Damiano

It's been a month since we moved in together in my place. Amara now works under Armando, who secured Paolo's position. She's well taken care of, and I make it a point to drop by her workplace whenever I can. It's a pleasant sight, watching her stroll through the front door of our apartment around 8 , just like today.

"I'm home." Her voice makes me turn my head towards the door, and I smile, rising up.

"Welcome home." I give her a hug and take the bag she has , tossing it on the couch behind me.

"Let's eat."

"No kiss…" She frowns, mumbling, following me from behind after taking off her shoes.

I chuckle and glance at her as I sit on the chair. "You are more honest, Bittercandy."

She grins and steps behind me, reaching for the fridge and extracting a pot of soup.

"Maybe…"

"You are, though." I pick a biscuit from the plate on the counter as I wait for the food to heat up.

I lean against the counter, my gaze fixated on her as she ignites the stove. Living together has cultivated a routine, and observing her prepare dinner has become a daily ritual. The suit clings to her silhouette, exuding a dangerously sexy allure. It's my recharge, a welcome break from the monotony of staring at papers all day.

"Give me some." She turns and sits on my lap as her hand wraps around my neck. Her eyes stare at the biscuit half-eaten in my hand.

"Open your mouth." I flash a smirk, and she playfully smacks my head with the hand around my neck. Nevertheless, she opens her mouth and takes a substantial bite. The expressions she makes while munching are amusing, and I can tell she's famished by the way her eyes fixate on the biscuits on the counter.

"Want another one?"She's caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, but I casually dispel them by stuffing another biscuit in her face. Let her ponder over the dessert before a meal at a different time, certainly not when she's in my company.

"How was work?" I feed her the biscuit as she relaxes on my lap.

"A lot of things happened…" She glances at the soup bubbling.

She sighs and rises to turn off the stove.

"Was it Mimi again?" I raise an eyebrow, and she chuckles.

Miriam, or how Terry nicknamed her Mimi, is working with Emilio, Terry, and Amara under Armando. Since I assigned her there, she's been scaring off customers and sometimes getting lost in the building. Not to mention that one time Emilio lost her in the damn city after telling her to stay in place, and she left wandering around. Her sense of space is almost zero. Can't blame her for this when Salvatore was the reason she is like this.

"She made me lose just one customer today, not a big deal. But what really happened was that we got a customer coming from another city. Specifically from Joseph's territory. I wonder if he isn't some kind of bad omen…" She sighs and puts the bowl on the table as I rise and put the spoons.

"I will look into it. What's his name?" I frown as we sit next to each other prepared to eat.

"Dominico Antonelli. You know, he didn't even loan anything. He just stared at me intently after talking to Terry and left after losing a piece of paper near me ." Amara turns towards me with a frown.

"Did you take the paper?"

"Is in my bag. It was a phone number written on it."

"Let's eat, and I will check later." I brush my hair, and she smiles. I don't want this matter to disturb our time together. She seems hungry, and as I know too well, she won't eat without me.

"Ok." Amara takes a spoonful, and I do the same.

We finish grubbing, and she handles the post-dinner cleanup. I kick back on the couch, her bag lounging on my lap. I dig into it, and I swear, finding that damn piece of paper is like hunting for a needle in a haystack. I give her a side-eye, and she's not yet ready with the dishes.

I take another shot at it, sifting through the bag, and everything pops up except that elusive piece of paper.

"Where in hell did she put the paper…?" I mumble, and she comes towards me.

"Search the small pocket. I put it somewhere safe." She smirks, finding my little quest for the paper amusing, in that not-so-big bag of hers.

"Sigh… You could have told me." I give her a puzzled look, but she carries on with her stride. Her voice lingers in the air as she heads towards the bedroom.

"You never asked." She shrugs , glancing at me .

I shake my head, impossible to deal with her reasoning. I liked that she is her real self, but sometimes I feel like smashing my lips on hers just to shut her up. Of course, out of love. Jokes aside, she has a knack for pushing my buttons too.

I locate the paper and examine the number scrawled on it. Swiftly, I unlock my phone and dial the number. Who in the hell hovers around Amara without my awareness? I hope Joseph keeps his claws off her. I'm well aware of his intention to end me, but if he lays a finger on Amara, I'll damn well put an end to him.

"Damiano Bendetti." A male voice resonates from the other end, prompting me to rise and head towards the bedroom.

"Who are you?" I ask as I open the bedroom door.

Amara stands in lingerie, gazing at me with an unfazed expression.

"Dominico Antonelli. Guess your wife brought this to you. You scored big, brother. Amara is worth the ring." His voice is getting on my nerves as he mentions her name.

I muffle the phone's sound and whisper to Amara. "Tell me if the man sounds like the man you met."

She nods, and I put his on speaker.

"What do you want? And never fucking use my wife as your damn way to get to me." I growl at him, and he lets out a chuckle.

"Calm down. I didn't have another option. Your office is full of guards, and it's not like I could intrude in your private space with your dear wife. I would have been killed by you."

