"I'm going to kill her..."

Gael De Luca, a Mafia Prince from the Southern Alps in a region in Northern Italy, paced back and forth across his large living room at eleven in the evening with nothing but lounge pants on. He had a huge fallen angel tattoo on his back, one of his greatest reminders in life. His hair was disheveled from the countless times that he ran his fingers through it.

"I will find that woman 'til the ends of the earth, make her pay for what she did and I will kill her."

His grey eyes darkened and his heavy footsteps trailed thuds on the floor. At six foot two, his athletic built and current menacing expression made him look frightening. He had been furious for the last hour after learning about what that woman did.

The woman whose identity he did not know. And for that, the rage within him burned his stomach, making him feel evidently uncomfortable about this… ridiculous situation.

She wanted to kill him — why not kill her first?!

He ground his teeth together in frustration and clenched the book in his hand—hardcover in red and white colors with the author's name "Galatea K.S." written in bold font and the title that said: "Falling in Love With the Mafia Prince"

He had never felt this humiliated in his life! The author—whoever she was, described his features. Sure, she used a different name for the male character but everything else was a description of him—even the mole that's found somewhere only he and some women knew, his tattoos that were strategically placed in his body, and the scars in his torso. The way she described the male lead's character was as though she knew him very well. Which was hardly the case for someone whom you just knew after a one-night stand.

Gael huffed and scoffed. Both the flowery and shîtty descriptions about the character came flashing in his mind as if taunting him—no, reminding him how shîtty his life was. Even the story about how he got the scar on his arm while he was doing a business transaction in the U.S was also written in the book. A story that he should have kept to himself but after having one too many drinks, he probably didn't care what he had told that woman while they were at it.

That's right. That woman was somewhat a cuckoo. He met her at a friend's wedding on a private island sometime three years ago. Everything about her screamed that she was a liar. She said her name was 'Angela' but if that was the truth, he wouldn't know about it because while they were drinking hard liquor at the open bar, the two of them agreed to keep their last names a 'mystery' or that they just enjoy the evening without caring about who they were outside of the island — something that he, of course, didn't mind at all.

And then she asked, "Tell me something unbelievable." If he told people who he was or what he really did, they would either not believe him or they would run away as fast as they could. 'Angela' was the former. She did not believe what he told her.

A couple of things that Gael learned from one of his female friends was to be honest and to be himself and 'love' will find its way to him. Yeah, as idiotic as it sounds for someone like him to be looking for a partner, it was true at a time. Which was why after drinking several shots with Angela, he had the guts to tell some truths about him.

The look on the woman's face when she snorted after he told her, "I'm a Mafia Prince" while he was hammered, was still etched on his mind. She certainly didn't believe him. Well, in all honesty, if he were to hear from someone that he or she were a Mafia Royalty, he would probably not believe them too. It was such an obnoxious and pretentious thing to say.

But it was the truth. And after hearing it hundreds of times, he decided to just own the title. After trying to be honest about what he really was, the first reaction he received was a snort from a woman he barely knew. What a loser. Well, she did ask him to tell her something unbelievable.

He should have stopped when she started asking him to tell her more stories about him while they were already busy stripping each other ***** as they got to her room. The two of them were wasted and none of them cared that it was just meaningless sex. He had slept with women before who had different kinks and it was probably Angela's – to hear stories from the men while they were about to do the deed. Maybe that got her excited?

Was it really a woman's dream to get to know a bad boy and attempt to tame them? Maybe her ****** depended on how exciting the story was?

How the hell would he know? But since she clearly did not believe him when he told him a partial truth about his identity, what's one more story? She probably lied the entire time too. She already thought he was bluffing and making up stories, so what does it matter if he were to feed her fantasies with a story that she wouldn't really believe anyway?

The alcohol got to him. Oh, what the hell—yes, the lust got to him. He was vulnerable. The only time he forgot how chaotic his life was and that a one night stand with a stranger whom he enjoyed his time with—somehow—seemed appealing at the time.

But who would have thought… That three years later, he would find himself as the male character of a best-selling book. Written by some author whose name and identity he didn't know. Did that woman perhaps sell his story? Did she have so much pleasure that night that she decided to share with the whole world what kind of man he was?

The detailed sex from that one night that they shared written as porn in the novel made him think that – A, He is a sex god—which he wouldn't mind being called.

And B, the author was probably none other than Angela herself. After all, there were so many authors who used pen names.

But how in the world was he going to find her? He only knew her one night and that was f*cking three years ago!

And the only thing he believed among her many lies that night was the way she moaned when she climaxed. He couldn't randomly ask anyone around his friend's circle if they knew someone who sounded like that, could he?

He could find her through the publishing company…

Or he could simply ask his friend—No. His friends must not know the book was about him. He's already humiliated enough!

