The Mafia's Adopted Princess

NOVARIA’S POV“Jake,” the stranger’s deep voice cut through the freezing air like a blade, “what the fuck did I tell you the last time?”The entire alley fell silent. Even the wind seemed to stop moving.My shaky gaze slowly shifted toward the man who had grabbed me earlier.Jake.The color drained from his face instantly. For the first time since this nightmare began, the disgusting confidence in his eyes vanished completely. He looked terrified. Truly terrified. His lips parted as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. Instead, his eyes darted around frantically, searching for an escape route through the dark alley.There wasn’t one.And somehow… that terrified me even more.The tall stranger walked past me slowly, his expensive boots crunching against the snow-covered ground. Every movement he made carried a dangerous kind of calmness, the kind that didn’t need shouting to command fear.Behind him, the muscular men dressed in black stood like statues.I swallowed hard and wr

NOVARIA’S POVCollins stared at Sylvester for a long moment before looking back at me again. The surprise on his face was impossible to miss.No, surprise wasn’t even the right word. Shock is.It was obvious he knew Sylvester better than anyone else in this mansion, and whatever Sylvester was doing right now clearly wasn’t normal behavior for him.From the little I had already seen tonight, I could tell Sylvester wasn’t the type to involve himself emotionally with strangers. He looked like the kind of man who handled problems, eliminated threats, and moved on without ever looking back. He would most likely have just left me in the alley after getting rid of those thugs; unless he just wanted to have fun with me. But it didn't seem to Collins that this was the case.Collins felt that Sandrino shouldn’t have brought me home. Especially not here. They were the Muskegons. The most feared mafia family on the continent. Their name alone carried enough power to make grown men nervous.And n

NOVARIA’S POVSylvester shifted slightly beside me, carefully adjusting the blanket over my body as though he was afraid I would get cold.“Good morning,” he said softly, his deep sleepy voice filling the room. “Did you sleep well?”I rubbed my eyes tiredly before sitting up slowly on the bed.“Yeah,” I murmured quietly.Sylvester frowned slightly.It was obvious he still believed the man who barged into the room earlier had ruined my sleep.“It’s still early,” he said. “You can go back to sleep if you want.”For a second, the offer sounded incredibly tempting. The bed was warm. His room smelled comforting. And somehow, sleeping beside Sylvester had been the most peaceful sleep I’d had in years.But then reality kicked in. I couldn’t exactly spend the whole morning sleeping in a mafia boss’s bed like I belonged there.I shook my head quickly.“I’m not sleepy anymore.”Sylvester sighed softly before finally getting out of bed.“Alright then,” he muttered. “Come with me.”I blinked in c

NOVARIA’S POVA few hours after Sylvester left the mansion, I began to realize something very important.I was starving.At first, I ignored it completely. Not only because I didn't want to bump into strange faces, but mostly because I had become ridiculously invested in the cartoon playing on the television.What started as “I’ll only watch for five minutes” somehow turned into several full episodes, and before I knew it, I was sitting cross-legged on the couch completely focused on animated characters arguing over pancakes.Honestly, I blamed Sylvester.If he hadn’t turned the cartoon channel on in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.Still…The longer time passed, the louder my stomach became.I stubbornly refused to admit I was hungry for nearly an hour before finally giving up. After all it was already lunch time.With a dramatic sigh, I grabbed the remote and turned the television off..Silence immediately filled the massive living room.And strangely enough… The mansion

NOVARIA’S POV“Kelvin,” I called softly, relief instantly washing over me the moment I saw him.The tension in my chest loosened almost immediately. After everything that had happened downstairs, seeing a familiar face felt comforting.Kelvin leaned lazily against the hallway wall, one hand tucked into the pocket of his black sweatpants while the other pushed his dark hair away from his forehead.A crooked smile appeared on his face.“Hey, darling,” he drawled playfully. “Missed me already?”I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop the small smile pulling at my lips.“Yes.. I mean no,” I corrected quickly, instantly embarrassed by my own answer.Kelvin chuckled softly.“I’ve actually been looking for you,” I admitted quietly. “But you disappeared, so I ended up staying with Collins.”At the thought of Sylvester, my expression slowly fell.“And…” I hesitated. “I saw Sylvester downstairs.”Kelvin’s smile faded slightly.“He was bleeding,” I whispered. “But nobody wants to tell me what h