
Troublesome Mr Marcello
Dolly writes · Completed · 143.2k Words
Introduction
Chapter 1
The slow ringing of my phone wakes me up. I don't suppose the person calling me at this hour of the morning knew the weight of that crime. Nobody dared hindered my sleep. I could ignore it but for some reasons unknown to me,I reached for my bedside table and retrieved. The flashing name on the caller's ID causes me to sigh before picking it up.
"Good morning sir!"Becky's unmistakable voice greets from the other end.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine sir. I'm calling to inform you that my team and I are heading towards the office now. I already made arrangements to meet with Mr Pueblo of the Sky brothers investment and they'll be here shortly"
"I'll be there"
Dropping my phone on the bed,I stepped off my comforter.
In my 26 years of life,I've wondered what more life could offer. I had all the money in the world,all the women at my disposal but I still feel like my heart yearned for something. It's ridiculous,really.
I ran one of the top ten companies in the world. I have everything. What's more to that? I think nothing.
But first things first,I had a routine to follow. Taking a quick work out,I stepped into the shower and came out almost immediately. Getting dressed in my black suits and a shiny oxfords,I walked out,taking the elevator down to my sitting room where I spot Mrs Paula,engaged in setting the table. She's a darling and so far the only woman I've ever shown an ounce of respect to. At the age of 75,her skin was more wrinkled than I gave credit for and her grey-white hair is ever so neatly pamed on her head. She's been my cook for a really long time and most of the time she worked more than her pay,she took too much care of me,almost like the mother I never had.
"Good morning,sir"she acknowledges me.
"Good morning,Paula,"I sit on a stool "what's for breakfast?"
"Your favorite. Scrambled eggs and jasmine tea with no sugar"
I gave her a grateful smile before eating my breakfast while she excused herself to the kitchen.
Life throws series of opportunities to us everyday. You only get way layed by your own hands. Your own mindsets. That is why I never tolerated clumsiness or mistakes from anybody. A single mistake,regardless of how bad it is could cost you your life. That should never be made a lifestyle.
And today seems like a day for change. And driving my Ferrari for a change is just the right step.
Ashley's POV.
My dad always said that life is what you make of it. It's your own story to tell AMD you're not one writing it,molding it up until it fits the way you want it to.
I quickly begin to realize that my dad hasn't thought about my best friends' existence when he said that,Katie's voice still lingering on my ears,accompanied by the ear bleeding screeching sound of a guitar which has just woken me up from my short sleep. It's like I freaking closed my eyes just an hour ago and Katie's waking me up all again.
I jolt up to a sitting position before flying my duvet from my lower body and stepping down from the bed,the early morning's cold running up my exposed legs causing me to quickly regret leaving my bed.
Cornering out of my room and into the sitting room,I see Katie in the sitting room. The first two disoriented things I noticed is : one,Katie's voice was slowly about to drive me to the edge and two,Luca is just standing there and listening to her. I mean,seriously? I barely slept through out the night because I'm busy getting ready for a job interview and they're here doing this?
They don't even notice me standing there!
"What the hell is going on here?,"I exclaim "it's fucking six in the morning,you morons!"
I couldn't have appreciated the now quiet peace more as Katie abruptly stopped stringing the guitar,Luca quickly hiding his behind him and throwing me a sheepish green.
Scratching the back of her neck,Katie muttered "um.....good morning,Ash........do we wake you?"
Of course you did!
"No I'm still sleeping and having a third dimensional sleep,as a result causing me to be here watching you right now!"
"Oh,"she puts two fingers on her chin like she was trying to reason something really important "makes sense. You know once during a yoga class,my teacher said...."
I watched her in bewilderment. Leave it to Katie to talk on and on.
"You know,I don't really wanna know!" I cut her mid blabbering.
She glances me face to toe before speaking,arms folded "someone woke up from the wrong side of the bed today" her lips are twisted,letting on all the sarcasm there.
"I wonder why" I fold my arms too,capturing her eyes in mine. Seriously,I just got woke up from a sleep I fought so hard to start,I have every right to be as cranky!
"No. It's because you haven't had sex for.......,"she looks up "like forever"
Okay,she did not just say that. Again. Katie would say any and everything!
"No! It's because of your were playing that stupid guitar! no,you were scratching it! At six in the morning! You even dragged Luca into this"
"He volunteered. My playing skills isn't so bad after all"
"Um,she paid me"Luca chimed in,more to me.
Kati turns a death glare at Luca,who supposedly just ratted her out and yelled "you traitor!"
Luca shrugs his shoulders and stepped back,just as Katie turned back to me and added "you know I've only started playing this thing so it's very normal to be inept. You wait till I'm so good and my music's all over the place" the stoic smile on her lips is one to laugh at as her eyes filled with imaginations. Imaginations of her being a popular music person.
And that is my best friend,Katie. Right from birth. We've been pretty much through everything together. She got a very big heart and I seriously can't stop loving her. Behind all blabbering,sarcastic talks are tender words. She holds the power to turn my storm into a flowering sky.
