friend and look at her beneath my teary eyes. “How long have you waiting for me to wake up, Francesca? You—” “Your housekeeper told me you are resting,” She interrupted me. “She told me that lately you are not feeling well. You are so thin, Tatiana. What’s wrong? Lucca was right you are not well to fly with him in Italy.”

Even to his friends he will cover-up for me. Why not just tell them that I stubbornly choose to stay here in New York for my revenge? So I will not feel guilty about his kindness. “Is that what he said, Francesca?” I asked. “That I am not feeling well that’s why I stay here?” Francesca nodded. “Yes.” “Well, the truth is...” I sat on the sofa because I feel dizzy again. “...I choose to stay here for my revenge and we had rows again.” “Yes, I gather that much.” Francesca surprised me, she also sat next to me. “I know Lucca will not leave you alone knowing you are not well. I knew when I saw him in Italy without his wife I knew it, you two had misunderstanding again.” “It’s more than that, Francesca.” I told her truthfully. “He wants me to stop my revenge and starts a new life with him if I want.” “Oh, Tatiana!” She grabbed my hand and squeeze it. “I’m so happy for both of you. You can start a new life with him I guarantee you Lucca will be a terrific husband.” “But I’m scared. And I am not ready with that yet—not until Sabrina and Paolo pay what they did to me.” “Oh, honey...” My eyes blurred again from tears. “I know it is the right thing to do, the only goal in my life since I resurfaced on Lucca’s villa in Amalfi Coast but now I am miserable.” I sobbed. Tears continue to fall in my eyes. “I turn out to be so obsessed with my revenge that I become unwell and Lucca reprimands me with it.” “Oh, Tatiana.” Francesca said with kindness. “Lucca is right. You should not forget to take good care of yourself. As your husband, it is his duty to take good care of you and he hates to see you unwell under his care.” “But—” “No, Tatiana.” She shook her elegantly style head. “You know what? Now that your husband is away why don’t you show him that you can take good care of yourself? Let’s start that with a hearty breakfast.” “Will you join me?” I asked, blithely.

Francesca smiled, as she helped me stand on the sofa. “If that’s what you want, dear.” We walked on the dining area and sit on the on breakfast table. The middle-age housekeeper automatically poured our cup of coffee. Once the strong smell of coffee reached my nostrils the inevitable thing happened. My almost empty stomach rebel again against the scent of coffee, I stood from my chair and dash off the bathroom not bothering to excuse myself from Francesca. When I reappeared in the dining room I notice Francesca stood near the breakfast table with a stranged smile on her face. “Sorry, about that.” I apologized, I still feel dizzy at the moment. I sat on my chair again because my legs feel so weak. “Aren’t you going to tell me something, Tatiana?” Tell her something? Like what? “Oh, I’m very sorry, Francesca.” I murmured softly. “As you can see I am not really well these past few days—maybe weeks now. I don’t know I really lost the count, actually.” “Are you not going to share your good news to me, dear?” Francesca asked, the stranged smile still fixed on her beautiful face. “Good news?” I asked in return. “What good news?” She beamed at me eagerly, sitting on the chair across to me a little cheerfully. “That you are pregnant! You are expecting your first child with Lucca.” My eyes went wide. What did she just say? Pregnant? Who is pregnant? Me? I don’t think so. “Oh, I am not pregnant.” Francesca frowned. “Are you sure?” “Yes.” I replied, but I swallowed hard. There was an odd beat on my chest something like I am very nervous right now. “Forgive me for prying but when was the last time you had your period?” I mulled my brain for the information my good friend was asking. Oh god, when was it? “About two months ago, I think.”

“Do you have this sickness every morning?” Francesca proded. “Do you always feel tired and sleepy and no appetite lately?” “Yes.” I answered reluctantly. My good friend and former teacher smile. “Then, you are certainly pregnant, my dear.” “No. I can’t be!” Francesca laughed. Her caramel eyes filled with glee. “Yes. You can be, Tatiana. You have a husband there’s nothing to be surprise about that.” “But—” “I gather that you have not yet visited a doctor, correct?” I just nodded unable to speak. Am I really pregnant? With Lucca’s baby? My mind is whirling right now. This is too much to process for me. “Let’s go and see one now.” Francesca announced, helping my limp body to stand. “Let’s find out if you are really pregnant or not.”

Few hours later, I am sitting on the office of the obstetrician with Francesca’s holding my cold hand for support. “Dio!” Francesca chided affectionately. “Breath, Tatiana. You are about to pass-out any moment.” Before I could summoned my body to breathe again the door opened and the doctor was here for the result. Okay, I can do this. The obstetrician sat in his table and read the results silently. Once he was finished, he smiled at my direction and uttered the words that seal my fate forever. “Congratulations, Mrs. Cavelli. You are eight weeks pregnant.”

Lucca Cavelli’s POV

“What!” I barked the moment the door in my office open. “So, the rumor that the beast was back was correct then.” I cursed silently when I heard the familiar maddening voice of Marco Orsini. “What do you want?” I roared in Italian, a sane man will be terrified at the dark scowled I send to his direction. But not him. Marco took one of the vacant chairs on in front of my table. “Well I just want to see if the rumors circulating around were true. Apparently, they were.” “What rumors?” “Let’s see...” Marco Orsini stretched his long legs and laid back on the leather chair and rubbed his strong jaw as if to think over. “In the week you are back in Italy you made your secretary cried twice and made your employees feels that it’s their fault that earth is spinning against your will.” I scowled. “That wasn’t true.” “Oh, yeah?” He asked sarcastically. “Are you going to deny that you made firing employees your favorite pastime these past few days?” I glared at him. I swore he had ears from hell. How could he possibly know that? “The only reason I can think of why are you behaving like a beast was the fact that your little wife wasn’t with you when you return.” He cocked his eyebrow. “You had a fight with her, don’t you?” “That’s none of your business!” Marco barked a laugh. “You are totally fallen for her, Lucca.” “I’m not!” I denied fiercely. I am not going to give this ass that satisfaction. “From where I’d been standing I can say that you are madly in love with her.” Marco announced annoyingly. “And if this is love? I am glad that I dodge it until now.” “I.Am.Not.In.Love.With.Her.” “Yes.” Marco agreed, standing from his chair and heading for the door. “Keep telling that to yourself maybe you’ll believe it eventually...”

================= Chapter 40: The Decision In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. -Theodore Roosevelt

Tatiana Rostova’s POV The game had changed. As well as the rules of the game I started. Now revenge was not my number one priority in life. Yesterday’s revelation proved that sometimes fate has other plans for you. “Don’t worry, little one.” I looked down and place my hand on my still flat belly. “I will protect you. I will not let any harm come into your way. I will put everything on their right place now.” I still can’t believe that there was now a new life growing inside me. From what I’ve read on the pregnancy books Francesca and I purchased yesterday after my consultation to the doctor. The baby can feel whatever the mother’s feeling. I couldn’t let my baby feel the emotions of hatred, pain, suffering and betrayal just because of my revenge on Paolo and Sabrina. That’s why I come into the decision last night after processing everything. My top priority now was my child. I asked Francesca to keep it a secret for a while to Lucca that I am pregnant. I will deal with him in person. I wanted to tell him the news about my pregnancy personally—whether he will be glad or not. I intend to keep this baby. But first I need to see Paolo. I walked into the drawer and pull it open to reveal the envelope Lucca had given me last week...

“Hello.” I made myself known to the secretary of Paolo who was busy with some documents. “Is Paolo available?”

“Mr. Ran—” She looked up from the papers and pale beneath her perfectly applied make-up. “Oh, my God!” She placed her hand on her mouth. “Ms...Ms. Rostova, I— you’re alive.” “Yes. Apparently, I am.” I smiled kindly to the stunned secretary of Paolo. “Is he available? I need to talk to him.” “Ah...yes...yes...of course, miss.” The trusted secretary of Paolo stood from her chair and entered Paolo’s office. A few moments later she’s back. It seems that she slightly recovered from her shock knowing I am still alive. “Mr. Ranaldi will see you now, Miss Rostova.” “Thank you.” I smiled to her the way I smile when I am visiting Paolo on his office before. As I walk to Paolo’s office I can feel that the woman’s eyes were still on me. Once I entered Paolo’s office I notice him waiting for me intently. I tried to summon a forced smile from me. Even though, I come here for reconciliation it’s still too damn hard to do. But I can do this, I reassures myself. For the sake of my baby. “Hello, Paolo.” “Tatiana.” He stood from his chair. He has this trouble expression on his eyes. “When my secretary tells me that Miss Rostova is alive and wishes to see me I thought she’s mistaken. I told her that you are Mariya Cavelli the duchess but it’s true you claimed your real identity now.” “Yes.” I closed the door behind me, away from the prying eyes outside the office. No one wants to missed the reunion of the man and his former fiancée they all thought died on the sea on their vacation in Italy. “May I take sit?” “Ah—yes, of course, forgive me for forgetting in offering, Tatiana.” I took one of the chair that facing his table. I sat croseds legs making myself comfortable beneath my designer dress and killer heels. Paolo reluctantly took his chair again but still wary about my intention. “Why did you pay me a visit, Tatiana?” I smiled thinking that I can do this. For the sake of my baby I will put everything on their right place now. I will reluctantly dropped my revenge on him and my stepsister. The whole thing changed now. “I came here to tell you that I had no desire to continue my revenge to you and Sabrina.”

Paolo’s face was so stunned that I want to laughed. Clearly, he’s not expecting it at all. Not that I can blame him. It’s not every day that the woman you try to kill will walk on your office and announce that she will drop her revenge. Seeing his confusion I added. “As you probably suspected now, the contract you signed with my husband was a sham. As of now your company is now on my hand any moment I can ruin you.” I placed the envelope on his glass table. “Here’s the contract you sign.” He half-hearted opened it and sees the contents. “I will leave you and Sabrina alone from now on.” I said honestly. “You can count on it.” Then the unexpected thing happens. He broke into a dazzling smile. “I know you can’t bear to see me suffer, Tatiana. You still love me. I knew it.” What the hell he’s babbling about? I frowned. “I don’t know what are you talking about, Paolo.” “You came here to tell me that you are dropping your revenge because you are still in love with me, right?” I am taken aback with his ridiculous suggestion. I am still in love with him? I want to laughed. He’s deluding himself, has he? Where did he get that from? Whatever I feel for him died the moment I see him naked with Sabrina on the yacht. “You are mistaken, Paolo.” I told him sincerely. “I am no longer in love with you.” “That’s not true.” He denied it fiercely. “It is, Paolo.” “I know you are still mad on me on my affair with Sabrina.” He said. “But I already regretted that stupid mistake. I will break my engagement to Sabrina if you want and we can be together. I will be faithful to you I promise.” “Please do not tell me that it’s a stupid mistake.” I shook my head. “Do not think it as mistake because that affair consequence a baby. A blessing, Paolo.” “I can support the baby and Sabrina without marrying her.” Paolo said stubbornly, standing on his chair. “Just agree to marry me, Tatiana.”

