Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mafia's Silent Keeper: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Cassie:The car pulled up in front of an estate, and the driver opened the door without a word. I stepped out, adjusting the neckline of my dress and smoothing my palms down the front. My hands were sweating, but everything else about me looked calm.The estate was huge. White stone, tall columns, clean-cut hedges, it was like something out of a magazine. I wasn’t really surprised. Luca never did anything halfway. This was just the rehearsal, but it looked like the real thing. Armed men stood near the entrance, earplugs in, eyes sweeping everything. I didn’t recognize most of them. Probably extra security brought in for the wedding rehearsal.I walked toward the front doors, my heels clicking against the polished stone steps. A staff member guided me through the entrance and down a hallway that smelled like fresh flowers and expensive cologne. When I stepped into the main room, I stopped.Luca was already there, talking to one of the organizers. He wore a fitted black suit, no tie. Th

Luca:I reloaded the clip into my pistol, raised my arm, and took another shot. The bullet hit the target dead center.Muiccia stood beside me with her arms crossed, watching the paper target sway. “Your aim’s gotten better.”I lowered the gun. “It was always good.”She raised a brow. “Good doesn’t win a war.”I looked at her. “We’re not at war .”Muicca put her earmuffs back on and stepped up to the line. She fired three rounds in quick succession, each one loud and clean. Her posture never wavered. When she was done, she handed the pistol off to one of the guards and looked at me again.“We’re close to one,” she said. “The Castellanis are getting bold.”“They’ve always been bold. Now they’re just getting stupid.” I took a towel from the bench and wiped the sweat from my hands.She glanced at the guards behind us. “ Do you trust the men that were on the Southside dock?”“Of course not.” I folded the towel and set it down. “The fact that the D’Angelos flagged the fake IDs before we di

Cassie:I got back from class just after four pm. The driver dropped me at the front entrance.Once I got to my room, I dropped my tote bag on the reading table and headed straight to the shower. I stayed under the hot water longer than usual, going over everything that had happened these past few days.It was the first time I saw that side of Luca.And it made me realize that everything was starting to get real.If he could kill someone that easily, I needed to stop pretending that I was safe just because he said so. I wasn’t his guest. I was here under his control. A fake marriage, a hidden contract, my mother used to trap me. None of it made sense to me anymore.And he never gave real answers.I used to think maybe Luca was trying to protect me. But now I couldn’t ignore how little I actually knew.Why did my father die? What kind of business was he in? What did Luca mean when he said I was in danger?If there was something left behind—something important—it wouldn’t be handed to m

Cassie:I didn’t plan to bump into Luca so early in the morning.!I thought if I got ready early enough, I could avoid him and walk out without a word. But as I got to the front hallway, Luca was already standing near the door.He didn’t really look surprised to see me.I reached for the door handle. “Hey,I’m about to leave for class now.”“Cassie.”I stopped but didn’t look at him.He stepped forward, calm as ever. “We need to talk.”I turned slightly. “Talk? we already did. You said what you had to say.”“You didn’t.”I looked at him. “What do you want me to say?”Okay…what if I back out?”He paused. “You know you can’t back out.”“Why not?”“You signed the contract,” he said. “It’s already in motion. And now you know the truth. That changes everything.”“Last time I checked, I didn’t agree to be dragged into this,” I said. “I didn’t agree to be your wife or your bargaining chip.”“Yes I know that, you didn’t choose this, but your father did,” he said. “And the minute you opened tha

Luca:Matteo brought the boy into the room and closed the door behind him.Noah Laird stood there, eyes low, hands twitching. He didn’t need to be told to sit. He dropped into the chair across from me without a word.I didn’t say anything at first.I Just looked at him.He cracked fast.“I didn’t want to do it,” he said. “I swear, I didn’t know what was in it.”I stayed quiet.“I sell on campus, yeah—small stuff. Pills, party things. Nothing that bad or serious I swear. The money’s quick and people don’t ask questions.”He wiped his palms on his jeans.“A week ago, two guys pulled me aside behind one of the science buildings. Said they were connected. Castellani, I think. They didn’t even introduce themselves. They Just told me I’d be doing something for them.”“What?”“They handed me the wrapped candy. Told me exactly who to give it to. Cassie, they even knew what friend she’d be with.”I watched his face. He wasn’t lying. He was scared, but not playing dumb.“I asked why,” he said. “