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Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mafia's Nanny : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

402 Kabanata

31

31Alaric’s POV When I agreed to let Emilia check on her brother, I didn’t expect to be dragged along. But somehow, I found myself standing outside the sterile doors of Matteo’s hospital room, the hum of fluorescent lights above and the lingering smell of antiseptics filling the air. Emilia was silent beside me, her shoulders tense. We hadn’t exchanged more than necessary words over the past week, and I intended to maintain that by all means necessary.Emilia stepped forward, hand already on the door, but she hesitated, glancing back at me. I could tell she was hesitating, probably rethinking the whole thing. I didn’t know why exactly she had asked me to come but now she looked like it was a bad idea. I kept my expression flat. I wasn’t here to comfort anyone. I watched her shoulders stiffen as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.Matteo looked worse than I’d expected—pale, worn down. That was a surprise. I thought he was already getting better. His dark eyes flickered to the

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32Emilia’s POV I was standing behind Francesca, brushing her hair into a bun when the door of her room pushed open. She raised her head slightly. “Hi dad,” she greeted before shifting her gaze down to the barbie cartoon she was watching on her tablet.“Sweetie,” he said in acknowledgement. I looked at him as I eventually wrapped Francesca’s hair into a bun and held it in place with a rubber. He and I have barely seen each other since two days ago when I had requested for him to follow me to the hospital. I had wanted Matteo to see that he was not as bad as he thought, but that was a very stupid mistake on my part. I didn’t know why I thought I’d be able to change Matteo’s mind. If I was stubborn, Matteo was even worse than I am.The way Alaric kept staring at me made it clear that he had something he wanted to say to me. And he didn’t want to say it in front of Francesca.I kissed her cheek, my hand lingering on her shoulder for a little while as I started moving towards him. He tur

33

33Alaric’s POV The incessant buzzing of my phone had me rolling around on the bed, a frown on my face as my eyes opened. I wasn’t sure if I’d even had up to five hours of sleep because I had been working late Into the midnight with Allesio and the rest of my men. I pushed myself out of bed, rubbing my eyes as I scanned through the messages. Allesio had left updates about the upcoming meeting, a few concerning newl shipments, and the usual. I knew better than to expect a smooth day; with this line of work, nothing stayed simple for long.I walked into the conference room, already half-prepared for the arguments I’d have to defuse or silence. The men were gathered around the table, waiting for me to start. A few of them were regulars in my inner circle; the others were just here because they had roles to play today. Allesio gave me a quick nod as I took my seat at the head of the table.“Alright,” I said, getting straight to the point. “Let’s go over last week’s numbers.”One of the me

34

34Emilia’s POVThe hospital was its usual blur of activity when I arrived. I made my way through the familiar hallways, taking the elevator up to Matteo’s floor with a sense of relief. Finally, today was the day he’d get out of here and move into his new apartment. I couldn’t deny that the thought gave me a sense of closure. All those weeks of worry and sleepless nights had felt endless, but now, knowing he’d be in a place of his own, I could breathe a little easier.When I reached his room, Matteo was sitting on the edge of the bed, a mixture of excitement and impatience on his face. He was fiddling with the edge of his shirt, his casted arm making it a bit awkward. Despite everything he’d been through, he still looked like the brother I’d known my whole life—tough and stubborn, even if his body wasn’t quite as ready as his mind to take on the world.“Ready to go?” I asked, giving him a soft smile as I entered the room.He looked up, his face softening when he saw me. “God, I’ve bee

36

36Alaric’s POV My office was silent, broken only by the occasional shuffle of papers or the ticking of the clock on the wall. Allesio sat across from me, sorting through the information we’d managed to piece together from the ambush. He had stacks of shipping manifests, receipts, and contact notes spread out between us on the desk. But nothing added up the way it should.I picked up one of the documents, the supposed shipping manifest for Guiseppe’s cargo that night. It looked official enough on the surface, stamped and signed, but something was wrong. The scheduled time didn’t line up; the seal on the bottom corner seemed off, almost too perfect, as if someone had gone through the trouble to make it look unremarkable.“Here.” I slid the manifest over to Allesio, tapping a finger over the time. “Does that seem right to you?”Allesio squinted, eyes narrowing as he read over the time. “It doesn’t. The ship wasn’t even scheduled to be at the port by that time of the night. Whoever orga