“I can’t.” I told him, making him see that leaving Sabrina I will not run fast on his open arms. Our time had already passed. “I am already married to Lucca Cavelli.” “Divorce him!” “I can’t, Paolo.” I shook my head. I looked straight to his eyes. “I will not divorce him.” “Why?” He asked. His eyes filled with fury. “Because of his title? You got blinded by the prestige and power that comes into his name, isn’t that right Tatiana? You can’t bear to lose your title as Duchess of Caprielle.” “No!” I shot to my feet to face him so I can be eye-to-eye on him. “Because I love him, curse you! I love him with all of my heart and what I feel for you before is just a pale comparison of what I feel about Lucca.” Paolo snorted. “That’s not true. You just married him so you can avenged to us. There was no love on your marriage.” “It might as well start like that,” I told him softly, instinctively putting my hand on my still flat belly. “But everything changed now. I am now expecting our first child.” Paolo’s face turned into ashen. “No...” “Yes.” I confirmed, still holding my belly. “I am eight weeks pregnant with Lucca’s baby.” He gave me a thunderous scowled. “You spread your legs to him while I am locked away to your bed when we’re still engaged?” “You will not be locked away if you aren’t busy seducing my stepsister, Paolo.” I retorted back hotly to him. “And nothing is wrong in sharing my husband’s bed.” “But—” “Goodbye, Paolo.” I announced. “I hope you, Sabrina and your baby will have a wonderful life together.” I didn’t wait for his reply anymore and walk out of his office. Now I can move on with my life. I finally end everything that ties me with Paolo and Sabrina. The chapters of Paolo in my life just officially finished. Once I am on the lobby of the office building owned by Paolo I pulled my mobile

phone and dialed Lucca’s number. After a few rings the familiar voice answered in Italian. “Hello?” “Lucca. It’s me, Tatiana.” I said, my heart is thundering on my chest. “Tatiana...” “Listen to me.” I said on the other line. “I have something to tell you in person. I will fly to Italy tomor—” “No.” Lucca replied. “I will fly to New York first thing tomorrow morning.” I smiled. He will coming back to New York tomorrow I can hardly wait for it...

================= Chapter 41: The Flowers Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. -Oscar Wilde

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I am on good mood when I woke up this morning. Despite the fact that I am still suffering from my morning sickness it can’t dampened my mood. Knowing the fact that Lucca was on his way to New York right this moment. I need to dress with extra care this morning. I want to look at my best when I see Lucca again after more than a week. “Good morning!” I greeted the middle-age housekeeper with extra cheerfulness on my voice. “Good morning, Your Excellency.” The older woman replied with a smile. “It seems that you are in a good mood today. There is a bouquet of peonies arrive early this morning for you, ma’am.” “Oh, really?” I asked. “From whom?” Mrs. Rhodes shook her head. “I don’t know, Your Excellency. But there is a card on

the flower arrangements. I place it on the living room.” “Thank you.” I walked on the receiving area curious who might send me flowers today. I plucked the small card on the beautifully arrange flowers and open it. I squeaked a little when I read:

Tatiana, Meet me at the Rostov Hotel for a little surprise. I’ll be waiting for you in room 517. -Lucca

Lucca’s little game was back. I can’t wait to see what he installed for me this time. Like the little game we played in Greece. “Breakfast is ready, Your Excellency.” Mrs. Rhodes announced while I am busy admiring the beautiful flowers Lucca had given me. I can’t believe that he already arrive in New York. “You know what, Mrs. Rhodes?” I sid with a joyful smile that I can’t stop showing on my face. “There is a change of plan. I am meeting the duke now at the Rostov Hotel.” “Without having breakfast, madam?” “Yes!” I replied enthusiastically. I can’t wait anymore hours before seeing my husband. “I will dress now.” I dressed with extra care putting all of Francesca’s teaching how a duchess should be seen on her full glory. I select from the designer dresses in my closet. Really, I chided myself. I never paid attention before on what should I wear why now is different? Because you want to be beautiful on Lucca’s eyes, my damned conscience answered back. I scowled. So what if I have? I missed him terribly after a bad parting eight days ago. I should have come with him in Italy instead of stubbornly refusing to be left here in New York.

I picked what I think was the prettiest. The knee-length lavender dress which was quite similar to the gown Lucca had bought back in Greece when we dined on the majestic ancient monastery at the top of the hill the last night of our vacation. He told me that I looked stunning with lavender that matches my eyes. So this was what I will wear. I check my wavy perm hair and apply some make-up to enhance my eyes. I can’t believe that I am now also doing my own make-up. I never paid attention to appearance before I just want to fade as much as possible. When I am about to put my lipstick—I suddenly hesitated to apply the bloody-red lipstick I used to wear. I am no longer the vengeful duchess named Mariya Cavelli but the polished version of Tatiana Rostova. So I put down the red lipstick and apply some glossy beige color. Perfect, I thought with satisfaction as I stared at my reflection. The woman looking at my direction isn’t the cold-hearted woman with only one goal in life—that is to have her revenge. Now that woman was no longer to be seen she’s been replace by the beautiful woman who glowed due to her pregnancy. The last thing for my appearance before meeting Lucca. Heeled shoes. Lucca, clearly expressed that he likes it very much when I am wearing killer heels. So I don for my prettiest not to mention most expensive shoes that Francesca persuaded me to buy. Taking a deep breath. I told myself, okay I’m ready...

I barely contain my excitement at the thought of seeing Lucca again on my Rostov Hotel. It seems to me that the drive was far too long. Few minutes I will see my husband again and then I will tell him how sorry I am about before he left for Italy. Then I will tell him the most important thing—I expecting his baby.

way to more and that day am

I don’t know how will he react but I am hoping for the best. I finally arrived at the Rostov Hotel. I literary flew to the elevator and go to the room he’d given on the note. My heart thundered on my chest loudly as I walk on the hallways—there, Lucca was on the other side of this door, I silently mused. Taking a deep breath and calming myself I opened the door. “Lucca?” Closing the door behind me I advance more inside the room. Still no sign of my husband. “Lucca?” The door behind me suddenly opened. I smiled as I twirl around only to have my

smile vanished instantly. “You...you, what are you doing here?” Before I can comprehend what was happening he pulled out a handkerchief on his pocket and place it on my nose. I try not to breathe because I knew for certain that it is drug by some chloroform. But I am no match for his strength. Oh, no I am starting to feel dizzy and surrendering to the darkness again... Saving my last breath I muttered. “Lucca...”

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I shifted my position on my car as I travel the gruesome traffic in New York. Seriously, it’s not even rush hour why there’s so many cars on the road. I can’t even concentrate on my way here. Once Tatiana had called yesterday and tells me that she is flying to Italy to meet me my heart soar with happiness. But I already made up my mind that I am going back the next morning. Despite the fact that we scarcely talked to each other the past eight days I constantly calling our housekeeper to asked for her health. I admit I am still smarting over our fight that’s why I am not calling her personally. Then only yesterday Francesca called me and announced that Tatiana have good news for me. I asked her what would that be. But she refused to tell me and gave me an annoying riddles. Finally, after what it seems like an eternity the car pull up in front of the penthouse building that I just recently bought a unit. I dashed to the apartment surely Tatiana was awake now—if not, well I will surprised her. As I entered the massive penthouse the elderly housekeeper was startled to see me. “Your Excellency! What are you doing here?” I frowned at her. “Last time I check I live here.” “I mean, sir...” Mrs. Rhodes blushed. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the Rostov Hotel? The duchess said that you will meet her there.” “What do you mean?” The housekeeper swallowed hard glancing on the beautifully arranged flowers on the side table. “Those flowers, Her Excellency said that they came from you. The note says that you will meet her at the Rostov Hotel.”

Uneasiness sneaked into my spine. “I didn’t send her those flowers.” I noticed the note laying beside the vase of flowers and read it. Dio, it has my name on it. “I didn’t send her this note.” Mrs. Rhodes eyes widened with horror. “But who send her that note?” “I don’t know.” I answered but I run off to the door at the same time. Hoping to catch Tatiana before she meet whoever send her that bogus note. My heart practically stopped beating whenever I think that my Tatiana was in danger. Because seeing her hurt will be my worst nightmare.

================= Chapter 42: The Abduction The kidnapping lasts for a few hours or a week at most. -Olivier Chastel

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I finally arrived at the Rostov Hotel. It was probably the most terrible hour of my life. Every second seemed to be an hour on my way to the hotel. Now I stood on the lobby asking for a key on room 517. “But, sir...” The receptionist said, “It’s against the hotel policy. We cannot give you the key of that room if it is occupied by the others.” “My wife is there!” I practically shouted to the woman. Not that it was her fault. “She might be in grave danger right now. Someone send her a fake note claiming it is me she is meeting here.” Thankfully, the commotion on the reception area was noticed by the general manger and approached us. “What’s the matter here?” “Sir,” The receptionist looked at her superior. “This man here wants to get an access to room 517 when it is occupied by someone else.” “That’s against the company policy...” The general manager started. His eyes widen upon meeting my glare and clear his throat. “Even if you are a duke we just cannot —”

I grabbed the lapel of his suit towards me. “Listen to me. If you don’t permit to gain access to room 517, I surely promise you that I will burn this place to the ground in this instant.” Both the general manager and the woman behind the reception area stared at me with such horror in their eyes, unmistakably wondering if I can really do such thing. Thankfully, the general manager had some sense and orders the receptionist. “Give me the spare key for room 517.” As the woman gives the key I want so badly to the man in front of me. He called the two bellboys on the lobby to come with us. I hide my smile as we rode on the elevator. The general manager probably thinks that I will create havoc once I arrived inside the hotel room. There was a great possibility for that, I mused silently. Once the general manager slide the card on the door lock of the room. I burst into the massive hotel room. “Tatiana!” I called out on the silent room as I proceed further inside the room. “Damn it, Tatiana where are you? Tatiana! Tatiana!” The fear in my bones intensified right this moment. She’s nowhere to be seen in this room. I can’t help but to think that I am late she’s already taken away whoever sends her that note. The general manager and the two bellboys also search inside the room. “There is no one here, sir.” I noticed a folded paper on the nightstand beside the bed. It feels like my heart squeeze painfully in my chest as I also see Tatiana’s engagement and wedding rings beside it. With my shaky hands I open the paper guessing it will be a ransom note...

