It was all her fault. My life could have been simple—40-hour shifts at KFC, sneaking extra chicken crumbs, and binge-watching reality shows. But no. Instead, here I was, standing at the altar, saying I do to a man whose idea of “casual” involved drugs, women, and murder on speed dial. Thanks, Mom. Not only did she ruin my life, but she also sold it—traded me off to the deadliest Mafia boss alive, Mario Santiago, as if I were some secondhand couch on clearance. Mario Santiago. Yeah, that Mario Santiago. The Human Terminator. The guy whose enemies mysteriously vanish like my paycheck two days after payday. And now, I was his wife. He glanced at me with a slow, wolfish smile that practically screamed trouble. That was when I knew two things: 1. I was completely doomed. 2. This man was going to wreck my heart (and probably my life). But hey, it could be worse, right? At least I’d get a killer wardrobe out of it. *** Are you looking for romance and humor? Stuck with Mario Santiago is a hilarious, Mafia billionaire romance filled with danger, betrayal, drama, and a love story you won’t forget. Dive in—you won’t regret it (but the characters might).
View MoreSylvia’s POVI read the words again. And again."In the basement, the woman, old nanny, scrawny, I know sister. Mario keeping away."The sentence was jagged, rushed, like whoever wrote it wasn’t sure if they should. And maybe they shouldn’t have.Because now it was stuck in my head.A basement? A woman? A sister?I shut the diary and gripped it tight, my fingers pressing into the lavender cover. This was stupid. This had nothing to do with me.But my gut was telling me otherwise.Because Mario had been hiding this diary for a reason.Because if this girl was right—if she did have a sister—then Mario had been lying to her. Keeping something from her.And if he could lie to her, he could lie to me too. And there was one lingering question, who was she?I exhaled slowly.I needed to be smart about this. Rushing off to demand answers wasn’t an option. Not when I didn’t even know what I was looking for.I slipped the diary under my pillow and pushed myself off the bed. My legs felt shaky,
Sylvia’s POVI woke up to warmth. An unfamiliar. It took a second for reality to catch up, for my brain to remember where I was.Mario’s room. No—my room.I blinked, adjusting to the soft morning light filtering through the light shade of lavender curtains. Beside me, Mario lay still, his breathing even, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist like he was scared I would run off.Last night’s conversation echoed in my head."Let’s just say I know a lot about you. Too much."My fingers curled into the sheets. How much did he really know? And how did he know it?I turned my head, watching him. Even in sleep, he looked guarded—jaw tight, brows furrowed like he was fighting something in his dreams. A part of me wanted to reach out, smooth the crease between his brows. But I didn’t.Because I didn’t trust him. Not fully.I moved slow. Careful. Inch by inch, I tried to pull away from Mario’s grip, but the second I did, his arm tightened around me. He mumbled something in his sleep, his voice
Mario’s POVI didn’t think. I didn’t need to.The second I saw them—Gerard, shirtless. Sylvia, on his bed. Laughing. My vision blurred with red.Before my mind could catch up, my fist was already flying. It connected with Gerard’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. The bastard staggered, but the smirk that followed only fueled my fury."You fucking stay away from her!"Sylvia gasped behind me, but I wasn’t looking at her.Gerard wiped the blood from his lip, eyes dark with amusement. "Didn’t know she was off-limits. My bad." His voice was mocking, slow. He knew exactly what he was doing—poking at the beast inside me. Purposely trying to reel me up to see how attached I was.I grabbed his collar, shoving him against the wall. "Say that again," I growled, my voice barely human.Sylvia was at my side in an instant, tugging at my arm. "Mario, stop! It’s not what you think!"But that was the thing—I didn’t know what to think.My head was still spinning from everything I’d told her earlier
Sylvia’s POVI was still shaking.For the first time since this forced marriage, I wasn’t mad at Mario. How could I be? All I wanted to do was pull him into my arms and rock him like a child, as if that could undo the horrors he had survived.I had so many questions. So many things that didn’t make sense.How could one person go through that much and still be standing? And his mother—what kind of monster hands their own son over to be used like that?My own past with my brother had nearly destroyed me. But Mario? His was worse. So much worse. I couldn't even begin to imagine it. The hell of everything he had gone through.And now, after everything, he had finally let me see it—the filth, the scars, the rot inside him. And what had I done? Looked at him like a kicked dog.No wonder he shoved me away.I exhaled sharply, pushing the thought down. No time for self-pity. I needed answers. If there was a single shred of evidence left of the people who did this to him, I had to find it.Whic