Exasperated, he tossed the heavy book onto the couch and he slumped next to it, the leather material squeaked at his weight. His abdominal muscles and the V-line on his torso were visibly clear under the bright lights from the chandelier.

Gael ran a hand down his face and let out a sinister laugh.

Who would have thought that Gael, known as the notorious prince in the De Luca Family, would be in this laughable situation?

He couldn't accept what she did to him. He was furious. What if his family read this book?

Too late. He found this book because his sister was reading it.

Fûck. His younger sister was reading smut about him!? He was mortified!

"Rick!" He called one of his men—it was short for Riccardo.

A big, muscly man came into the room and waited for his orders.

His gaze darkened as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He steepled his hands in front of him and with a gruff voice, he said, "Prepare the plane. We're visiting a friend."

Mayne City, Esmea

The bedroom door creaked as it opened and in came Oliver in a dark grey suit. The room was cold and dark when he entered and the song "Love is a Bitch" by Two Feet was playing softly in the background — it was not the first time he found it playing in the bedroom of his sister. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked around the room but barely saw the flooring.

Waste papers on the floor crunched under the soles of his shoes as he walked towards the windows on the left side of the room. In one swift move, he slid the curtains wide open, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the cave-looking bedroom. When he turned to the bed, there he found his sister sprawled without a care in the world.

"What am I going to do with you?" he muttered under his breath before strolling towards the bed and with the back of his hand, he gently tapped his sister's arm. "Get up."

Angela groaned and shifted in the bed, instantly irritated because she was woken up from her slumber. She was not a morning person and she didn't like it whenever her brother wakes her up. "What?!" she snapped, placing a pillow over her head to shield her eyes from the bright light.

"Get up," he repeated, tapping her back that was facing him this time. He was looming over her bed when he checked the time in his watch. "It's seven and I have to leave for work soon." After proving to his father that he could be trusted, he became the CEO of their family's business since last year.

"What is wrong with you? I haven't slept a wink yet! Why are you doing this?" Angela grunted.

"Dad's coming by. Do you want him to see you slacking around?"

"It's so early, for heaven's sake! I've been working the whole night. What slacking are you talking about?"

Digging his hands in his pockets, a small smile formed on his face knowing what could make her get up. "Mhmm… But he doesn't know that. Now get up and clean up your mess. There's still a box of your books in the living room. Unless you want him to see that?"

Her eyes went wide upon realizing what her brother meant. And without another word, she scrambled off the bed and hurried towards the living room. She couldn't let her father see those!

Seeing her sister's reaction, Oliver could only shake his head and stroll out of the room.

Angela picked up several pieces of crumpled paper on the floor and quickly threw them into the trash only to pick them all out again and decided to toss them into a box in her bedroom. All the papers were drafts of the new novel that she had been working on for the past few months. She had been trying to rewrite thousands of words over and over again yet none of them seemed to be the perfect first chapter of the story.

Oliver, who could see his sister from where he was sitting in the breakfast nook, didn't bother to help her and just watched as she struggled to push the box of books towards her bedroom.

"Aren't you going to help me?" she asked, narrowing her dark brown eyes at her brother. She was 5'7", four inches shorter than him, and had ash brown hair. She was fit as she regularly ran… and did butt exercises.

Her brother didn't think she needed help.

"Nope." He sipped his coffee and whipped out his phone to check his emails.

She rolled her eyes and managed to move the box to her bedroom all by herself. The living room has been cleared, leaving her with the rest of the crumpled papers across her bedroom floor to take care of. She moved as fast as she could until she stumbled on the box and fell.

"Aw!" She rubbed the sore spot on her shin and slapped the lid of the box as an act of revenge. The lid popped open, revealing the books inside.

Eyeing the contents inside the box, she picked up one book and looked at the cover. It was a white book with red details with a title in bold font that said "Dirty Sheets" by 'Galatea K.S.'. She smiled as she ran her hand on it. It was her third book—just released several months ago. It didn't sell as good as her first book "Falling in Love With the Mafia Prince", but she loved it just as much because it was her baby.

Angela Su, twenty-eight years old—single for years but dated a lot. Although her most recent date had been months ago, she had been dry for much longer than that. She was starting to think that it was the reason why she couldn't write her next book. Maybe her best friend was right—she probably needed to get laid.

How ironic was it that she had fans all over the world, raving for how good of a writer she was. They would say they were envious of her and wondered if her love life was as colorful, as hot, as heartwarming as the stories in her books. Not.

She had never been in love. But she was a hopeless romantic. Sort of. And she loved reading a lot and writing too. Except her father didn't.

She could still remember the first time that she told her father that she didn't want to be part of the family business—at the same time that she told him she wanted to be a writer instead. Boy, did he got mad at her, telling her that it wasn't a 'real' job. That being a 'writer' wasn't stable.

