Adrian's Vengeance: A Dark Mafia Romance

by Isabella Starling

  Following Eleanora downstairs, I feel my heart hammering in my chest. This is really happening. I'm about to sit down as part of their family. Is this Adrian's way of telling me he's ready for the next step? Does he still want me after everything that's happened? A small ray of hope awakens inside me, shining brightly through the darkness of the past few weeks.

  Maybe things will change... maybe happiness will finally come for me.

  I enter the dining room where several men are already sitting. Some of them glance at me. One smirks.

  Bruno just keeps talking as I walk to a chair and take a seat. I don't dare speak. I'm not even brave enough to look at the men who decide my fate alongside Adrian.

  "Good to see you've joined us, Marzia," Bruno says.

  I risk a look at him, giving a small bow. "Thank you. I was happy to be invited."

  "Ah, there's Adrian now."

  I look over my shoulder, my chest tightening as I see him walk inside. He looks as handsome and darkly menacing as ever.

  Behind him, there's someone who seems to burn so brightly, she lights up the room. The girl is blonde with blue eyes. Her skin is pale and she's impossibly beautiful, like a doll.

  My lips purse as she steps forward and takes Adrian's hand in hers. I get up, my hands forming fists as I search Adrian's face for answers.

  "Meet Nicoletta Carlucci," Bruno grunts. "Adrian's bride-to-be."

  My blood fucking boils. I stare at the girl who beams at my man with excitement. My heart is hammering in my chest, threatening to break through my ribcage and shatter before them all. I take a seat abruptly.

  A moment later, Nicoletta sits to my right.

  I can't even comprehend what's happened. I glare at Bruno across the table but he merely smiles at me as if this is nothing to be concerned about. I have so many questions, but not enough courage to ask a single one. Instead, I stare blankly at the appetizer someone puts on the table in front of me.

  I waited so long for this. I wanted to dine with Adrian, with someone, anyone. I was so desperate for company. But now that I have it, I'm caught in a whirlwind of despair and regret.

  Adrian is engaged to be married to someone else.

  The truth is hard to swallow and I still haven't accepted it. I pick at my food, barely listening to the men's conversation around me. A moment later, someone nudges me, and I look into Nicoletta's sweet, bright blue eyes. Dio, how I hate her.

  "Are you engaged to one of the Bernardi brothers?" she asks in a low whisper. "Are we going to be sisters-in-law?"

  I shake my head wordlessly.

  She cocks hers to the side. "Who are you then? A relative?"

  I don't know how to answer her. I open my mouth to speak.

  Bruno calls Nicoletta's name the next moment and the pretty blonde's attention shifts to the older man.

  I stare dumbfoundedly at my plate, not knowing what to do, how to act, what to say. I'm lost in a vortex of thoughts that makes it impossible to focus. Until I feel fingers on my wrist.

  Adrian has reached behind Nicoletta's chair to wrap his fingers around my wrist.

  It doesn't hurt—the pressure is a pleasant constant, but I'm so afraid someone will notice I'm too terrified to react.

  "Let's raise our glasses," Bruno speaks then.

  I realize I've tuned out the entire conversation.

  "Let's toast to my son and Nicoletta, and their engagement. Here's to a successful marriage and plenty of heirs!"

  The table erupts in laughter.

  I'm frozen to the spot.

  Adrian's hand slips from mine, as he toasts with everyone else, not even looking at me.

  "Marzia, aren't you going to celebrate with us?" Adrian's bride-to-be asks sweetly.

  I force myself to get up, paint a smile on my face, and toast with the champagne flute on the table before me. When I sit down, I feel numb. I know I'm going to be sick if I keep sitting here. When they put the next course on the table before us, I push back my chair and press my palm to my lips.

  "I have to go to my room," I mutter. "I'm sorry. I don't feel so good."

  I take off running. No one gets up to follow me, but I hear a guard following me discreetly a moment later, letting me know there won't be a chance for another escape.

