Lahat ng Kabanata ng Acknowledged By A Mafia Leader: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Zac was here, and for that reason alone, Ava held back. She bit down her frustration, choosing instead to respect his presence. She’d give Charlotte the money just to finally buy a moment of peace.Slamming the door shut in her sister’s face, Ava bolted it and turned back toward the room only to stop in her tracks.Zac was already sitting up on the bed, holding out a handful of bills toward her.Clearly, he’d heard everything. And from the look on his face, he wasn’t exactly charmed by Charlotte’s sudden appearance either.Ava offered him a grateful smile and mouthed, “Thank you.” With a playful wink, she took the money from his hand and quickly walked back to the door.She pulled it open just enough and extended the cash.“Here,” she said bluntly. “Now can I have my peace?”There was no softness in her voice, just pure irritation. Her face said the rest.But Charlotte, either oblivious or indifferent, didn’t seem to care. Her eyes widened at the sight of the cash in Ava’s hand.“Wow,

“I love you too, Caleb.”Her voice trembled slightly, but her eyes didn’t waver, they stayed locked on his, blue to brown, soul to soul.However, Caleb’s expression shifted to one of stunned awe as Freya’s confession hung in the air. He instinctively took a step back, his eyes wide, his features revealing everything he felt but had never voiced.He had always suspected Freya saw him only as a friend. Despite his countless efforts to win her heart with reason, patience, and quiet admiration, she’d repeatedly brushed him off. He was the nerd, the safe choice. Not the kind of guy who made her heart race, not her type.“I know this is sudden,” Freya said softly, her voice trembling. Her eyes never left his. “And I understand if you’re overwhelmed right now.”She swallowed hard, her vulnerability raw. “But it’s the truth. I’ve tried, God knows I’ve tried to stop my heart from choosing you. You’re completely out of my league, and I’ve tried to convince myself of that every day…”Her voice c

“To spy on us? To leak our plans? To hand over our strategies to your man so he can snatch another one of our big deals?”No matter how hard Ava tried to push the words out of her heart, they kept echoing in her mind relentlessly, frustratingly.The tension had built up so much that she finally gave in and called Zac. But to make matters worse, he hadn’t answered. Not a single call.He was probably busy but that didn’t make it any easier.Now, stuck in heavy traffic, the crawling pace only heightened her irritation. In a moment of raw frustration, Ava slammed her hand against the steering wheel, her nostrils flaring.If only there were some kind of magic to teleport her home right this second. Anything to escape this moment.“Ah!” she exhaled sharply, slumping back into the driver’s seat, eyes fixed blankly on the congested road ahead.Then her phone rang. The sound jolted her upright as she lunged for it.But when her eyes met the screen, her heart dropped, not completely, just a lit

“It feels good to finally meet you face to face, Mr. Zachary Gonzalez.”The low, gruff voice cut through the stillness of the dimly lit car, where only the silhouettes of the two men reflected faintly in the window.Zachary gave a slow, disinterested nod. His eyes didn’t stray from the man beside him, someone who looked slightly older, more refined under the dim overhead light. The man wore a tailored black suit, his presence calm but calculating.“I’ve heard a lot about you,” the man continued, his thick Russian accent coating every word. “I hope I won’t regret doing business with you.”Zac’s jaw flexed slightly, the dialect grating on his nerves but his expression remained unreadable. Stoic and unshaken.Without a word, he lifted his hand and calmly unfastened the button of his suit jacket, the movement deliberate.“Shall we get to business, Mr. Igor?” he asked flatly, his voice low and even.The man, Igor, grinned, clearly entertained by Zachary’s lack of warmth.“You are exactly w

“Bring Ava out,” he said, his tone unchanging, “or watch me demolish this house while you stand right there and scream.”Zac’s tone was as icy as a northwest wind in midwinter, and in that instant, both Emma and Dylan felt as though they’d fell over headfirst into an ice cave, numb from the tips of their heads to the soles of their feet.He hadn’t come here to step foot into their house. But clearly, Ava’s parents had a preference for the hard way. And Zac? He had no problem delivering it.“If I don’t see my Ava in five seconds, I’ll tear this house apart brick by brick until I find her myself.”He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The words carried enough weight to silence a storm.Dylan was already trembling, his breath hitching as icy dread coiled inside him. He reached out and tugged at Emma’s dress from behind.“Give me the keys,” he said lowly, urgently, his voice barely above a whisper. “Now.”He knew. They both knew. This man wasn’t ordinary. He carried the kind of pr