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Chapter 63: The Goodbye That Broke Us Both
Last Updated:
2025-04-14 19:17:47
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The Mafia Debt Chapter 64: Desperation Wears Heels
The next morning, I blinked awake, momentarily disoriented before remembering where I was—back in Cassian's safehouse.I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow. Three days had passed since I'd walked out of his house, left him standing there looking broken. Three days of numbness filled by moments of blinding rage and crushing sadness.My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Another email from my university about re-enrollment for the upcoming semester. The cursor hovered over "reply" for a full minute before I closed the app. What was the point? The Aria who had a future of school felt like a stranger now.I dragged myself into the shower, letting scalding water pound against my skin until it turned pink. The bathroom mirror revealed dark circles under my eyes that no amount of concealer could hide. I looked haunted. Maybe I was."Get your shit together," I muttered to my reflection. "You survived before him. You'll survive after him."Two hours later, I smoothed down the front of my
Last Updated : 2025-04-14The Mafia Debt Chapter 65: The Rise of Ruby
I stepped onto the stage, immediately blinded by spotlights. For a terrifying moment, I froze, overwhelmed by the sea of faces turned toward me. A murmur rippled through the crowd—a new girl was always an event.Move, I commanded myself. Just move.The bass dropped, and something shifted inside me. My body responded before my mind could catch up—hips swaying, hands trailing over my skin. I closed my eyes, letting the music take over. The sequined outfit Vivienne had chosen caught the lights, throwing prisms across my skin.The song built, and so did my confidence. I made eye contact with an older man sitting alone in the front row with an expensive whiskey—watching me with unmasked desire. There was power in his gaze, but not his power—mine. He couldn't touch me. Could only watch, want, pay.I moved to the pole, remembering the basic turns Vivienne had shown me. My body flowed around it naturally, as if I'd been doing this for years instead of minutes. The crowd's response was immedia
Last Updated : 2025-04-14The Mafia Debt Chapter 66: Falling from Grace
One more week into my new life as Ruby, and I'd found my rhythm. The nerves that used to twist my stomach before each performance had transformed into a different kind of energy. I'd learned to turn off my thoughts, to become a body without a past or future.Tonight, the club was packed tighter than usual. Elysium thrummed with energy and smoke machines creating a foggy haze across the main floor."You're up, Ruby," Vivienne said, her hand cool against my bare shoulder. "Main stage. They've been asking for you all night."I nodded, adjusting the straps of my outfit—a black lace creation that revealed more than it concealed. The other girls had taught me how to apply body glitter that caught the lights, making my skin shimmer. I'd learned to paint my face into a mask of seduction—smoky eyes, blood-red lips, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass."Give them something special," Vivienne winked. "Weeknight crowd this big means big money."I stepped onto the stage, and the crowd fell silent
Last Updated : 2025-04-15The Mafia Debt Chapter 67: Falling into Old Patterns
Twenty minutes later, I stood outside VIP room three, my hand trembling on the doorknob. I'd changed into a different outfit—a deep burgundy two-piece that made my skin look luminous. No body glitter this time. No mask of makeup. Just me, stripped down to the bare essentials.Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.The private room was filled with plush velvet couches arranged around a small center stage. A bottle of champagne chilled in an ice bucket, two crystal flutes waiting beside it. The music was softer here, just background to whatever would unfold.Cassian sat on the main couch. He'd removed his suit jacket, his white shirt rolled up at the sleeves to reveal powerful forearms. He looked like sin incarnate—dangerous and tempting."You're the client," I said flatly, letting the door close behind me.He said nothing."Fine," I muttered, crossing to the farthest corner of the room. I sat down, arms crossed tightly over my chest. "Your money. Your time. But I'm not dancing."Stil
Last Updated : 2025-04-15The Mafia Debt Chapter 68: Rooms Built for Ruin
