All Chapters of Through Smoke and Steel: A Mafia Romance: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

❦ Rosalind ❦My skin was clammy under the warm covers, my head splitting with a migraine that throbbed behind my eyes. My tears had long slowed, dried to tracks on my cheeks, and for a little while I’d drifted, half-asleep, floating in that heavy exhaustive haze that comes after too much crying.Then… A knock.My whole body jolted. My eyes shot open, though I didn’t move, didn’t uncover myself. I just stayed hidden under the duvet like a coward.“Rosa?” Came his voice. Muffled through the wood. Deep and steady. “Are you alright?”My chest ached at the sound. I pressed my hand against my mouth and tried to keep the fresh sobs back, but they slipped anyway, hot tears sliding down into the pillow.I lost the hotel.I actually lost it.I‘d wanted to sell it, yes. That had been the plan. My way of standing my ground and showing Viktor and the world that I couldn't be subdued or controlled. But I didn’t anticipate this feeling. This feeling of the ground being pulled out from under me,

❄︎ Viktor ❄︎The house was quiet while I made my way down the hall. There was a soundproof den downstairs where my men occasionally cooled off, making the silence absolute. I’d just returned from a meeting with my arms dealer, who’d whined about a shipment delay like the world might end if I didn’t pat him on the head. A mild issue, nothing I couldn’t fix, but it took more time than I’d wanted to spend.My hand flexed around the gift bag i’d picked up on my way back. Something small for my scheming wife I didn’t know why the fuck I bothered sometimes, but the thought of her face softening, just for a second when she opened a gift from me, kept me from dumping the bag in the nearest trash bin.And of course my head always circled back to her, to the hotel. To the way she‘d played me, and then later hidden under Dante’s name on the auction.The question was why?Had she regretted her decision to sell? Well it was too late now. She rigged the game and still lost, might teach her a

❦ Rosalind ❦ I pulled up to the front of Emerald Intercontinental hotel, my car idling in a scant queue of cars . Everything gleamed, the glass, the marble, even the people. I scowled.I could only imagine the kind of shady things the owner of this place was into. No one got that rich by being clean. Still, as I inched closer to the valet lane, my eyes wandered over the tall beautiful arches, spotless windows, and the golden light spilling out from inside. If this hotel ever went on sale, I’d buy it with the money from my last deal.I could go into flipping hotels professionally, turning an oversight to a profession. The thought made me snort. My first joke of the night, if you could even call it that.Humor was a foolproof method, and I was intent on cramming the horror show that was tonight into a manageable corner of my brain, slap sarcasm on top, and pretend it’s all fine.I’d deal with it later. After I found a bed. After I remembered how to breathe.When I reached the valet

❦ Rosalind ❦I hadn’t even made it up the steps before the front door opened.Dominic stood there, shirtless, wearing soft cotton pants that hung low on his hips. His thin gold chain caught the porch light as he moved. A lazy and warm smile gracing his features.“Rosa,” he said, spreading his arms open. “Finally. Welcome to my place. It’s hard to believe that after all the time we’ve known each other, this is your first visit.”I let him pull me into a one-sided hug, careful not to get too close. “You know why that wouldn’t have been appropriate.” I murmured.He met my eyes with an unreadable expression. “Maybe. But you’re here now.”The air inside was cool and smelled faintly of cedar. “So, the Grand Marlow,” he said as he led me down the hall. “Congratulations on the successful sale. I didn’t think anyone would hit the cap so quickly. Still, impressive.”I smiled thinly. “Thanks.”He glanced over his shoulder, giving me a lazy grin. “You’ve got a nice stack of millions now. Guess

❦ Rosalind ❦I pushed away from Claudia and took a necessary step backward. She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide and shimmering with tears.My ears roared with disbelief. “You knew?” I gasped. My voice broke. The floor felt unstable beneath me. “All this time… you knew?”She turned away, trembling and hiding behind her hands. But I followed her, needing to see her face to confirm it. This horrible thing she was confessing.“And you let me believe it was an accident? That she just… was gone? And not by the hands of the man who signed me off like property? How could you?” I accused. Claudia faced me again, her weathered face was pale and wet. “You weren’t supposed to find out…”“Not supposed to find out?” I laughed bitterly. “She was my mother. My mother! And he… he took her. And you… you let me live years believing that lie!”Anger and grief warred in my chest. “Everything I did, every choice I made, was built on a lie.”I’d put myself in danger, denied myself freed