Which was why she was living a double life — Angela Su, daughter of Chairman Su of Su Group — and her pen name Galatea K.S.

Because her father was against her becoming a writer, she had to keep this secret life from him. She wouldn't want him to know that she was doing it behind his back after countless times that he told her not to do it.

She surely didn't want her father to know that she became a writer and that her books were selling like hotcakes. And she certainly didn't want him to know that she was writing adult romance books.

How would her father react if he knew that his daughter, whom he once and sometimes still call his little girl, was actually a naughty—not nice writer? She shivered.

There were only two people who knew about her secret identity – her brother Oliver, and her best friend Nina who was also her agent.

As for the rest of the world—well, her fans — Galatea K.S. was a faceless author. Galatea K.S. had never been seen in public, interviewed in person, and there were no pictures of her on the internet.

"Dad's here!" Oliver called from the living room.

Angela jumped up, closed the box, and shoved it under her desk before she went out to see her father. She already had an idea why he showed up that morning and she was positive that she would not like it.

"Go shower and change. You're coming with me to the company today," Chairman Su told her as soon as she appeared in the living room.

"But—"

"I don't want to hear any excuses. You're almost thirty, I can no longer tolerate your slacking."

"But I—" Angela paused when she saw her brother shook his head at her. "Yes, Dad." With slumped shoulders, she dragged herself back to her bedroom and did as she was told.

…

Su Group

Wearing a black long sleeved dress that was too short for an office outfit, Angela walked beside her brother with their father in front of them. The employees in the company greeted and bowed as they passed, showing respect to their Chairman and CEO.

Several male employees couldn't help but sneak glances at Angela's backside as she passed by them. She didn't visit the company often so they don't get to see her all the time. The last time she came, her hair was still long. But now it was a shoulder-length balayage.

The male employees sent messages through their eyes as she passed by. They all nodded in confirmation that she looked gorgeous in whichever style she carried herself.

She took a sip from the cappuccino takeaway cup in her hand—her favorite. And tucked her hair behind her ear, slightly flipping it backward like she always did and it exposed her neck. Nina said it was one of her tells when she feels a bit uncomfortable.

Angela ignored the stares and they headed straight to the private elevator. She passed by the receptionist and saw the book in the latter's hand—her second book, "Lust and Lies". A small smile formed on her face. The sight of her book instantly brightened her mood.

One of the greatest joys of writers was knowing that people were reading their works.

'Today doesn't seem to suck so much,' she thought.

Fine Italian leather shoes landed on the tarmac of Mayne City. The wearer had long limbs and he wore a dark blue almost black suit with a white dress shirt that he left unbuttoned, not only one, not two… but three top buttons.

His facial hair was evidence of not shaving for three days but instead of making him look unkempt, the scruff on his structured jawline only made him look delectable. Not everyone could rock the look.

Taking off his aviator sunglasses, Gael De Luca scanned the surroundings with his deep set grey eyes as if his many bodyguards surrounding him weren't enough to survey the area.

"Where's my car?" he asked.

Riccardo gestured to his right, allowing his boss to see a parked red Ferrari.

"What the hell is that?!" he huffed.

"Boss… It's a Ferrari…" Buff guy Riccardo scratched his head, unsure of what else to say about the car.

Gael threw a death glare at Riccardo, contemplating whether he should slap his head or slap his head. Of course, he knew what that car was as it was an Italian luxury car. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not an idiot, I know it's a Ferrari. I'm asking why the hell is it red?" he asked under gritted teeth.

The air suddenly felt chilly in the middle of August. It was summer in Mayne City but because of Gael's mood, Riccardo thought it was almost winter. How was he going to answer his boss?

"It's a… Ferrari?" Riccardo answered with a questioning tone. Weren't Ferraris always red?

Gael's lip twitched upon hearing the man's answer. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to calm himself down. He had just landed and he wanted to avoid committing a crime right away. "It's so flashy. Change it. I want fast and black."

"Yes, Boss." Riccardo had no choice but to bring the car back to where it came from and exchanged it with another.

Since Gael didn't have his own car yet, he rode with his men and headed directly to his friends' house in the coastal area outside of Mayne City — people whom he hadn't seen in a while. The ride took almost an hour before he saw the Cliffside Villa at the edge of the cliff.

A small smile formed on his lips as he alighted the car after they were given permission to enter the gates. While his men stayed behind, he stood in front of the double door, waiting for his friend to open it for him.

"What the—What are you doing here?" Confusion masked Daniel Cho's face when he saw Gael. Daniel was the Chairman of Cho Corporation. He was also a rival-turned-friend since three years ago. With his usual cold demeanor, Daniel's welcome didn't sound like a welcome. The bastard was only ever sweet to his wife Samantha and his two kids, Ashton and Sianna. Others could go to hell.

