All Chapters of The Substitute Bride of the Ruthless Mafia Boss : Chapter 51 - Chapter 58

The streets of Chelsea felt colder than they should’ve been. The scent of salt and smoke clung to the air, mixing with the faint hum of distant traffic. We stood in front of the old building, its faded bricks and boarded windows whispering secrets from a past I didn’t know but could somehow feel.Ace hadn’t moved since we arrived.Neither had anyone else.Dawson shifted beside me, exhaling sharply. “So, are we just gonna stand here all night, or is someone gonna explain why we came all the way to this dump?”Ace’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer.Esther did. “This was her home once.”I turned to her. “Whose home?”“Julia’s,” Ace murmured.The name sent a shiver down my spine. I tightened my coat around me, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling curling in my stomach. “Why would she bring us here?”“Maybe she left us a nice ‘Welcome to Hell’ sign inside,” Dawson muttered, rubbing his hands together. “Or maybe a bomb. Could go either way with her.”Valerie groaned. “Fantastic. Love tha

The house was buzzing with tension. It wasn’t loud—not yet—but it was there, a silent hum beneath every breath, every glance. The weight of Julia’s impending move pressed down on all of us, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t know what to say.Valerie paced the living room, her arms crossed tightly. "We need a plan. Like, a real plan. Not just ‘we’ll be ready’ because what does that even mean?"Esther exhaled sharply. "It means we prepare for the worst. We don’t make rash moves. We anticipate."Dawson sat in one of the armchairs, his fingers drumming against his knee. "Julia won’t just attack blindly. She’s always been calculated. If she’s coming for us now, it means she thinks she has the upper hand."Ace stood near the fireplace, staring into the flames. His silence was more unsettling than anything else. Finally, he turned, his oceanic blue eyes landing on me. "You’re too quiet."I met his gaze, my throat tightening. "What do you want me to say? That I’m scared? That I have

The whiskey glass was still in my hand, but I hadn’t taken another sip. The night air filtering in through the open balcony doors did little to cool the heat curling in my stomach. Valerie had gone to pace, Dawson was checking security again, and Esther was somewhere buried in surveillance footage. That left me with Ace—again.He stood near the fireplace, his arms crossed, watching the flames like they held all the answers. I watched him—the way his jaw tightened, the flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.“You’re staring,” he muttered without looking at me.I didn’t bother denying it. “You’re brooding.”A ghost of a smirk. “We’ve been over this.”I sighed, setting the glass down with a quiet clink. “We should be doing something.”“We are.”“Waiting isn’t doing,” I snapped, frustration tightening my throat. “Julia’s not just going to hand us an opportunity.”“She already has,” Ace said, finally turning to me. “We just have to be smart enough to use it.”Before I could press him

The safehouse basement reeked of mildew and betrayal. Julia sat cross-legged on the concrete floor, her wrists still bound, but her smirk untouched. I leaned against the damp wall, arms folded, while Valerie paced behind me like a caged tiger. Esther hovered near the door, her tablet glowing faintly. “You look tired, Brie,” Julia said, tilting her head. “Losing sleep over your missing husband?” I kept my voice flat. “Where is he?” She laughed, the sound sharp enough to cut glass. “Still asking the same question? You always were stubborn.” Valerie stepped forward, her stutter spiking with anger. “Spit it out already, you pathetic—” “Pathetic?” Julia’s honey-brown eyes narrowed. “Says the girl who still jumps at her own shadow. How’s that stutter treating you, Val? Still choking on your own fear?” Valerie lunged, but Dawson materialized from the corner, blocking her with a single outstretched arm. “Easy,” he drawled. “S