Se connecterShare
Chapter 21
Dernière mise à jour:
2025-02-05 02:39:41
Related chapter
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 22
LUCAI didn’t move right away. Neither did she.Isadora’s breath was still warm against my lips, her body tense under my touch. I could see the way her fingers curled at her sides, like she was fighting the urge to push me away or pull me closer.Didn’t matter.The moment was gone.I exhaled sharply and stepped back, turning toward the door. Rafael stood there, phone in hand, his expression like stone.“They left something else.” His voice was tight. “A body.”My pulse slowed.“Who?” I asked, already knowing I wouldn’t like the answer.Rafael hesitated for half a second. “One of ours.”Fucking hell.I shoved past him, grabbing my jacket off the back of the chair. “Where?”“Warehouse district. Near the docks.”Of course, the goddamn docks.I turned back to Isadora. She was watching me, her arms still crossed, but the anger in her eyes had shifted.This was real for her now. Not just secrets. Not just lies. Blood had been spilled.“You’re staying here,” I told her, my tone leaving no ro
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-05Bound To The Mafia Chapter 23
ISADORAThe cold realization settled deep in my bones.This was about me.The Scorpions weren't just playing mind games with Luca anymore. They wanted to make it clear-l was fair game.I forced myself to look at the body again, the blood stark against the concrete. Whoever this man was, he had been used as a message. A pawn in a war I didn't even fully understand yet.My stomach twisted, but I wouldn't let myself break. Not here. Not now.Luca still hadn't moved. His entire body was rigid, his breathing slow and controlled, but I knew better. I could feel the rage simmering just beneath the surface, barely held back by the thin thread of restraint he had left.Rafael shifted, his expression unreadable. "They're getting bolder."Luca didn't respond."Luca," Rafael tried again, his voice edged with warning. "We need to move. We can't stay out here"I know." His voice was quiet, deadly. He turned to me, his eyes dark. "Get in the car, Isadora."I hated the way he said it, like he was bar
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-06Bound To The Mafia Chapter 24
ISADORA Luca's grip on my hand was firm, grounding. I should have pulled away—I should have fought against the way he made me feel safe when everything around me was telling me I shouldn’t trust him. But I didn’t. I stared at our joined hands, my mind running in circles. "She’s not untouchable." The words were carved into my mind just as they had been on that wall. I wasn’t stupid. This wasn’t just about Luca anymore. It was about me. The Scorpions wanted me to know I was a target. And yet, instead of fear, I felt something else. Anger. They thought I would run. That I would hide. That I would let Luca call all the shots. No. I turned to look at him. His jaw was tight, his gaze locked on the road ahead like he was barely keeping himself together. “They aren’t going to stop, are they?” My voice was quiet, but steady. Luca’s fingers tightened around mine. “No.” I nodded, letting the weight of that settle over me. “Then tell me everything.” His gaze snapped t
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-06Bound To The Mafia Chapter 25
ISADORAI felt like I was underwater. Sounds were muffled, my own heartbeat too loud in my ears.Luca’s words kept replaying in my head. Over and over.Your father sold you.I handled it.Alicia betrayed me. She didn’t get far.I had spent months believing Luca had killed his ex-wife, that he was some cold-blooded murderer I had to be careful around. And now? Now he tells me he didn’t do it—he just let it happen.And I believed him.That realization sat heavy in my stomach, twisting into something I didn’t want to name.But my father—my father—that was something else entirely.I always knew he didn’t love me. He barely acknowledged me unless it benefited him. But selling me?That was a different level of sick.I wanted to scream. Break something. Find him and demand to know why. Why I wasn’t even worth basic human decency to him. Why he saw me as something he could trade away.But instead, I had sat there and told Luca I needed to study.It wasn’t a lie. My finals were coming up, and
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-06Bound To The Mafia Chapter 26
LUCAI stood there for a moment, watching her disappear into the building, a part of me wanting to follow her, to keep her close, to shield her from the things she couldn't control. But I knew I couldn't always be the one to carry her weight.Not anymore.I exhaled sharply and ran a hand through my hair. Everything was a mess, and the truth only made it worse. The more I tried to protect her, the more she slipped away from me.I wanted to take control, but she was too smart for that. Too determined. And now she was shutting herself in with her books, pretending that nothing had changed.I could’ve tried to stop her, pulled her back in, but I knew better than that. Let her breathe. Let her have her space.Still, the idea of her confronting her father... It’s a bad idea.I turned back to my car, hands clenched into fists. The Scorpions weren’t just after her because of me—she was a target all on her own now. The moment I saved her from that trafficking ring, I had thrown her into someth
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-07Bound To The Mafia Chapter 27
