It Had To Be You: DARK MAFIA ROMANCE

Jaroslav
I built an empire with my bare hands. But I never could let go of her.

My family carved out our legacy brick by brick—Zubakov Construction is ours. I'm the CEO now. My younger brother Bardil runs the finances. Roman, our older brother, handles the law. We dominate every deal, every territory, and every shadow that matters.

I control everything.
Except her.

Makenna Chloe Radcliffe.

My best friend.
My Almost.

She is the woman I could never have—yet my desire for her remains, and my love never faded. She was unaware of my feelings.

We met in college, where she was the only person to breach my defenses. We crossed a boundary once—just that once, when I visited her in New York. However, life intervened: distance, timing, pride, and loyalty to family all played their part.

Fifteen years later, she stands in my office—her firm is now managing my biggest project. She has a boyfriend, but I don't mind. Why does she say my name? Why do her eyes linger on me as if I'm the only man in the room?

She continues to feel the love we share. The unexpressed connection we established in college. No other woman has matched what we created together and continue to have.
She's the only one who's ever brought me to my knees.
And this time?
I won’t let her walk away.
Not again.

Especially after witnessing how her boyfriend treats and speaks to her.

Trust me, he will pay! He will face my wrath. Makenna belongs to me. She is mine to LOVE! MINE TO HOLD! MINE!

I defend what is rightfully mine. My family and hers notice how we gaze at one another, yet we are still at a standstill.
That shit is about to change.

"It was always you...it had to be you."
-Jaroslav

Raffaele DiNucci

Five years ago, my world shattered when my wife was murdered. The woman with whom I had built a life—the mother of my sons—was taken from me in cold blood. At 47, I found myself hollowed out, burdened by guilt, rage, and grief. I buried her... and with her, I buried the man I once was.

Six months later, in the sun-drenched streets of Sorrento, I was nothing but a grieving Don, desperate for a moment of peace—and a cup of coffee. That's when I saw her.

Harmony De Laurentiis.

She ran into me. Coffee spilled all over my shirt. I snapped at her, too lost in my pain to see the miracle standing before me. But then I looked at her. Those unforgettable aqua-blue eyes, the caramel-brown skin kissed by the sun, curves that could weaken any man, and something else. A softness. A strength. A light I hadn't felt in years.

I didn't know she owned Caffe MareLuce. I didn't know her story. But I knew she awakened something in me that I thought was long gone. I returned the next day. And the next. Until I finally asked her out.

She said yes.

Two months later, I was in love. Madly. Desperately. Harmony wasn't just the second chance I never expected—she was my salvation. But I was afraid. Afraid she deserves someone better than a man with blood on his hands and scars on his soul.

So, I let her go.

I broke her heart.

And mine along with it.

Three months after we ended, I found her crying outside her cafe. Bruised. Shaken. Her ex-husband had hit her. She had tried to give their marriage another shot—and he nearly destroyed her. That night, I went back with her. I helped her pack. I made sure he'd never touch her again. And I took her to her parents’ house—safe, but still broken.

I loved her. I still do.

But I left her again... because I didn't believe I was worthy of the kind of love she gave so freely.

Now, five years later, I'm in New York. My eldest son, Silvio, invited me to meet his new fiancée—the woman who gave him hope. I walk into their home, and there she is.

Harmony.

The love of my life.

My past, my present... and maybe, my future.

Silvio never told her about us, and he never mentioned to me that he knew. But I see it in his eyes—he wants her for himself. What he doesn't understand is this... Harmony and I aren't a memory. We're a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. One born in pain, sealed in passion, and written in the stars.

The kind of love that never dies.

The kind worth fighting for.