All Chapters of Love Amidst Shadows: A Mafia Romance Story : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Genna POVI walked into the dining room at eight-thirty with Denise holding my hand because she refused to let go after the nightmare. She still wore her pink pajamas with the rabbits and she wanted to sit on my lap during breakfast. Leonardo already sat at the head of the table in a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and he looked up when we came in. His eyes went soft when he saw Denise clinging to me but they stayed on my face a second longer than usual and I felt heat climb my neck because I remembered last night against the wall and in Denise’s bed and the goodnight kiss outside her door.He stood up and pulled out the chair to his right for me. That chair was never used by anyone except close family. I hesitated but Denise tugged me over so I sat down and she climbed onto my lap like it was the most natural thing. Leonardo pushed the chair in for me and his hand brushed my shoulder for half a second before he went back to his seat.The staff brought orange juice and war

Genna's POV I lay on my back staring at the dark ceiling long after I came back from the kitchen. My mouth still carried Leonardo’s taste, my skin still remembered his hands, my body still felt warm where he pressed against me. I kept going over every moment he had been kind since the first night. He found me in the rain, gave me a job, let me stay close to Denise, kissed me like I was more than the nanny, looked at me like I mattered. The way he held me tonight felt real, the way he stopped when I was not ready felt careful. Yet doubt kept crawling in. What if he only wanted someone new to play with? What if the affection was easy because I lived under his roof, because I was already here? What if he treated every woman this way until he got bored? I turned on my side, pulled the blanket tight, tried to push the questions away, but they stayed.The clock showed 2:07 when the burner phone vibrated once under my pillow. I knew who it was before I touched it. I flipped it open, press

Genna's POV I sat on my bed with my knees pulled to my chest while the clock on the nightstand crawled past seven-thirty. The house felt too quiet because Denise had gone to bed early after a long day of playing and Leonardo stayed downstairs handling calls. I kept thinking about the gala, about Adriana getting ready to walk in on his arm, about the way he looked at me this morning when he asked me to come and then simply accepted when I said no. My stomach stayed twisted tight from jealousy even though I had no right to feel it.The burner phone vibrated under my pillow once, then twice, then kept going. I knew who it was. I stared at the ceiling for a long minute, let it ring, told myself I could ignore him tonight, told myself maybe the red dot on Denise’s picture was only a trick. The phone kept buzzing. I reached under the pillow, flipped it open, pressed it to my ear.“You kept me waiting,” Marco said, voice calm but sharp underneath.“I was busy,” I answered quiet.“Busy doi

Leonardo POVI came home from the gala around two with the whiskey still warm in my blood because I drank more than usual to make the speeches and handshakes go easier. The house stayed dark and quiet when the driver dropped me off so I waved him away and walked inside alone. My tie hung loose around my neck and my shirt stayed unbuttoned at the top and I felt the cool air on my skin while I locked the door behind me. The hallway echoed a little with my footsteps but no one stirred because Denise slept early and the staff went to bed hours ago. I headed upstairs slow so I could think about the deals I made tonight and the faces I needed to remember for later.I reached the balcony door at the end of the hall and saw light spilling out faint from the glass. I stopped, looked closer. Genna sat outside curled in a chair with a blanket over her legs and her eyes on the city lights below. She wore her silk nightgown and her hair fell loose down her back and she looked small against the nig

Genna's POV By 6:39am that morning, I slipped out carefully so I would not wake Leonardo because I needed to start the day for Denise.I picked up my nightgown from the floor, put it on quickly, tiptoed out of his room and closed the door soft behind me. The hallway stayed quiet with no one up yet so I went to my room, showered fast, dressed in jeans and a simple shirt, brushed my hair, and looked at myself in the mirror. My lips looked swollen from all the kissing and my neck had a small mark from his mouth but I felt different inside like something had shifted and I could not go back.I went to Denise's room next, opened the door gently, sat on her bed edge, rubbed her back softly until she opened her eyes, sleepy. She smiled when she saw me, and asked if we could have pancakes for breakfast. I said yes, helped her out of bed, took her to the bathroom, helped her brush her teeth, wash her face, and pick clothes for school. She chose a blue dress with white shoes and I braided her