LUCAI stood there in the doorway, watching her, feeling the weight of every unspoken word between us. She was shutting me out again. I saw it in the way she refused to meet my eyes, the way her hands clutched the notebook like it was some kind of lifeline.But it wasn’t going to fix anything.Her words cut through me, though I knew they weren’t meant to. "You can’t fix everything with a kiss, Luca."The truth was, I never expected to fix everything. But I did think I could make her see that I wasn’t the monster she imagined me to be. I had hoped she would believe me about Alicia. I had hoped that after everything, she would see me.But it wasn’t that simple. It never was.“I’m not trying to fix everything, Isadora,” I said softly, stepping into the room, letting the door close behind me. There was a quiet resignation in my voice, but beneath it, there was something else—something stronger. Something raw. “I’m just trying to be here. For you.”She didn’t answer, and for a long moment,
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-07Bound To The Mafia Chapter 28
LUCAIt had been days since our last conversation, and I could still feel the distance between us. Isadora was closed off, distant, almost unreachable. The more I tried to be there for her, the more she pushed me away. I couldn't blame her for it-not really. But it hurt.Today had been different. She hadn't shut me out. In fact, she had asked for my help.And somehow, that small shift was enough to crack the walls she'd built around herself. Slowly, tentatively, she let me in.We were sitting on the couch in her room, textbooks spread out in front of us, but neither of us was really looking at them. She was fidgeting with the corner of her paper, and I could feel the tension in the air between us.I'd been patient, waiting for her to come to me. But I couldn't ignore it anymore-something had shifted between us, and I didn't want to let it slip away."I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft but sincere. She finally looked up at me, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. "I've just been... so mes
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-07Bound To The Mafia Chapter 29
LUCARafael led me down the hallway, and the urgency in his step matched the tension that had been building since he called out to me. I could feel the weight of something heavy in the air, and as I followed him, the pit in my stomach grew. What the hell was so urgent that it couldn’t wait?We reached the door to one of the secured rooms in the building, and Rafael paused before opening it. The moment he swung the door open, a shock ran through me. There, sitting on a chair in the dimly lit room, was Alicia. Alive. The last person I ever expected to see again.She looked broken—fragile, worn down, and thinner than I remembered. Her hair hung in messy waves around her face, and her once-impeccable appearance was now nothing more than a shadow of what it had been. Her eyes met mine, but there was no warmth there. Just pain and regret.“Alicia,” I muttered, barely able to process it. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I was frozen in place.Rafael stepped forward, his voice low but fi
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-02-07
Latest chapter
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 124
LAURAThe rooftop bar was closed at this hour, but Rafael didn’t need permission to occupy a space. He owned every room he entered, even one perched above a city still asleep.He was already there, leaning against the railing like it might collapse under the weight of what he was holding back. Hair tousled, black shirt rolled up at the sleeves, that brooding, unreadable look on his face that used to piss me off—and now made my mouth dry.“You’re late,” he said without looking at me.I didn’t rush to close the distance. I took my time, each step a silent declaration.“And you’re still a control freak,” I replied, coming to stand between his legs as he pulled me in, no hesitation. His hands slid to my waist like they belonged there. Because lately, they did.He kissed me—not softly. Like he needed to forget what we were doing. What we were risking. Like I was the only place he could breathe.When he finally pulled away, he kept his forehead against mine. “She s
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 123
ISADORA Luca laughed at something Rafael said, the low rumble of it curling around the hallway walls and crawling under my skin. I paused at the archway, watching the two of them with narrowed eyes. The study was awash in golden light—books, whiskey glasses, the faint scent of cigars and secrets. Luca’s posture was relaxed, his hand sweeping casually as he poured a drink. Rafael leaned against the desk, arms crossed, smirking. Like nothing had ever shifted between them. But I remembered. I remembered Luca storming into that garden, face thundercloud-dark. I remembered Rafael's stare—tight-lipped, unreadable. Whatever truce they’d shaken hands on, it wasn’t clean. So why did they act like it was? The door creaked as I stepped back. I didn’t want them seeing me. Not yet. Not when my head buzzed with questions they both refused to answer. Later, when we were alone in the bedroom, I tried to press him gently. “You and Rafael seem... good ag
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 122
LUCAThe call came at dawn.I was half-dressed, shirt slung over my shoulder, staring out the window of my office while the city below yawned itself awake. A steaming espresso sat untouched on the table. Something in my gut twisted before I even touched the phone. Instinct. That cursed, nagging thing I’d learned never to ignore.Rafael’s name lit the screen.I answered with a clipped, “What?”There was silence. Then: “She’s gone.”Everything stilled.“What the fuck do you mean, ‘gone’?” My voice didn’t rise, it didn’t need to. The sharp edge in it could slice steel.Rafael exhaled. “Bianca. She was ambushed—two blocks from the safehouse. Three shots to the chest. Clean. Professional.”My jaw locked. The room tilted for a second.“Where’s the body?”“Cremated,” he said, voice low. “Locals were already on scene by the time our men arrived. We pulled security footage. Emilio’s men. There’s no doubt.”I closed my eyes. Three seconds. That’s all I allow
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 121