The VIP room looked exactly as it had the night before. The same champagne chilling in its bucket. The same soft music creating an illusion of intimacy.And there he was—Cassian. Waiting. Watching. The most dangerous man I'd ever known, looking at me like I was both salvation and destruction wrapped in one package.I shut the door behind me with more force than necessary."Back for more silent staring?" I asked, injecting as much venom as I could into the words.His expression remained neutral, but something flickered in his eyes—amusement? Frustration? "If that's what you prefer.""What I'd prefer is for you to disappear," I snapped, choosing a chair as far from him as the small room allowed. "But apparently what I want doesn't matter anymore.""It's the only thing that matters." His voice was so low I almost didn't catch the words.I crossed my legs, aware of how the movement drew his eyes. My outfit tonight was white—innocent in color. The irony wasn't lost on me. "Why are you doin
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Cassian stood when I entered. He looked different tonight—his usual perfect composure slightly rumpled, as if he'd spent the day running his hands through his hair."What do you want from me?" I demanded, skipping the pleasantries. "This cat-and-mouse game is getting old.""You," he replied without hesitation. "That hasn't changed."I barked out a laugh. "Right. When it's convenient for you. When it fits into your perfect little control freak world.""There's nothing perfect about my world." He moved closer, his eyes never leaving mine. "Especially not since you walked out of it.""I didn't walk out," I hissed. "You kicked me out. You looked me in the eye and told me to leave.""I was wrong.""No shit." I crossed my arms. "You know what's funny? I actually believed we had something real. That you—the great Cassian Romano—might actually care about the girl you kidnapped to settle a debt."His jaw tightened. "I never saw you as a debt.""No?" I stepped closer, anger making me reckless.
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I'd never been good at rock bottom. You'd think I'd have developed a talent for it by now.Three days after the Elysium disaster, I sat cross-legged on my apartment floor surrounded by a sea of ads, red circles marking potential jobs. The list was depressingly short.My phone buzzed for the twentieth time that day. Cassian. Again.I ignored it. Again."Bartender," I muttered, circling another ad with a red pen that was running out of ink. "I can do that. Pour drinks, smile pretty, tell drunk guys to go to hell when they get handsy."Actually, my experience at Elysium might work in my favor there.My phone lit up again. This time with a text:We need to talk."We need for you to lose my number," I told my silent apartment. My voice sounded rough, scratchy. I'd been feeling like garbage since yesterday—probably from stress, lack of sleep, and the diet of ramen and spite I'd been living on.The phone buzzed again.I scrolled through the latest batch of messages, my thumb hovering over th
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I woke to the sound of Cassian swearing.Cracking one eye open, I found him standing in the doorway of my bedroom, looking at his phone with a thunderous expression."Problem?" His head snapped up. "How are you feeling?"I took a moment to assess. My head still ached, but the room wasn't spinning anymore. My body felt heavy, but not like it was being crushed under a ton of bricks. Progress."Less like I'm dying, more like I was hit by a small car instead of a truck," I reported. "What's wrong? Did someone steal your favorite yacht?"He ignored my attempt at sarcasm. "I need to go."Of course. Now that I wasn't at death's door, he was ready to bail again. Classic Cassian—coming to the rescue and then disappearing when the real work of relationships began."Don't let me keep you," I said, turning my face away.The bed dipped as he sat beside me. "It's not what you think.""You don't know what I think.""I can see it on your face." His fingers caught my chin, gently turning me back to f
Last Updated : 2025-04-16
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The Mafia Debt Chapter 104: Anything for Love II