Lucca, If you are reading this letter I am probably out of New York as of this moment. Now that I dropped my revenge on Paolo and Sabrina I want to have a clean start away from all the people who knows me—even you. I just want to thank you for your kindness and what you did for me. All I ask you is not to look for me. I will be grateful if you did my small request. Goodbye,

Tatiana

I stared at the paper blankly. Tatiana had already left me? No, she’s willing to go in Italy to meet me. And the housekeeper told me that the duchess excitedly left early because she thought she will meet me here. So why—then it came to me that, it’s fake. This letter was fake someone might force her to write this letter. Dio, my Tatiana is really in danger. I launched towards the general manager again. “Tell me, who acquire this room today?” Fear was back on his eyes. Right now, I don’t give a damn even if I have to bully him I will do it just to locate my wife. “I don’t know, sir.” “Check your records or the CCTVs then.” I suggested forebodingly. The general manager swallowed hard. He might as well look as if he was looking at his maker. “Yes, sir.”

Sabrina Hunter’s POV The instant pounding on my door had awake me from my dreamless sleep. Who was this person that was starting to annoy me early this morning? Hell, whoever he was, he’s half way breaking my door. “Coming!” I barked, securing my robe firmly on my waist. Now that my pregnancy started to show the sexy tight dress that I used to wear before was now starting to get so stretch in my body that I feel that I can’t breathe anymore. Oh God, what if Paolo find me unattractive then? Because I’m losing my sexy figure and starts to gain more wait due to my pregnancy? I squashed that thought ruthlessly. No, Paolo loves me. He will never leave me. I am quite shocked to find the man who was rapping my door with such fervor was no other than the Duke of Caprielle a.k.a the husband of my newly groom wallflower stepsister. “What are you doing here?” “Where is he?” The great duke advanced inside my apartment rudely.

I scowled at him, closing the door behind. “Who are you looking for?” “Your fiancé. Paolo Ranaldi.” He replied. His eyes were like tempest. “The bastard abducts my wife.” What did he just say? Paolo kidnaps Tatiana? Is he mad? “I’m sorry?” I need to asked again because surely I just miss heard him. “What did you say?” “That bastard stole my wife!” “The hell he did!” I countered back. There’s no way that this man’s accusation to Paoas right, isn’t it? Paolo just left for the office. He will come back before dinner later. “Paolo will never do such things.” “Are you sure?” The duke asked. I swallowed hard when I happen to gaze at his glittering eyes. Right now, their so dark and he looked like an ancient conqueror whose out for blood. Paolo’s blood more precisely. “Yes!” I answered back, trying not be cowed by the dark fury vibrating out of him. “Paolo loves me. He threw away Tatiana for me, isn’t it?” “Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Hunter. But Paolo Ranaldi stole Tatiana.” I glared at him, starting to get annoyed. “I told you—” “I saw him,” He interrupted me. “I saw him abduct Tatiana on the Rostov Hotel.” “How?” “I check the CCTVs in the hotel.” The duke replied, rage swirl back on his eyes. Obviously remembering what he sees. “You precious Paolo lures Tatiana in the hotel sending her note that tells her that it is me she is meeting there.”

“You’re lying.” I snorted. This was just another ploy to break me apart with Paolo. Maybe this was Tatiana’s plan all along to send her husband here and poison my mind. “I don’t believe you.” The duke shrugged. “Well check for yourself then. I don’t want to waste another moment here with you arguing when I have to track them down.” “Wait a minute,” I called when he was about to leave. “I will call Paolo.” When the duke remained on his position I dial Paolo’s office number. It was answered by his secretary and told me that Paolo didn’t show up in the office this morning. I lifelessly place back the phone on the table. “So?” The duke asked maddeningly, so sure of himself. “Is he there at his office?” “No...” The word comes just a little more than a whisper of breath. That bastard. “That’s what I thought. Tell him this if you happen to hear anything from him: I will kill him once I track him down. He will sorely regret the day he stole my wife.” The duke threatened as he walks out of my apartment pulling out his mobile phone I barely heard him. “Marco, I need a favor...”

Tatiana Rostova’s POV “Hmm.” I mumbled. Where was I? In heaven? This scenario was quite familiar with me. I smiled a little when I remember that it was the time when I meet Lucca that I have wondered the same thing. So I must be dreaming then. Once I opened my eyes I will see Lucca standing near the French window of the villa in Amalfi? But when I opened my eyes the man I want to badly to see was nowhere to be seen and the place was way too different. “Not happy to see me, cara?” He asked, annoyingly. “Just awhile ago you are smiling on your dream. I’m pretty sure that it has the duke on it.” Then it came to me that Paolo abduct me in Rostov Hotel, as I glanced around my surrounding. Oh hell, I am on a plane. “Where the hell are we going, Paolo? Return this plane in New York this instant.”

“I don’t think so.” He sat more leisurely in front of me and opens the newspaper of his side. “Are you mad?” I practically shouted at him, the seatbelt that was strapped on my waist was the only thing that prevented me from throttling him. “Lucca is on his way to New York. If he finds out that you kidnap me he will kill you.” “Don’t take me for fool, Tatiana.” Paolo answered without lifting his eyes on the broadsheets. “I know that he left for Italy alone almost eight days now assuming you two had fight.” “He’s coming back today.” “Don’t worry.” He countered back. “He will not look for you.” “How—” “I give him letter along with your...” He gave a speaking glance on my hand. I glanced at my ring less left hand. “Where are my engagement and wedding rings?” “Gone.” Paolo said ruthlessly. “Along with the knowledge that you will ever see him again.” “Where are we going precisely?” I asked, trying not to show the fear of not seeing my beloved duke anymore. “First, in Las Vegas to get married.” He goes back reading his damn newspaper. “I told you. I am already married to Lucca Cavelli!” “Do you think I believe that your marriage with him is legal?” His dark eyes snapped with fire. “Yes, it’s legal.” I answered, thinking I have to be brave. I placed my hands on my belly as if protecting my child. “Besides, I am expecting his child.” “It doesn’t matter. After we get married in Las Vegas we’re going to Russia where we are spending the rest our days together as man and wife with your child.” Paolo smiled callously in my direction. “Because as far as I am concern I will be the only father your child will ever know.” “You’ve lost your bloody mind...”

================= Chapter 43:

The Chase

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Marco Orsini’s POV “I will kill him.” The duke mutters menacingly as he stares at the window of my private plane. He is probably plotting how to kill Paolo Ranaldi inside his head as of this moment. “There is no place in earth that he could have hide.” “Tatiana will be fine, Lucca.” A soothing voice of a woman reassures on his side. “That won’t work, you know.” I say to the woman across to me. “There’s nothing you can do to stop him from killing that bastard.” “Oh, shut up!” She snaps back. I hide my smile. Right now I am trap inside my plane with a murderous duke on killing the man who abducts his wife and an icy cool woman who thinks I very devil. When I should be in Los Angeles for a little vacation but then cannot just ignore the request of my good friend in helping him rescue his

intent am the again I wife.

“You know what, Francesca?” I ask the ice queen, as I sip my whiskey. “Ranaldi sealed his fate the day he stole Tatiana. He is as good as dead the moment Lucca finds him.” The woman shivers at the thought. “Stop saying like that!” “Why not? It’s the truth.” “Lucca will not kill him!” She replies vehemently. “Want to bet?” I cock an eyebrow on her direction. Is she really that naïve thinking that Lucca Cavelli is a saint? She’s deluding herself if that what she believes. Lucca is anything but saint. Beneath that sophistication and good manners

there is a demon that is slumbering inside him. I have seen it once and I don’t want to repeat that experience. The demon duke— that’s what they call him and Paolo Ranaldi stupidly tempting that demon to rear its ugly head and start a rampage. Every time I remember that fateful day when Lucca lost his composure few years back it still left me shivering. I somehow feel sorry for Ranaldi for picking a wrong enemy. There is no place in earth that he could have hid and Lucca can't find him. He is safe as long as the duke had not been able to get his hands on him yet. But then again, Lucca is known for having a long reach. The stretch of his power and influence leaves an average man astonishes. “I will kill him slowly.” Lucca speaks again dragging me out of my reverie promising in a deadly tone. “I will not give him the satisfaction of dying swiftly. I want him to experience such pain he could only possibly imagine.” “Oh, Lucca...” The ever supportive young widow says, touching our friend’s hand in a reassuring way. “You mustn’t say that. You are not a murderer. Tatiana will be fine.” “How did you know that she is just fine?” I ask the woman dryly. “I know she’s fine.” She retorts back hotly but her hazel eyes glare at me with such ice on their depth. I muse sipping my whiskey. I never fail to let the opportunity to pass in ruffling the feathers of this woman in front of me. “Then that’s hardly comforting, isn’t?” “Why this basta—” But before she could say her respond Lucca interrupts her by giving me his full attention since this plane board. “How exactly did you know that Paolo Ranaldi took Tatiana in Las Vegas, Marco?” Still fix my gaze on the icy widow I give her a goading smiles, as I answer my friend’s question. “Simple. I have my source.” “Source?” Lucca scoffs. “What are these sources exactly?” “Ah. That’s a secret, mio amico.” “A nasty secret.” Francesca murmurs softly under her breath.

