The Mafia's Bride

Chapter TwoTWO months earlier...Carly stepped out of the taxi in front of a well-known casino, visibly flustered. As usual, her older brother Tyron had gotten himself into trouble again, and now she had to step in to keep him from ending up in jail. Or worse, buried six feet under.This has to be the last time, she told herself. But how many times had she already said that? Too many to count. No matter how badly he messed up, she could never bring herself to completely turn her back on him.Their father had long warned her to stop rescuing Tyron every time he landed in trouble. Let him suffer the consequences, he said, so he'd finally learn. She tried once. She left him overnight in a cell after he ran from gambling debts. But all it did was deepen his resentment toward her.Tyron had been angry with her since they were kids. She was only twelve when Papa Franz brought her home to live with them. She was technically his niece. Her biological mother who was Papa Franz's youngest sis

Chapter Four"WHY?"Tyron flinched when the entire living room suddenly lit up as he stepped into the house."Carly? You nearly gave me a heart attack."Carlotta let out a sarcastic laugh."A heart attack? And what do you think my reaction was when I came face-to-face with Don Salvatorre's man?""Lower your voice. Papa might hear you," he warned, trying to keep his own voice down.She waited for him to come home. She asked Belinda for a night off so she could confront Tyron. And honestly, she had been seething with anger while waiting. This time, she wasn't going to hold back. This was too much, way too much. She had forgiven his past mistakes. But this last one? Even if he rotted in his grave, she still wouldn't be able to forgive him."Why?" she repeated, ignoring the way his eyes widened as if warning her to keep her voice down.She didn't care anymore, even if their parents found out. The more she kept covering up his mess, the worse he became. It was better that everything came t

Chapter SixTWO hours out from the city, Alessandro turned onto a semi-rough road. At the end of the bumpy trail, a tall, broad-shouldered man opened the gate for them. As the car rolled in, Carlotta was greeted by the sight of a modern, sprawling bungalow surrounded by high fences.For a fleeting moment, a knot of fear twisted in her gut.What if this man had just been pretending? What if he wasn't really connected to the Galliardis and had only approached her to use her against them?Shit. Sometimes it sucks being a writer.Her mind went into overdrive, spiraling into every worst-case scenario. Why had she believed everythi

Chapter Eight"We're here." Alessandro opened the car door for Carlotta.She took a moment to survey the place before stepping out. She let out a deep breath. She was meeting Janine.A day before that, Carly had spoken to Belinda on the phone—a tense conversation still echoing in her mind."Carly," Belinda had said, her voice slightly shaking, "Mitch and Janine showed up earlier.""What kind of drama are they stirring up this time?""I'm not exactly sure, but they were arguing. Loudly. They didn't stay long—left shortly after. But I'm afraid they might come back. For now, Yanna and I are staying at my parents' house. At least until I can talk to a lawyer.""I thought you didn't want to drag Yanna into something this complicated?"Belinda fell silent. Then her voice returned, low and heavy with worry. "Then what do you expect me to do? Just sit around and wait

Chapter Ten"I WAS wondering... when can I meet your boss?"Alessandro looked at Carlotta like she had just spoken Martian.For almost a month now, he had been like her shadow—so much so that it wouldn't be surprising if he started following her to the bathroom just to make sure she was out of harm's way. They'd been living under the same roof—her family's house. The household staff had their own quarters, but with no available space for her bodyguard, they let him use the guest room on the ground floor. They rarely had visitors anyway. Besides, the house was practically a semi-mansion. The staff house was detached from the main residence. There were three bedrooms upstairs and two more on the ground floor."He's busy," Alessandro replied curtly, as if he had to think twice before answering.They were in the driveway. He opened the passenger door of the Hummer for her. They were headed to Buccaneer's Bar. The sun had already dipped beyond the horizon, and in a few more moments, darknes