35

Alaric’s POV Francesca was bouncing around with excitement, her little voice full of determination as she clutched Emilia’s hand. I hadn’t planned on anyone else joining us for this trip to the park, but once Francesca had her mind set, it was near impossible to talk her out of it. She’d insisted that Emilia come along, pulling on her hand with wide, pleading eyes that somehow even I wasn’t immune to. I didn’t love it, but I wasn’t about to turn the day into an argument. If Francesca wanted Emilia there, then that was the way it was going to be.Emilia stayed quiet, seeming to be just as uncomfortable as I was. It was as if we had both came to an agreement to keep our distance from each other, but we tried as much as we can to act normal in front of Francesca. And while our distance bothered me at first, it didn’t anymore. She was Francesca’s nanny, nothing more, and it was about time I set some boundaries with myself. Distractions will only cost me more than necessary.Once we reach

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37Emilia’s POV I turned around on my bed, blinking open one eye and wincing et the ray of sunlight that threatened to blind me. I closed my eyes and turned away from the window, then opened it and stared at the alarm clock on my night stand. It was almost ten in the morning, and there was that urge that always tugged at me every morning—an instinctive urge to check on Francesca. Maybe it was the way she looked at me, or how she’d laugh like she’d known me her whole life. Whatever it was, it had a hold on me, something fierce and protective.I pulled on a robe and padded quietly down the hall, heading to her room. I could hear faint voices as I neared, a woman’s gentle tone and Francesca’s soft giggles. Confusion and a little bit of panic washed over me. Alaric wouldn’t just allow any woman in this house, much less near Francesca’s room. He was Intensely private, and I doubted he’d invite anyone without good reason.My steps slowed, and I hesitated outside her door, feeling my pulse

38

38Alaric’s POV Driving through the city streets late at night, the tension inside the car was as thick as fog. Allesio sat beside me, eyes focused on the road ahead but occasionally darting toward me, waiting for my reaction each time we hit another dead end or picked up a new thread of evidence that led us in directions I didn’t want to consider. We’d been chasing this ambush for days now, and the pieces were falling together into a picture that was almost too twisted to believe.I slid my car into an old garage downtown. The owner, an older man named Rico, had been at the port the night of the ambush, keeping an eye on the shipments for Guiseppe’s team. He’d heard rumors floating around the neighborhood that something was off with the Cruz family’s involvement. I wanted to press him for more, see if he’d noticed anything else out of place, anyone unfamiliar lurking around.I stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut and walking straight into the garage without waiting for All

39

39Emilia’s POV I spent the rest of the morning trying to shake off the awkwardness of the encounter. My mind kept replaying the scene—Francesca running up to me, calling me “mommy” with all the innocence in the world, and the shocked look on the woman’s face. I couldn’t quite get a read on her reaction, but it was enough to rattle me. The idea that she could’ve been Francesca’s mother, even if it made no logical sense, had settled into my thoughts like a splinter.I hadn’t seen the woman since she left the room. Alaric hadn’t mentioned her either during breakfast, and I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up. Instead, I tried to busy myself with small tasks around the house, staying close to Francesca, who seemed blissfully unaware of any discomfort. It was just another morning for her—drawing pictures in the living room, her favorite stuffed bear by her side.By mid-morning, I decided to head to the kitchen. If nothing else, I could make myself a cup of coffee and try to clear my

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40Alaric’s POV My meeting today was set to be the kind that would shake the ground beneath any man’s feet—just not mine. I’d built my life around avoiding these traps, these landmines of misplaced trust. Yet here I was, facing the reality that one of my own allies had potentially turned on us. I’d spent the past few hours steeling myself, sharpening the edge that would get me through this conversation.A few minutes later, Allesio joined me, a grim look in his eyes that mirrored my own.“Ready?” he asked.I nodded, reaching for my coat. “Let’s go.”I walked out of the house briskly, ignoring Irene who was just setting the table for breakfast. Allesio followed behind me and soon we were inside the dar, Allesio behind the wheels, and speeding out of the compound.The drive was silent. Allesio was as focused as I was, his gaze fixed on the road, hands steady on the wheel. He knew the stakes just as well as I did—if I was right about this betrayal, then everything we’d worked to build

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