I give her a amuse look. “You will be surprise how nasty my secrets are, Signora.” “No doubt!” She fires back. Lucca sighs loudly. His voice is like a stern father reprimanding his wayward children. “Will you two stop fighting each other? Need I remind you that we have to rescue my wife here? I don’t want to see you killing each other while saving Tatiana.” “It is not me who is spoiling for a fight.” I say a little defensively. I scowl why do I have to feel defensive about it? Disbelief shows in her face. “Are you putting the blame on me?” “Yes.” “Enough!” Lucca roars in Italian and starts threatening us about throwing out of the plane without parachutes. It is on the tip of my tongue to kindly point out on him that it is my damn plane and I am the only one who has the right in throwing whoever I want out of my plane. But since he’s so occupied with his lecture I just let it go. “Oh, We’re so sorry, Lucca.” The ice queen apologizes, looking genuinely sorry. “How thoughtless of us fighting nonsense when we are about to save Tatiana from that man.” She looks at me. “We’re going to call ceasefire, aren’t we?” I just raise my eyebrow on her direction. “Are we?” “Yes.” She declares, her eyes shot like glacier ice. “We’re having a ceasefire, aren’t we, Signore?” She’s not asking for a truce but more like an army general who is giving her subordinate a mission. Her eyes are silently telling me: Go ahead and refuse your head will roll on the floor. So what choice do I have but to agree even if it is the last thing I want to do. I smile maddeningly on her direction. “But of course, Francesca mia.” “Thank you, for your sacrifice.” Lucca says sarcastically. “Don’t worry, Lucca.” The drill general encourage. “Tatiana will be fine. She will take care of herself and your baby—”

“What did you just say?” Lucca faces her with deadly slowness. “Can you repeat it Francesca? Baby? Who is having a baby?” The darkness that surrounds Lucca since we boarded this plane is back with vengeance. Now the dark aura is literary pouring out of him. I silently groan. Great, apparently Lucca’s little wife is also pregnant. “I—I...I suppose not to tell you anything about it.” Francesca paled beneath her perfectly applied makeup. “Tatiana made me promise to keep it a secret she wants to tell you in person that she’s eight weeks pregnant with your child.” It seems that Lucca can’t believe in the bomb that the young widow had just drop on him. From the look on his face he’s really startle from the news. Abducting his wife is one thing but it is entirely different matter when you kidnap his wife with his unborn child. He will send you straight to hell. Then it occurs to me that their marriage is just convenience and having a baby is surely out of the question. Now everything else has trample about the news of an impending child. What a messy situation for Lucca. But then again even if they divorce Lucca might seek for custody if the baby turns out to be a boy he will be Lucca’s heir. The future Duke of Caprielle. “...we finally arrive in Las Vegas. Please keep remain to be seated while the aircraft had stand still.” The pilot says over the speakers. Hell, I haven’t notice that we already arrive. “Let’s go.” My plane barely landed when Lucca remove his seatbelt and launch to the exit. Oh, you’re dead Ranaldi. Is my last thought before following Lucca on the exit.

================= Chapter 44: Las Vegas Las Vegas is the only town in the world whose skyline is made up neither of buildings, like New York, nor of trees, like Wilbraham, Massachusetts, but signs. ~Tom Wolfe

Tatiana Rostova’s POV I am going to lose my sanity any moment now, I thought sourly. Here I am stuck in one of the most famous hotels here in Las Vegas unsure of my outcome. It’s been hours since Paolo dragged me here install me into this luxury suite and leave me alone to wonder my coming fate. It doesn’t helped the fact that Paolo was nowhere near me right this moment to plan my escape. He plug-off all of the telephone connections in this blasted suite. And I tried to asked for help on the hotel staff who brought me foods every now and then. I might as well do not exists in their eyes. But then again if they decide to take pity on me and helped me escape on hands of the insane man—I stupidly thought he’s a good man before—we can’t even passed those burly bodyguards Paolo had installed outside the door. I sighed heavily as I looked at the glass window and gaze sightlessly outside. The lights from the tall buildings were like stars glowing at the dark night. The life here in Las Vegas was only starting. Everywhere you looked from the soaring skyscrapers to the busy streets below all were alive like jewels when caught by lights. The Sin City, such a perfect description for this town... The opening of the door halted me from my thoughts. Paolo. So he finally decided to show-up after ditching me here. Not that I want him to near me. He can go as far as the end of the earth for all I care. “You are more devious than I gave you credit for, Tatiana.” He said without preamble as he strode inside the suite room, holding an envelope. My eyebrows knit together as I faced him. “What do you mean?” “You aren’t lying when you told me that your marriage to that duke was legal. I thought you were just bluffing.” He tossed the envelope on the glass coffee table. “I told you it was a real wedding.” I replied dryly. “I married him under my true name—but how did you find out.”

Paolo’s eyes burned with irritation as his gazed fix on me. “I asked I good friend of mine to check in Italy if your wedding ceremony with him is valid.” I can’t helped the relief that soared inside me. However I tried to crush it. I can’t let Paolo see how vastly happy I am with the knowledge that he can’t make me marry him now. “Now you do know that I’m still legally bound to the duke perhaps we can forget this insanity and return to New York. It’s been quite a day, won’t you say Paolo?” The cruel smile was back on Paolo’s face. That made me shivered, he isn’t giving up yet, has he? “Ah, but I already have a plan for this hitch, mia moglie.” “Don’t call me that!” I snapped at him abruptly. That Italian endearment was pretty special to me. It was Lucca’s pet name for me on the early stage of our marriage. “I am not your wife, Paolo. And I will never be.” “Ah, my little wallflower had already polished her Italian.” He smiled, but his eyes filled with anger. “I can’t believe that you will go so far just for the sake of your revenge, Tatiana. So different from the meek girl you once been if you just showed a little fire when we were still together I might not be tempted to crawl on your stepsister’s bed.” "You didn't crawl your way to Sabrina's bed. You jumped into it!" I replied acidly. “But I’m very glad you did.” “Yes.” He mused loudly pouring himself a glass of whiskey. “Our betrayals did well on you. Look at you...” He gestured my attire. “...you finally learn how to dress properly. The wallflower girl had blossom into a beautiful flower with thorns.” “So no one would dare to make fool out me again.” “You’re right.” He answered back. “As my wife—” “Your wife!” I sneered. “Don’t you get it, Paolo? I will never be your wife. Our time had already passed.” “You were dazzle before at the thought of us marrying someday.” I sighed. He’s really dense, isn’t he? I never thought that Paolo could be this stubborn. He’s starting to tempt my patience at this point. “Because I have stars in my eyes that time, I thought that I finally found my prince and my happily ever after. But I didn’t expect the harsh reality of life. There’s no such thing as real life fairytale.” “I will give you your fairytale dream, Tatiana.” He said, picking up envelope again. “If you will sign this divorce paper—”

My heart nearly dropped in my stomach. “What did you say...?” He smiled the way it never failed to flutter my heart before. “I already arrange the divorce paper on your marriage.” He walked towards me and held out the envelope. “Just sign the papers and we will send them to the duke.” I reluctantly get it and looked the content. My eyes widened at the papers. They were indeed my divorce papers to Lucca. How on earth he managed to do this? “Just sign them.” Paolo repeated. “I add a clause stating that you don’t want anything from him. You will be happy to walk away with nothing, if he will just sign these papers.” “You’re crazy.” “I know you will lose your title as the Duchess of Caprielle if you divorce him.” He placed his hands on either side of my waist. “But once we are married you will live like a queen. I will buy you a castle in Russia.” I shook my head. “No. I will not divorce him, Paolo.” “Yes, you can.” He cajoled, staring deep into my eyes. “I will make you happy more than he can promise. You will never want anything from life.” “How’s that possible, Paolo?” I asked him directly. “Yes. You are wealthy enough but compare to Lucca’s you are nothing. He can ruin you just a snap on his fingers.” “As your husband, I will have the rights in managing your family hotel empire.” I laughed humorlessly, pulling away from his touch. I don’t want him touching me. It disgusts me. “It seems that I forgot to tell you if I divorce Lucca, he will have the sole right on the Rostov Hotels around the world. It was part of our prenup agreement.” Paolo stared at me as if I lost my mind. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “I’m sorry but that’s true if you wish you can check our pre-nup also.” “It doesn’t matter just sign the papers, Tatiana.” “I will not sign them!” I snapped at him. I already lost my patience to him.

The change on him was swift. He’s eyes burned with such hatred that left me shivering. “Sign them. Good approached was wasted on you, woman. Don’t let me do something drastic before you succumb.” I swallowed hard as I force myself to asked. “Like what?” “Sign them if you don’t want your baby to come in any harm.” Paolo threatened darkly. I instantly protected my still flat belly. “You can’t—” He laughed harshly. “This is Las Vegas, cara mia. Abortion is legal.” Did he just say that he’s planning to abort my child from my womb? I will not let him do it. I will kill him first before he can harm my baby. “You’re a demon. I can’t believe you just say that. You told me that you’re willing to be his father—I knew it was only a lie. You bastard!” “Just sign the damn paper, Tatiana!” With my anger bubbled inside me, I ripped the divorce paper from into two. “For the last time: I will not sign them, Paolo.” “Perhaps the wedding is postponed until tomorrow. I guess it’s time for our wedding night.” He suddenly swung me on his arms and walked towards the bed.” “Put me down!” I yelled at him as I thumb my fist on his chest hardly. “Put me down!” He threw me unceremoniously on the bed and lie atop of me. “Get away from me, Paolo!” Oh God, how I hated his touch. I don’t want him touching me. “Don’t act like a sacrificial virgin, because we both know you aren’t anymore.” Paolo said his eyes filled with fury. “You already spread your legs to that pig duke.” “Lucca!” I scream at the top of my lungs, tears burn my eyes. He was practically ripping my clothes off. Oh, where was my husband. Please let him fly as fast as he can here. “Lucca, help me. Lucca...!” Suddenly, Paolo was dragged out of me and he knocked on the floor hard. I gulped for some air while Paolo grunted. I tried to sit on the bed. I nearly sighed with relief upon seeing a familiar figure. Was he real or just a product of my imagination?

I don’t want to blinked in case he vanished from my sight again. I tried to summon my quivering voice to call him to be sure he’s true. “Lucca...?” I placed my hands on my mouth as the tears threatened to fall again from my eyes. He’s finally here. My husband. He came to save me. “Are you okay, Tatiana mia?” His intense silver eyes filled with concern as he gazed down at me. But Paolo groaned again that made my husband becomes aware of him again. I saw the changed on Lucca’s expression from anxiousness about my wellbeing to the murderous glare he shot on Paolo’s laying body on the floor. Uh-oh...

