Her Sinful Desires

Chapter 001 Elisabetta’s POV (Raffaele 36, Elisabetta 25) If hell had a forwarding address, this mansion was it. Silver paintings, gleaming floors, bulletproof windows. I make my way up the stairs as the guard carrying my suitcase leads me to my new room, and the realization settles in that it will be my home from now on. “Elisabetta, dear,” my mom calls with a smile, standing in front of my new room. I reach for her for a hug, but she pulls away sooner than expected. “I don’t want to be here, Mama,” I tell her. There is no warmth here; this place barely feels like a home. “You’ll learn to survive changes, Elisabetta; not everything has to go the way you want,” Mum tells me, her tone harsh. “But Mama—” “No buts, Elisabetta. Arrange your things, freshen up, and get ready for dinner in a few hours.” With that, I’m shoved into my room with the door slammed against my face. ‘Deep breaths, Elisabetta.’ ‘You can get through this.’ My fingers start to shake as my anxiety kicks in. I quickly locate the bathroom and splash water on my face to calm my nerves. I take my time to steady my breathing as I walk back into the room. Throwing myself on the bed, I remove my phone from my purse and stare at the last messages I sent my friends. “I’m sorry I had to leave without saying goodbye.” “I’ll miss you so much, Vee.” “I hope you understand it was on short notice.” “I love you.” I reread the last message over and over again; when the pain becomes too much to hold, tears start rolling down my face. I bury my face on the pillow and cry my eyes out. I’ve left my whole life behind all because of a woman who barely understands me. I wasn’t against her remarrying a retired mafia lord, as long as I stayed away from their lifestyle, but I was wrong. I’ve become a part of their mafia family. There’s a knock on my door before a masculine voice calls, “Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes, Miss Elisabetta.” Another tear falls from my eye; a guard is informing me about dinner time. Soon I’ll have one escorting me everywhere. Oh lord. Having less than 30 minutes to shower and get dressed, I realize that I haven’t even unpacked the things I brought. I quickly select an outfit and have the quickest shower of my life. When I’m done, I barely have five minutes left. Scurrying out of my room, I make it just in time as who I assume will be the cook drops the last plate of the meal on the dining table. An elderly man with aging features stares at me with his arms wrapped around Mom; he’s Alessandro Moretti, the retired mafia lord and Mom’s new husband, also now my stepfather. Opposite him is a young lady with long blonde hair and green eyes; she drags me into a warm embrace and introduces herself. “I’m Violet Moretti, the youngest child.” “Wow, nice to finally meet you. “I didn’t see you at the wedding,” I tell her. Mom throws me a look, but I shrug. “Yeah, I couldn’t make it. My flight got cancelled.” “Let’s eat, shall we?” Mom says, and we all start to dig in. Even though I barely have any appetite, I force myself to consume half the food on my plate before dropping the spoon and trying to focus on the conversation they’ve been having. Just then, Alessandro turns to stare at me and asks, “Your mom told me you like to write.” “Yeah.” I answer, feeling uneasy that Mom talked to him about me. What else did she say? “What else do you like to do?” Violet asks. “I like not being involved in things I don’t want.” “Like what?” “This house, for example.” “Elisabetta!” Mom snaps. Alessandro exhales, making Mom direct her attention to him. Right, she couldn’t even focus on me for one minute. “As much as I love your mother, I won’t have you being disrespectful on my table, Elisabetta. There are punishments for disobedience.” Did he say punishment? Mom rests her hand on his arm to seemingly calm him down, and I just lost interest in being at this dining. Just as I’m about to stand up, a body walks past the dining room; all heads turn to him, and a terrifying gasp leaves my mouth. The man standing at the passage looks like he had a swim inside a pool of blood. From his hair to the shoes on his feet, he is stained with blood. My stomach twists and turns as I feel nausea crawling up my throat. Dipping his hand into his pocket, he fetches out a white handkerchief and cleans his face, then mouths, “Didn’t know we’d be having a visitor.” “She’s Adriana’s daughter,” Violet tells him; that seems to draw his attention because his gaze lands on me. He stares at me closely, for a second too long… Then the realization hits and my blood goes cold, the hairs on my neck and arm rise, and the nausea comes running up my throat. With shaky legs, I rise from my seat, telling them I’m full and sleepy, then sparing one last fearful glance at the bloodied man, I dash from my room as fast as I can. I’ve spent fifteen minutes buried under the duvet hoping Mom or even Violet would come to my room and explain why that man was in this house. I didn’t see him at Mom’s wedding either, but Mom told me that Alessandro has two kids. Could he be the other kid? Violet said she is the youngest child; is he the eldest? Lord, please let my thinking be false. There’s a knock on my door, causing me to sit up. I wait for a voice, but there’s none. The room is pitch black because that’s how I like to sleep, but the anticipation growing in my chest causes me to turn on my side lamp just as the door opens and a huge figure steps in. I shift backwards, my back touching the nightstand. He walks closer until his face becomes visible under the dim light, and I nearly gasp in awe. “Elisabetta Lucia De Luca. You thought you could run from me forever, didn’t you? Too bad, you have no idea what’s coming at you but you’ll find out soon enough. I’ve got you now. Right under my roof.”