  I walk up to my room, slowing my pace and letting my emotions wash over me. I feel utterly humiliated. To be in the same room as her, after Adrian had made love—it was degrading as fuck. Shame burns my cheeks into bright red spots as I slam the door of my quarters to relieve some of the tension.

  A moment later, the lock clicks into place. Here I am again, in my prison.

  With an exasperated sigh, I pace the room. My body and mind are burning up with the intense hatred I feel for Adrian. I still can't believe he did this. That he brought her back here, where we shared special memories together, despite every crime he's committed against my family. I know Nicoletta is innocent in all this, but I despise her. I burn up with jealous hatred when I think of her looking at Adrian. It's already driving me crazy and I've only known for an hour.

  Eleanora enters the room a moment later. I barely notice her until she shoves another letter into my hands. Knitting my brows together, I sit on the couch and skim my brother's words.

  They're planning on getting me out of here, but they need my help. And I decide I will help them. I will get out of here. I don't owe Adrian anything. I'll marry Vitto out of pure spite if I have to, just to hurt Adrian as much as he's hurt me with his actions.

  Eleanora leaves me alone after I scribble a reply that I'll look for a chance to run. After she's gone, I wait in vain for Adrian to come. I toss and turn on the bed even though it's too early to sleep. But what else am I supposed to do? I only want to paint him and I hate him too much to see him, even if it is on canvas.

  With a groan, I turn around and stare out of the window at the property. It's so beautiful here. If only I were allowed outside, so I could explore the gardens. I miss the fresh air.

  A pleasant breeze blows through the window and I let out an exhale, my fingers lightly tracing the skin that my dress exposes. I bite my bottom lip under the weight of my fingertips. Will Adrian still touch me like this? Will he still want me now that he's going to marry someone else?

  Either way, Adrian's not around to give me the pleasure I crave so much right now. So I do what any woman would do. I think of the man I can't have as my fingers work to pull down my thong, exposing my swollen pussy to the cool air of the evening.

  I flush deeply, telling myself I'm silly. Adrian is going to watch the footage of tonight on the cameras... or even worse, one of the guards will. And he'll see me touching myself.

  Well, maybe if he does, I'll get his attention. Maybe if he sees me misbehaving he'll feel the need to punish me and show me to my place.

  A wicked smile begins to play on my lips.

  I'm going to get exactly what I want. Adrian isn't the only one who can play games around here. I'm not going to be the meek, obedient girl he wants me to be. I'm going to stand up for myself. Who's going to stop me now? My parents are dead, my brother is gone.

  I answer to no one.

  I raise my chin defiantly and look directly into the blinking red eye of the camera. I stare straight into the lens as it zooms in on me, picking up activity in the room. I'll show him. I'll make this hard for him every step of the way. Make him regret ever taking me in the first place.

  I'll make Adrian Bernardi pay.

  21

  Adrian

  I watch Marzia leave while my heart threatens to beat right out of my chest. I want to go after her. I want to fucking make her mine again. But I'm forced to sit there and grit my teeth through the long evening that just doesn't seem to end. My father questions Nicoletta about bullshit I haven't even thought about, and I don't remember any of it. My mind is on Marzia and what she's doing locked up in her room.

  Is she thinking about me? Is she going crazy, knowing I'm going to marry someone else? How upset is she now
that Nicoletta's in the same house she's in? Fuck, I hope it makes her cry. I want to make her cry so fucking much...

  The moment Nicoletta yawns, I'm on my feet. "Let me escort you to your quarters, Nicoletta."

  "No, I need to speak to you," Father says with a firm grip of my forearm. "One of the servants will take her. We can talk in my office."

  "Actually—"

  "It's urgent." He cuts me off, looking into my eyes to signal how serious this is.

  I want to curse out loud, but instead I say goodnight to Nicoletta like a fucking puppet and follow Father into his office.

  Finally, we're alone. I slam the door of the office and turn to face him. "We need to talk about this messed up situation."

  "I agree," Father says. "I didn't anticipate Gustavo sending his daughter here with us. We need a cover plan for Marzia's presence in your life."

