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Author: Western.R
last update publish date: 2026-05-14 16:55:10

Valentina eased into the hospital lobby just after ten in the morning, her heart fluttering like a bird caught between panic and hope. The fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead and the reception desk buzzed with orders and paper rustling as they moved around. She checked in with her name and handed over her referral slip. A nurse appeared within minutes and guided her down a corridor lined with framed nature photographs that felt oddly soothing. She tried to steady her breath; gym-class bre
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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   110

    Marco’s voice shot through the room furiously. “Are you fucking serious right now? You went through my stuff, ruined my things, and shredded them? Are you insane, woman?!”She let out a scoff, her eyes burning with rage. “Are you actually mad at me for going through your stuff, or are you mad that

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-28
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   112

    A cold breath slipped past her lips as she stared at her father, a wave of exhaustion pressing down on her.So this was what it had come to?Her mother’s life was a bargaining chip in a game she never asked to play.Her stomach twisted, her gaze flickered back to Bianca, and she hated what she saw.

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-28
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   109

    Alecia flipped through the stack, her fingers moving faster, each photo making her breath tighten in her chest.One. Two. Three.Her lips parted slightly, disbelief bleeding into the rise of anger bubbling in her throat.Four. Five. Six.Her grip on the last two photos trembled.Seven. Eight.The f

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-28
  • The Mafia's Substitute Bride   111

    Valentina was on the couch when the call came.She had just settled in, her ribs still aching slightly from any movement that stretched too much. The book she’d been holding sat unread on her lap with her focus scattered, her mind dipping in and out of the past few days.When her phone buzzed, she

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-28
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