"Let's see how long that's gonna last" Luca chuckles.
And then there's Luca,my second best friend. Luca's timid nature would make you stumble over your own feet because he's the most timid man you'd ever know. He's shy,nerdy -makes me wonder how he even got through school,and he's still a virgin. Yep,at 23 he's still a freaking virgin and Katie never stops rubbing it on his face.
"What the hell are you implying?"Katie turns a scowl at him.
"I wasn't implying,I said it clearly"he replied.
"You know,a virgin at 23 like yourself really shouldn't have a say on matters like this!" Yeah,what do I just tell you about Katie rubbing his virginity on his face? Well,there you go.
"Stop bringing up my virginity every time you have nothing to reply!" Luca fessed up,obviously tired of her same old statement.
I face palm after watching them fight again. I can't do this right now. I need to get some sleep before 8a.m.
Slowly,I turn back towards my bedroom,ignoring the loudness in their voices as they yelled at each other. I'm gonna have to try to sleep with their voices swirling around me. What's worse?
Haaa.
My alarm blares at exactly 7a.m. i had to ignore the fact that I wasn't staring right at rambling roses entangling our bathroom's sink mirror as I brushed my teeth. Katie obviously couldn't keep her "green hands"-like she called it- to herself. Just a few days ago,she'd developed a sudden likeness for gardening and she hadn't rested even for one bit till she got her hands on these rambling roses staring right back at me. Honestly,her regular changes and likeness for hobbies scares me.
After showering and quickly throwing on a crop top,I hurry back out to grab a little breakfast before heading out. Surprised,Katie is sitting on the breakfast stool in our small apartment kitchen,a jar of cookie sitting in front of her,involved in a heated conversation with Luca. Finally,some quiet peace.
"Hey babe"I announce my presence since they obviously had no idea of it and reached into the fridge for a carton of milk.
"Oh,morning babe,"she gives me a sweet smile "I made you cookies!"
I stared at her with a raised brow. Katie,make me cookie? Katie hated cooking,well,because she values her meni padis over anything else,so she making me cookies? There's only two reason why she'll ever do that. One:it's an apology for something she did,two:she's trying to get something from me.
Raising a questioning brow at her,I asked "what did you do,Katie?"
"What?,"she chuckles sheepishly "me? No i didn't"
"She forgot something"Luca chimed in,obviously irritated by something.
Katie pushes him in an impulse and screamed "shut up!"
"What? Forgot what?"
Katie turns back a timid look at me,guilt all over her face,her fingers fidgeting. "I......okay,I forgot to pick you clothes from the dry cleaner! I'm sorry,I didn't mean to,I forgot!"
If I didn't look like a boiling lava that second then I just haven't mastered the art yet cause inside,my gut was melting into pits.
"Katie!" I screamed "you didn't just do that!"
"I'm really sorry,"her voices is trembling
"Katie,"I face palm "how could you forget? You know how important this job interview is for me"
She doesn't say anything. She just looks down uncomfortably.
"Katieeeeee.....I have my interview in less than fourty minutes. What am I gonna wear?"It was like my wall was falling apart.
"You can wear some of mine" she suggests,earning her a scowl from me.
"No way"
Wearing Katie's clothes is like wearing a tag at the front of my forehead that read "look at my body" . no way.
"You know what,I'll go get it" quickly rising up,I rushed towards the door.
"What about the cookies?!" Katie calls after me.
"Shove them up your ass!"
I thought I heard her say to Luca "that girl swears like a sailor" before I disappeared outside the apartment,sighing every step I took.
I made it to the laundry house just on time and collected my clothes. Seriously,using a public wash can be really annoying sometimes.
Crossing the streets as fast as I could,I decided to Make a stop at the Ambrose cafe. They served the best cappuccinos in town and I never get tired of it.
Even though there's always a pile of lines,I always wait to get that drink. I couldn't thank God enough when I saw there were just three women on the queue. Standing behind the last woman,I anticipated my drink and getting out of here. If I stayed any more longer than this,I'd be running late to my potential future job,that is if they don't kick me out for running late on a mere interview.
From a peripheral view,I could see a tall man well dressed in suits walk up beside the queue. I don't pay any attention though. I'm gonna be late.
"Popy,"his deep voice calls to the blonde behind the counter "get my usuals"
"Right at it,sir"popy batters her eyelashes at this man like her life depended on it,turning swiftly to prepare his "usual",whatever that means. Show off!
Like what the hell? He's so rude,standing there and demanding for his stupid usuals like we on the queue didn't matter.
"excuse me suit man,but there's a line here" I say to him,resisting the urge to reach out and tap his shoulder.
He abrupt turns to me,his eyes devoid of any emotions,almost impossible to read.
Without as much as a word he turns back to popy,just as she called out his order to the back room.
