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Chapter 51

Author: Samantha Ely
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-17 10:11:35

Aristide

I’d been awake since before dawn. The sky was still streaked with purple and ash blue when I left our room and headed down the long corridor toward the war room. The old floorboards creaked beneath my steps, but the rest of the estate was already humming with low activity. There wasn’t time for sleep anymore. Not when we were this close to locking the board.

Inside the converted war room, Elena was stationed in front of a triple-monitor setup, fingers dancing across her keyboard. Enzo was pacing with a mug of coffee in hand, murmuring into a burner phone. Marco sat on the edge of a leather chair, field-stripping his pistol like it might offer him clarity. Not that he needed it cleaned, it was already spotless. But fidgeting gave him control.

Bella had gotten up a little while after I did, still in her robe, hair unbrushed. She murmured something about helping Mabel and headed downstairs. Not for strategy or security, Bella left those pieces to us for the day. She needed to br
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  • The Chosen Bride   Chapter 51

    AristideI’d been awake since before dawn. The sky was still streaked with purple and ash blue when I left our room and headed down the long corridor toward the war room. The old floorboards creaked beneath my steps, but the rest of the estate was already humming with low activity. There wasn’t time for sleep anymore. Not when we were this close to locking the board.Inside the converted war room, Elena was stationed in front of a triple-monitor setup, fingers dancing across her keyboard. Enzo was pacing with a mug of coffee in hand, murmuring into a burner phone. Marco sat on the edge of a leather chair, field-stripping his pistol like it might offer him clarity. Not that he needed it cleaned, it was already spotless. But fidgeting gave him control.Bella had gotten up a little while after I did, still in her robe, hair unbrushed. She murmured something about helping Mabel and headed downstairs. Not for strategy or security, Bella left those pieces to us for the day. She needed to br

  • The Chosen Bride   Chapter 50

    BellaI stood in front of the mirrored armoire in our temporary bedroom, adjusting the button on the cuff of my black blazer. It wasn’t about looking intimidating—it was about appearing composed. In control. Even when everything inside of me buzzed like a live wire. This wasn’t just another negotiation. This was the final stretch of pulling together an alliance strong enough to crush Giancarlo Bianchi and anyone else who thought we were weak.Aristide came up behind me, his fingers brushing down the back of my neck before resting lightly on my shoulder. “Ready?”“As I’ll ever be.”The plan was simple. Well, no plan involving old mafia families and strategic blackmail was ever simple, but this one was calculated. Elena, Marco, and Enzo had worked through the night digging into the last three holdouts: the Vasari family from Chicago, the Leone family out of Miami, and the mysterious, reclusive Donato family, who had been ghosts for the last decade. Each had their reasons to hesitate. Ea

  • The Chosen Bride   Chapter 49

    AristideThe door clicked shut behind us, sealing off the rest of the world and all the tension that had ruled the night. The air in our room was softer, warmer—still charged, but in a different way. Bella sat on the edge of the bed, her back straight, eyes unfocused. Processing. I could see the wheels in her head turning, even as she stayed quiet.I walked to her, cupped her face, and tilted her gaze to mine. “You were incredible tonight,” I murmured. “You didn’t just hold your own… you owned that room.”Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I don’t know if that’s good or dangerous.”“Both,” I said honestly. “But necessary.”She nodded, and I could see the exhaustion finally catching up to her. But when I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers, slow and lingering, something else sparked between us. A need to remind each other we were still here. Still together.We undressed in silence, not out of hesitation but reverence. Every motion was deliberate. Every button I unfastened on h

  • The Chosen Bride   Chapter 48

    BellaWhen Elena said one of the responses was from someone unexpected, a chill ran down my spine.“Who?” Aristide asked, voice flat and sharp.Elena tapped a few keys. “Encrypted signal routed from southern Italy. It’s… the De Luca family. They’ve been in hiding since the Palermo fire. Everyone thought they were wiped out.”I blinked. “Why would they resurface now?”“They must think aligning with you gives them a shot at power again,” Enzo muttered from the doorway. “Or survival.”Before anyone could respond, Elena’s screen lit up again. Another ping. Then a second. Then three more in rapid succession. “Five more responses,” she said, stunned. “That’s eight. Eight families, all replying within the first hour.”The air in the room shifted: buzzing, tense, but alive.Matteo, who had just entered with a mug of coffee, raised an eyebrow. “Well… looks like you stirred the hornet’s nest, Bella.”Aristide looked at me then, and something in his expression softened, even with the storm behin

  • The Chosen Bride   Chapter 47

    AristideBy the time we pulled back through the gates of the safehouse, the moon had dipped low in the sky and the edges of dawn were just beginning to warm the horizon. The place looked calm, quiet. But inside, I could already feel the storm brewing.Lucetti sat in the back seat, his eyes tracking everything, absorbing. I knew better than to trust him, but I also knew he wouldn’t have shown his face unless the fire at his back was hotter than the one in front of him.The family was waiting.Matteo, Elena, Mabel, Marco, and the rest stood in the main room when we came in. Elena's eyes darted to Lucetti, widening for a breath. Marco, quiet and watchful, nodded once. My father’s face didn’t move, his jaw just tightened.“We got more than we expected,” I said. “Lucetti’s here because he gave us a name: Giancarlo Bianchi. And that means things are moving faster than we thought.”We filled them in—about Sofia’s past, the photos, the accounts, the plan. The room felt heavy when I finished,

  • The Chosen Bride   Chapter 46

    BellaThe low hum of the plane's engines was the only sound between us for a while. Aristide sat beside me, his fingers loosely laced with mine, his thumb absently stroking the back of my hand as we watched the clouds break beneath us.We hadn’t said much since takeoff, but that wasn’t unusual. Some silences were sacred… especially between two people who had endured what we had. There was safety in stillness, especially in the sky, above the chaos waiting for us back on the ground.“You okay?” Aristide asked finally, his voice low, meant just for me.I turned to look at him. His jaw was tight, always tighter when he was trying to pretend he wasn’t worried. I could feel the weight of his concern pressing between us, even in the softness of his touch.“I’m good,” I said. “Nervous. But I want to be there.”He looked at me, really looked at me, and I knew he was weighing whether or not to push. He didn’t.“I’ll protect you,” he said simply. “No matter what.”“I know,” I whispered. “But I’

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