"Is it him?" I mimic as Amara nods. Guess he is for real.

"You will get killed either way by Joseph for loaning from us. Why did you give your real name when you want to be undercover?"I perch on the edge of the bed, and Amara glides into a pair of pajamas, wrapping herself in my shirt. She throws herself near me on the bed, and I resume my conversation with the man.

Ultimately, he confesses to being a hitman hired by Joseph and Leon with the aim of eliminating me and Frank, thus securing control of the commission with their own men. I'm nothing more than an inconvenient thorn in their schemes, information verified by my reliable sources. So , he is not lying .

"You can turn this on them, calling Frank and giving him a heads up. I will be your proof that they worked behind your backs. Call the whole commission, and you will survive. I am betting my life telling you this. I hope you appreciate my sacrifice."

"I appreciate it. I will call you back when I have the plan ready. This won't work since tomorrow is Franco's wedding."

"You have to do it as fast as possible. They already suspect me. They can hire another hitman. So, better be careful." Dominico lets out a weary sigh and terminates the call, mentioning that he'll bide his time until I summon him to set the plan in motion.

The thought of questioning his motives nags at me, but I surmise it's probably a matter of finances. I can likely offer him a more substantial sum for safeguarding my life than Joseph and Leon can for carrying out their sinister plan. Clever move on his part.

"Was this the storm you told me before?" Amara drifts into contemplation, perching on the edge of the bed instead of reclining on it.

"Yeah. Originally, I thought that they are not gonna do it too soon." I glance at her as I put the phone on the cabinet near the bed.

"You know… I don't care what plan you come up with. I will help you. Just don't plan something dangerous for you." She frowns, and I can see the terror building in her eyes.

"You don't have to do anything, Bittercandy. This involves only me. I would hate to hurt you in the process." I frown as I reach to take her hand in mine.

"If I help you, you will have your back covered. You know I won't live with myself if you die on me. You know that too well…" Her voice is serious, and she slaps my hand.

I found out the cause of her nightmares a few weeks ago, and I promised myself not to involve myself in anything dangerous. I didn't tell her that I knew this is coming, but I don't want to lie to her. She has to be mentally prepared for it.

"I know. That's why I promise to wrap this up fast, after Franco's wedding. Everything will be fine."

I move closer, and I pull her into a hug. She sighs…

"Just wear that bulletproof vest on you always. Go and take it now." I burst in laughter, and she smacks my head, as we fall on the bed. She frowns, but her smile shows me that she is half joking.

"I will. I will. But if I do it now, you will have to take it off anyway." I smirk, getting on top of her, and she bites her lip.

"Fair enough." She accepts my kiss, and I slide my hand under the loose shirt, tracing her belly up to her breast.

"Trust me…" I kiss her neck, putting a mark on it, as I whisper.

"I trust you, Damiano… I don't trust them…" She lets out a moan, and I lift my head, looking straight into her eyes.

"Just trust me, love." She nods, still frowning.

Guess tonight I will have to make her forget about my killing threats. I have to remind her that I am still here, full of life, ready to fuck her brains out. She doesn't realize it, but she is stronger than she thinks she is. I didn't choose her for nothing.

The sun rises, and the alarm disrupts my peace, prompting a frown. She's sound asleep on my chest. I glance at her, eyes half-closed. Her tousled hair brings a smile to my face, and I gently brush a strand off her cheek. A soft kiss lands on her forehead as I reach out, silencing the alarm.

Her response is a sleepy yawn, and she clings to me. I chuckle, embracing her tightly against my chest. Nestling my nose in her hair, I inhale the scent of lemon and lime—the unmistakable fragrance of my girl. It's perfect.

In this moment, I reflect on the mornings when solitude greeted me, devoid of her comforting presence. I can't imagine reverting to those times. Her potential absence feels like it would change me irreversibly. I understand her sentiments all too well.

Whispering a certain something into her ear, I intend to jolt her awake instantly.

"Bittercandy, it's already 8." She nudges, mumbling as she raises her face.

"And what?… Isn't today Sunday?" Suppressing a laugh, I append those two words destined to rouse her from the embrace of sleep.

"Franco's wedding."She opens her eyes wide, and I can tell she's about to spring out of bed, probably to dive into a speedy shower and get herself ready for the day. Instinctively, I secure my hold on her, and a faint frown creases her forehead.

"Let me go! Is already late! Your cuddling got us late again …"

"Your body won't move as you wish, honey. Cling to me. Time for a shower together."I grin, and she flushes slightly, rolling her eyes.

"Whose fault is it…?"

"Yours, of course." I play, and she starts to tell me who pounded on her the whole night and in what positions.

"But you're the one who turns me into a damn beast. Your allure drives me insane. Just accept it." I gaze innocently at her, morphing my smile into a sly grin.

She quiets down, planting a brief kiss on my lips, her eyes rolling slightly as a faint blush graces her cheeks.

I drag her into a deeper kiss, and I head with her to the bathroom, she in my arms.