EMILIOThe man across from me was trembling, and not from the cold.I liked that.I lit a cigarette, the tip glowing like a dying star. The smoke curled upward, slow and deliberate, a quiet reminder that time was never on anyone’s side but mine.“She’s outlived her purpose,” I said simply, flicking ash into a crystal tray.Santos swallowed hard. “You’re sure you want to—?”My eyes snapped to his, and he flinched.“You questioning me, Santos?”“No, sir. Never.” He straightened, pretending he had a spine. “Just… she’s been with us a long time. Bianca’s—”“—a liability,” I cut in, calm as ice. “She thinks sleeping with secrets makes her safe. But when loyalty starts to waiver, the only thing keeping someone alive is their silence.”I stood, smoothing the sleeves of my jacket. “She knows too much. She talks to the wrong people. She’s already aligned herself with Morretti. You really think I’m going to wait for her to slip a blade between my ribs?”Santo
Bound To The Mafia 120
ISADORAThe garden was silent again, but something had shifted—warped. The kind of silence that came before a storm with teeth.Two weeks. That’s all I had left before I walked down an aisle with a man whose promises were carved in blood and devotion. Two weeks before I became Isadora Morretti in front of the world.I should’ve felt safe. Certain. But all I could feel was the slow, suffocating weight of everything we didn’t know tightening around my chest like a corset I couldn’t breathe in.Luca hadn’t let go of my hand. His grip wasn’t gentle—but it wasn’t cruel either. It was possessive. A silent vow wrapped in skin and bone: you’re mine, and I’ll destroy anyone who tries to take you from me.We walked back inside without speaking. Rafael was gone—smart. He knew Luca wouldn’t let the next conversation end in words. And if I wasn’t careful, the next time they stood in the same room, it’d end with a body.Two weeks.I stared at the calendar in our bedroom, the
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 119
ISADORAThe garden door creaked behind me, and I froze.I didn’t need to turn. I felt him—the weight of his presence pressing against my spine like a blade just shy of the skin. Luca.His footsteps were slow, deliberate, like he had all the time in the world to dismantle me.“How long have you been standing there?” I asked, without facing him.“Long enough,” he said.His voice cut through the silence like it always did—sharp, low, lethal. “Long enough to hear Rafael dodge every truth like it might bite him.”I turned then, meeting his gaze. The look in his eyes was unreadable, but his jaw—tight, twitching—spoke volumes.“So,” I said quietly, “you know.”“That he and Bianca are running their own game?” Luca’s voice dropped a notch. “Yeah, princess. I got that loud and fucking clear.”He stepped closer. Too close. His gaze pinned me where I stood, and I felt the heat of it all the way down to my bones.“What I don’t know,” he murmured, “is why you didn’
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 118
ISADORAThe garden was quiet—too quiet. The kind of quiet that made your skin itch, like the calm before something cracked.Rafael stood near the far edge, his posture deceptively relaxed, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of something dark. He didn’t look up as I approached, but I knew he felt me. He always did.“I need to ask you something,” I said, stepping into his shadow.“Isadora.” He nodded once, without looking away from the trees. “You’ve been asking a lot of questions lately.”“And you’ve been giving a lot of half-answers.”He glanced at me then, just a flicker of his gaze, like a warning. But I didn’t back down.“I know about Bianca,” I said.His brow arched, just slightly. “What about her?”“She’s working for Luca. Feeding him information about Emilio. Don’t bother denying it.”“I wouldn’t,” Rafael said smoothly. “Because you’re right.”My heartbeat stuttered. I hadn’t expected him to admit it so easily.“What I don’t un
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 117
ISADORAI woke to his arms still around me. Tight. Protective. Possessive in the way only Luca could be—like even in sleep, he refused to let me drift too far.His chest rose and fell against my back, steady, grounding. The storm had passed, but its echo lingered. Not in words—but in everything else. The way he’d touched me last night… it wasn’t just desire.It was a claim.I slipped out from under him slowly, quietly, needing a moment to breathe, to think without his heat crawling under my skin and clouding my judgment.I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at the bruises on my collarbone—not cruel ones, not painful. Just reminders. A map of where his hands had been. A silent vow written in the language only we understood.He knew now.Everything.But something inside me still twisted—because I hadn’t told him the rest.I hadn’t told him that Emilio—Adrian—wasn't just part of my past.He was circling again.And I could feel it.N
Bound To The Mafia Chapter 116
ISADORAHe knew.Not everything—God, not yet—but enough to make my breath catch as he stepped into the kitchen like a shadow wrapped in silk. His presence didn’t just fill the room—it claimed it, like oxygen suddenly belonged to him, and I was trespassing just by breathing it.And when he looked at me?Not through me.Not around me.At me.Like I was the only thing that existed between heaven and hell.“What's going to change, tesoro?”The word burned more than it soothed.Tesoro.His treasure.He always said it like a vow, like a warning. As if calling me that meant I didn’t get to break, didn’t get to run, didn’t get to hide. His treasure wasn’t allowed secrets. Not without a cost.I clenched the cup too hard. My fingers trembled. My throat tightened with all the words I should say but couldn’t. Not yet. Not while the truth still tasted like betrayal in my mouth.Because how the hell do you tell your husband that the man who saved you years ago