================= Chapter 45: The Husband A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. - Unknown

Lucca Cavelli’s POV I finally arrived at the hotel Marco said where Paolo brought Tatiana to hide from me. Sometimes it gave me chill how on earth Marco Orsini had managed to locate that bastard within hours after he abducted my wife. He has a devil’s of connection, I decided. But I don’t have time to deal or think about it. I am just grateful with his connection this moment. I run through to the hallways of the highest floor on this luxury hotel. I could feel that my heart pounded so loudly in my chest. I have died a thousand deaths in the past hours when I realized that Paolo Ranaldi took my wife away to unknown destination. If that bastard touched even a single hair strand on Tatiana

and harm our baby, his worthless life will end with my bare hands. Finally, I reached the number of the hotel room Marco confirmed that Paolo and Tatiana was staying before he and Francesca parted with me when they have this lunatic notion of involving the cops in rescuing my wife. Honestly, I don’t give a crap about that. All I want was to rescue Tatiana and kill Paolo end of the story. But since they insisted that we should do the ‘right thing’ I just let it go and run towards the hotel room alone. I seriously doubt that I will ever see this day that the two of my very good friends were going to agree on something. Marco and Francesca seemed to step at the wrong footing the moment they first laid eyes in each other any years ago. It seems that they see on each other the personification of what they hated on a person. Francesca hated men who were libertine, have laid-back personalities and devil-may-care attitudes. And she instantly referred that was Marco’s perfect description. While Marco whom I known since college hated women who were too serious and followed rules and etiquettes to the letter and seconds upon meeting Francesca he’s convinced she’s the ideal example of it. The moment they stepped on the plane I expected they will try to kill each other instantly. But I am mistaken though they never missed the oppurtunity to sling arrow at each other throughout the journey. They only stopped when I finally snapped and threatened them to throw them out of the plane without parachutes. Now I left them at the mercy of each other. Was that the right decision on my part? What if they killed each other the instant I turned my back on them? No, I shook my head. They will not do that they promised to a ceasefire. I am back to the reality when I stand toe-to-toe with these two burly men in front of the door. They were Ranaldi’s dog. “Step aside.”

I snarled at them, but the two didn’t move an inch.

Ranaldi! I’ll give you a credit for having a watchdog outside your door. “I said step aside!” I snarled again to Ranaldi’s dog but they still didn’t move an inch on their place. That’s it. I don’t have time to be civil with them. The moment I saw Ranaldi took my wife from Rostov Hotel I am no longer a civilized man. The blood that runs through my veins came from my barbaric ancestors centuries ago. My vision filled with red hazed as my barbaric blood pumped through my veins. I grabbed the lapels of the first burly man and knee him in his stomach that made him grunted with such pain. He dropped in the cold marble floor clutching his stomach. While the other advance to take me down but I am faster than him. I moved behind his back and seized his arm twist him behind him while I shove his face on the

wall. “I did warned you.” I hissed at him while he struggled to be free from my hold. “Your loyalty to Paolo Ranaldi is amazing but he crosses the line and I intend him to pay his dues—” My anxiety about Tatiana and our child’s wellbeing exploded in a dark rage when I heard a bloodcurdling sound from my wife she was calling my name desperately. “Lucca!” She screamed so desperately asking for my help. Tatiana was calling for me. My heart lurched at the notion that my wife was in danger, if anything happened to her I don’t think I can bare it. I will gladly give my life for her to be safe and our baby. I will do anything for her for my beloved wife. Beloved? Why I stupidly hadn’t thought of that before? Yes, I love Tatiana more than my life itself. She managed to creep in my heart slowly that before I knew it she already owned my heart. “Lucca, help me. Lucca...!” I knocked the head of the second watchdog on the wall making him lose his consciousness and marched to the room. I desperately looked for my wife ignoring the painful thud of my heart. I walked to the master’s bedroom and froze. Damn Paolo Ranaldi to hell. I will be gladly to personally burned him in hell. He was trying to force himself to Tatiana, isn’t he? I purposely strode towards them and plucked him away from my wife and threw him on the floor. The sight of my Tatiana was heart-wrenching. Her beautiful eyes were bloodshot with tears and her hair was so messy while her pretty dress was crumples and it was slightly rip, like someone forcing it to remove from her body. She slowly tried to sat up on the bed. My most precious thing in the world—she was clearly debating if I am just a hallucination or the real thing. “Lucca...?” “Are you okay, Tatiana mia?” I asked looking at her lovely face. She placed her delicate hands on her mouth as the tears threatened to fall again from her violet eyes. It felt like a giant hand squeezing my heart seeing her tears. I will gave everything I have just to stop Tatiana from crying. Ranaldi groaned again that made me became aware of him once more. Giving my wife one last looked I focus my gazed on the laying dog on the floor. All right, it’s payback back time. I thought with deadly satisfaction. “Oh...you son of a bitch...” Ranaldi groaned again on the floor while spouting Italian curses at me. He surprised me when he was suddenly on his feet and punched

me. I felt the thudding in my upper lips. The bastard caught me off guard. I took few steps backward to wipe the blood in my lips and pointedly ignore Tatiana’s gasped. “How did you manage to find us?” I grinned at him as I position to strike back. “There is no place in earth that you could have hid from me.” “Oh, really?” “Yes.” I advanced at him and threw a fake left jab, when he dodged it I delivered a straight right hook that sends him back on the floor. I didn’t wait for him to regained his footing when I land a solid jab on the center of his face as the fury finally erupted inside me. Red thick fluid gushed through his nose but I didn’t stop there—I punched him on his solar plexus that made him cry out like a bear in agony he twisted like a ball clutching his midriff. “Get up, damn you!” I kicked him so hard on his ribs that I’m pretty sure it broke at least two ribs bone. He was like a helpless child on the floor. “How does it feel to be powerless?” “Ugh. You whoreson, duke.” He grunted, sending me a venomous glare. “If it’s not for Tatiana’s desire to avenge to us she will never agree to marry you. I am the love of her life—not you.” So he turned to a different tactics, isn’t he? He’s starting to poison my mind about my marriage. But he will not succeed. I smiled down at him. “Ah, but she married me, isn’t she? Whatever reason that might be she’s still legally bound to me. And you can’t have her as long as I live.” “Then you’d better be dead by now.” He hissed, as he tried to stand up again. “So that your ghost will be the only one who will try to separate us.” “We’ll see.” I taunted. He once again tries to land a punched on me but I have quicker reflexes than him. Before his punched can land on me I already take step backward and throw a straight jab on his face once again. The blood flowed out on his mouth like a waterfalls. I have to admit it was a nice sight from where I am standing. “Where the devil did you learn to fight like that?” He asked, wiping the blood from his mouth. “You’re like an underground boxer, I swear.” I smirked at him. “I may be a duke but I’m still I man. And I man protect what was his.”

“Tatiana is not yours!” I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, she is.” “The hell she is...!” He started to move forward on me again to hit but it was forestalled by a group of people who marched on the suite. “Oh, how I love bare-knuckle boxing.” Marco announced leading the assembly. The ‘assembly’ consists of him—the ever cynical Marco Orsini, Francesca—who was quite alarm seeing us at this circumstances and the two Las Vegas cops. “You should at least wait for me so I witness it from the beginning.” “Signore...” The warning came from no other than his nemesis. I guess the ceasefire had officially ended. “What?” Marco asked his foe, clearly enjoying this banter more than he should have. “Mr. Ranaldi.” One of the officers saids. “You are under arrest for abducting Tatiana Cavelli, the Duchess of Caprielle.” “Are you out of your mind?” Paolo asked indecorously. “You are arresting me when you should have arrested him instead.” He points at me. “Look what he did to me.” “Oh, oh, no one can blame him.” Marco inserted again. “The duke was one of the best fighters I’ve ever known.” “Why is that?” Paolo snapped. Marco’s eyes filled with satisfaction in seeing Ranaldi’s bleeding face. “That’s because he’s a member of special forces before he descends to the dukedom. That’s why he never had bodyguards to protect him. He can do it all by himself.” Without so much delay the two police officers dragged Paolo Ranaldi out of the suite. He had the gut to threatened about suing me and damaged my reputation in public while they were escorting him out of the room. “Trust me, pal.” Marco said dryly. “You will be far safer inside the prison bars where Lucca can’t get his hands on you.” Marco and Francesca followed them out after they asked for Tatiana’s wellbeing and commented on my rescue. After the door close I am left alone with my wife. Finally...

I faced her. She remained silent while Paolo and I brawled in front of her. Is she okay? Suddenly, I am scared to asked. My precious wife whom I love more than life itself. “Can you stand, Tatiana?” I ask stupidly, instead of asking for her health. “Yes...” She replied hoarsely, as I help her to stand. “Lucca—” “Shh...” I silenced her with my finger. “I know. You are pregnant, Tatiana. Are you and our baby okay, my love?” It feels so good saying ‘our baby’. Tatiana smiled weakly. “Yes, we are both fine. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner about the baby Lucca.” “It doesn’t matter, my love.” I answered back. “Let’s go.” She frowned slightly. “Where are we going?” “Home.”

================= Chapter 46: The First Scan Pregnancy is a process that invites you to surrender to the unseen force behind all life. ~Judy Ford

Tatiana Rostova’s POV It’s been a week since my kidnapping. Paolo stayed on the hospital after the police dragged him out on the hotel suite he’d taken me in Las Vegas but once his injuries healed Lucca make sure he stayed behind bars for what he did to me. I sighed. So much had happened to me in these past weeks, unexpected pregnancy, dropping my revenge, forgiving Paolo and Sabrina for what they did to me and of course my abduction. Since we came back from Las Vegas Lucca refused me to be out of his sight. Every single minute of the day he wanted me where he can see me. He rarely left my side.

