บททั้งหมดของ The Don's Lethal Desire: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

Chapter 21: Cinnamon rolls and coffee dateGwenSix months into our marriage, I was kneading dough for cinnamon rolls when my phone rang. The dough was sticky and warm under my hands, mixed with butter and sugar and that perfect amount of cinnamon that made the whole kitchen smell like Christmas morning. I wiped flour on my apron and checked the screen. Nico's name flashed. My heart jumped. We'd been texting, but we hadn't actually spoken since that painful conversation before the wedding."Hi," I said softly, holding my breath."Hi yourself." His voice was tentative, uncertain in a way Nico never was. "I saw the news. About Camila Ibarra being arrested for embezzlement and conspiracy to commit murder. And about you recovering your family's estate. It was all over the papers, Gwen. Your face was on the front page.""It's been... a lot. More than a lot. It's been absolutely insane.""I also saw the permits for your new restaurant. Agnes. That's beautiful, Gwen. That's really beautiful.

Chapter 23: Mango sorbet and gunshotsGwenThree months after Agnes opened, I was in the restaurant kitchen preparing mango sorbet for the evening service when Marco burst through the back door. His face was pale, blood staining his shirt, and the gun in his hand was still smoking. The sweet tropical scent of the ripe mangoes I'd been working with suddenly felt obscene against the metallic tang of blood and cordite. I'd been so absorbed in getting the sorbet texture perfect that I hadn't heard the commotion outside."Mrs. Denaro, we have a situation." Marco's voice was tight with urgency. "The boss needs you at the warehouse. Now. Immediately. No time to explain."My blood ran cold. I'd known this peace couldn't last. Three months without a crisis was practically a record in our world. "What happened? Is Armando hurt?""Not yet. But there's a new player, someone with enough power to turn our allies against us overnight. The Rosetti family just turned on us during what was supposed to

Chapter 25: Coffee and Hospital VigilGwenWhen they finally let me into the ICU, nothing could have prepared me for seeing Armando like that. He looked small in the hospital bed, which was impossible because Armando was never small. He filled every room he entered with his presence, his power, his intensity. But hooked up to machines that beeped and hummed, with a tube down his throat breathing for him, he looked almost fragile.I pulled a chair close to his bedside and took his hand, careful of the IV lines and monitors. His skin was warm, which felt like a small miracle. Warm meant alive. Warm meant fighting."Hi," I whispered, even though he couldn't hear me. "You look terrible. But you're alive, so I'll take it." Tears streamed down my face. "The doctor says the next three days are critical. That if you can make it through without complications, you'll probably be okay. So that's what you're going to do. You're going to lie there and rest and let your body heal, and you're not go

Chapter 27: Carbonara and RecoveryGwenA week later, they moved Armando to a private room on a regular floor. It was progress, even though he chafed at the continued hospitalization. I'd finally agreed to go home occasionally to shower and change clothes, but I still spent most of every day at his bedside."You're going to get bedsores if you don't move," I teased, helping him shift position for the hundredth time that day."I hate this. Being stuck in bed. Being weak. Having nurses come in every two hours to check my vitals." He grimaced as the movement pulled at his still-healing wound. "I want to go home.""Two more weeks, the doctor said. Then you can go home and be miserable there instead." I sat on the edge of the bed carefully. "Though Rosa is already preparing. She's turned one of the guest rooms into a recovery suite. Hospital bed, monitors, everything you might need.""So I'll be stuck in a different bed. Great.""Stop complaining. You're alive. That's what matters." I kiss

Chapter 29: Black Pepper and old enemiesGwenSix weeks after the shooting, I was in the restaurant kitchen grinding black peppercorns for a steak au poivre when Marco appeared. I'd gotten used to his visits by now, the way he'd show up without announcement, always with news or updates. But something about his expression made my hands still on the pepper grinder."What's wrong?" I asked, setting the grinder down."Nothing's wrong. Actually, we might have a lead. On something important." He glanced around the kitchen. "Is this a good time to talk?""Dinner service doesn't start for another hour. Talk.""We found Lorenzo. He's in Sicily, working with the old families there. And he wants to meet." Marco pulled out his phone, showing me a message. "Says he has information. About your parents. About what really happened the night they died."My heart started pounding. "What kind of information?""He claims Camila didn't act alone. That there was someone else involved, someone who's still a