Page 67 of The Don's Soulmate

"Such is our way," my father agrees, his steely gaze meeting mine. My father then clears his throat, his eyes locked on a piece of paper in his hand. I sense the importance of what he's about to reveal, my chest tightening with each passing second.

"According to our spies, we've identified the culprit," he says, his voice heavy with gravity. "They are one of the three assassin brothers."

The revelation hits me like a ton of bricks, the air rushing out of my lungs as the weight of those words settles over me.

“Did you say, three assassin brothers?” I ask, through gritted teeth. Impossible, after the dreams I’ve been having. There must be some mistake.

My father nods. “Though the man was masked, we broke into the CCTV records outside the club and saw him exit a vehicle outside, hiding the mask you described in his coat. That’s how we caught him. Our teams reverse-engineered the images of his face, and from what I understand, he is the eldest of them all. A man called Vittorio. He has two younger brothers, Leandro, and Gianlo.”

“Those bastards,” Davide fists the desk. As for me, I feel my blood run cold, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. With the details I’ve been given, there’s no mistake.

Three brothers run after my life. The three assassins that have haunted my dreams and plagued my past lovers. They always come in threes, a trio of life, destruction and ultimate death.

"The Triad," I breathe, the name carrying a weight of fear. They only come when two soulmates reconnect.

Carlotta.

“Those bastards,” Davide fists the desk. As for me, I feel my blood run cold, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. With the details I’ve been given, there’s no mistake.

Three brothers are coming after me. The three assassins that have haunted my dreams and plagued my past lovers. Theyalways come in threes, a trio of life, destruction and ultimate death.

"The Triad," I breathe, the name carrying a weight of fear. They only come when two soulmates reconnect. Now, what I suspected all along has come to be true. I’ve found my soulmate, the woman who I see at every corner from the first time I saved her life to how she keeps me up all night. It’s no coincidence we share the same mark that burns on our touch, aching to join.

Carlotta.

“The Triad,” my father pales, drawing me out of my inner sanctuary, which now is filled with her smiling face.

“You know them?” I ask, my hands almost trembling, wondering what he knows.

“They cast a dark mark on our family’s history once,” my father begins. “Another set of three brothers, a hundred and fifty years ago. You see, that is how our enmity with the D’Amicis began…”

Chapter 31

Carlotta

My heart pounds as I pace the living room floor, glancing anxiously at the clock. Sofia will be here any minute now. Today is the day of the heist, and I still don't know exactly how she plans to get me out of this house. But I trust her and Ettore to have figured out a plan – I have to.

The door opens and Sofia sweeps in, radiant as always. "Ready to shop for some bridal shoes?" she asks breezily, her voice carrying just the right amount of excitement to throw off any suspicion, but her eyes flicker between me and the guards watching over me, reminding me to play my part.

"Of course," I squeal, trying to match her enthusiasm. Sofia grabs my arm and we make our way towards the door, but I hear footsteps behind me.

Why are the guards following us out? I panic at the thought. We’re going to meet Ettore. With them at my heels, I can’t.

Sofia leans in close and whispers under her breath, looking straight ahead, "When I asked Ugo for permission, he insisted on having security follow us. But we have a plan." My stomach drops at the news, but I nod, understanding that we must play along for now.

We step outside, surrounded by guards who maintain a discreet distance as they escort us to the car. As we drive to the store, flanked by a convoy, my mind races with thoughts of how we'll manage to escape under their watchful eyes.

I can’t ask. Even the driver could be a spy.

Upon reaching the store, Sofia and I stand outside. I bend down, to tie the laces for my sneakers together and stand with a jump, clapping my hands in excitement. To Sofia, I say, rather loudly, "While we’re here, I think I'm going to look for some sexy lingerie for the honeymoon." The guards exchange nervous glances and mumble that they will wait outside the store.

“We’ll be a while,” Sofia winks at them, and we enter, arm in arm.

I head straight for a rack of winter coats, and we huddle behind them, away from the guards’ watchful eyes, in case they peek in. “Sofia, how the hell are we going to shake them off?” I ask, worried beyond belief. “And Ettore. Where are we to meet Ettore?”

Just then, I feel a pair of hands slide around my eyes, covering them shut. For the first time in my life, this motion, familiar from my teenage life, doesn’t leave me questioning who.

I feel him etched in the embers of my soul. I can smell him, his body wrapped around me, and the world disappears into a starless night.

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