He also installed bodyguards for me whenever I left the penthouse without him. I already told him that I will not fall easily on well laid trap again. But he insisted that it’s not done yet there was my stepsister, Sabrina to considered. She might do so revenge on me since we put her fiancé behind bars. So what can I do than to reluctantly agreed with the extra protection? “Tatiana?” Lucca called out. “Tatiana? Where are you?” I sighed. I knew it. My husband will start looking for me the moment he opened his eyes and realized that I am not on his arm’s length. He became a little paranoid thinking I’m always on grave danger when he’s not around. “Damn it! Where are you, Tatiana?” “In here.” I finally answered him from the living room. I don’t want another round of lecture from him. “Why aren’t you answering me?” He growled once he reach the living room area. I rolled my eyes and continue to drink my tea. “I haven’t heard you.” He kept on scowling at me but I ignored him. If I thought that scowled on his face early this morning would not get worst I am mistaken. The expression became thunderous when he saw that I am only eating dry crackers again for my breakfast. “Why are you only eating crackers?” He asked irritably. “You should eat more. There is new life growing inside you. You have to consider that, Tatiana.” The lecture starts earlier than yesterday, I mused silently. I prevented myself from rolling my eyes again on his direction claiming I am not taking him seriously with his lecture how to take care of myself and our baby. Astonishing, that he accepted easily that we were having a baby with just a heartbeat. I can’t see the regret in his face. “I’m still experiencing morning sickness, Lucca.” I answered him mildly. “That’s why this is the only thing I can eat for breakfast. Want some?” “No. Thank you.” He breathed deeply and smiles down in my direction. “Come. Let’s get you a proper breakfast.” I put down the dry crackers back on the plate and place my hand in the offered hand of my husband. He gave me a rakish grinned and led me to the breakfast room. Mrs. Rhodes cooked mouth-watering waffles with fresh fruits on top—my favorites.

Before I can say anything Lucca pulled out a chair for me. “I told the housekeeper to cook your favorite waffles.” “But—” He shook his dark head. “Enough of eating those crackers it’s time for you to eat proper breakfast every morning.” I sighed. The commanding duke was back. “But Lucca, I can’t eat anything for breakfast my stomach will rebel about it.” “It’s been what—ten weeks of your pregnancy now? Surely, you will be able to eat anything now?” I scowled at him while I sat on the chair he pulled out for me. “What do you know about pregnancy, Lucca?” “Of course, I read pregnancy books every night.” I gaped at him openly. He read pregnancy books every night? Seriously? So he was genuinely happy about the baby, wasn’t he? Seeing my reaction, a stain spread through his roman cheeks. Oh, how delightful my husband was blushing. The ruthless and powerful duke was actually self-conscious. “What?” He asked defensively. I shrugged, preventing the smile the kept on creeping in my lips. “Nothing, You Excellency. Nothing at all.” “You’re laughing at me.” He accused, his silver eyes narrowing to my direction. I tried to keep a straight face. “No, sir.” He surprised me when he suddenly laughed heartily. He sat on the vacant chair to start his breakfast. “You’re a terrible liar, Tatiana.” Lucca placed two waffles on my plate and top them with fresh blueberries while the housekeeper pour his cup a hot tea. I heard him visibly sighed. I have to hide my laugh for he will send me dark looks again. Ever since he came back from Italy, learned that I am expecting our first child and most importantly I can’t bear the smell of coffee. He reduced himself into drinking only tea for breakfast.

Before we could start our breakfast a visitor strode unannounced. The great Marco Orsini. Not that I think he’s really that great. Francesca made sure to lecture me about that, for my dear friend, Marco Orsini was nothing but a heartless playboy billionaire with a heart as cold as the glacier frost. But I still have to thank him for taking a huge part in rescuing me to my ex-fiancé, Paolo. “Marco!” Lucca beamed at his best friend. “What brings you here early this morning? Come, have some breakfast.” “Actually, I just stop by to tell you that Paolo Ranaldi was finally discharge from the hospital and went directly to jail yesterday.” “Oh, really?” Lucca mused, as if, it is vastly entertaining news. “Yes.” Marco answered back sarcastically. “Broken nose, two broken ribs and a sprain to his right wrist. He’s pretty tough in my opinion after the trashing you did. He’s lucky enough to only acquire such injuries.” “Waffles, Marco?” I offered sweetly so that they will be aware on my presence here. He smiled dazzlingly in my direction. No wonder many women had been jumping in his bed despite his reputation of discarding women like clothes. “No, thanks. But I would appreciate a coffee, duchess.” “Coffee is not on the menu for breakfast, sir.” I responded back amiably, as I flashed a coy smile. He blinked. Clearly, bewildered at the announcement. “But why?” “She hates the smell of coffee.” Lucca stepped in to answer. “That’s why I forced myself to shove tea on my throat every morning for my breakfast.” Marco barked a laugh. “Is that so?” His dark eyes twinkled with amusement. “Then, I’d better get going to have my cup of coffee somewhere else then.” After Marco left we finally started our breakfast. “So...” Lucca started. I looked up from my plate. “What is it?” He cleared his throat. “I arrange for you to have your first scan today.”

“My first scan?” “Yes.” “When?” “This morning.” He replied. “10 a.m.” My mind went blank at his brassed announcement. I will have my first scan today...

At exactly 10:05 in the morning I am lying on the bed wearing a hospital gown. The sonographer smears a cold gel on my still flat belly. Suddenly, I feel very nervous. My heart is thundering on my chest. “Scared?” The most handsome man I’ve ever known asked from the stool he’s sitting beside the bed. “Terrified, more accurately.” I countered breathlessly. “You will be fine.” He reassured me as he gathers my cold hand and squeezes it affectionately. The sonographer started to press this thing on my belly. Lucca and I finally see what’s inside my tummy through the screen. Honestly, I can’t see anything. All I can see was dark and shadowy. But I got nervous when the man who performs the scan stares intently on the screen. “Do you still experience morning sickness every morning, Your Excellency?” I swallowed hard. Is there something wrong with the baby? “Yes.” “Feeling more tired than the usual?” “Yes.” Oh, there is really something wrong with our baby, isn’t it? Please don’t let anything happened to our little one. Maybe seeing my fear. Lucca squeezed my hand in reassuring way. “What is it? What

did you see? Is everything okay?” Then the sonographer’s serious face broke into a smile. “Congratulations, Your Excellency. You are expecting twins.”

================= Chapter 47: The Step-sister Sisters never quite forgive each other for what happened when they were five. -Pam Brown

Tatiana Rostova’s POV Twins. Twins. Twins.... That single word repeated inside my head since I woke up early this morning. Sweet Lord, I am expecting not only one baby but two apparently. My first scan yesterday confirmed that I am carrying two babies. That’s why I am more tired than necessary. There were two growing life inside me. I placed my hand on my still flat belly, I don’t know how to cope with the babies at once but I will try my best to be a good mother for my twins. “Time for your breakfast, Tatiana.” The command came no less with the intimidating duke himself. I frowned a little when I saw that he’s ready to leave for office. “You’re not joining me?” He shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry, amore. But I have a board meeting this morning and I am already running late.” I pouted at him from the sofa where I’ve been sitting. I know its business and it’s important but I want him to stay from breakfast and join me. Breakfast alone almost every morning was so boring. I want to share breakfast with Lucca every morning. Stop interfering with his business, Tatiana. I chided myself. I guess I will have to blame my unjustly demand to my pregnancy hormone. Ever since Lucca came back from Italy it seems that I want to monopolize his attention all to myself every hour of the day which, of course, absurd. He has his empire to run and his own life.

Probably seeing the sadness in my face Lucca smiled down at me and said. “Don’t worry, Tatiana. I will make it up to you later. How about we have a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant this evening?” I can’t help but to beamed at him. “Really? We’re going out tonight?” Lucca laughed. “Yes, cara mia. I promise.” He offered his hand for me. “Now, come and eat your breakfast." I searched for his face as I took the offered hand. “I thought you said you’re already late for the office? You should get going I can take care of my breakfast, Lucca.” The duke gave me one of his infamous heart-stopping grins. No wonder many women had fallen to his renowned charm. “Darling, I may be a businessman but I’m also a husband. And it’s the husband’s first duty to take good care of his wife always.” My heart suddenly gave a painful thud. Oh, why does he have to say that? We both know that our marriage was not real. We did agree to marry each other to help me on my revenge now that I finally let go of my vengeance and forgive the people who hurt me our marriage is... “Tatiana? Tatiana? Are you alright?” A worried Lucca dragged me out of my reverie. “Are you unwell? Do you want me to call the doctor?” I gave him a half-hearted laugh. “I’m fine. Silly.” I could see on Lucca’s face that he’s not totally convinced. I chose to ignore his troubled expression on sat on the offered chair he pulled out for me. “I’m fine really. You don’t have to worry about me.” “Are you sure?” His silver eyes still held uncertainly. I bet he’s still studying me incase I’m lying. “You should go, Lucca.” I gave him a grin. “I’ll see you tonight.” It seems that he finally gave up with a resigned sigh and bend down to kiss me on the forehead affectionately. “All right. But call me if anything happened, is that clear?” It was on the tip of my tongue to refuse and tell him that nothing will happened but his silent warning gave me a paused. “Is that clear, Tatiana?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.” Lucca shook his head and smile reluctantly. “Your answer might as well translate as ‘I don’t give a crap to whatever you say, Lucca’.” I grinned at him. How he nailed it. “I’ll see you tonight, mi amore.” He said as he walked out from the kitchen without backward glance. I watch him disappear from our kitchen before start my breakfast. I heartily enjoy my breakfast of pancakes and fresh fruits when halfway through my breakfast the housekeeper entered the kitchen and announced that someone wants to see me. “Who was it?” I asked our elderly housekeeper. The housekeeper swallowed hard before answering. “She’s your—” “It’s me, Tatiana.” I placed down my fork on the plate and stared at my visitor. Never in my dreams that she will visit me again after all the things happened this past few weeks. “Sabrina.” “Can we talk?” Unable to answer I just stared at her standing in front of me with her pregnancy really starts to show. “Sure.” I replied when I realize she’s waiting for me to answer. The atmosphere in the room is so thick. “Have a sit.” “Can we talk in private?” she gave a sideways glance to Lucca’s trusted housekeeper. Dare I let myself to be alone with her? I signaled Mrs. Rhodes to leave us alone so my stepsister and I could talk privately. “What brings you here, Sabrina?” I asked without preamble once the housekeeper is out of hearing. “I want to talk to you.” She replied softly as she sat on the chair across to mine.

