Pride

PRIDE ONCE UPON A VILLAIN BIANCA COLE CONTENTS Free Book Offer Author’s Note 1. Isiah 2. Isiah 3. Bella 4. Isiah 5. Bella 6. Isiah 7. Bella 8. Isiah 9. Bella 10. Isiah 11. Bella 12. Isiah 13. Isiah 14. Bella 15. Isiah 16. Bella 17. Isiah 18. Bella 19. Isiah 20. Bella 21. Isiah 22. Bella 23. Isiah 24. Bella 25. Isiah 26. Bella 27. Isiah 28. Bella 29. Bella 30. Isiah 31. Isiah 32. Bella 33. Isiah 34. Bella 35. Isiah 36. Bella 37. Isiah 38. Bella 39. Isiah 40. Bella 41. Isiah 42. Bella 43. Isiah 44. Bella 45. Isiah 46. Bella 47. Isiah 48. Epilogue Mailing List Also by Bianca Cole About the Author Pride Copyright © 2023 Bianca Cole All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Book cover design by Deliciously Dark Designs Photography by Wander Aguiar FREE BOOK OFFER If you enjoy reading about possessive alpha mafia men, steamy hot insta-lust, and romance, then grab my free book on offer. Her Mafia Daddyis a 46k novella and part of the Romano Mafia Brothers series. Join my mailing list and grab Her Mafia Daddy for free! Click here to join now! AUTHOR’S NOTE Hello reader, This is a warning to let you know that this is a DARK mafia romance much like many of my other books, which means there are some very sensitive subject matters addressed and dark, triggering content. If you have any triggers, it would be a good idea to proceed with caution and read the warning below. As well as a possessive and dominant anti-hero who doesn’t take no for an answer and a lot of spicy scenes, this book addresses some sensitive subjects. You can find a full list of these here. As always, this book has a happy ever after ending and there’s no cheating. If you have any triggers, then it’s best to read the warnings and not proceed. However, if none of these are an issue for you, read on and enjoy this dark romance. 1 ISIAH Fifteen years ago… The wind howls around me and my gloves feel like shards of glass as I clench the shovel, thrusting it into the frozen ground with every ounce of strength I have. The ice-cold air cuts like a knife through my flesh and straight to my bones, but despite this, my body feels numb and my mind detached from reality. My dad watches me dig the grave with an expression so cold it sends a chill through my bones. Hatred rises within me, boiling hot and bitter, as he’s the one who brought our family into this conflict with the Benedetto’s and in turn that had cost Aiden his life. Pain claws at me as my eyes shift to the body bag where my twin rests as cold as ice next to the hole I’m digging. It’s almost impossible to believe he’s gone. The shock of it overrides every other feeling. And to top it all off, dear old dad is making me dig his grave. My stomach twists as flash backs of merely four hours ago while we sat together on the sofa eating takeout pizza and playing video games flood my mind. Neither of us were aware of the horror that would befall us later on. Most of my father’s men are either dead or have switched loyalties. I wish I could rewind the hours and be the one in the bullet’s path. At least then I wouldn’t be in this terrible feeling of limbo, trying to block the pain that I know would tear me apart if I let it. How can he no longer exist in this world? My best friend is gone forever and I can never speak to him again. My muscles ache as I pour my heartache and anger into the ground as I dig. The lump in my throat warns me I’m barely holding it together, but I know my father would never forgive me if I cried right now, even though my twin is lying lifeless a few feet away. “You need to put more effort in, Joseph Isiah Dalton.” He glances at his flashy Rolex, sighing. “Do you want us to get caught and end up buried in the ground with your brother?” I glare at him, the hatred deepening, because right now that’s all I want, to join my brother and end the impossible pain of his loss that I can’t escape. “Why don’t you help so we can get the hell out of here?” I’ve always known that our life was fraught with danger, as my dad is the leader of the Irish mafia in Washington, but it wasn’t until today that I understood it. When I tried to call the cops to report Aiden’s murder, he hung the phone up and told me we had to cover it up and that the cops wouldn’t help us. It’s because he’s wanted by them. “Because I’m wearing a two-thousand dollar suit and I don’t intend to get mud on it.” I clench my jaw, my dad disgusts me. How can he even give a shit about some expensive suit when one of his sons is lying in a body bag? The Benedetto