All Chapters of The Substitute Bride of the Ruthless Mafia Boss : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The drive back was silent. Ace sat beside me, fingers drumming idly against his knee, while Fred focused on the road ahead. The tension from earlier still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating. I wanted to ask questions—so many questions—but I wasn’t sure if I wanted the answers.Ace had just threatened a man with a gun. Not surprising, given who he was. What unsettled me was how unaffected he had been, how natural it all seemed.I took a breath, forcing myself to speak. “So… Nightwind.”Ace didn’t look at me. “Yeah.”“Are you going to tell me what that means?”His fingers stilled, but he didn’t respond.I sighed. “Right. I forgot. You don’t do explanations.”Ace glanced at me then, his expression unreadable. “Nightwind is one of the five families under my rule. Or, at least, it used to be.”That got my attention. “Used to be?”“There was a shift in power a few years ago. I allowed Julia’s husband

The moment Ace shut the door behind him, I exhaled sharply, my fingers gripping the robe around me. My heart still pounded from Vincent’s parting words, from the way Ace had looked at me before leaving.She’s none of your concern.It should have been reassuring. It wasn’t.I paced the length of the bedroom, frustration bubbling beneath my skin. Ace had been keeping things from me—things about Julia, about Nightwind, about this entire damn world I’d been thrown into. And now, Vincent Green was involved, a man whose name alone sent a shiver down my spine.I needed answers.I walked toward the door, hesitated for half a second, then pulled it open. The hallway was dim, the soft glow from the chandelier downstairs barely reaching this far. I crept forward, my bare feet silent against the cool marble floor.I had no idea what I was expecting to find.I just knew I couldn’t stay in that room, waiting.Halfway down the staircase, I heard them.“…not your call, Ace.” Esther’s voice, sharp and

I barely slept.After last night’s conversation with Ace and Dawson, my mind refused to shut off. Every time I closed my eyes, Julia’s name echoed in my head. She was watching me. She was waiting for the right moment to strike.Ace hadn’t said it outright, but I knew what he meant. The second I slipped up, the second I gave her an opening—she’d take it.And yet, here I was, stuck in this house, unable to do anything about it.By morning, I was exhausted but restless. I needed to move. To do something. Anything to remind myself that I wasn’t just a pawn in Ace’s game.I pulled on a sweater and padded downstairs. The house was quiet, which wasn’t unusual. The staff usually kept to themselves, and Ace’s men were always lurking in the background, making their presence known without a word.As I reached the kitchen, I stopped short.Valerie sat at the island, picking at a plate of toast and fruit. She looked up when she saw me, her grey eyes lighting up.She had said she would be visiting

I couldn’t stop staring. Even as the others talked around me, their voices blending into the background, my eyes stayed locked on Isobel. She was here. Real. Alive. Every logical part of my brain told me to say something—to ask the questions clawing at my throat—but all I could do was sit there, gripping my knees and trying not to fall apart. Isobel must have noticed because her smile softened. "Bri, you’re freaking me out. Say something." I opened my mouth, then closed it. When I finally spoke, my voice was barely a whisper. "How?" Dawson sighed dramatically. "Oh, for God’s sake. Would you rather have a long, boring explanation, or can we just enjoy the fact that she’s back?" I shot him a glare. "I want the truth." "Patience, sweetheart," he mused, leaning back against the couch. "We just gave you the grand reunion. At least say thank you." "Thank you?" I scoffed, turning back to Isobel. "Is he serious?" "Unfortunately," Isobel murmured, amusement flickering in her

The bar was loud. Not the kind of loud where music drowns out everything else, but the kind where voices and laughter blend into a constant hum of chaos.I swirled my drink in my hand, watching the ice melt into the amber liquid. I hadn’t taken more than a sip, too distracted by the whirlwind of thoughts in my head.Isobel nudged me with her elbow. “You’ve been quiet.”“I’m always quiet,” I muttered.She smirked. “No, you’re brooding. There’s a difference.”Valerie, sitting across from us, leaned in, her curls bouncing slightly as she lowered her voice. “I… think she’s still thinking about what happened earlier.”My stomach tightened. “I’m not.”Isobel scoffed. “You so are.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “It’s written all over your face. And honestly? I get it. I’d be thinking about it too.”I shot her a glare. “Could we not?”Isobel grinned, completely unbothered by my tone. “Oh, come on. It was kind of hot.”Valerie nearly choked on her drink. “Isobel.”“What?” Isobel shrugg