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2025-12-28 18:01:00Val took a deep breath, her heart sinking further in the painful silence.
She didn’t realize how long she’d been standing there until her fingers started cramping from fisting them for too long. The phone on the couch had long since gone dark in her hand, and the ache in her chest had started to blend with the dull throb of the headache she’d ignored since morning.
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The Mafia's Substitute Bride 251
Olive had been up since dawn, scrolling through old photos, digging through archives, comparing blurry party shots and tagged group pictures—names she couldn't trace, faces that weren’t in any employment system, guests whose identities seemed too clean to be real.She was this close to going crazy.She never knew it was going to be this hard. It's excruciating.She hadn’t made much headway. Most leads had led nowhere. But today she hoped everything would fall into their places for fucking once. She can't handle another disappointed look from Lucas. He wanted her to go back to driving until he found something different for her to work on again, but she got itchy butt sitting in the car for too long thinking of ways to make him proud of her, to wipe the disappointment off his face, and only came to one conclusion. She had to dig up something spicy to shake the earth.Okay, maybe that was a little far.But as long as he doesn't look disappointed, she was okay and good to go.Olive parked
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 250
Alecia woke to the soft chime of temple bells ringing somewhere nearby, their sound drifting faint but certain through the paper walls. Sunlight slipped across the tatami floor in a clean, golden line. She didn’t rush. The air held that quiet stillness unique to morning. She rose slowly, wrapping herself in the light linen robe left out in the Airbnb. The scent of Ryokucha still lingered—yesterday’s tea, warm in the bottom of the kettle, as if it had waited all night.Kennedy glanced at her phone. A message lit the screen.Satoshi: Eating sweet potatoes in a garden café. Meet me there at 12?Alecia gave a small nod. She closed her sketchbook, folded the corner of her travel map, and set it aside.They stepped out together, the alley hushed and shaded by old wooden shutters. The faint scent of wet rice stalks curled in the breeze. It was the kind of path that didn’t ask for noise, where even footsteps softened themselves. By midday, the alley opened into a modest stone courtyard. Trees
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 249
Alecia sat upright, fingers curled loosely around her soft boarding pass, Flight KO123. It was scheduled to land in Osaka at 11:45 a.m., and the cabin lights had dimmed as the plane began its descent. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the low hum of the engines, letting herself gather a breath that felt like equal parts readiness and quiet relief. When the wheels finally kissed the runway, she finally settled. Kennedy leaned toward her and mouthed, “We’re here.” Alecia nodded, letting the words land gently.Inside the arrivals hall, the air carried a faint hint of incense and clean polish. It was nothing like the noise or disorder of Naples’s terminals—it felt composed. They weaved through the crowd and retrieved their roll-aboard cases, slinging on travel bags without a word. Outside, lanterns glowed softly over a line of taxis, and the night air touched cool on their skin, fresh and quiet. As they passed stretches of farmland on the way out of Osaka and into Kyoto’s nea
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 248
Alecia woke on a pale, quiet morning in her apartment. The curtains were thin white gauze, and the early winter sun cast soft shapes on the floor. She didn’t reach for her phone right away—there were no startling messages, no demands waiting. Instead, she took a moment to lie still, pressing her fingers gently against the folded sheet, feeling the slow exhale of her breath.For weeks she’d scrolled through short videos of how beautiful Kyoto was, with crimson maple trees reflecting in still temple ponds, moss-covered stone lanterns, geisha walking through alleyways, the silence of ancient gardens or temples. Something in her chest shivered when she watched. That day, she decided, staying in Naples has done more bad than good, it's ruined her in so many different ways. Therefore a trip to Kyoto, Japan might be all she needs.She got out of bed and made ginger tea, watching as the kettle hissed, the steam curling just above it. The Doctor had adviced her to eat as healthy as she could t
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 247
Alecia closed the sketchpad and wiped her hands on her jeans, still sitting at the edge of her small balcony that overlooked the dusky city skyline. The air was slightly cool—far from the suffocating hush of the DeLuca mansion. She cradled a ceramic mug filled with tea in her hands, the warmth radiating through the thin ceramic into her fingers.She breathed in, tasting loneliness but also recognition: she’d made a choice. Only Kennedy knew. The abortion was clean, surgical, efficient, but ut didn’t feel that clean or efficient to her. She felt hollow instead of relieved. In the aftermath, she turned to sketching lines on her sketchbook.She sipped carefully as twilight blurred the horizon. The last daylight sighed out of the room. She placed the mug on the ledge and looked at her phone. One unread message sat in her inbox—from Kennedy: Everything okay? I’ve been trying to call yiu. Message me when you feel up to it. Kennedy was the only one still trusting her beyond legacy and appeti
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 246
Kai lay in the stark hospital room, IV tubes coiling around his arm like cold snakes. White walls reflected fluorescent calm, masking the chaos beneath. His eyes fluttered open to the harsh ceiling lights, vision blurry, pulse trying to settle. The memory of impact, shards of windshield, the ringing in his head echoed continuously.Margaret sat beside him in a plastic chair, trembling. Her fingers twined around the note she brought it was the reminder of a date. Lines around her eyes, recent and deep, showed how the past days had cracked her. She caught sight of Kai’s hand twitching and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his knuckles. She tried to smile, her fingers weak, lip shaking. “Kai…” she whispered into his skin. “You’re okay, love.”He blinked, throat tight. He tried to speak, but only soft rasp came. She leaned closer, tears slipping along her cheek. The misery in her voice barely held together: “They said rib fractures and Leg clean break. You’ll be fine. The doctors are w
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 90
While the buying and biding went on with the highest bidder at $625,000, Valentina shook her head and set her empty champagne glass down on a passing waiter’s tray and excused herself from the small circle of women who had been making conversation with her, and Lucas as she needed a moment away fro
Last Updated : 2026-03-26The Mafia's Substitute Bride 92
"Marco?" She asked, her brows drawing together as she recognized him.Marco took off his mask, still smiling. But something about put her off. And that was surprising, considering his smile had once been one of the things that had drawn her to him.She was about to ask what he was doing here when s
Last Updated : 2026-03-26The Mafia's Substitute Bride 89
The moment Lucas and Valentina stepped inside, the air around them shifted.The grand ballroom was stunning—crystal chandeliers that cost millions laid a soft golden glow over the elegantly dressed crowd, with classical music playing in the background, it blended effortlessly with the murmur of con
Last Updated : 2026-03-26The Mafia's Substitute Bride 91
Bianca Santoro moved through the event with grace like she owned the place, her black sequin dress shimmering under the golden lights. Eyes following her. Valentina felt Lucas’s grip on her waist loosen slightly as Bianca approached with an unwavering confidence."Lucas," Bianca greeted, leaning i
Last Updated : 2026-03-26
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