Lahat ng Kabanata ng Married Off To The Merciless Mafia King : Kabanata 241 - Kabanata 250

Reading something pre-written wasn’t going to suffice.I crumpled the paper, squeezing it harder than necessary, and conveyed what I truly wanted to say.“I always knew death was inevitable, but I never thought I’d have to stand here and say goodbye to my father so soon.” I paused and drew a shaky breath. “My father, Peter Rae, was many things. A provider. A protector. A man who carried his own demons but still tried to shield me from them. He was far from perfect, but he was still my father who loved me very much, and now he’s gone.”A sob from one of the well-wishers distracted me. It was my father’s youngest sister, Aunt Bianca. She was the only one of his siblings who didn’t fear him or judge him so cruelly, and she was the only one of them who showed any real pain at his death. Dad would be happy to know that she was here to send him off. I doubt he’d be happy to know that Mom couldn’t make it.“People say that time heals all wounds and that grief fades. But how do you heal from

AndreiGiselle looked just like her father. They had the same eyes, the same raven-black hair, and, most of all, she’d inherited his defiance—all that stubbornness that made him loyal to a fault.But she was also different in every other way.I could tell how innocent she was just by looking into her eyes. She was pure and soft, a quality that would get her killed in a world like ours.She was everything I hated, but when she stood her ground in front of me today, knowing I could kill her if I wanted and fighting to hide her fear, something in me had shifted in a way I didn’t understand yet. I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since I got back from the funeral that evening.There was something about Giselle that I found hard to ignore, and whatever it was, I wasn’t quite sure I liked it. My job was to gather information about the whereabouts of the Tyfun-1 from her, nothing more.I leaned back in my chair, the dim light from my desk lamp casting sharp shadows across the room. My finge

I wasn’t sure how long I had been sitting here, but it felt like hours. My pulse had yet to settle, and it beat a relentless rhythm against my ribs.The door creaked open, and a man stepped inside, carrying a folder under his arm. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp features and calculating eyes. His badge gleamed under the harsh fluorescent light: FBI.He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, flipping open the folder. “Giselle Rae.” His voice was calm butfirm, as if he already knew every answer I could give him. “I’m Special Agent Mark Fetcher.”I swallowed. “I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you, Agent Fetcher, but I’d like to know why I’m here.”“Well, Miss Rae, how quickly you leave here will depend on how you cooperate with us.” He tapped against a sheet of paper. “Your father was involved with Tyfun-1, a synthetic substance that, if used, can cause irreversible damage to the human body.”“I know nothing about the substance or my father’s involvement with it,

She laughed, but it was mirthless—a blend of fear and disbelief. “How am I supposed to believe you’ll keep me safe?You’re just like them. Just as cruel and soulless as the rest of those vultures. How do I know this isn’t some sort of trap?”“You just have to trust me.”“No, I can’t just trust you, Andrei. Not after everything has happened. I need to know why you care enough to try and keep me safe.”“You’re right. I’m just like them, soulless and cruel, but your father worked for me, and I respected him very much. He was kind and loyal. That isn’t something you find easily in the mafia,” I explained, holding her gaze so she could see that I meant every word. “He died working for me, which makes you my responsibility now.”She let out another humorless laugh. “Great speech. You expect me to believe that? Like you said, you’re just like the other guys. All of this could be a show just to get information from me.”I didn’t expect her to believe me, but I meant every word I said. It was t

AndreiThe bass thrummed through the floor, pulsing like a second heartbeat beneath my feet. Neon lights flickered in rhythmic flashes, painting the private lounge in hues of red and gold.We were at Moroz Lounge, one of our newest investments in New York, and Egor had put me in charge of it. I always came here at night when I needed to wind down, and Dobryn was in charge of supplying the women who would entertain us.Tonight wasn’t any different. Dobryn had a group of girls over, two women for each man. They draped over the plush leather seats, their laughter a soft hum against the pounding music as they did their best to catch our interest. It was always like that, every woman around here trying to please us; some of them would lay on their backs and allow us to walk on them if it meant they could win our favor. It was boring as fuck having to deal with that.One ran her fingers along the sleeve of my jacket. She had a sly smile on her face as she whispered something I couldn’t even