Mario's POVShe was still frozen in place, pressed against the wall, her eyes wide in shock as she looked at me. And then; I saw it.Pity.It hit me harder than anything else. Harder than the memories, harder than the rage that had been boiling in my gut for years. That look on her face, it was like she had already decided I was broken. That I was something to be fixed.I stepped back. My hands were still clenched. My whole body felt stiff, like I had been tied too tight, like if I moved too much, I’d snap in half.What the fuck did I just do?I had buried this pain for so long, locked it away so deep that even my own brother didn’t know the details. And now? I had handed it to her. Laid it all out like an open wound, a fucking invitation for her to poke and prod at it.Fuck."You—" she started.I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear whatever was about to come out of her mouth."Get out." My voice was low, too calm.She hesitated. She was still looking at me like that, like s
Trigger Warning: This scene contains elements of sexual assault, which may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with caution.Sylvia’s POVI lingered in the office longer than I should have. Mario and Gerard had already left, but I stood there, arms crossed, staring at nothing in particular, pretending I had business being there.Of course, I didn’t.I was stalling.And when the silence got too loud, I did what any rational person would do, I snooped around.My fingers trailed over the desk, pulling open drawers, flipping through papers. Nothing. The man was either annoyingly clean or he just didn’t trust leaving anything important in places people like me could reach.Fine.If his office had nothing, maybe his room would.I knew it was stupid, but I acted on it, slipping out and making my way up the stairs.Mario’s room was at the end of the hallway, and when I tried the handle, it opened easily.Not locked.Huh.Either he was stupidly confident no one would go through his
Sylvia's POV The room was dead silent for a moment. Then, the lights flickered back on, and Gerard stood in the doorway, grinning like a lunatic."I got you there, didn't I?" He beamed, looking downright pleased with himself, like he had just won an Oscar for Best Performance in Terrorizing His Younger Brother.I turned to Mario, expecting… I don’t know, maybe shock? Maybe rage? Maybe him flipping the desk and lunging at his brother like a feral animal?But no.Mario just sat there, staring at the bullet hole in his desk like it was an old, familiar friend. No blinking, no flinching. Just this tired, dead-eyed look, like this exact scenario had played out a hundred times before.That? That was unsettling.Gerard, meanwhile, sauntered into the room like he owned the place, spinning his gun in his hand like a cowboy in an old movie."Relax, hermano. It was just a little love tap. If I wanted to shoot you, you'd be bleeding all over that overpriced carpet by now. The carpet's ugly by th
Sylvia’s POVI looked from one brother to the other, my brain short-circuiting.What the hell kind of twisted family reunion was this?Before I could fully process the situation, Gerard yanked my hair, making me yelp. “It’s good to see you again, brother.”“What are you doing here, Gerard?” Mario’s voice was sharp, his whole body tense. “It’s been four years. What do you want?”Gerard let out a dramatic sigh, like Mario had personally wounded his feelings. “Is that how you welcome your big brother after all this time? Nasty, I must say. I heard you’re married now. Congratulations, I suppose.”He beamed—like he was some kind of friendly visitor instead of a full-blown psychopath—and then, to my absolute horror, he yanked me along as he walked toward Mario.“Let her go.” Mario’s voice was deadly calm, but I could see his fingers twitch. “We can talk elsewhere.”Gerard laughed—loud, carefree, like this was all just a joke to him. “You don’t have to be scared of me, brother. And your girl
SYLVIA'S POV "To the ground!"Mario's voice was sharp and commanding. I didn't hesitate—I threw myself down just as he did, but unlike me, he hit the floor with a pained grunt. His wounds. Damn it. He wasn’t even healed yet."Wait at the kitchen door. I need to get my gun."He didn’t give me time to respond before he was already moving, sprinting up the stairs like a mad man.I swallowed hard, my body pressed against the cold floor, heart pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears. A minute passed. Maybe less.Then—Bang!A gunshot.I sucked in a breath, my muscles locking up.Bang!Another.A strangled groan. A body hitting the floor with a dull thud.Oh, shit.A sickening silence followed. My fingers dug into the fabric of my pants. Was that him? Was he hit? Was he dead?I wanted to call out. I wanted to move. But if I was wrong, if the wrong person was coming down those stairs…Footsteps.I pressed myself against the wall, barely breathing.Then I saw him—Mario.Alive.I almost c
“What if I don’t want to do this? What if I don't want to sell my body like you—”The slap came faster than I could process, the sting spreading across my cheek as my head snapped to the side.“Don’t you dare question me,” my mother hissed, her voice venomous. “Do you think I wanted to do the things I did? Sleeping with men, lowering myself for you? I sacrificed everything to keep you fed and clothed. You owe me this, Sylvia.”Did every mother say that to their daughter?I held my burning cheek, staring at her in disbelief. Her face was twisted in anger, and the lies dripped from her mouth. She never sacrificed anything for me—not willingly. My father’s death had stripped away the thin veil of decency she once pretended to wear.I took a step back, swallowing the lump rising in my throat. “You didn’t do it for me,” I said quietly. My voice trembling despite my best effort to sound strong. “You did it for the money, for the heels and the dresses, for the nights you could pretend to be ...
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