Claimed By My Ex’s Mafia Father in-law

Chapter OneElena’s POV“$7,654,274.68.”“Dollars or cents?” I whispered, my brows folding as my eyes scanned the faded paper glued to the blackened doorframe.The smell of smoke clung to the air. Ash floated like dying snowflakes around me. My chest rose and fell so fast it felt like I was choking.“No… no, no, no,” I muttered, stumbling back. The restaurant that once smelled of fresh garlic bread and roasted chicken was now nothing but burnt wood, broken glass, and gray dust.I staggered forward, my hand trembling as I touched the charred door. The paper crinkled under my fingers. That number stared back at me in bold black ink. Underneath, a bank account was scribbled, messy and cruel.My voice cracked. “Papiiiiii!”The sound tore out of me like a wounded bird. I shouted again, louder, until my throat burned. “Papiiii! Where are you?”Tears streamed down my face. I tried to push through the rubble, but smoke bit my eyes, and my body shook all over. My lips quivered so badly I could

Chapter ThreeElena’s POV*Tar tar tar*I didn’t feel the floor at first.Only the sting. The hot, sharp sting clawing across my cheek.My hand flew up and covered it. My skin throbbed under my palm. A thin taste of metal sat on my tongue.I looked at him.At the man who once promised me safety.At the man I had trusted with my whole heart.“Luka,” I whispered, voice shaking. “How could you do that to me?”He didn’t even blink.“Simple,” he said. “You’re a useless nobody. Your father is a criminal. Sofia’s family is disgustingly rich. They can help me. They fit my future. You do not.”The words hit harder than the slap.Sofia slid closer to him, lazy and smug, like a cat that had found cream. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at me with a kind of sweet evil.“At least he’s good in bed,” she said lightly. “And handsome. You always felt yourself back in nursing school because your fiancé was tall with pretty hair. Remember? Look at you now.”I stared at them.For a

Chapter FiveElena’s POVThe courtyard was quiet, but my heart wasn’t.“I can’t stay,” I whispered, pulling my hand away from Valerio’s steady grip. My voice cracked on the edges. “My father… he needs me.I have to go...”Valerio’s eyes narrowed. Shadows lingered in their depths, unreadable and heavy. For a long moment, he didn’t speak. He just stood there, towering, his face set like stone.“You are safer here,” he said at last, calm but final.Tears burned the back of my eyes. I shook my head. “Safety doesn’t matter. He is my father. He gave me everything. If I don’t go and help, then what’s left of me?” I didn’t tell him why she needed to help her father because a part of her knows that this is a very dangerous man. Silence stretched, broken only by the rustle of the tall trees surrounding the castle-like house.I couldn’t stop it anymore. The sob broke free. My knees buckled, and I pressed both hands to my face, shaking with the weight of it all: the fire, the prison, Luka, Sof

Chapter SevenElena’s POV“I’m not here to seduce anyone,” I stammered, my voice breaking under the weight of his stare. “I was just working… I needed the money. I took the ushering job. I was humiliated, and I , I ran. I didn’t know this was your room. Please, I swear I didn’t.”My words tangled together, spilling fast and messy.One of the men standing beside me let out a low, mocking laugh. “So you’re here to steal, then?”Before the sting of the accusation reached me, Valerio moved.It was sudden, brutal, and precise. His boot connected with the man’s groin. The guard let out a choked cry, collapsing to the floor in agony.Valerio’s voice was calm, colder than steel. “You don’t question her until I say so.”My breath caught. The room felt smaller. My knees gave way and I sank to the carpet, trembling. “I’m not here to steal,” I whispered. “I’m not here to cause harm. I was just trying to survive. Please believe me.”But Valerio ignored my plea. He strolled toward a chair near th

Chapter NineElena’s POVBang. Bang. Bang.The sound rattled my thin wooden door so violently I thought the hinges might snap.My heart leapt into my throat. Midnight had wrapped the house in silence just moments before; now, that silence was ripped apart by fists pounding like thunder.I froze, clutching the mop stick I’d leaned by the entrance. My breath came out shallow, uneven.Another bang.“Elena!” a deep voice snarled through the wood. “Open this door before we break it down.”My stomach dropped. The accent. The tone. My blood knew the danger before my brain could.I moved slowly, my bare feet cold against the cement floor. My hand reached for the handle, shaking. Against every instinct screaming don’t, I pulled the door open a crack.And that’s when I saw them.Two men. Masked. Broad shoulders. Dark clothes. Their eyes glinted through black fabric like animals.My pulse spiked. I shoved the door hard, trying to close it, but a boot shot forward, jamming it wide. The force sent