Aria's POVCharlie continues her assault, making obscene noises as she works, and I feel my stomach rolling in nausea. My vision blurs as tears well up, and I choke back a sob. I want to scream, to fight, to do anything to stop this, but I'm helpless, trapped in this nightmare.Cassian's eyes are on me the whole time, as if he's trying to communicate something, some silent message of strength, of endurance. But I can see the pain in his gaze, the torment of being unable to stop what's happening.And then, suddenly. Cassian's hand shoots out out of his restraints, grabbing Charlie's hair in a grip so tight it must be painful.Charlie's eyes widen in shock and fear as his grip tightens. Dom lurches forward with a shout, but he's too late. Cassian has already flung Charlie across the room. She crashes into the wine rack, bottles shattering around her as she falls.Dom moved like a snake, delivering a brutal kick to Cassian's ribs that sends him crashing to the ground. The sound of his bo
The Mafia Debt Chapter 103: Anything for Love
Aria's POVI sit rigidly in the basement they let us into—our own basement, turned prison—my heart hammering against my ribcage so violently I fear it might shatter. Across from me sits Cassian. He's tense, every muscle in his body coiled tight like a spring ready to snap, eyes darting between me and Dom, calculating, always calculating.Dom stands between us. "We're going to play a game," he announces. "It's called Anything for Love." He smirks, savoring each syllable. "I want to see just how far the great Cassian Romano will go to protect his precious Aria.""If you touch her—""Ah, ah, ah," Dom interrupts, wagging a finger like he's scolding a child. "No threats, Cassian. Remember who holds the power now." His gaze slides to me, making my skin crawl. "And if you don't comply..." He lets the threat hang in the air, but it's clear—if Cassian doesn't play along, I'm the one who'll suffer.The basement feels smaller suddenly, the air thicker."Cassian," I start, trying to sound brave,
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Aria's POV"I was beginning to lose my patience," Dom says, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the woman who just entered. She strides in with a confidence that makes my skin crawl, her bright orange hair cascading down her shoulders like liquid fire. The leather mini-skirt she's wearing barely covers anything, and her top—if you could call that scrap of fabric a top—leaves nothing to the imagination. Her breasts strain against the thin material, and I notice Cassian deliberately averting his gaze.Charlie walks directly to Dom and plants a kiss on his lips that's anything but familial. Her tongue visibly slides against his, her hand gripping his hair as she moans into his mouth. My stomach churns at the display."Did I miss anything fun, brother?" Charlie asks when she finally pulls away, a string of saliva still connecting their lips. Her eyes gleam with perverse enjoyment as she catches my horrified expression."Brother?" The word escapes my lips before I can stop it.Charlie's la
The Mafia Debt Chapter 101: The Traitor’s Game
Cassian's POVThe hot water pounded against my skin, washing away the sweat from my workout but doing nothing for the tension knotting my shoulders. Viktor was awake. The relief I felt was so overwhelming I had to brace myself against the shower wall for a moment.And Aria—Christ, the way she looked at me when she told me. There was something there, beneath the anger. A crack in her armor that gave me hope, even if I didn't deserve it.I turned off the water and stepped out, reaching for a towel when a strange smell hit me. My vision blurred instantly, and alarm bells screamed in my head. Gas. Someone had pumped gas into the bathroom."Aria!" I shouted, lunging for the door. My legs gave out before I could reach it, my body betraying me as consciousness slipped away. The last thought that raced through my mind was her name, a prayer and a curse rolled into one.*****The cold metal chains bite into my wrists, but the pain is nothing compared to the fury boiling inside me. Aria stirs b
The Mafia Debt Chapter 100: Love Like a Loaded Gun
AriaI know what you're thinking. Trust me, I do. But you don't live my life. You don't know what it's like to love a man like Cassian—complicated, dangerous, infuriating—a man who can break me and heal me in the same breath. I love him, and I hate that I love him, because it's never just simple with us. Every touch feels like salvation and damnation rolled into one.It's the way he makes me feel that keeps me tethered. His touch... God, it's not just skin-deep. It's as if he's caressing every scar I've ever tried to hide, touching the parts of me that no one else sees, not even me sometimes. When his hands glide over my skin, it's like he's mapping out my heart, piece by shattered piece. He makes me feel alive, like I'm burning from the inside out. And maybe that's why I'm still here, even when my mind is screaming at me to run.I can't explain it, but when he looks at me, it's like the world stops, and there's only us. He knows exactly how to pull me apart and put me back together a