  "We need more than that," I hiss. "I don't want to marry Nicoletta. I don't want to risk my relationship with—"

  "You've got to stop thinking about the Da Costa girl."

  "I don't want to."

  "She's not meant for you, Adrian. Nicoletta is."

  "How are you going to explain all this to her, anyway?" I glare at him. "She's not going to buy some half-thought-out cover story about Marzia. And if he finds out, her father's going to fucking kill me."

  "I'll introduce her as your ward," Father mutters. "We'll say she's sixteen, underage. Nicoletta won't know the difference. We'll tell her you're taking care of her as a favor to an old family friend."

  "I don't want to do that," I say right away. "Father, you have the power to break off the engagement with Nicoletta. You know I don't want to marry her. Why are you forcing me to do this?"

  "You'll learn soon enough," he mutters, sputtering as he coughs. "That's the story we're going with. It also gives you an excuse to have Marzia around, and Nicoletta won't suspect a thing."

  "I don't agree with this." I cross my arms on the seat opposite of Father's. "We're just making a fucking mess I'll have to clean up later."

  "The only mess in this case is Marzia," Father hisses. "Get rid of her and most of your problems will go away."

  "It's not about killing people just because it's easier," I grind out. "It's about doing the right thing for the people you love. Your famiglia."

  For a moment, Father's eyes shine with something I could almost describe as pride. "And is Marzia your family?"

  "Not yet," I admit. "But I want her to be. You know I always believed we should be together. Don't take that away from me, not now."

  He ponders my words for a moment before dismissing me.

  My blood boils again, but I'm not looking to get into a fight with Father. Instead, I walk out of his office and down the hallway that has doors to two futures—one with the woman I want, the other with the one my father picked for me.

  I pick one of the doors and unlock it. I turn the light on.

  The control room is right between Nicoletta and Marzia's rooms. I check the screens and am horrified to find someone's put cameras in my fiancée's quarters, too. I wonder if she knows I'm watching her.

  Like an innocent princess, Nicoletta kneels before her bed, hands clasped together in prayer. She's the epitome of a good girl. Her father would be proud.

  The other screen is dark, so I adjust the brightness setting. A moment later, I make out the writhing shape on Marzia's bed as the prisoner herself, body twisting as pure pleasure takes over.

  She's touching herself. She's stealing what's mine. Her body convulses with selfish pleasure and my hands tighten into fists. She's going to pay for this.

  I rush to her room before my temper has gotten the chance to calm down. The key clatters from my hands to the floor and I don't want to wait anymore. I kick in the door. I ignore her panicked shriek and walk straight into the bedroom. I grab her by the throat and cage her body beneath mine on her bed.

  "You think you can touch without my permission?" I hiss against the shell of her ear. "You think you deserve orgasms when I didn't say you could have them?"

  "Adrian," she chokes out, "Stop it, you're acting crazy!"

  "From now on," I go on calmly, gently squeezing her throat and making her gasp out loud. "You don't touch anywhere that makes you turned on. Not your sweet little tits. Not your tight little ass. And most certainly not my pussy."

  "You're crazy, I—"

  "Say it back to me." My fingers tighten even more and her eyes find mine. Her heart hammers between us, reminding me she's vulnerable, breakable. The thought only serves to excite me more. "Say it's my pussy. Say you won't touch yourself without my permission."

  She swallows. My fingers ease up but her eyes darken the next second. "It's yours."

  "And what else?"

  "I won't touch it without permission."

  "Tell me everything you won't touch," I growl.

  Instead, she grabs my palm off her throat and guides it over her exposed breasts. "Here..." She pulls me lower, making me cup her hot mound. "And here, I won’t touch here..."

  My fingers work against her lips and I've got her arching her back in moments. She mewls my name. I know how badly Marzia wants more—it's written all over her pretty little face. And I'm more than eager to let her have it. If only she hadn't pissed me off. Now, I'll have to make it hurt so she'll remember.

  "Fuck me," she breathes.

  "Oh, I will. Get on all fours."

