CHAPTER THREE: sick bastard

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• HOW TO TRAP A MAFIA BOSS   CHAPTER EIGHT: ...I ended up testing my own.

  Tall, lean, and wearing a smile that was either amused or curious—maybe both. His jacket was half-zipped and his hand was tucked casually into his pocket.“Looking for Ace?” he asked.I stared at him. This had to be Bob—the half-brother. The one Ace tolerated but didn’t trust to accomplish anything. The one who lingered in the shadows, watching everything.“And you are?” I asked.He stepped closer. “The brother he doesn’t talk about.”Bingo.“Well, brother or not, I need to see him,” I replied, folding my arms.“He’s out. Cosa Nostra business,” he said, then paused, tilting his head like he was studying me. “You’re not like the other girls.”I blinked. “Excuse me?”“Most of them just cry or complain. But you—there’s fire behind those eyes,” he said with a grin. “It’s interesting.”I didn’t know whether to punch him or thank him. So I said nothing.He chuckled and leaned against the wal

• HOW TO TRAP A MAFIA BOSS   CHAPTER SEVEN: welcome to service duty.

  ACEThere was absolutely nothing wrong with her going to the garden. It was just that I couldn’t have anyone tainting the memories of my mother. That garden was the only piece of her we could still see, touch, and feel.I stared at my office door, waiting for the person who had knocked to come in.It was Clara—my assistant at the Mason Enterprise. So far, she’d lasted longer than the others I had already fired.“Sir,” she greeted, walking straight to my desk. "I found it," she said, her voice smooth and sultry. "The shortlist of companies responsible for stirring up those protesters. I’m ninety percent sure it’s Cranes Electronics. They’ve got motive, access, and just the right amount of subtlety to pull it off without leaving too many breadcrumbs."I flipped through the documents, skimming the summary she’d neatly highlighted.“You’ve done well,” I said.“Of course I have,” she replied with a smile that was more suggestive than professional. “You bring out the best in me, Ace.”Her

• HOW TO TRAP A MAFIA BOSS   CHAPTER SIX: ... you might get killed.

  ACEShe stood there gawking at me. I’d left her speechless—that much I was sure of.I kept walking deeper into the garden, lost in memories… of my mother.It was her garden. She loved it like a child—probably because it was the only thing she had control over, especially when it came to my old man. Everything about her life revolved around him.My mother loved him too much, and that was the beginning of her downfall.She couldn’t leave him, no matter what.Not that he would have let her. She knew too much about the family. But Mason… my father… he loved her too, in his own twisted way. Her absence destroyed him from the inside out.I envied their love.But it was dangerous—for both of them.A love like theirs is the kind I would always long for… but never pray to have.A slight bump on my back snapped me out of it.“Sorry, Ace,” she said, placing a small hand on her forehead.“It belonged to my mother. I haven’t been in here since she left.”I watched her glance around the garden, her

• HOW TO TRAP A MAFIA BOSS   CHAPTER FIVE: …call me by my name...

  HOPE I was wandering around the top floor, which once belonged solely to Ace before I became a co-owner, without a care in the world—confident I wouldn’t get caught. One of the kind maids had told me earlier that I was free to explore the place.As I poked my head into a series of empty rooms filled with nothing but dust, I suddenly stopped in front of the door to Ace’s room.Standing there, it hit me: after our encounter in his room the other week, seeing him again had become like trying to win the lottery. My heart sank as I realized it had been weeks since I last saw him.It wasn’t that I missed him. Not at all.It was that my stay in the mansion was dragging on, and I was starting to warm up to the place.No, you’re not, I scolded myself.I saw him that night. It had been a few weeks, but the image of the blood; barely visible between the collar of his shirt was still fresh in my memory. It hadn’t been much, but I could swear it wasn’t animal blood.The more time I spent in the ma

• HOW TO TRAP A MAFIA BOSS   CHAPTER FOUR: …how ruthless the boss can be.

  HOPEI stood there, glaring at him with pure contempt. I wished I could report him and the master for their crimes. I wasn’t an object. None of us in the master’s house were objects to be exchanged between rich criminals.I used to dream of working at the Mason enterprise. But just a few days ago, I discovered that the image he projected to the world was nothing more than a shadow of his true self. He was a criminal. And anyone associated with the master was just as guilty.“I can see the anger burning in your eyes,” he said, studying me. “How did it feel running for hours thinking you could escape from me?”He was provoking me on purpose. I could feel it.I squeezed my fists tightly around the fabric of my dress to stop myself from hitting him.“You should be the one telling me how fun it was,” I snapped. “How did it feel watching me run, knowing I had no chance? You’re a sick bastard, and no matter how much you try to hide it, it’s only a matter of time before the world sees you for

• HOW TO TRAP A MAFIA BOSS   CHAPTER THREE: sick bastard

  ACEI was pissed off.I gave Bob one task, bring the girl back to the mansion before dawn. I didn’t care how he did it. I didn’t need the details. I just needed it done right. But he failed.One of his guys gave her a concussion. The unlucky bastard who stood before me was paying the price.I don’t just let anyone into the family. And I had never crossed paths with the one standing in front of me. That meant only one thing—Bob brought him in. Brought someone who couldn’t follow orders. Who didn’t know the first thing about obeying the boss.She deserved better. He deserved a bullet.The secrets of my family stay in the family. And he wasn’t going to be part of it much longer.“Do you know what happens to people who don’t follow orders?” I asked.He fidgeted, eyes darting, lips trembling. No answer.“You’re doing it again,” I said, stepping behind him. “I ask a question, you answer. I don’t repeat myself.”“Wh-what’s the question, boss?”I stepped around and met his eyes. “The question