I notice that she looked so tired and beaten there were shadows under her beautiful crystal blue eyes. “Is it about Paolo?” I asked. “You want me to forgive him for what he did?” “No! Yes.” Her troubled eyes suddenly filled with fury but sadness creep on their depth. “That is—I want to talk about Paolo but not to ask to bail him out of jail.” “I’m listening.” I’m still wary about her intentions. I was once fallen on her manipulation I won’t let it happened again. She’s twisting her hands on the table sign that she’s nervous. Then I happened to noticed that she’s no longer wearing her engagement ring. Does it mean that she’s no longer engaged to Paolo? “Sabrina...?” “I visited Paolo in jail last week.” She said. “He claimed that you and your husband just framed him up and that’s part of your revenged to tear us apart.” “That’s not true.” I countered. “We did—” “I know, Tatiana.” Sabrina replied hastily. “He convinced me to bail him out and settle the score once and for all we’ll have the last laugh on this battle. But I didn’t agree. I have enough of this thing. I cut all of my connections with him last week.” I am quite speechless. I didn’t expect this one coming. I am quite sure that Sabrina came here to accuse and threaten me for putting Paolo behind bars. “Wow, I don’t know what to say.” “I know.” Sabrina smiled weakly. “I feel the same way. That’s why it took me a week to gather strength in facing you, Tatiana. I honestly don’t know if you want to talk to me. But I take my chances.” “Sabrina...” “Twenty-one years ago, my mom and I arrived at the beautiful castle-like mansion at the heart of Manhattan, a king and his little princess lived there and they were called Rostovs. Soon my mom and I became part of their world enjoying the privileged the upper-class society would have to offer. But a girl who’d been born without a tint of royal blood in her veins would remain outsider to the elite society...”

“Sabrina, what are you talking about?” I asked her in confusion. “You’re not making any sense.” “Let me finish, Tatiana.” I asked. “Soon I became jealous of the Rostov princess and starts hating her. I began perfecting the etiquette in the society. I want everything she has. I want to be her. Then he came along the dashing Italian businessman who’s like a modern prince for the Cinderella girl in the city. But that prince had higher dreams. He didn’t just like a modern Cinderella he wants a princess with enormous wealth to come with her on marriage.” I feel my eyes blurred with tears. I shouldn’t be affected by her story but I am. I should blame it on my pregnancy hormones. “So he courted the Russian princess openly to the public eyes. While people sighed with envy to their romance, Cinderella remained on the background only fitted to grace his bed wherever he wanted.” She paused to take a long and painful breath. “I grew tired of our set-up. I threatened him to break our relationship and start to date another man. He promised me to break your engagement that night on the yacht. But you suddenly suffered a headache.” Tears falling on Sabrina’s eyes. “I swear we didn’t intend to kill you it was an accident. After he withdrew from your engagement we decide to live permanently on the little town in Italy where he grew up.” As Sabrina speaks I can’t help to feel the pain I feel that night. The rage swirled in my heart that night that I nearly died because of them. “I thought leaving you on the sea to die was the best thing that night. You will be finally out of our lives. You don’t know how I became so blindly in love with him, Tatiana. I will do anything for him. Anything. But it turns out that he’s that not in love to me.” “Sabrina...” “I’m not asking you to forgive me Tatiana.” Sabrina stood from her chair, wiping her tears. “I know it’s not that easy. But I just want you to know I’ve regretted everything that’s happened from the day I start to get jealous over my sister. All I want to do is to start a new life with my baby. Goodbye, Tatiana. Thank you for the time.” “Sabrina, wait!” I also stood from my chair. And utter the words I don’t know I will tell Sabrina while I’m still alive. “I forgive you.” Tears fell on her eyes again as a sigh of relief escape her. “Thank you, Tatiana. Thank you. You don’t know how much it means to me to hear that. I’m sorry. Really sorry, Tatiana. I hope you will now find your happiness with your husband. He’s a good man. He will take good care of you and your baby.” “Babies.” I told my sister proudly. “I’m expecting twins.”

“Congratulations, then.” Sabrina said. “The duke will be a terrific father.” “I know that.” I smiled at her. “Goodbye, Tatiana.” “Goodbye.” I watch my sister walked slowly away from me. Now that Sabrina and I finally find peace in our heart. It’s time to move on with the new chapters of our lives. And it’s probably the time to talk to Lucca about our marriage. That’s right. Tonight, Lucca and I will talk about our marriage and what to do next. To draw the divorce papers and the set-up for our children. Tonight, the fate of my marriage will about to be judge.

================= Chapter 48: The Dinner Never argue at the dinner table, for the one who is not hungry always gets the best of the argument. -Voltaire Lucca Cavelli's POV My heart lurched with anticipation as I waited for my wife to arrive at the restaurant we agreed to have dinner this evening. Though my original plan was to pick her up in our home but she refused telling me that she will just meet me here. I glanced at my watch for at least ten times now in a quarter of an hour. I just phoned Tatiana and told me she's already near. Only few minutes and my Tatiana will finally arrive. I still can't believe that Tatiana was now carrying our twins. Dio, I'm going to be a father at last. I'm sure my mother would be thrilled once I broke the news about Tatiana's pregnancy. But I think it's not the right time yet to tell mother about it. There are things that Tatiana and I should be discussing first. And as I thought, this dinner will be the best thing to do tonight. I don't want to wait another day to open this discussion to my wife. But I hold myself in opening this topic due to Tatiana's state last week.

My breathed was caught at the sight of the strikingly beautiful woman who just entered the restaurant. She's achingly beautiful in that simple black dress that makes every man inside the posh restaurant stopped and watched her saunter inside. It seems that the world had stopped while she walked. My ever possessive self roared with the knowledge that this singular woman was mine. My wife. My duchess. Mine. I stood from my chair once she's near on the table I reserved. It's one of the best spot on the restaurant. "Good evening, Duchess." I stole a kiss on her blood red lips as I pulled out a chair for her, making sure that every man inside the room knew that she's mine. A pretty blush stained her cheeks. "Good evening, Your Excellency." She murmured demurely. I tried to hide my wolfish smile as I took my seat again. A waiter had move to our table to give us the menu and wait for our order. I waited for Tatiana to give her order before I give mine. I waited for the hovering waiter to be away from our table before I start what I want to say to Tatiana. About our marriage. "How's your day, darling?" I asked. "It's fine, Lucca." That's when I notice that something was off on Tatiana's face. Uneasiness sneaked into my spine. I knew something was wrong. "What is it, Tatiana? Tell me. Something has happened to your day. I knew it." "Oh, it's nothing, Lucca." she waved her hand as if that's the cue that I can't ask more about it. "Tatiana..." I warned in a voice that my staff and employees shook with fear upon

hearing it. She took a deep breath and glared at me. "All right, fine. Sabrina paid me a visit early this morning." I knew it. "So what happened?" "Not much." Tatiana shrugged. "She asked for forgiveness and I gave it." "You've what?" I asked indecorously. "I said I forgive Sabrina." "I can't believe that I am hearing this rubbish. After all the pain and heartache and hell she's put you through just like that...." I snapped my fingers together. "...you forgave her?" Tatiana took a deep breath her pretty violet-eyes flashed with fire. "It's not easy to forgive. But I think everyone should move on with their lives. The wallflower's revenge is finally over." "I can't believe that you're letting your stepsister off the hook that easy, mia moglie." I told her honestly. "I think she should be in jail with your ex-fiancé." "I don't want my niece or nephew to be born in jail, Lucca." I knew that deep down she's still a compassionate woman. She forgave the woman who betrayed, nearly killed her and tried to get everything she has just for the sake on the baby growing inside her stepsister. "That baby is innocent to all of these." Tatiana added. "I know." Our conversation was interrupted when our order of food arrived. "But I don't want to talk about Sabrina's visit tonight, Lucca." Tatiana said, her eyes filled with uncertain. "I want to talk about something." "Yes." I agreed, sampling the food I ordered. "Me too, I want to talk about our marriage." Did I just imagine it or Tatiana paled beneath her already pale skin? "Yes." Tatiana swallowed hard. "I think it's about time we draw the divorce papers

and set up the joint custody for our children." Does the earth tilt from its axis? Or the ground beneath me suddenly opened? Because it feels that way. My heart pounded so loud that makes difficult to breathe. I could swear Tatiana just said that that she wants divorce. "What...did...you...say?" I asked Tatiana in a voiced that I wasn't sure it's mine. She took a deep breath before focusing her unreadable gazed to mine. "I said, now that I finally let go of my revenge. I think we should talk about ending our partnership also." "The hell you say, woman!" I roared so loudly that several heads turned in our direction. But I don't give a damn. Right now, all I wanted to do is wring that pretty neck of hers. "Lucca," Tatiana murmured softly, giving a sideway glance at the people who'd been openly staring. "Your voice." Suddenly, I have enough of this ridiculous notion of Tatiana. I want this conversation inside the walls of our home not on public places. We might as well make ourselves fool in tomorrow's paper if we don't leave right now. "You know what, cara mia?" I said in a deadly tone, fishing out my wallet I threw some rolls of cash on the table and abruptly stood from my chair. "I think it's better to finish this conversation home." I didn't wait for her reply and literally plucked her from her chair and dragged her out of the restaurant. As expected she goes in rage pulling away with my grip while I continue to dragged her away from the restaurant. "Lucca! What are you doing? Lucca! Lucca Domenico Cavelli!" I released her from my dead grip on the parking lot beside my Ferrari. "You woman," I said in a lethal tone. "What gotten into you to spurted nonsense to me?" "I wasn't a nonsense." She contradicted. "It's what we have to do." "Why?" "Why?" Tatiana had the gut to scowl on my face when I should be the one doing that. "Our agreement was to help me gain my retribution but after that we will separate our ways remember."

