Who do you think is the better duo? Russel and Kegan. Russel and Nikolai. Nikolai and Kegan. Nikolai and Vincenzo. Vincenzo and Marcel. (We haven’t seen enough of Dylan to conclude yet.) Xoxo.💋
Chapter 159⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾I’d spent weeks worrying about meeting Nikolai’s family, but watching them together now, I finally understood what he meant when he said they were just family.Even Oliver had relaxed, laughing at Kegan’s increasingly ridiculous stories about their college pranks and Russel’s singlehood days, while Maeve had practically claimed Adelio as her new best friend. The two were currently passed out on the living room couch, tangled together like puppies after an evening of building elaborate block towers.“Man, every time I see you all, this family just keeps growing,” A gorgeous man announced as he strolled into the dining room, another gorgeous man close behind him.Nikolai leaned in to help me out of my misery of guessing who was who, “That’s Marcel Mancini leading, and that’s Dylan Mancini behind him.”“Ah, more Mancini trouble shows up,” Russel remarked, though his tone was amused rather than annoyed.“Traffic was insane,” Marcel explained right before he sto
Chapter 158 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Sicily. I’d heard stories about this place from Stacy’s cautious mentions and Nikolai’s casual references, but experiencing it firsthand felt entirely different. The private jet’s descent into Catania offered a breathtaking view of Mount Etna’s silhouette against the Mediterranean sky, but my stomach was too knotted with nerves to appreciate the scenery. “Relax,” Nikolai murmured, his hand finding mine as the plane touched down. “It’s just family.” I shot him a look while adjusting Maeve’s seatbelt. Our now eight-year-old was pressed against the window, marveling at the approaching coastline with the fearless curiosity of childhood. “Just family? Stacy spent three hours yesterday telling me horror stories about your Don Russel, and now I’m supposed to just relax?” Oliver looked up from his book, grinning. “She’s been spiraling since we left Chicago. I caught her practicing introductions in the bathroom mirror.” “I was not—” I started, then caught
Chapter 157 ⟿❂⟾ Three Weeks Later ⟿❂⟾ I stirred scrambled eggs, humming softly to myself. Three weeks had passed since that blood-soaked night when everything changed, and I was finally starting to feel like I could breathe again. Matteo Gianni’s death had been ruled a mob hit—which, technically, wasn’t wrong. The police investigation lasted exactly four days before mysteriously closing due to “lack of evidence.” Nikolai’s connections ran deeper than I’d imagined. Vincenzo and Stacy had returned to Chicago two days ago, their work here finally complete. The house felt quieter without Vincenzo’s terrible jokes and Stacy’s motherly fussing, but it was a peaceful kind of quiet. Oliver insisted on sticking to the only life he’d ever known—only this time, he wanted to do it right. Respectably. So, before Vincenzo left, he and Nikolai had Oliver formally denounce whatever ties he had with Giancarlo, swearing a new oath of loyalty—to the family. I begged him not to. Niko
Chapter 156⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾The bedroom door slammed open with a force that rattled the windows.Nikolai stood in the doorway, and my heart stopped. Blood covered his hands, streaked across his cheekbone, splattered on his white shirt. His eyes were wild, unfocused—the look of a man who’d just crossed a line he couldn’t uncross. The gun in his right hand hung loose at his side, forgotten.“Nikolai!” I scrambled out of bed, sheets tangling around my legs. “What happened? Are you hurt?”He stared at me like he was seeing a ghost. “Is someone coming?” My voice climbed higher. “Are we in danger? Talk to me!”“He’s dead.” The words came out flat, emotionless. “My father is dead.”I froze. “What do you mean your father is—”“I just killed him.” Nikolai’s voice cracked on the confession. “I put five bullets in Matteo Gianni and watched him bleed out in my study chair.”“Your father? You…”“Was. He was my father.” He finally looked at me, really looked, and I saw the devastation written acros
Chapter 155 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Victory should taste sweeter than this. Kaine was dead. Giancarlo was finished. The files were distributed, and the whole network would crumble within days. Although exhausted after three bouts of unforgettable ecstasy, Sylvia was safe upstairs, finally free from the nightmare that had consumed her life. I poured another glass, took a tiny sip and let my head fall back against the seat so that I was facing the ceiling. For the first time in months, I could actually breathe without looking over my shoulder. But sleep wouldn’t come. It never did after kills. The adrenaline took hours to fade, and my mind insisted on replaying every detail, analyzing every choice, cataloguing every mistake that could have gone wrong. I pulled out the photos again, spreading them across the mahogany surface. The body bags where we’d placed Kaine and Giancarlo’s remains for Agent Chen. I’d personally taken my time to make sure their hearts were cooked beyon
Chapter 154 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ It was nearly three in the morning when I finally heard his car outside. My heart leaped, and I ran downstairs, not caring that I was wearing only a silk nightgown. “Nikolai?” I called softly, not wanting to wake the others. He appeared in the doorway, looking tired but unharmed. The moment I saw him, I launched myself into his arms, wrapped my arms around his neck and held him tight. “Are you okay?” I asked, pulling back to study his face. “Are you hurt? Did anything happen?” “I’m fine,” he said. His arms tightened around me, “Everything is settled. It’s over.” “It’s really over?” I asked, hardly daring to believe it. “It’s over,” he confirmed. “Kaine and Giancarlo are taken care of. The files have been distributed to multiple law enforcement agencies. The whole network is going to come crashing down.” Relief flooded through me, so intense it was almost overwhelming. “Thank you,” I whispered against his neck. “Thank you so much for everything.” I