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Author: Western.R
last update publish date: 2026-05-14 16:54:33

Rebecca sat in the morning light filtering through the tall windows of her sunroom, the wide cream-colored armchair beneath her framing a scene she barely recognized anymore. The house had settled into waking hours, servants bustling softly around corners, but she remained still. Her hand hovered over a cup of barely warm tea, breath suspended in the quiet.

The air smelled faintly of jasmine and old velvet, heavy with years of memories. She rose slowly, every movement weighted by absence and ti
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  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   241

    Antonio stood by the tinted glass of his mid‑morning office overlooking the city he’d nearly lost. Below, traffic moved like veins in concrete; inside, monitors glowed green—Deluca Industries' stock surprisingly surging, nearly eight percent ahead of expectations. He smoothed his tie, adjusting the crisp crease as if anchoring himself to a world he’d spent too long rebuilding.He remembered the afternoon of Rebecca’s announcement at the company and how the boardroom had gone silent, how his own hands had trembled over a champagne flute. Now the same board members applauded him as he entered the conference room: familiar faces lit with relief, whispers of strategy and investors’ smiles easing tension. When he reported the terms of the new acquisition targeting women’s health biotech one of the partners leaned forward and acknowledge that it was something that stands for more than profit and they like the new direction he was taking.Small victory.He accepted their approval with all th

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   240

    NEXT DAY Soft afternoon light filtered into the guest room as Roberto’s eyelids fluttered, thin and brittle. The world came back in fragments,the sound of the air filter, the faint scent of antiseptic, the cushioned rustle of sheets as his hand shifted. A drip monitor ticked quietly beside him.He breathed deeply, then coughed,throat dry, voice cracked. He turned his head toward the window and saw movement. Antonio stood at the doorway, plate in hand, cautious.Roberto’s brow furrowed. He tried to speak again, voice even more fragile. “Antonio…”Antonio stepped forward, placing the tray gently on a side table. On it: chicken soup steaming in a porcelain bowl, soft bread rolls, a small salad, and fresh water with lemon. He drained his eyes at the sight of the frail man in the bed.“You’re awake,” Antonio whispered and cleared his throat. “Gio told me yesterday it was rising odds… I prayed you’d come back. See where your stupidity got you” He lifted the tray, adjusting the hospital bed

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   239

    The rain tapped steadily against the dark sedan, creating a private canopy around Cam and Ethan. Inside, their breaths floated in the stillness between intermittent wipers. Cam stared out the window, watching rivers of water streak across the glass.Ethan cleared his throat again. “Are you mad at me?” he asked softly. “Do you hate me?”She turned slowly, meeting his eyes—grey-blue reflections of dripping clouds. “Why would I hate you?” she whispered. “Did you do anything that would make me hate you?.”He frowned, voice quieter than the rain. “When I came to your house that night, after I’d scared you so much—did you hate me then?” He paused. “I thought you did when your brothers made me leave and you also told me to go.”She blinked. Her pulse thudded. “I didn’t hate you,” she said, tone brittle. “I was protecting myself—and them. You disappeared after making me feel like that. It hurts, but I don't hate you, so do with that information what you will.” She paused, looking out the blur

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   238

    Camilla woke to the soft buzz of her phone and an unfamiliar flutter of excitement. She stretched and checked her email, nestled halfway amid promotions was an invitation, elegant stationery announcing the grand opening of Senator's wife Rosetta Bianci’s new hotel.Subject: Invitation to the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – The Delmore Estate HotelFrom: Office of the Senator’s Wife – Lady Rosetta BianciTo: Camilla Cross---Dear Ms. Cross,It is with great pleasure that I invite you to attend the official Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of The Delmore Estate Hotel, a luxurious new cornerstone in our city’s hospitality and heritage.Event Details:Date: 31 July 2025Time: 9:30 AM – 6:30 PMLocation: Delmore Estate Hotel, 89 Riverview Crescent NaplesThis elegant occasion will include light refreshments, exclusive tours of the estate, and a private welcome speech by lady Banci herself and the team that made this dream a reality.Your presence would be most cherished

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   237

    The arrivals terminal at San Matteo International was a warm blur of sunlight through glass, scattered luggage wheels humming across tile, and the distant metallic purr of the baggage claim carousel. Margaret adjusted her sunglasses, sighing as she checked the time again on her gold watch. 4:23 p.m. Flight from Madrid—delayed an hour, of course. “Of course,” she muttered. When she called Kai earlier yesterday to confirm what time his flight was today he told her it's been cancelled, because of the weather and shit, concerned she asked him to stay back and not book another flight until everything was good.She was disappointed that her soon would be a day late, all the preparations and happiness now seemed to soon, until he called and told her to come pick him up at the airport this evening, he confessed it was all a lie as he wanted to surprise her, but later realized he didn't make any arrangements with his driver and had to call her.She spotted him the moment he sauntered past cust

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   236

    Rebecca woke to an unfamiliar emptiness, the silvery pre-dawn light filtering through lace curtains and painting pale shadows on the bedroom walls. For a long moment, her hand hovered over the familiar wedding portrait on her dresser—Antonio’s face smiling decades ago from a happier time— of Val and Alecia too, she lifted it and stared at the glass. The room was cold, still. Her body felt foreign in the heavy sheets. She sat slowly on the edge of the bed, breathing shallowly, the weight of the previous night’s confrontations still settling behind her ribcage.She tried to steady herself, brushing fingers along the frame until the glass felt too slick, then set it down. All at once, she was aware of every second of absence—her daughters had walked away, Val's husband had hidden behind carefully curated measures and PR, and the man who threatened, insulted. She let her gaze drift over the room’s expensively restored furnishings, perfect and lifeless. Everything seemed staged now, like a

  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   60

    Lucas stood, gathered the first-aid kit as if he was unsure of his next step. He then made his way toward the door, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.“Wait,” I blurted out, my voice cracking mid-word.He stopped instantly, his back stiffening before he turned to look at me. His eyes searched mi

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-23
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   61

    I woke up to an unsettling quiet. The faint rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains did little to comfort me as my hand instinctively reached out, searching for him. The sheets beside me were cold, untouched. Lucas wasn’t in bed.Panic began to bubble in my chest. Did he leave already? With

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-23
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   68

    His expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker in his eyes that seemed like curiosity, maybe, or annoyance. I couldn’t tell.I swallowed hard and continued. “My father was furious. He was embarrassed, scared of what it would do to his reputation if word got out, I mean, his business was alre

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-23
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   63

    We arrived safely.I stared at the mansion from the safety of the car, my chest tightening with unease. The last time Lucas brought me somewhere unexpected, it had ended with me signing my life away—an oath that my thoughts towards him. That memory refused to let go, flashing in my mind like a warn

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-23
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