All Chapters of Mafia's Runaway Stepford Wife: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The Valenti Group's lawyers arrived quickly to speak with the police. Mr. Foster had a mild concussion and a sprained ankle, but no serious injuries. A few days' rest would see him through. Dante gave him a substantial payment and made no attempt to blame him. Cora still felt terribly guilty when she heard. She came to see him at the hospital after class every day and only relaxed when the doctor examined him again and confirmed he'd recovered.She knocked.“Come in.”“Are you busy?” Cora poked her head around the door.“Do you need something?” Dante took off his gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed between his eyebrows.She held the heavy sandalwood ruler in both hands. When she was close enough, she raised it toward him and looked at him anxiously. “Dante, I want you to punish me.”“What?” He leaned back and pushed his chair away, putting a little space between them. It was a perfectly natural movement, but it hurt her all the same.He'd spent the last few days dealing with the group and

Freedom is relative. Sometimes you think you're free because you haven't noticed the cage closing in around you.Freedom only gets you so far. After a while, you start to feel like a kid with nowhere to go. Cora lay sprawled on the couch. “I've still got three university interviews tomorrow.”With all the businesses behind her, getting into a good university ought to have been easy. But she refused to use her position to open any doors, and the assistant she'd put in charge of it was at his wits' end.“Boss, why don't we just tell them who you are? It'd save you some time.”“Are my grades too low to get into a good school?”“That's hardly the problem. You've been running from interview to interview all day and working every night for a week.” Evan Parker had been working with Daniel Brooks on the group's business, so he was a natural choice to assist her. He just hadn't expected the person in charge to be an undergraduate. When he'd picked her up at the airport, she'd walked out in ri

Out in public, Julian Hale looked every inch the well-mannered scholar. Nobody would have guessed how harsh he could be when he was angry. Sophie stood in the corner with her head down, her legs already shaking.“Nothing to say now?” Julian sat with his legs crossed and his arms folded, watching her. “When you talked someone into helping you cheat, did it ever occur to you that you'd end up here?”Sophie had learned from experience to say as little as possible when she was in trouble. The more she said, the more chances she'd have to make things worse. She kept her mouth shut.“You skipped class, failed the course, and cheated on the makeup exam. When did you get so bold? Do I need to start keeping tabs on you like you're still in high school?” He went through it one thing at a time, and each word landed. “You worked hard to get into that university. If you hate going so much, why don't you drop out? Do whatever you like. I won't get in your way anymore.”Julian had been busy with his

The next morning, Cora perked up when Adrian came in to brief Dante. She gave him a look that might as well have said, This is all your fault.Dante caught her looking at Adrian and shot him a jealous glare. Adrian had been about to explain the finance department's proposed budget. The words died in his throat.“Go on.” Dante looked away, his face cool, and put a piece of her favorite golden sponge cake into her bowl with his chopsticks.Cora took her eyes off Adrian and ate the cake without a word. Whatever she had against him, there was no point taking it out on breakfast.Adrian waited until Dante went upstairs for his jacket to explain. “I was about to text you as soon as the meeting ended, but the boss had me return an urgent call to Europe and I forgot. Was everything all right last night?”“Just great, thanks to you.” Still fuming, Cora left for campus with Nina without waiting for Dante.When Dante came back downstairs and found her gone, he looked at Adrian.“Ms. Bennett said

Cora and Theo stopped in a corner to put on the masks the organizers had sent them in advance, then went inside MJ.It was nothing like the lavish venue Cora had imagined. It felt more like an unfinished factory. Cold concrete walls surrounded them, and she couldn't help shivering. Theo leaned close as they walked. “Are you okay?”“I've seen worse.” It sounded as much like something she was telling herself as an answer to him.“Stay close. No wandering off. We leave as soon as the sale's done.” Theo didn't know why she insisted on being there. She could have let the organizers handle it without showing up in person.Cora moved closer to him without thinking. He was the only person she knew there. The attendant leading them saw every bit of it and stayed until they were in their seats.“Our next lot is an exceptional pink diamond. You can see its brilliance and the absence of visible inclusions. I hardly need to tell you what clarity like this is worth. We'll open at five hundred milli