Alle Kapitel von Acknowledged By A Mafia Leader: Kapitel 31 – Kapitel 40

Zachary Gonzalez hauled Ava into his lavish yet tastefully modest bedroom, shutting and bolting the door behind them with a quiet click.Ava barely had time to register the elegant interior, the deep emerald drapes, the dark wood finish, the subtle gold accents, before she was suddenly pulled down onto a velvet chaise longue.Her chest rose and fell erratically as Zac leaned over her, arms braced on either side. His posture was imposing, but his face wasn’t. His brows were smooth, his expression unreadable. The corners of his eyes lifted with a quiet glint of amusement, the soft lighting reflecting in their depth. He looked less like the cold tycoon she’d imagined and more like some cunning male fairy out of a twisted fairytale.“Who is Cole?” he asked, voice calm, neither too low nor loud, but impossibly steady.Ava froze. Her eyes flew open, mouth parting in shock. Then, in a flash, it all came back to her. That night. The drinks. Her confusion. Her constant murmurs of Cole while Z

Ava Taylor glanced out the window and noticed the car had rolled to a gentle stop in front of her apartment building.She inhaled slowly, then exhaled just as quietly before turning her head toward the man in the driver’s seat.Zac’s face was partially bathed in the faint interior light, his usual intensity softened by the relaxed curve of his eyebrows. For once, he didn’t look so domineering, just devastatingly handsome.“Thanks for the ride,” she murmured, her voice quiet and unsure, the words sticking to her tongue like honey.Zac didn’t answer right away. He just looked at her, really looked with something unspoken flickering behind his eyes. He didn’t know exactly what it was about this woman that pulled him in so strongly, but she had him. Completely.Ava waited. She expected a word, a nod, something but he remained silent. So she reached for the door handle.“What are you doing?” Zac asked suddenly, his voice cutting through the quiet air, startling her.She turned back, blinki

Ava looked out the window as the car screeched to a halt. They had arrived.She hadn’t said much during the drive, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery, deliberately avoiding Zac beside her. Still, his overwhelming presence lingered, impossible to ignore.Zac unbuckled his seatbelt, stepped out, and came around to open her door.Ava carefully stepped out, her attention drawn immediately to the stunning modern villa before them. Her eyes roamed, absorbing every detail.Without a word, Zac reached for her hand and secured it firmly in his own, then began leading her to the entrance.Through the expansive lobby, into the elevator, and up several floors, they finally stopped at a door. Only then did Ava realize where they were.One of his penthouses.“I thought you said we were going on a date,” she said, meeting his eyes with a flicker of uncertainty.In response, Zac pulled her gently against his chest, his gaze dropping to the deep curve of her neckline.“I can’t stand the idea of ano

By the time the car screeched to a halt, Ava’s chest rose and fell with unease as she glanced out the window at the towering mall ahead.She turned to Hazel in the driver’s seat, her voice low and sincere. “Let’s shop somewhere else, guys. I have a bad feeling about this place.”“Why? Because your boyfriend owns it?” Freya teased from the back seat, raising a brow.“What are you saying, Freya? If anything, she should be thrilled her boyfriend owns the mall,” Hazel shot back, her tone sharp with conviction.Ava sighed, losing any urge to argue. There was no point.“Come on, Ava. Don’t stress about the money, Zac’s got you covered,” Hazel added with a knowing smile as she pushed her door open and stepped out.Freya leaned forward. “Let’s go already. We don’t have the whole day.”Ava hesitated, her fingers resting on the car door handle for a moment longer. Then, with a quiet exhale, she opened the door and climbed out.*******“If I understand you correctly, Arianna, you’re saying Zacha

“You’re spending the weekend with me, Tinkerbell,” Zac murmured, voice husky as his eyes drank her in.With slow care, he brushed back the silky tendrils of her hair that clung damply to her forehead.Ava nodded, heart fluttering like she’d waited forever to hear those words.They lay side by side, bare, spent, and still basking in the heat of what they’d just shared.It had been their second time, and yet this… this had felt even more intense, more intoxicating. She never knew such pleasure existed. Never imagined she’d want to linger forever on the edge of something so consuming.Zac reached out, pulling her gently into his arms. Her head rested on his broad, steady chest, and he drew the comforter over them both, cocooning them in a warm silence.Ava’s fingers traced lazy circles on his skin as she inhaled his scent, woodsy, smoky, and dangerously addictive.But as her body relaxed, her mind stirred. A flicker of a memory broke through, the image of the man who had stood in Zac’s p