Sold to the Capo-Chapter 103: FEAR FOR THE CAPO

ADRIANA’S POV

The blaring alarm jerked me awake, and I groaned, shoving a pillow over my head.

"What time is it? Just shut up" I muttered, voice thick with sleep.

I rolled over, my hand instinctively going to the necklace around my neck. The small pendant was cool against my fingers and I immediately jerked awake, my eyes flickering around the room as I toyed with the necklace.

Vincenzo.

I sighed, tracing the edges of it. He had given it to me before leaving, and now, I couldn’t stop touching it. It was stupid how much I missed him already. It hadn’t even been that long, yet I felt his absence in a way that annoyed me yet also exhilarated me. It was a weird thing.

I turned on my back, staring at the ceiling. Thinking back about what Micheal had said, I could understand why he felt that way. The mafia world wasn’t built for something like this, hell even Vincenzo’s mother was a testament to that, she never got the love she deserved. She knew what she was getting into but she got into it anyways and a part of me wondered if I would do the same.

I did know what I was getting into, what I had gotten into, after all I was still married to the man and our contract did state I could leave after a year if I didn’t find my father and since that was clearly a no-go area, I might as well just be free from him. I wasn’t even in Italy anymore. But then I remembered that Vincenzo wasn’t the type to freely show his emotions to people but for him to tell me that he loved me, the words still repeating like a broken record in my head all night, the way he had looked at me before leaving... I swallowed. Maybe it was worth trying.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Miss Adriana," a guard’s voice called from the other side. "You’re expected downstairs for breakfast."

I sighed again, sitting up. "Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute."

I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed, pulling on something simple before making my way downstairs.

As I walked down the hall, I spotted Michael leaning casually against the railing. His dark eyes lit up when he saw me, but he kept his usual calm demeanor az he pushed himself off the railing.

"Morning," he greeted.

"Morning," I mumbled, still not fully awake.

"You don’t look thrilled at all, I would have expected you to be all smiles after Vincenzo came over last night," he pointed out.

I shot him a look. "If you had to wake up to that godforsaken alarm, you wouldn’t be thrilled either."

"Ah, so this is about the alarm, I thought he had said or done something to harm you or something" he nodded to himself like he was grounding himself.

"What would you have done, anyways?" I asked, tilting my head back.

"Oh, trust me, you don’t want to know" He chuckled darkly but that chuckle told me everything I had already known.

This man was dangerous.

"You’re kinda scary" I muttered truthfully, already beginning to walk down the stairs to the dining room.

He tucked his hands in the pockets. "Well that’s one hell of a claim but I’ll humor you, how?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him, my brow arched. "You’re either a mafia lord or a serial killer. You’re too calm yet you’re also dangerous, it’s unnerving"

"Do I scare you?" He looked conflicted like my answer would mean a lot to him.

"No"

"You’re not entirely wrong by the way but that’s all in the past now. The mafia world is a truly fucked up place and I don’t see why anyone would want to get in, once you’re in, you can’t get out and if you do, it’s going to be at the expense of someone dear to you" A nostalgic look crossed his face.

Pity filled my expression as I caught up on what he was saying. "That’s how you lost your wife and daughter? You were trying to leave the mafia world?"

He let out a bitter chuckle. "Unfortunately yes and now look at me back into their grasp, living with them. I should hate everyone in the mafia, hm? But then I realize that not all of them are the same but then..." he paused and gave me a slight smile. "Even if you leave, Fate has a cruel way of making you come back"

"That’s shitty" I muttered, turning back to continue walking.

He chuckled, eyes scanning me before they landed on my necklace. His expression shifted slightly.

"New jewelry?" he asked casually.

I glanced down at it, fingers brushing over the pendant again. "Yeah. It’s from Vincenzo."

Something flickered in his eyes before he exhaled, resigned. "So, you’re really going through with this?"

I shrugged. "As long as he is."

Michael studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Just... be careful."

Before I could respond, we reached the dining area, where Salvatore was already seated, eating like he had all the time in the world.

"You look a mess" Salvatore bluntly said after a quick survey over me.

"Thanks for the important memo" I said sarcastically while Michael snorted.

"Nice necklace" Salvatore nodded to my necklace.

"Funny that you should see it, it’s not overly noticeable" I looked down at the jewelry, suddenly conscious.

Salvatore tipped his head to the side. "You don’t wear jewelry, it’s hard to miss out on the one you’re suddenly wearing. Never tagged him as the gifting type"

"Never would have tagged him as the doting type who would leave his empire and fly all the way over to Costa Rica for his woman’s birthday" Micheal snorted into his cup.

It felt oddly comforting when he had referred to me as Vincenzo’s woman. Something in me clicked and I focused on my food instead.

As we finished eating, Salvatore leaned back in his chair, stretching. "I’m heading to the gym in a couple of hours. You can join if you want to continue sparring."

I thought about it. A good fight might clear my head. "I’ll be there."

A few hours later, I had left the comfort of the Haven so I could go to the gym in the main house.

When I walked in, Salvatore was already in the middle of a fight, effortlessly dodging his opponent’s strikes before slamming the poor guy to the floor with one swift move.

I clapped, smirking. "Wow. Bravo. You’re a real inspiration."

Salvatore turned to me, amusement in his eyes. "Jealous?"

"Of what? Your ability to bully your men?"

He grinned. "Just making sure they stay in shape. You wanna go next?"

I hesitated. I remembered the last time I fought him. He had slammed me so hard against the floor that I was sore for a week. Even now, the memory made my muscles ache.

"Actually," I said, turning to his sparring partner, "I’ll take him instead."

The guard looked surprised. "Me?"

Salvatore chuckled. "What, you scared to hit a woman?"

The guard hesitated. "I just don’t want to hurt her."

I smirked. "Oh, you won’t."

Still, the man seemed unsure. Salvatore shrugged and stepped aside.

I watched the guard’s posture—relaxed, underestimating me. Perfect.

I struck first, moving fast, catching him off guard. Before he could react, I twisted his arm and swept his legs out from under him. He hit the floor hard, eyes wide.

Salvatore let out a low whistle. "Didn’t see that coming, did you?"

The guard quickly scrambled up, more serious now. "Alright. No more holding back."

The fight continued, fast and brutal. Neither of us could get the upper hand for long. He was stronger, but I was faster, slipping out of his holds just before he could pin me. But eventually, he got me. A sharp move, a shift in weight, and I found myself on the ground, pinned.

Shit.

I exhaled, annoyed. "You’re just strong. That’s cheating."

Salvatore laughed. "Tell that to a real life opponent who’s out to kill you"

I rolled my eyes as the guard helped me up, apologizing profusely, a bead of sweat on his forehead as he checked me to see if I was fine.

Michael, who had been watching silently, suddenly spoke. "Where’d you learn to fight like that?"

I wiped sweat from my forehead. "Vincenzo."

His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t say anything.

Before the conversation could continue, Salvatore’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, grinning as he answered.

"Yeah?" He listened for a second, then suddenly let out a laugh.

But almost immediately, his expression changed. His entire body tensed, and his face hardened into something cold.

I frowned. "What?"

He ignored me, turning sharply to one of his guards. "Get the plane ready. Now. Enzo, Luis, Rafael, you’re with me."

The men instantly snapped to attention, moving fast.

I stepped forward. "Salvatore, what’s going on?"

He finally looked at me, his expression tense.

"Master LaRosa is at the mansion," he said grimly. "And he’s not joking. Vincenzo could be in trouble but Val doesn’t know because they won’t let her in. I gotta go now, it’ll take hours but..."

I wasn’t even listening again.

My stomach dropped.

No.

Not now.