Semua Bab The Substitute Bride of the Ruthless Mafia Boss: Bab 91 - Bab 100

I stood in the kitchen barefoot, staring into a steaming cup of tea that I’d reheated twice but never drank. Valerie wandered in, still wearing a glittery tank top that screamed last night was chaos and I’m proud of it.“You didn’t sleep,” she said, not asking.I shrugged. “Did you?”She leaned against the counter. “Sky snores like he’s fighting demons in his sleep.”“Good to know.”Valerie opened the fridge, scanned it for a full three seconds, and shut it again. “We should buy more ice cream.”“Ice cream doesn’t solve war.”She turned, one brow raised. “No, but it makes it prettier.”Before I could respond, Sky walked in, hair a mess, holding a mug of black coffee that looked like it had been brewed with hatred.“Morning, Storm.” He smirked. “You’re trending again.”I groaned. “Please tell me it’s not the clip of me standing in the sunroom.”“Oh, it absolutely is,” he said. “Someone slowed it down and added epic music.”“Where do they even get this footage?”Valerie answered, “I hav

I didn’t sleep.I tried. I laid on the bed. I stared at the ceiling. I even counted the stripes on the wallpaper. But my brain was a chaotic mess of words, camera angles, headlines, and the lingering memory of Ace whispering that I was “his.”Whatever that even mean anymore.Around two in the morning, I gave up. I padded barefoot into the kitchen, wearing one of Ace’s button-downs like it was armor. Valerie was already there, sitting on the counter like the gremlin she is, eating cereal straight from the box.“Couldn’t sleep either?” she asked, mouth full of Frosted Flakes.“Clearly.”I opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of orange juice, then shut the door just as Sky walked in wearing a hoodie that said “I am the drama.”“You both look haunted,” he muttered. “Is this the apocalypse or a sleepover?”I poured the juice into a glass. “Technically, both.”Valerie pointed at me. “She’s spiraling. Again.”I flipped her off. Sky sighed like we were his problematic children. “Okay. Therapy

The morning after the Armani meeting tasted like burnt coffee and exhaustion. I sat cross-legged on the floor of Ace’s study, surrounded by maps, folders, and Valerie’s half-eaten bag of sour gummy worms. “She’s calling you ‘unstable’ again,” Valerie announced, scrolling through her phone. She lobbed a gummy worm at my head. “Also, someone photoshopped your face onto a raccoon. It’s weirdly accurate.” I didn’t look up from the dossier Esther had dumped in my lap earlier. “Raccoons are resourceful. I’ll take it.” Ace leaned against the doorway, arms folded. “Julia’s pushing harder. She’s got a press conference tonight.” “Let her talk,” I said, flipping a page. My finger traced a line about her ties to the Nightwind cartel. “The louder she screams, the easier it is to find her.” Sky wandered in, balancing three coffee cups in his hands. “Spoken like a true sociopath. Proud of you, kid.” He set a cup in front of me. “Decaf. You’re twitchy.” “I’m not twitchy,” I snapped, immed

The basement safe room reeked of bleach and Julia’s floral perfume. She sat handcuffed to a steel chair, her bobbed hair matted with blood. Ace leaned against the wall, cleaning his knife with methodical precision. I watched his reflection in the two-way mirror, the blue of his eyes glacier-cold. “She’s not talking,” I said, nodding at Julia. “She will.” He didn’t look up. Valerie’s voice crackled through my earpiece. “FYI, this is *way* less fun than the gala.” I muted her, stepping into the room. Julia’s gaze snapped to me, venomous. “Still his guard dog, Brielle? Or does he let you off the leash now?” Ace’s knife still. I crouched in front of her, my silk skirt pooling like blood. “You’re alive because I allow it. Remember that.” She spat at my shoes. Ace moved faster than I could blink, his blade at her throat. “Try that again,” he murmured, “and I’ll peel your tongue out.” Julia laughed, raw and broken. “You two are a *joke*. He’ll never love you, you know. Not af

The safe house was too quiet. Isobel’s whimpers had faded into drugged sleep, but they still clawed at my skull. I leaned against the bathroom sink, staring at the cracks in the mirror—each one a reminder of the fractures spreading through our lives. Valerie’s voice cut through the door. “She’s asking for you.” “She’s *asleep*,” I said, too sharply. “And you’re a terrible liar.” The door creaked open. Her scarred face softened. “Brie. Breathe.” I splashed water on my neck, where Ace’s grip had left faint bruises. “Where is he?” “Plotting murder. The usual.” She tossed me a towel. “You gonna keep avoiding him?” “Yes.” “Liar.” The hallway light flickered as I stepped out. Ace stood at the end, silhouetted like a wraith. Valerie melted away, leaving us in the electric silence. “She’ll never be the same,” I said. He didn’t move. “None of us are.” I walked toward him, my boots echoing. “Was she worth it? All the lies? The blood?” His gaze pinned me. “*You* were.”