The Mafia Debt Chapter 99: Used, Hurt, Wanted
Cassian's POVI stared at the glass of whiskey in my hand, the temptation swirling inside the amber liquid like a dark, comforting promise. But after a moment, I shook my head, tipping the glass over the sink, watching as it splashed down the drain. It would've been so easy to drown everything in that glass—the guilt, the regret, the endless spiral of what-ifs—but easy had never been my way.The burn in my side was a constant reminder of how close I'd come to losing everything—my life, my brother, and now, possibly Aria. I gritted my teeth against the pain as I made my way down the hallway to her room. Each step was a struggle, both physically and mentally, but I pushed forward.I stood outside her door for what felt like an eternity, my hand raised to knock but frozen in place. The fear of her rejection was almost paralyzing. Finally, I let my knuckles rap against the wood.Silence.I knocked again, harder this time. "Aria," I called out. "Please."More silence.Fuck this.I twisted
The Mafia Debt Chapter 98: Scars He Couldn’t See
Aria's POV"I want to sleep alone tonight," I told him.Cassian didn't argue. He just nodded, that unreadable mask sliding over his face. The one I'd seen more times than I cared to admit. He walked me to the door of my old room, his steps slow. When we reached the door, his hand found mine."Aria, please don't do this," he said, his voice low, full of an urgency that made my chest tighten. "We need to talk. Please, babe. Ask me anything, and I'll tell you. I promise."I took a deep breath, the words I had been holding back for too long finally rising to the surface. "Cassian, I already know you didn’t trust or like Shadow," I said, forcing the words out. "I could tell from the beginning. So why did you want him to stay with me?"His eyes darkened,—regret, maybe?—crossing his face. But he stayed quiet, waiting for me to continue.I pressed on, needing to get the words out before I lost my nerve."I love you, Cassian. I do. You know that," I went on, my voice trembling. "I'd do anythin
The Mafia Debt Chapter 97: If I Could Trade My Pain
Cassian's POVThe antiseptic smell of Nikolai's private clinic clung to the air, sterile and suffocating. I couldn't help but feel the weight of it as I sat in the small, office, waiting for the doctor to finish his report. Nikolai, a man in his late forties with salt-and-pepper hair and a Russian accent, flipped through my chart, his brow furrowed in concentration. His expression was professional, but I could see the strain behind his eyes. This wasn't his first time patching me up, and it definitely wouldn't be the last."You're lucky with your shoulder," he finally said, closing the file and setting it on the desk between us. "The bullet went clean through, missing anything vital. The knife wound in your side, however—that's going to need close monitoring. You'll need to take it easy for a while, but with your stubbornness, I know you'll make a full recovery.""Thanks, Nikolai," I muttered, more out of habit than gratitude. My mind was elsewhere. "What about Aria? How is she?"Nik
The Mafia Debt Chapter 96: Enemies Among Us
AriaWe were standing at the outskirts of the warehouse, waiting for the car that Dom was supposed to bring.I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold in the unease that had settled deep in my bones. The night air was cold against my skin, making the dried blood on my temple feel tight and uncomfortable."Where the fuck is he?" Cassian muttered, pressing his phone to his ear. "Viktor, Dom's not answering. Get your ass here now."Cassian was barking orders with the urgency of a man who had never been fatally injured. It was hard to believe that only hours ago he had been on the brink of death, blood pooling beneath him as I desperately tried to keep him alive. Now, there was no trace of the vulnerability that had gripped him earlier—except for the way he occasionally winced when he moved too quickly, his hand instinctively going to his bandaged side.After ending the call, he turned to me. His expression softened, the hard lines of his face easing just a fraction. "You okay, babe
