บททั้งหมดของ The Don’s Mysterious Nanny : บทที่ 91 - บทที่ 100

I ordered my third espresso in two hours, though my hands were already shaking from caffeine and nerves.The coffee shop near the gallery had become my refuge for the past three days.Ever since the mysterious woman had left that envelope on my table.Ever since my world had tilted sideways.I’d barely slept.Barely eaten.The photos and documents were still spread across my dining table at home, taunting me with questions I wasn’t sure I wanted answered.But one thing had become crystal clear through all my sleepless nights.Aria.That sweet little girl who deserved stability and love and a father who would protect her from whatever darkness might exist in his world.Whatever Alessandro might or might not be involved in, he loved his daughter.That much I was certain of.And if marrying me could help him keep her, then maybe the rest didn’t matter.Maybe.I’d called him an hour ago, asking to meet here instead of at my apartment or his penthouse.Neutral territory.Somewhere public w

The Barolo was perfectly aged, smooth, and rich as it slid down my throat.Fitting, since I was celebrating.My terrace overlooked the Tuscan hills, golden in the late afternoon sun.Everything was peaceful.Serene.The perfect setting for savoring a victory three years in the making.Victoria had looked so pale when I’d left her apartment.So shaken by the photographs and documents I’d carefully curated.The fear in her eyes had been everything I’d hoped for.Sweet, naive Victoria who thought she could waltz into Alessandro’s life and play happy family with my daughter.She had no idea what kind of world she was stepping into.Or what kind of woman she was crossing.The photographs had been real, of course.Alessandro’s business dealings weren’t exactly pristine.You didn’t build an empire like his through construction contracts alone.But I’d been careful about what I’d shown her.Nothing that would implicate me or my family’s operations.Nothing that would bring unwanted attention

The elevator ride to Alessandro’s penthouse felt different this time.Before, I’d been a guest.Now I was… what?A tenant with an expiration date?A temporary wife?Someone playing house until the custody hearing was over?The boxes containing my belongings were already lined up in the foyer when we walked in.Efficient.Professional.Like everything else about our arrangement.“Mrs. Ciro organized everything while we were at the ceremony,” Alessandro explained, shifting a sleeping Aria in his arms.Mrs. Ciro.His housekeeper who would now be our housekeeper.At least for six months.“That was thoughtful of her.”“She’s good at anticipating needs.”He paused, studying my face.“Your room is down the hall. Second door on the right. I had Mrs. Ciro set it up with some basics, but obviously, you’ll want to arrange your things however feels comfortable.”My room.Not our room.The distinction was clear, even though we both knew it.“Thank you.”“Aria’s room is across the hall from yours,

I spent the afternoon rehearsing conversations that never happened.Standing in the gallery’s back office, I practiced different ways to bring up the subject.“Alessandro, someone came to see me with some disturbing information…”Too dramatic.“I need to ask you about your business connections…”Too accusatory.“Are you involved in anything illegal?”Too direct.Every approach sounded wrong in my head.Either too confrontational or too timid.And what if Giulia was wrong?What if asking these questions destroyed whatever fragile peace we’d managed to build in our strange marriage?What if the truth was worse than living with doubt?By five o’clock, I’d convinced myself to wait another day.Maybe another week.Maybe until after the custody hearing when none of this would matter anymore.Then Alessandro’s car pulled up outside the gallery.My stomach dropped.Now or never.Except when I slid into the passenger seat and saw his face, all my carefully planned questions evaporated.He look

I sat in my office for twenty minutes after Victoria left, staring at the closed door.The look on her face when I’d confirmed her worst fears.The way her shoulders had crumpled like I’d physically struck her.The tears she’d tried to hide as she’d walked away from me.Again.I should have told her from the beginning.Should have been honest about my connections the moment I realized she was falling for me all over again.But I’d been a coward.Hoping I could make her love me enough that the truth wouldn’t matter.Hoping I could find a way to explain the complexities of a world she’d never understand.Instead, I’d let someone else tell her.Someone with their own agenda.Someone who wanted to destroy whatever chance Victoria and I had at happiness.Isabella.It had to be Isabella.The timing was too perfect to be coincidental.The day after Victoria agreed to marry me, a mysterious woman appeared at her door with carefully selected evidence of my mafia connections.Evidence that pain