Share

188

Author: Western.R
last update publish date: 2026-03-18 15:11:26

The car was already moving by the time Valentina pressed her temple against the window. The early morning light was a blur behind the tinted glass, a smear of pale grey skies and passing buildings. Olive hadn’t said a word since picking her up, and that suited Val just fine. She didn’t want small talk. She didn’t want the radio. She didn’t want anything.

She had told Olive to take her back home after leaving the De Luca estate. But halfway through the drive, she changed her mind—maybe it was th
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   198

    After one full day of plotting , the next day started with Valentina casually walking into Lucas's room, dressed in a sweatshirt that didn’t belong to her and holding a cup of coffee. She leaned against the doorway like she had all the time in the world.“I want to take you out,” she said.Lucas looked up from what he was doing, amused. “Take me out?”“Yes. On a proper date. I should be the man for once.”He leaned back in his chair. “Should I be worried?”“Maybe,” she said, teasing. “But I’ll need to borrow your jet. Since, you know, I don’t have one yet.”He blinked, then chuckled. “You want to fly somewhere for this date?”She raised her brows. “Unless you want to drive for eleven hours or you're busy which you're not. I checked in with slutty Nancy and she said you've got a few meetings but they are not that important. So schedule cleared for a while”He looked at her for a moment longer. Then shrugged. “Alright. Where are we going?”“Just pack light. You’ll find out.”~They both

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   197

    The office had good emptied out slowly. Val had stayed behind with Lucas for a while longer, finishing a few paperwork notes Nancy handed off, before finally closing up and walking out with him. The sun was already dipping low over the horizon, casting warm gold tones across the building's glass as they rode home in silence with Rue curled on the backseat, asleep.But Val wasn’t in the mood to go straight home. Something had been simmering quietly inside her lately, a weird craving she couldn’t shake. She'd been thinking about it all week—the buttered crab from the luxury hotel restaurant downtown. Ever since she tasted it at one of those formal events Lucas had dragged her to months ago, she hadn’t stopped thinking about it.So after changing into something more casual and pulling her hair into a high, effortless bun, she grabbed Lucas' card, slipped on a pair of loafers, and told Lucas she'd be back. Before he'd say a think, she added she was going to take the guards, and would get

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   196

    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   195

    Lucas hadn’t planned to let her tag along, obviously he'd love that but look at the down side, there's no fucking way he'd be able to concentrate at work.She was a fucking distraction.Valentina rarely asked for things from him, monetarily, emotitionally and physically. His world outside their home had always felt like something she only half belonged to—something she kept a cautious distance from. But that morning, while he buttoned his shirt and checked his phone for the fourth time, she asked quietly, "Can I come with you today?" She was hesitant, he could hear it in her voice.He looked up from his screen to meet her gaze. She wasn’t dressed yet, just standing by the side of the bed in one of his shirts, her hair still damp from the shower.Did she think he would say no? Hell would freeze before he would. He'd gladly let her distract him from work over and over. He was that whipped.So smiled so adorably he felt his heart swell he could barely breathe.This woman would be the dea

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   194

    Olive returned to Bellavista Hills just pastsix in the morning. Her boots were muddy, her hoodie stuck slightly to her back with sweat, and there was a dull ache behind her eyes from a lack of sleep. She let herself into the staff quarters through the side entrance and made a beeline for the kitchen.The house was already half-awake. A cleaner vacuumed upstairs before making her way out to the main mansion and someone had opened the drapes in the hallway. The sun early spilled across the tile floors in pale stripes.She opened the general fridge, grabbed the orange juice, and drank straight from the bottle. Her back leaned against the cold marble counter, and she exhaled like someone who had narrowly survived something she hadn’t even fully processed yet.It had been a long night.And she needed a power nap.~Valentina had the day off, a rare one, and she didn't plan to waste it inside. She tied Rue’s leash and stepped outside, sunglasses pushed up her nose, her hoodie oversized and

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   193

    It had rained again earlier, and the pavement outside the studio still glistened from the aftermath, reflecting streaks of dull gold from the late afternoon sun. Val walked toward her car slowly, fingers still adjusting the edge of her sunglasses where they rested in her hair. The shoot had dragged longer than she’d hoped. The new makeup artist couldn’t seem to match her tone, and her feet ached from standing in heels since morning.She wasn’t alone, though. Aisha walked a few feet ahead, chatting idly with Justin, who carried two large tote bags full of product samples they had collected to test before the release. Laina was trailing behind Val, texting someone with her head low and her bag slung over her shoulder oblivious of her sorrounding or her job, but val cared less, she just wanted to get home.The line of black cars was parked along the curb. Val had just reached for the handle of hers when a man’s voice cut through the distant sounds of traffic.“Valentina?”She turned slow

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   59

    The moment his eyes landed on me, I could see the shift in his expression. He was halfway to me when he froze, his gaze sweeping over me like a storm ready to break. His jaw tightened, and his lips pressed into a hard line."Val," he said my name in a way that brought out his actual Italian accent,

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-22
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   54

    "Let’s get you warm," he said as his fingers threaded gently through my hair, trying to untangle the mess the rain and his drying had left behind.I didn’t expect it—the simple gesture, his touch—it caught me off guard, making my chest tighten in ways I didn’t want to think too much about. My body,

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-22
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   51

    My stomach twisted as the man stepped inside. Recognition hit like a freight train—it was Matteo, the same bodyguard who had handed me lilies earlier that afternoon. His eyes swept across the room, scanning it with precision before they landed on me.Alecia, now steady, hurried over to Marco, whisp

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-22
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   56

    He kissed me again and again, deeper this time, like he was trying to steal every bit of air from my lungs. His hands gripped my waist firmly but not harshly, grounding me while still leaving me breathless. The pressure of his lips against mine was unrelenting, and I couldn’t help but melt into him

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-22
More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status