Hm! I could feel my blood boil. The hell. You know I'm.not about to stand right here while waiting for my turn and have this arrogant,self centered man get served before me or any other woman on the queue here.
matching to the nearest person sitting at a table,I snatched his can of coffee and spilled it on this scumbag. He probably didn't see it coming cause he gasped before looking down at his suit.
"Next time,do wait your turn" I tell him before stomping out,every eyes watching me as the silence built.
I felt angry as I boarded a cab back home. Seriously,how could somebody be so rude. Now I'm gonna be late for my interview. I cursed under my breath till I got back to the apartment.
**
It's essentially necessary to make a good first impression when seeking for something as my Dad always told me. So I made sure to dress up pretty well for my interview. A deep blue blouse always did the trick,accompanied by a black slim knee high skirt,with my pump shoes of course.
I hold my long wavy chestnut hair into a messy bun behind my head,wearing a simple pink lipgloss and an eyeliner.
When I got to the twenty five floored skyscraper where I was taking the interview,I was directed through an elevator by the receptionist. Everything seemed to be going right. I felt positive.
When I got to the interview hallway,I was ushered to a seat where I met two other women. We exchanged a few pleasantries and they appeared to be here for the same thing. I was rest assured I'd get the job,I didn't really know why.
But I was about to be phased with the biggest shock of my life cause after the series of interview,I was called back into the conference room only to be told I didn't get the job. They had no genuine reason for not hiring me. My résumé was great,I myself really suitable for the job,like they said but they just couldn't hire me on spot today. Maybe some other time they said.
I felt my world fall apart. Again.
Walking down the side walk from the sky scraper,I felt like a stray cat who's been soaked by rain water.
Getting this job was my final hurdle into getting somewhere in my pathetic life. But now,it feels like I'm going right back to square one. This is all stupid.
I lost count of how many times I sighed before reaching the bust stop.
Last Chapters
#75 Chapter 75
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#74 Chapter 74
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#73 Chapter 73
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#72 Chapter 72
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#71 Chapter 71
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#70 Chapter 70
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#69 Chapter 69
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#68 Chapter 68
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#67 Chapter 67
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#66 Chapter 66
Last Updated: 3/3/2025
You Might Like 😍
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon
Four years ago, the Bailey family faced a devastating financial crisis.
Just when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, a mysterious benefactor emerged, offering salvation with one condition: a contract marriage.
Rumors swirled about this enigmatic man—whispers claimed he was hideously ugly and too ashamed to show his face, possibly harboring dark, twisted obsessions.
Without hesitation, the Baileys sacrificed me to protect their precious biological daughter, forcing me to take her place as a pawn in this cold, calculated arrangement.
Luckily, in those four years, the mysterious husband never asked to meet in person.
Now, in the final year of our arrangement, the husband I've never met is demanding we meet face to face.
But disaster struck the night before my return—drunk and disoriented, I stumbled into the wrong hotel room and ended up sleeping with the legendary financial mogul, Caspar Thornton.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Where I End and She Begins
But when a body lies at Amelia’s feet, and her hands are covered in blood that isn’t hers, one question echoes louder than the rest:
How did it come to this?
As the school year unfolds, cracks begin to show — in friendships, in family, and in Amelia’s own mind. The lines between loyalty and control blur. Between truth and perception. Between who she is… and who she thinks she needs to be.
Because some friendships don’t just shape you.
They consume you.
And when the illusion shatters, there’s always something left behind.
The mafia princess return
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)
For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.
Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.
A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series in order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Coming Soon)
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
My Benchwarmer Boyfriend's Secret
As the team's benchwarmer, Marco practices harder than anyone, though few seems to notice. There's something about his quiet determination that draws me in, and I find myself falling for the underdog.
But when Marco's true story starts unraveling—about that first night, about who he really is, about the future he's destined for—I realize I might have gotten in way over my head.
And there's another problem: this was always meant to be temporary. His training program has an end date, and we're both fighting against a reality that seems determined to pull us apart.
When everything is on the line, how far are we willing to go for love?
King of the Underworld
However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”
But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”
Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.
She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha
Those words should have destroyed me, but the truth was worse: I'd been used as a broodmare by the man who swore to love me, set up in a hotel room with a stranger because My husband Alexander Cross couldn't father children himself, and now I carried the secret babies of Damon Lester—the most powerful and dangerous Alpha in San Loris—while my own family replaced me with the daughter they'd always wanted. But when that same stranger's doctor appeared at my door, when twenty million dollars exchanged hands over a fake perfume bearing my secret identity, and when Damon's gray eyes locked onto mine with recognition I couldn't afford, I realized my carefully hidden life as the legendary perfumer Vera was colliding with a pregnancy that could cost me everything.
Could I protect my babies from the husband plotting my death, hide my true identity from the Alpha who's been hunting me for years, and reclaim the freedom I'd buried along with my dreams—even if it means standing alone against the wolves who see me as nothing more than a womb to be used and discarded?
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?