But this didn't stop Gael from claiming him as his friend, because truth be told, he didn't really have many. And despite the icy persona, he knew that Daniel also saw him as one.

"Mm… such a warm welcome." Gael didn't wait for Daniel, he already invited himself inside the house.

"Uncle Gael!!!" A little boy around four years old came running towards him, followed by a little girl who squealed as she ran in the same direction.

"Woah! You two have grown!" Gael picked the two kids up by the waist, carrying each in his strong arms and spun around like he was a human amusement ride. The foyer was filled with giggles and squeals from the little ones who were happy to see him after a long time.

"Gael?" Samantha appeared from the stairs, a beautiful woman whom he once took a fancy to but whose heart had always been with her husband Daniel. Now, the couple became his friends. As fûcked up as it sounds.

"Hey, pretty." He kissed her cheek in greeting.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and her husband chimed in, "I asked him the same thing. Something must be up."

"Come on! Can't I just visit you guys? It's been a while since I have seen these little munchkins." Gael set the kids down and faced the couple. There was no way he was going to tell them that he was back to hunt down a woman. Again. He already did that once—for his ex—like a psycho. And it was also when he met Samantha and Daniel.

This time was different. He wasn't chasing some chick who got away from him. He was after the woman who caused him this ridiculous situation. His jaw clenched when the book came to his mind for the nth time that morning.

It was only then that he noticed the overnight bag in their hands. "You guys heading somewhere?"

"Only me and Sam. The kids are staying. We're only waiting for the nanny to arrive so we could leave," Daniel answered, eyeing his friend as if he was studying him. His visit was unannounced and they didn't invite him either.

Gael didn't think that their reunion was going to be cut short but it couldn't be helped. "I see… Well, I will be in town for a while. So we can catch up when you guys come back." He turned to head out when Samantha stopped him.

"Wait!" she said. "Daniel, we really need to leave…"

Daniel checked his watch and he thought the same thing. Their out of town appointment had to be followed to the T. "You're right." Facing Gael, he sighed and reluctantly said, "We need your help."

"Help?" Gael arched a brow. Daniel Cho rarely asked for help. Whatever it was, he was going to do the best he could.

…

8 p.m. later…

With a menacing stare, Gael scanned the room and looked at each of his men. There were thirteen of them.

His seriously icy tone broke the silence as he gave his orders, "This is like never before. I expect each and every one of you to follow orders and put your life on the line. We cannot disappoint the Chos. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Master," his men answered in unison.

The summer night was slightly humid yet Gael's men wore protective gear and were ready for combat. Sweat trickled down their faces and they were parched but they weren't allowed to lose their focus.

It was better to die due to thirst rather than die in the hands of Gael De Luca.

"Move!" Gael ordered and instantly, his men dispersed, taking their places around the area.

"Woah~ That was so cool!" Ashton marveled at the sight of his Uncle Gael giving orders to his men. His sister, Sianna, was next to him and although she was slightly scared, she was also amazed by her daddy's friend.

"Come on let's go to bed!" Gael walked past the little ones and entered their bedroom. Sianna, the quiet type, was still two and she was afraid to sleep alone. So for the meantime, she slept in the same room as her brother.

When Samantha and Daniel left in the morning, they asked Gael if he could wait for the nanny in their stead. However, the nanny didn't show up, so he was stuck babysitting the kids by himself.

He took the duty very seriously, thus the serious order he gave out earlier to his men. And while he wasn't looking, his men shook their heads as they were reduced to such a task. Their respect for their master was high, but was all of this really necessary? Even so, they could only obey his command.

Ashton and Sianna settled in their little beds and Gael tucked them both in. He turned around to leave the room, dimming the lights and thinking that he was done and the kids could go to sleep but the little boy called him back, "Uncle Gael, will you tell us a bedtime story?"

Gael stopped in his tracks and turned his head to them only to see their hopeful eyes looking back at him. He didn't know anything about putting kids to sleep. He was already exhausted after feeding them earlier and playing the whole afternoon. What was this bedtime story?

"I don't know any. Go to sleep." He turned off the lights and started walking out the door. He froze when Sianna's little voice called him, "Pretty please, Uncle Gael?"

His violent heart was immediately tamed. It melted at the sound of the little girl's "plea". Damn it.

Turning around, he grabbed a kid's chair and sat backwards, facing the two beds — Ashton on the right and Sianna on the left. "I don't know any fairy tale bedtime story but I can tell you one."

The two kids nodded their heads and then he started, "This story is about a handsome prince and a witch. The prince was called Gael." He winked. "And the witch's name is Angela…"