  She obeys, clumsily stumbling as she tries to get in position. With a growl, I grab her by the waist and make her body accessible, the way I need it. I unzip and take out my cock. I press it against her untouched hole and wait for her to realize what's going to happen.

  The atmosphere in the room changes the instant she does. I half-expect her to beg me to stop, but what she does instead is far more delightful. "Do it," she mutters, looking at me over her shoulder. "Take it, I want you to have that, too."

  She makes me into a fucking animal. She's impossible to resist. I slide my cock over her wet snatch getting it coated with her juices, then start pressing inside her, firmly, but with ease.

  She stiffens.

  "Relax into it," I grind out. "Let it fucking happen, Marzia. Let me in. It's my ass. Tell me it's my hole."

  "All of them are yours," she cries in a sudden outburst. "All of my holes are for you, Adrian..."

  "Tell me you won't run again." I thrust, just a little, my cock hardening when she whimpers.

  "I won't run from you..."

  "Tell me you won't be a jealous bambina."

  "I can't," she whispers. "I can't help it, Adrian!"

  I thrust again. This time, I manage to get half of my length inside her. She's twisting this way and that on my cock but I think neither of us can stop now. My fingers seek out her clit. I massage it, pinch it. Switching between pleasure and pain, I start to feel like I'm adjusting her settings, making her louder.

  A part of me remembers her door's wide open but I don't give a shit. I'm not stopping now. Not even my father pointing a gun to my head would make me walk away from Marzia now.

  "Say you're mine," I growl, feeling myself pulse inside her. "Tell me you're property. My property."

  "I'm your property," she whispers, making me harder and harder.

  "Say you'll do anything for my load in your tight little ass."

  "Please!" She protests.

  I grab her hands and hold them at the wrists behind her back. My other hand pushes her head into the pillow.

  "Fuck, Adrian... I'll do anything, anything you want, just fill me up, just give it to me..."

  "Keep begging." I start thrusting then, in and out, over and over again, driving Marzia into a frenzy. "Keep riding my cock with your ass. Let me feel you really work for it."

  She cries out and starts working her hips. She doesn't have a clue what she's doing but when instinct takes over, her ass glides over my cock with grace and need. She wants this as much as I do. Her whole body is begging for the cum I'm about to give her. />
  "Adrian, I'll be so good, I'll be so much better," she whispers. "I won't get jealous, you can have it all, do whatever you want... I want to be a good girl, I want you to be proud of me, please, fuck me harder, fill me up, I want to go to sleep knowing you came with me, not with her..."

  "You're still thinking about Nicoletta?" I grab her throat and make her arch her back for me. She lets out animalistic sounds that make my cock throb so hard I almost lose control. Almost. "You don't think about her. She doesn't concern you."

  "But Adrian, she's trying to steal—"

  "She. Doesn't. Concern. You." I punctuate my words with harsh thrusts and she cries my name as I continue stealing moans from her parted lips. "You want your ass filled? You want to be a good girl? Then you obey."

  "Yes." She pants. "I'll be good, I'll be better, I won't be jealous, fill me up Adrian, please!"

  I keep fucking her, my hands tugging on her hair. She's a mess and I don't care who sees us like this. I'm just marking what's mine. And there's no fucking way I'm letting anyone else lay a hand on Marzia Da Costa.

  "I want to come," she whispers. "I want to come with you."

  I lean in close, whispering in her ear, "Then fucking come with me, bambina..." My cock releases inside her and I groan, impaling her as hard as I can on my cock, feeding my dick with her moans and the sweet release that soaks my length the next moment. I close my eyes and breathe in her scent. I'll remember this forever. How sweet it was to steal her last virginity.

  I pull out of her, slapping her ass. She turns around deliriously and latches on to my cock, sucking it clean. With a groan, I bury my fingers in her hair. But there's no time for me to waste. I have to leave before someone sees us.

  "I'll see you tomorrow, bambina." I wipe my cock on her cheek while she watches me, clearly upset. "What's wrong? Didn't I give you what you wanted?"

  "Are you going to sleep in her room?" Marzia whispers.