Xahari_Aria 

After the death of his first  wife, Matteo Marino, a wealthy CEO and powerful mafia boss behind the scenes,  he was forced to remarry the daughter of one of his father's most trusted friend. Aria Barone, a young girl who witnessed her beloved mother murdered and burned alive by one of her father's rivals during her childhood and has been horrified since then. Forced to marry the man her father wanted, will she uncover Matteo’s darkest secret, or  will she fall in love with him?

Forced Vows, Hidden Shadows

 The flavorful juices of the steak, tender and savory, filled my mouth with an explosion of flavor, but my attention was diverted by the sight of a man sitting across the dining room, his face a canvas of purple and blue, his eyes vacant and haunted. 


I took another bite of my steak and looked at him again. “You’re not going to eat?”. I asked, but his eyes were distant. “I figured you’d be hungry after that”. I said, but he still didn’t reply. “Please eat?” 


As I nudged my plate forward, the clatter of utensils a gentle invitation to conversation, I turned my gaze to the man, a smile dancing across my lips, and he turned his gaze toward me. 


 “Ah. Now that’s something I can’t do”. I said to him after a chuckle. 


 “She’s no more, Anthonio. You can’t keep me here”. A wild cry threatened to burst from the stranger's lips, but I drowned it out with the sharp, bitter laughter of one who has seen too much, who has known the darkness within. 


54. A Reunion Of Brothers