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publish date:
2026-05-14 17:02:19
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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 173
SAME DAY- EVENINGVal didn’t even realize how long she’d been staring at her phone. The screen lit up in her hand, and she was still sitting by the window, one leg curled beneath her, the other stretched out. Outside, the sun had dipped low, casting long shadows across the floor — she hadn’t moved
Last Updated : 2026-04-04The Mafia's Substitute Bride 171
Valentina hadn’t planned to come back. Not after the way the last visit ended — or didn’t, because Cam never even came out of the room. She just stayed behind that wall, and she seemed out of reach, like she'd drawn an invisible line between them and dared her to cross it. But all night, that silen
Last Updated : 2026-04-04The Mafia's Substitute Bride 175
NEXT DAYAlecia stood outside the small corner cafe, watching as the sun reflected off the dusty windows. It was mid-morning, and the street was mostly quiet except for the occasional couple strolling past or the hum of a delivery truck pulling away. The photograph she'd printed was folded once in
Last Updated : 2026-04-04The Mafia's Substitute Bride 164
DE LUCA RESIDENCEAlecia didn’t call ahead, as she would on a normal important day. Maybe it was the anger, because all she had in her mind that second was just to get answers.The guards let her through without a word. She didn’t offer a nod of acknowledgment as she passed them either. If they hes
Last Updated : 2026-04-03
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