Oh, that stupid agreement we consent during the first few days of her in Amalfi Coast when she's still planning her revenge. "But things had change now, wasn't?" I told her, sandwiching her between the cold metal of the car and my body. "Yes..." She breathed. Focusing her waning gazed on my face. I tried not to attack her in the middle of the parking lot but it's too damn hard. "I being pregnant change everything. But we can't stay on a loveless marriage just because I'm having your baby. We can still raise them together even if we're divorce." "Loveless marriage?" I asked outrageously, I can't believe what I'm hearing with this woman. "Is that what we have, Tatiana? A loveless marriage?" "Maybe," She replied hesitantly. "You can't call it a real if I'm the only one who's in love in our relationship, Lucca." "What did you say?" "I said," She took a deep breath, her violet eyes filled with hurt. I want to wipe that hurt away from her eyes because it feels like my heart was being crushed by a giant hand. "I love you, Lucca. I have loved you the moment I woke up on your villa. But I'm just so scared to make myself fall in love with another Italian guy." "I'm different with your ex-fiancé, Tatiana." I brushed off the hot tears that threaten to fall on her pretty eyes. "I know that." She replied in low whisper. "That makes you a really kind man. And it's your right to find the woman you will love for the rest of your life. That's why I don't want you to trap in our marriage just because I got pregnant. I am setting you free." "You are the most aggravating, thickheaded, dense woman I have the misfortune to meet!" "I don't understand why are you fuming?" "What is this nonsense 'setting me free'?" I roared to her. Right now, my fury was back with vehemence. "Of course. I love you, woman! Why do I need to look for the woman I will love for the rest of my life when I am already married to her! Do you think I'm that stupid to stay married with the woman I don't even love? You really taught that I am that gallant knight who will stay married to you just to have your revenge, Tatiana?" "I don't understand," She said dazedly. "You said before that you agreed to my scheme so you can have hold of our family's hotels."

"I will agree to anything Tatiana if that is the only way that would make you mine." I admitted to her softly. "Lucca..." "I know you're not ready to hear my confession on love before so I patiently waited for the right time." "Really?" I smiled at her lovely face. The face of the woman I will treasure for the rest of my life. "Sì. Ti amo, mi amore." "I love you too, Lucca Cavelli." "I know." I cradle her face and kissed her so sweetly for the first time tonight. It was the sweetest kiss I ever had. "You capture my heart the moment I saved you from the sea, darling." "Really?" She asked her eyes filled with love. "You never told me yet the story how you save me, Lucca." "One day, Tatiana mia." I promised her, kissing her hand. "Now that your revenge is finally over. I think its past time for us to go back home in Italy and lived there for good. I want our children to be born there. And I will give you the grandest wedding Italy will ever see. But right now, let's go home and show you how much I love you."

Tatiana Rostova's POV The next morning I searched for the handsome man next to me on the massive bed. I stood up abruptly-still naked when I found myself alone. Where was Lucca? I still can't believe that he loves me. Him, one of the most powerful men in Italy had fallen in love with me. But last night he showed me how much he loves me and admitted without hint of remorse that my pregnancy wasn't unexpected he had it planned all along making sure to I can't escape him forever. That sneaky duke.

So where was my husband this morning? I happened to glance at the nightstand beside me and notice the all familiar note. A reluctant smile broke to my sleepy face as I read it: Dearest Duchess, Good morning, my love. I hope you are in a good mood today as I promised last night I will give you the grandest wedding Italy will ever see but first your proposal of marriage. Are you in for a little game, my lovely wife? -L I squeaked. Lucca's little game was back. I threw the covers and slip on the night dress Lucca threw on the other side of the room last night and see what Lucca's surprise proposal to me.

================= Epilogue: The Family The love of family and the admiration of friends are much more important than wealth and privilege. -Charles Kuralt

ROME, ITALY Seven months later...

Francesca Marcolini’s POV “Boun giorno!” I greeted as I open the door in one of the suite rooms in a private hospital in Rome. “Francesca!” The new parents said in unison as they hold each little bundle on their arms. I smiled at them as I entered the room.

“How are you?” I asked, nearing the hospital bed where they sat together looking at their twins adoringly. “Blissfully happy.” Tatiana replied. You can’t see on her beautiful pale face the pain she’d suffer on her fourteen hours labor. Her hospital room was filled with bouquet of flowers with cards pass on good wishes to the happy couple and their twins. “Francesca,” Lucca said proudly, holding out the baby in his arms for me to see. “I don’t believe you’ve met our children yet. Meet Makis and Mariya.” My gazed first settled on the future Duke of Caprielle on Lucca’s arms. He has a chubby red cheeks and a shock of dark hair. “Oh,” I was amazed when the little Makis opened his eyes and stared right at me. His eyes were as gray as his father. The eyes of the Cavellis for centuries. Next I look at the little girl Tatiana held in her arms but this time she’s already awake her gray eyes looking at her mother silently. “How clever,” I remarked. “You name her Mariya.” “Mariya is a pretty special for us.” Lucca admitted smiling adoringly to his wife and placing a kiss on her forehead. “My wife used it for awhile as she began to build her new life.” I looked away at their display of affection to each other. I couldn’t help but to feel jealous seeing how happy and settled they were. I couldn’t help but to wished I have like that on my own. Maybe seeing my uneasiness Tatiana changed the subject. “Are you alone, Francesca? Where is Mar—” “Oh, no.” I interrupted her instantly. “I arrived alone.” Maybe seeing my discomfort, Lucca’s eyes narrowed slightly. “He’s not harassing you again, has he?” “Oh, he’s not.” I don’t know why I have to lie for him. That sharp-tongue devil who couldn’t say even a single word of kindness to me. “We’re perfectly fine.” “Did the two of you quarrel?” Tatiana asked innocently. How canny of these couple to nailed the truth within minutes of silently interrogating me? I faked a laughed for their benefits. “Oh, we didn’t quarrel. I assure you, Tatiana, that whatever we have was just pure business.”

“That’s not what I think.” Lucca contradicted. “These past few months you were inseparable. Rumors has it that you two were...” Nervousness sneaked in my spine. “What rumors?” Lucca and Tatiana exchanged meaningful glances and accelerate my anxiety. “What rumors?” I repeated. “That you and—” Tatiana started. “Boun giorno!” A familiar new voiced entered the room. I silently took a deep breath on the unexpected encounter. “Marco.” Lucca acknowledged his best friend’s arrival. Marco Orsini frowned slightly as he entered the room, holding a basket of fresh flowers on his hand. “What’s with the accusing tone, mio amico?” “Hello, Marco.” Tatiana greeted warmly. “Are those beautiful flowers for me? Thank you.” “It seems that they have no space on your room, Your Excellency.” Marco remarked looking for a vacant space inside the room. I think it’s time for me to be known to this devil. “Here. Let me put them here.” The naked shock on his handsome face was noticeable. He’s really wasn’t aware that I’m also inside the room. But the shocked on his eyes instantly replace by fire in their depth. “Francesca.” We stared at each other for like an eternity, completely ignoring the other people inside the room. It was Tatiana who broke the silence. “My room completely becomes a flower shop, had it?” “Yes.” Marco replied but his gazed still locked to me. No, I don’t want the way he’s looking at me. One word to that deep sultry voice of his I’ll melt. I have enough of this. “Lucca. Tatiana.” I said picking up my bag. “I have to go. I’ll visit again soon.”

I didn’t wait for their reply and dash off the room. My heels clicking on the marble hallways I nearly reached the elevator when I heard him again. “Francesca, wait!” “Stop following me.” I told him without backward glance. “Go back inside.” “Wait!” He said, grabbing my arms to stop me from my track. “We need to talk.” “No. We don’t.” “Yes, we do.” He disagreed, unaware of the longing glances the nurses giving him. “We have to talk about what happened. We can’t avoid each other forever.” “Nothing happened.” I replied firmly, ignoring the painful thud of my heart. “There is.” He answered silkily. Lowering his voice, he dragged me closer to the hard chest of his body as he lowered his head and whispered something for my ears only. “We have to talk what will happen now, Francesca. Because you finally spend the night in my bed...”

================= Extra Chapter: Fate Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. -Marcus Aurelius

LAST SUMMER...

Lucca Cavelli’s POV The cold wind caressed my cheeks as I stood on the deck of my yacht on a summer night. I sipped my wine as I stared at the vast ocean. Coming here to unwind after closing a mega-deal in Rome was my choice. Usually, I will throw a party to my penthouse in Rome and invite people to celebrate with me. But that idea was not appalling for me right this moment.

Once the contract had been signed I told my driver for my car to be readied and I will immediately go to my summer villa in Amalfi Coast. Now I am enjoying the solitude of my surrounding watching the stars in the sky sparked like jewels. The solemnity of my surrounding momentarily interrupted when I heard people shouting from the other yacht not far from mine. I growled when I realized that I was not all alone on the vast sea they were so people who out for partying in their own vessel. I was about to tell my driver to turn back the ship to the dock because I already lost my interest in spending my night on the sea. But then I stopped my track when I noticed that a shadow on the near yacht accidentally fall on the cold water and their craft moved away leaving whoever it was on the sea. They probably didn’t see him fell. “Turn the yacht at ninety degrees!” I roared in Italian to the captain of my yacht. My heart pounded on my chest hoping that I can save that person on time. Once we near where the person fall I saw him struggled to the water. Damn, he couldn’t even swim. I didn’t think twice before I jumped on the cold water to save him. I was stunned when I realized that it was not a man but a woman. “Here....here, you are safe now.” I reassured in Italian when I get a hold of her in the freezing water. She muttered something which I didn’t understand before losing her consciousness. “Sua Eccellenza!” One of the crew of my yacht leaned down on the deck. He helped me to transfer the unconscious woman in my arms to my boat. I laid the pale woman on the deck and performed a C.P.R. but she’s still lifeless. “We will return in my villa now!” I shouted in my captain and held the woman in my arms.

The usual peace of my villa erupted with the uproar when I arrived, dripping wet with an unconscious woman in my arms.

“Call for a doctor immediately.” I told the housekeeper who opened the door for me. “Yes, Sua Eccellenza.” I brought the woman on the guest room of my villa and asked the young maid working for me to change her wet clothes to the pajama tops that I owned. Fifteen minutes later, the doctor arrived to check the woman I saved on the sea. He reassured me that she will be fine once she resurfaced again that the woman just swallowed plenty of water. But I’m still not convinced. From time to time I checked for her state of unconsciousness. The elderly doctor advice me to take a rest in my room he will look after the woman. I refused. The Mediterranean sun already bid the morning light. I didn’t sleep a winked last night as I look at the calm sea outside the French window waiting for the woman to regain her consciousness. She didn’t stir even once during the night. The only indication that she’s still alive was her slow and steady breathes. “Lei andrà bene.” The doctor assured in a low whispered. “Your Excellency.” I turned back to looked at the man only to find that the woman was now finally awake. I told the doctor to leave us alone. Once the door firmly shut behind me and the woman I save last night. I walked slowly on her bed and stared down at her uncanny violet eyes. Not knowing that very moment I looked at her eyes my soul was ensnared by this woman.