All Chapters of The Don's babygirl. : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Saturday afternoon found Julia standing in front of her closet, paralyzed by indecision. She'd told Massimo she was choosing her own outfit, but now that seemed like a mistake. Everything she owned looked plain and unsophisticated compared to the dress he'd sent last week. "Just wear jeans," Kate suggested from her bed, where she was studiously trying not to watch Julia's mini-crisis. "Make a statement that you're not dressing up for him." "Jeans to a nice restaurant seems rude." "So does having someone followed, but he managed that just fine." Julia pulled out a simple black dress—the one she'd worn to Voltage that first night. It felt like a lifetime ago, standing in this same room, preparing for her first club experience. She'd been so naive then. So unprepared for how quickly everything could change. "That one," Kate said, softening. "It looks great on you. And it's yours, not his. That matters." Julia changed into the dress, then added the emerald necklace. The combination w

Julia tried to establish distance. She really did. For three days, she ignored Massimo's texts, threw away the flowers that kept arriving, and avoided going anywhere his security might follow. It was exhausting and ultimately futile. Wednesday evening, she was walking back from the library alone—Kate was at a student government meeting—when a black car pulled up alongside her. Not the usual security vehicle. This one was bigger, more intimidating. The back window rolled down, and there was Massimo. "Get in," he said. Not a request. "I'm walking." "Julia." His voice held a warning. "Get in the car. We're going to talk." "I don't want to talk." "I don't care what you want right now. You've been avoiding me for three days. That ends now." He opened the door from inside. "Get in willingly, or I'll have Luca put you in. Your choice." Julia looked around. The street was empty except for students hurrying to evening classes, too absorbed in their own lives to notice the confrontatio

Weeks later… Julia woke up nauseous for the third day in a row. She barely made it to the bathroom before her stomach emptied violently, leaving her shaking and sweaty on the cold tile floor. "Again?" Kate appeared in the doorway, worry etched on her face. "Jules, that's three days in a row. You need to see a doctor." "It's probably just stress." Julia rinsed her mouth, avoiding her reflection in the mirror. "Or the flu." "Or you're pregnant." The words hung in the air like a grenade waiting to explode. Julia's hands stilled on the sink. "I'm not pregnant." "When was your last period?" Kate's voice was careful, controlled. Julia tried to remember. Between classes and Massimo and the complete upheaval of her life, she'd stopped tracking. "I don't know. A few weeks?" "How many weeks?" "I don't—" Julia's mind raced backward. "God, I can't remember, Kate!" "Okay, don't panic." Kate grabbed Julia's shoulders. "It might be nothing. Stress can delay periods. You've been under a lot of stress.

Three days after Julia's confession about the pregnancy, Massimo took her to dinner at the most exclusive restaurant in the city. Julia had been to expensive places with him before—Massimo didn't know the meaning of the word "budget"—but this was different. The entire restaurant had been closed to other patrons, leaving them alone except for the discreet wait staff who seemed to materialize only when needed. "This is too much," Julia protested as Massimo held her chair, but he merely smiled that secret smile that made her heart flutter. "Nothing is too much for you, amore mio." The meal was exquisite—course after course of delicately prepared dishes that Julia could barely taste through her nervousness. Something was happening tonight. She could feel it in the charged atmosphere, in the way Massimo kept looking at her with barely contained emotion. When the dessert plates were cleared away, Massimo stood. Julia watched, her heart beginning to race, as he came around the table

Some evenings later Julia sat curled up in her favorite chair by the fireplace studying in Massimo's penthouse when her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. ##Unknown: Stay inside. Lock the doors. Don't let anyone in except Massimo.## Her heart jumped. She immediately tried calling Massimo, but it went straight to voicemail. ##Julia: What's going on? Where are you?## No response. Twenty minutes passed. Then an hour. Julia paced the penthouse, anxiety building with every minute of silence. This was the part of Massimo's life he kept hidden from her—the dangerous part, the criminal part, the part that could get him killed. She tried calling again. Nothing. At 11:47 PM, she heard the private elevator activate. Julia's relief was instant—until the doors opened and she saw what stumbled out. Massimo was barely standing, supported by Marco and another man she didn't recognize. His white shirt was soaked crimson, blood dripping onto the marble floor. His face was ashen, j