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publish date:
2026-05-28 22:25:51
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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 147
“Mrs Santoro, there you are.”Bianca turned from the long table of desserts, blinking as the chairman’s daughter, Aisha, approached her with a soft smile and a flute of champagne in hand.“My father would like to speak with you both now,” the lady said. “He's waiting.”Bianca’s brow twitched. “Wher
Last Updated : 2026-04-01The Mafia's Substitute Bride 144
She didn’t let go of him for the next few seconds, but eventually the warmth in her cheeks and the dampness on his shirt nudged her gently back to reality. Valentina eased out of the embrace, rubbing under her eyes again even though most of the crying had already stopped. She sniffled, took a small
Last Updated : 2026-04-01The Mafia's Substitute Bride 149
VESCARI FOUNDATION AUCTION CHARITY EVENTThe private room at the top of the Vescari Foundation was grand in the way old money always was. The walls were lined with velvet and dark walnut, art framed in gold catching the soft chandelier light. A butler quietly poured a drink at the far end, and the
Last Updated : 2026-04-01The Mafia's Substitute Bride 146
She turned slowly to face him, brows raised, lips parting to echo his confused "uh…what?"—but the words didn’t come.Instead, she stared.Not at his expression exactly, though that was part of it, but at the soft flush creeping over the tips of his ears. Faint at first, just a quiet bloom of red th
Last Updated : 2026-04-01
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