LOGIN125EmiliaI hit the fucking jackpot by being married to a man for love, for looks, and most especially, for money.I wasn’t raised to struggle, and I wasn’t about to start now.“Are you supposed to be drinking that, Mrs. De Luca?” Nora asked from the top of the yacht, and I rolled my eyes, downing the glass of champagne anyway.The sun kissed my skin just right, the ocean stretching endlessly around us, calm and expensive.God, I should definitely visit the South of France more often. They have good as fuck wine.“I have enough breast milk pumped to sustain my favorite spawns of Satan for at least four days.Besides, a glass or two won’t hurt,” I called back, lifting the glass slightly.Nora threw her head back and laughed, clutching her stomach. It echoed across the water, blending with the soft hum of the yacht.Sophia hopped out from the back, giggling, her hair a mess from the wind, holding up what looked like a… fucking fish. She grinned like she’d just won a war, eyes glassy,
124SophiaThis was a sight I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see.“Is that a diaper on his head?” Enzo whispered from beside me, and I nodded, trying and failing to hide my laugh. The image was just too ridiculous.Emilia looked exhausted, cradling one screaming pink baby to her chest while Raffael tried and failed to soothe the other. I felt bad for Emilia… but not for my brother. Not even a little.“Fuck, could you guys please get a nurse? Raf Junior won’t stop crying,” he begged, and I just shook my head in disbelief. My mobster brother, reduced to this, completely unraveling because of a baby.“We are not calling my baby Raf Junior!” Emilia snapped, which only made the baby on her chest cry harder. Honestly, that child already had her temper.If what I heard was true, he didn’t deserve an ounce of pity anyway after fainting while Emilia pushed out two newborns that already looked as big as month old babies.“I got the food and the body wash for Raffael!” Nora barged in, hold
123RaffaelIt’s a hospital, don’t cause a scene.It’s a hospital, don’t cause a scene.It’s a hospital, don’t cause a scene.I kept repeating it under my breath like a prayer, like something holy enough to hold me together as I paced the hallway. The ice pack pressed to my temple had long since melted, cold water trailing down my skin, but I didn’t move it.I definitely did not faint at the sight of all that blood.“I could just buy the building. They can’t fucking tell the boss no,” I muttered, my voice low but edged with something sharp, something close to breaking.Enzo didn’t even look at me. He just stood there, staring at the wall like it had personally offended him, like it owed him answers it wasn’t giving.“Yeah, yeah, sure… I’ll take the coffee,” he said absently, dragging a hand down his face, his eyes still unfocused.I scoffed softly, but it died in my throat as my gaze snapped back to the door. The same door they had wheeled her through. The same door that had swallow
122EmiliaRaffael finally allowed me back on the front line, sitting in on a few mafia meetings again.It felt almost instinctive, like muscle memory kicking in. I knew exactly when to speak, what to say, how to hold the room. For a moment, it almost felt like nothing had changed. Like I hadn’t been sidelined at all.But of course, the babies growing inside me had other plans.A sharp twist hit my stomach, sudden and unforgiving, like they were reminding me of their presence at the worst possible time.“Shit, are you okay?” Raffael asked quickly when I gasped, my hand flying to my stomach as another wave rolled through me.I swallowed hard, steadying myself, forcing my expression back into something controlled even as my body betrayed me in front of everyone.“You should just let Enzo take over. At this point, you’re only proving that a woman can’t lead.”Diego.The fucking bastard didn’t even try to hide it.While the rest of the men at the table masked their discomfort at a woman t
121EnzoThe first time I orgasmed, it felt like I had opened a portal into an entirely new world. The pleasure was overwhelming, consuming in a way I hadn’t known was possible.That’s exactly how I would describe being with Sophia. Even without the sex, she had that same effect on me. She was all-consuming.“I’ll call you later, okay baby?” I murmured into the phone, my eyes lifting just in time to see Raffael approaching.“Be safe, okay? Let me know if anything happens,” she said, and my chest did that warm, annoying little flip again. The kind I never really got used to.Sure, people cared about my wellbeing, but it was always because I was supposed to take over after my father. Emilia cared too, in her own way but it was different. Protective. Familiar. Like I was something she’d already decided she couldn’t lose.Sophia… cared for me. Not duty. Not an obligation. Just her. And that made it worse in the best possible way.I love you. It was on the tippiest tip of my tongue to say
120EmiliaFuck you.The words sat heavy on my tongue as Raffael got up from the bed. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead… then my stomach, before straightening, thinking I was still asleep.I didn’t need to check the time to know it was 6 a.m. Every single day this past week, he’d slip out like this, disappearing to God knows where only to return by exactly 10p.m. without telling me anything.“I’ll try and be back earlier, Tempesta,” he whispered.Normally, I would’ve kept my eyes shut, pretending a little longer. But this time… it stung. The way he kept leaving, like I wasn’t even worth an explanation.Was it because I was pregnant… and fat? Because I constantly smelled like pickles and honey?Could he not stand me anymore?I pushed myself up from the bed, the sudden movement startling both him and honestly, me too, with how quickly he reacted.“Holy shit, I thought you were asleep,” he said, pausing mid-button on his shirt. “Are you okay?”he added softly, stepping
53KyleGods, the tension in the pack was suffocating.Ever since Lily, Camellia, and Lilah left, Rowan and Lucien’s misery had settled over the pack like a storm cloud, souring every damn mood.I needed a fucking outlet before I strangled someone.I doubted anybody even knew there was a room like
52EmiliaSix men.Raffael stationed six of them outside the apartment I bought with his card.As if that wasn’t enough, he made Theo rent the room upstairs.“I’m just going to the grocery store. I don’t need an entourage,” I snapped when they moved the second I stepped out of my room.My phone bu
48RaffaelShe was beautiful like God had a plan and executed it just for me.“Magnifico, baby.” I smiled to myself when she hit all the targets, not missing a single one.Her eyes met mine as soon as she took down the last bottle, and I blew her a kiss.“She’s gotten really good,” Ronan said from
49EmiliaI’m so stupid.Fucking utterly stupid.Who says something like that in the middle of… God.I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could rewind time the whole of yesterday and swallow the words before they ever left my mouth.“Fuck,” I cursed when a streak of red paint slashed violently acros







