All Chapters of The Mafia Devil’s Wrong Bride: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

Dante Romano10:25 p.m.Issa still isn’t back from that dinner.She said she wasn’t going at first. Then, suddenly, she changed her mind.I don’t even know why that bothers me. Maybe it’s not the dinner itself, it’s the people she’s with. He’s with her.Ivan Lombardo.The little information Connor’s managed to gather on him doesn’t sit right with me. Behind his polished reputation, there’s a scandal that got buried before it made the front page.Connor found it.Years ago, he dated a co-worker. A married woman. It ended badly but money was involved so silence bought. Not a lot of people found out about it.So, yeah, Lombardo has a history of showing interest in women he can’t have, and I don’t like it.But as much as every part of me wants him far away from Issa, I can’t interfere. Work means the world to her. I took too much from her already before I learned better.So I give her space. And I keep Rio close, always watching her. That’s my compromise.I pour myself a drink and

Annalissa Hale Even after all the articles were taken down, people didn’t stop talking until after a few days. Dante’s mother had called me with concern after seeing it and I reassured her it wasn’t what it seemed like. His grandfather trusted me enough to know that story was a cheap fabrication so he didn’t need much convincing.Ornella and Maria, on the other hand, were thrilled that I’d managed to get on the same cover as Ivan Lombardo. Ornella even confessed she’d had a crush on him once and demanded I introduce them. Between all that and the campaign finally taking off, the last few days have been chaos. The buzz is good, great even but it also means endless meetings, press runs, and sudden deadlines.Because of Dante, I try to squeeze all my work into what he’d call “decent hours,” which now means leaving by nine instead of ten like everyone else. Anything later risks his temper, and I’ve been trying really hard not to poke that bear lately. Especially since he’s been…

Dante Romano I stand in the middle of the yard, the cold night air brushing against my face. The cicadas hum faintly somewhere beyond the iron gates. From here, the mansion looks peaceful. Inside, Issa is probably still curled on the couch, half-asleep, waiting for me like she always does. I light a cigarette even though I quit because of her months ago. When I walk back inside, the house is quiet again. The clock above the fireplace ticks past midnight. Teresa’s gone for the day. The guards are posted at the entrance here and there. Issa’s still asleep on the couch, curled up under the thin blanket I’d left there last week. Her hair’s messy, her lips slightly parted, breathing soft. There’s this ache in my chest, something small, unwanted, but persistent. I crouch down beside her. Her phone’s still on the table, black screen glowing faintly from a low battery warning. I grab it, plug it in. It vibrates softly. A message flashes for a second on the screen before it locks again. I

Dante RomanoI lost it. I let my emotions take over so much that she pulled away from me. I’d been mad after Rio told me what he’d seen earlier this evening. He’d seen Ivan’s hand on Issa’s arm.Apparently, it was nothing. A fleeting, meaningless touch. But I saw red.And instead of talking to her like a sane man, I let my temper talk for me. I let the jealousy, the paranoia, I let it win. I’d touched her like she was mine to claim, not the woman I swore to protect. I didn’t mean to say those words, but they came out anyway.Now she looks at me like I’m a stranger. Worse, like she’s disappointed. And I hate when she’s disappointed. I hate when she looks at me with a look other than love.I take a deep breath and pace the hallway as each step echoes. I run a hand through my hair and stop in front of our bedroom door, debating whether to go in or not. What if she’s so angry that she doesn’t want to see my face?I go in anyway.Issa’s asleep, or maybe she’s pretending to be. Either

Annalissa HaleDante and Ivan finally let go of each other’s hands. But I don’t miss the tension in Dante’s gaze. His eyes snap to me, then back at Ivan, then back to me again and I can’t quite fathom what’s running through his mind.His hand circles around my wrist. “Excuse us,” Before I can react, he’s already leading me down the hall. I follow, my heels clicking softly against the marble floor as Rio and a few of Dante’s men fall back to give us space. He doesn’t speak, and neither do I. We stop at an empty office at the end of the corridor. He opens the door, ushers me inside, and shuts it behind us. Then, without warning, he pulls me into his arms.For a moment, I just stand there, pressed against his chest, hearing the steady thump of his heart against my ear. His hand slides to the back of my head, and he exhales like he’s been holding his breath since the second he found me.“I’m glad you’re okay,” he murmurs.I nod against his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of