บททั้งหมดของ Choke me daddy! (one night stand with a mafia boss.): บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

“You better have a better explanation to give you traitor!” Gabrielle blurted out as soon as they had escaped. They had reached the upper deck, breathless and soaked with sea water. The sounds of the siren had faded, and the pier below them was a blur of flashing lights and rising water. Antonio leaned against the rail coughing. “ You were not supposed to activate the siren.” Gabrielle’s eyes were sharp. “ Supposed to? You betrayed me you wimp!” Antonio shook his head. “Cordelia wanted the vault closed if anyone opened it. It was built to seal whoever opened it , and drown the person with the sea water.” Alexa squeezed her dress, her eyes looking at Antonio suspiciously. “ You knew this all along?” Antonio nodded. “ But not in the way that you think. I decided to make it a duty to protect you guys whenever the need arises even though I am not allowed to speak of my involvement in everything.” “How do we know you’re saying the truth now?” Gabrielle snapped. “Can’t you see?” Ant

The headquarters of the Thorn hid beneath the oldest quarter of the city, carved into the stone foundations of a forgotten opera house. At street level, the building was derelict, boarded windows staring like blind eyes; below, chandeliers still burned with electric light and the scent of wine and dust hung in the air.Gabrielle had been here countless times, yet tonight the corridor felt narrower, the guards more alert. He adjusted his cuffs as Antonio walked beside him in silence. The hum of conversation filtered from the hall ahead like a hundred whispers, a single heartbeat of ambition.Cordelia waited at the head of the long mahogany table. Her gown was the color of storm clouds, pearls wound through her hair like pale serpents. Around her sat the council old men in tailored suits, women in sharp black, each bearing the small silver thorn pinned to their lapels.When Gabrielle entered, their murmurs thinned to silence.“Casanova,” Cordelia said, her voice carrying easily thr

The rain had returned.It rattled against the tall windows of the Casanova mansion like impatient fingers, quick and insistent. Alexa stirred in the dark, sensing movement long before she heard it. The digital clock on the nightstand glowed 2:14 a.m. Beside her, the other half of the bed was cold. Gabrielle had gone to his study hours ago.Then footsteps. Soft. Measured. Not his.She slipped from the sheets, pulling on a robe. The hall lights had been dimmed, but the glow from the security lamps painted the walls in long silver streaks. Down the corridor, the faint beam of a flashlight cut across the carpet, then vanished.Her heart kicked. One of the new guards.She followed, bare feet silent against the floor. The man moved quickly, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting someone. When he reached the study door, he knelt, produced a small key card, and slid it through the reader. The lock clicked open.Alexa pressed herself against the wall, waiting for him to go inside. When he

Alexa read the message again, even though she’d already deleted it. The words clung to the inside of her mind like a stain:He’s not safe. Don’t tell him I warned you.The kitchen felt suddenly smaller, shadows stretching long across the counter. Outside, thunder rolled again, but this time she wasn’t sure if the sound came from the sky or her heartbeat.She checked the windows. Nothing but the restless sway of the rain-heavy trees. She checked the hallway. Empty. Too empty.A memory flickered of the guard last night, the flash drive, the whispers behind Gabrielle’s closed office door. Someone was close enough to enter their home. Someone was close enough to send her this.But who?Ava returned from her break, humming softly as she wiped her hands on her apron. Alexa snapped upright, forcing her breathing into something normal.“You okay, dear?” Ava asked, brows lifting.“Yes,” Alexa lied. “Just tired.”Ava didn’t push. She rarely did. But her watchful eyes followed Alexa as she left

Antonio was waiting in the garden when Olivia and Alexa returned.He stood with his arms folded, suit jacket still on from work, tie loosened but posture rigid. His expression alone made Olivia’s stomach drop.He knew.Not everything ,but enough.As soon as Alexa slipped upstairs to rest, Olivia braced herself. Antonio didn’t speak until he heard Alexa’s steps fade.Then…“You went into the city,” he said, voice low. “Without guards. Without telling me. And without Gabrielle’s clearance.”Olivia exhaled. “Tone down the General Casanova routine. We had errands.”He didn’t buy it for a second. His jaw flexed.“Olivia, you think I’m stupid?”She winced. “No. Just… overprotective.”“Overprotective?” Antonio stepped closer, eyes dark with restrained anger. “Olivia,I thought we trusted each other enough to talk about things before they escalate into something dangerous.”She opened her mouth, but he raised a hand, holding back his frustration.“Tell me the truth. What happened out there?”O