Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE MAFIA CHEF: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The dinner had ended abruptly. The guards surrounded me at Gerrard’s command. My heart raced as memories of that night in his private residence came flooding back, the night he had summoned the guards on me. Back then, I had barely escaped being discovered. This time, I wasn’t sure I would be so fortunate. I braced myself for the worst, certain they had come to arrest me. But to my surprise, they positioned themselves on either side of me; I could not read their expressions. “Miss Lily,” one of them said, “we need to escort you to your room immediately. There’s been a security breach.” A security breach? My mind raced as I struggled to make sense of the situation. As they guided me out of the dining hall, I glanced over my shoulder at Gerrard, hoping for an explanation, but his focus was elsewhere. He was in a deep conversation with Gilmore, Antonio, and several other men. His demeanor seemed colder than I had ever seen it. Back in my room, I paced nervously, replaying the evenin

I lay on the bed, as I rested my head on Gerrard’s chest. His fingers moved slowly, tracing circles on my arm. The warmth of his skin, the steady rhythm of his breathing, it so was comforting. I felt... Safe. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could let my guard down. Then my phone rang. Again. The third time now. I ignored it. It was Thaddeus, I knew why he was calling. But for once, I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to be pulled back into that dark world. Right here, in this moment, I wasn’t Lily, the girl forced to play spy. I was just… me. A woman lying in the arms of a man who made her feel something other than fear. Gerrard chuckled, tilting his head to look at me. “Someone really wants to talk to you,” he teased. I forced a smile. If only he knew. “Is it that guy who sent you flowers last time? Your boyfriend?” I scoffed. “Hell no, he’s not my boyfriend.” Gerrard smirked. “Good for me, if that spot is open, I’d like to apply.” I laughed, sh

As soon as I got back to my hotel room, I pulled out my phone. The screen lit up with multiple missed calls from Thaddeus. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Then I tapped the call button and held the phone to my ear. He picked up instantly. "Tell me you have something for me." "Listen carefully," I said, still trying to steady my voice. "The location of the drop off is..." I hesitated, my throat tightening. "The Bellarico family’s tombstone." My voice dropped to a whisper. "I’ll send you the exact coordinates." "Good. Very good, Annabelle." Thaddeus said, his tone dripping with satisfaction. "Thaddeus, you better keep your word. My father and I… we walk free after this. You know once this is done, Gerrard will know I was your informant. My cover will be blown." "Don’t worry about that, we have you covered." He replied simply. That should have reassured me, but something about his tone made me feel uneasy. I hesitated before asking the question that had been e

I rushed into the room, my heart was racing as I grabbed my phone, I dialed Thaddeus. His line was off. I tried again. And again. Nothing. I felt a cold dread all over me. This couldn’t be happening. Just when I thought I was finally safe, Thaddeus had to go and get himself caught. If they had him, how long before he spilled everything? “Damn it!” I held the phone so hard my fingers hurt. Then there was a knock on the door. I jumped in fear. I forced down my fear, and opened the door. Gilmore stood there, calm as ever, holding a food tray. “You should eat something, Miss Lily,” he said. Eat? I felt like I was going to throw up. But I forced a smile. I had to act normal. “Thank you, Gilmore,” I said. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. “I should have helped with the food. Sorry.” He gave a small nod, placed the tray on the table, and left. The second the door clicked shut, I let out a shaky breath. I needed to think fast. I needed to escape I couldn’t st

"No. Why would I?" I fought to keep my voice steady. Gerrard’s dark eyes studied me carefully, his expression was unreadable. "I know you saw..." His words trailed off. He exhaled sharply, looking away. "You shouldn’t have seen that." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Gerrard, I’d like to go home… Please." My voice barely rose above a whisper. He was silent for a long moment, then finally nodded. "Okay. I’ll call one of the drivers to take you home." ----- Back at the house, I went straight to my room, I shut the door behind me without a word to anyone. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the memory. The gunshot. The blood. The way Gerrard had pulled the trigger so effortlessly, like it was nothing. I had thought Bruno was cruel. But Gerrard? This side of him was something else entirely. Bruno had once warned me: Don’t be fooled, Lily. He’s just as cruel, maybe even more. He had always been like this, but I had allowed my feelings to cloud my judgment. H