"He'd always been a man who followed his head and not his heart. The heart was just a bloody motor. The head was meant to drive."
― Mario Puzo
***
Olivia didn't want anything beyond her grandfather's bookstore, a strong cup of coffee, and the family who'd accepted her as a daughter, not by blood but by bond - the Moretti family. Italian by birth, mafia by trade.
But unaware of the dangerous trade the Morettis rule, Olivia finds herself inexplicably thrown into the deep end of it all after an attack leaves her blindsided and fumbling to find answers in the dark. As she navigates her way through the new world, forever tied to the Moretti family, she stumbles into the arms of the man who'd broken her heart and left her devasted years ago.
Will she be able to survive him once again, or will Leonidas Moretti and his empire bring her down in the war of his two worlds?
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Olivia:
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Leonidas:
That same damned day, as my father crumbled at the foot of my mother's hospital bed, I stepped into the role of Don and CEO of the Moretti Corporation. I'd been given no time to grieve, simply handed a gilded crown and told to rule. No instructions. No warning. No choice. My arms were full of responsibility, my head full of fear, and my heart full of love for a woman who'd be the undoing of my life should anything have happened to her. She held my power and my sense of direction. I couldn't afford to lose either, not in a world like mine. So I did what I thought was right. I puffed up my chest, built my walls, and played the role of merciless Don, calculated CEO, and Big Bad Wolf. Huffing and puffing until I'd blown down everything around me. I stood alone. But alone was safe.
Danté
I am the youngest son of Luciano Matteo DeLuca, the notorious Sicilian Mafia kingpin. My father took great care in training both me and my older brother in the intricacies of the family business. He left no details unattended, ensuring we continue his legacy.
Unbeknownst to him, I harbor secret aspirations that do not align with his own. Aspirations that include my childhood friend, Mia Ferilli. Despite our insane chemistry, Mia and I never become more than friends... even though I've always wanted more.
Life was complicated.
A single calamitous day shatters my world and plans, compelling me to flee Italy and seek solace in a foreign country. Leaving behind Mia and the only life I've ever known to embark on a new journey to the US.
Even after a decade has passed, the ghosts of my past continue to haunt me. I frequently muse on the what-ifs and the girl I left behind, wondering where life has taken her. I'm also plotting vengeance, after my quest for truth, unearthed betrayals by those I was supposed to trust.
Mia
In spite of my deep aversion towards the mafia culture, I made a grievous error by falling for the charms of the youngest heir of the notorious Mafia boss. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, enticed by his icy grey eyes and hidden tenderness he kept hidden from the world.
There's only one problem...
I'm nothing.
Just the head housekeeper's daughter and not a mafia princess.