Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mafia's Unexpected Prized Possession: Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

GIOVANNI'S POV The lights of the ballroom glittered, reflecting off the crystal glasses and the smooth, anxious faces of the city’s elite. None of them, I was sure, had anticipated a spectacle quite like this. This was supposed to be my night, my public ratification of power alongside Juliana Conti, but Anastasia, my rebellious little sister, had decided to make a dramatic announcement that threatened to unravel everything I had meticulously planned. I stared across the polished floor at the small group that had gathered around Anastasia, their murmurs growing louder with every passing second. She stood there, defiant, with a smile pasted on her face, clinging to the man who was supposed to be mine: Tristan. My voice tore through the polite chatter, rough and low like grinding stone. “They aren’t going to marry nor engage,” I growled, the words dripping with venom. “Over my dead body.” I was serious. This was not a negotiation. I wasn't going to allow Anastasia, my younger sister,

GIOVANNI'S POV The cold winter air of the Atlantic bit at my skin, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of the ballroom just moments before. The grand engagement party, a spectacle of my own making, had been a triumph of appearance, until Tristan and Anastasia’s audacious stunt ripped through its carefully woven fabric. They had turned my celebration into a farce. Now, it was time for retribution, and Juliana was merely a tool in my carefully orchestrated revenge.I positioned myself near the railing, the moon casting a silver sheen on the dark water below. Juliana, ever eager for attention, was already leaning into my space. Her dress, a shimmering cascade of sapphire, clung to her in all the right places, a deliberate choice, no doubt. My grip tightened on her waist, pulling her closer, and then, with a calculated move, I lowered my head.My lips brushed her ear, then trailed down to the curve of her neck. An involuntary shiver ran through her, a predictable response. The scent

GIOVANNI'S POV I shove aside Juliana hard. I watched her body skid on the polished teak deck. I barely registered the painful scrape of the impact. The sound of her sharp intake of breath was secondary to the horrific, churning silence of the water below. I looked beyond Juliana, beyond the pristine white railings, and into the absolute blackness. The air caught in my throat, thick and painful. "I didn’t want this, Tristan. I didn’t want any of this.” I spoke the words to the sea, a useless confession echoing into the void. It was supposed to be a pathetic display of dominance, a staged request for a reconciliation that only involved him kneeling and admitting I was right. Tristan had defied me earlier this evening, a small, irritating rebellion that demanded correction. So I took the necklace, his foolish, sentimental piece of silver, intending to hold it hostage. I was planning that I would give it back once Tristan coaxed me, once he accepted my authority. But Juliana. Wicked,

TRISTAN'S POVMy body felt impossibly heavy, I tried to move my limbs, to twitch a finger, to even shift my weight, but it was useless. My muscles refused to obey, bound by an invisible force or perhaps a profound exhaustion I could not comprehend.I attempted to pry open my eyelids, to pierce through the encroaching darkness, but they were stubbornly glued shut, feeling as though small stones had been placed upon them. Despite this profound paralysis, my other senses seemed to amplify. My hearing sharpened, pulling in the muffled sounds of a distant, murmuring discussion."Did you stabilize him already?" a manly voice cut through the haze.The words were a low rumble, yet they vibrated through me. There was something familiar about that voice, a resonant quality that tugged at some distant corner of my mind, a place I could not quite reach.A cold wave of panic washed over me, though I remained physically inert. Why was I here? What happened? My mind was a blank slate, devoid of any

TRISTAN'S POVThe sound was rhythmic, deafening, and satisfying.Bang... bang... bang...I felt the recoil thrum through my forearm, steadying my aim for the next shot. Targets after targets flew backward, splintered into wood and metal dust when the high velocity rounds ripped through them. Cans flew everywhere, metallic bodies twisting in the air before clattering onto the concrete floor. This physical sharpness was the only thing that felt real to me anymore.I removed the heavy ear defenders, letting the sudden, dull quiet settle around me. I pulled the goggles off my face, blinking against the harsh fluorescent light of the indoor range. I was done for today’s session.Suddenly, I heard a few dramatic, short claps echoing across the empty space. I turned, wiping the sweat from my eyes with the back of my hand, and saw Vlad walking towards me, his expensive leather shoes silent on the smooth concrete.“Wow, just wow,” Vlad said, his voice laced with genuine admiration. He stopped