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Todos los capítulos de The Mafia's Substitute Bride: Capítulo 151 - Capítulo 160

286 Capítulos

151

Lucas found her leaning against the marble balustrade on the upper balcony, half her body turned toward the city skyline in the distance. The lights below looked like they'd been poured from a bucket and scattered across the hills, gold and restless. She turned at the sound of his footsteps, her mouth lifting in a faint smile. "There you are," she said, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. "How did it go?." "Had to take a call," he replied, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Ready to go?" Valentina nodded and pushed herself upright, straightening the strap of her purse. As they started walking down the hallway together, her

152

Valentina barely stirred when the car rolled to a stop in front of the villa. Her head remained against Lucas' shoulder, her breathing soft and even, lost in a dreamless sleep. The ride had been quiet, peaceful. She hadn’t even noticed when the gates opened or when the headlights swept over the stone path. Lucas glanced down at her, his arm still wrapped loosely around her. For a moment, he simply looked at her—not with the edge that usually colored his gaze, not with suspicion or guarded wall. He smiled when he remembered what happened in the auction hall, woman who had endured too much, trusted too little, and still fell asleep beside him without fear. His phone suddenly vibrated and that made her stir. He kissed her head. "Go back to sleep, it's nothing." He pulled out his phone and declined the call, and waited few minutes until he was sure she'd gone back to

153

"Gimme a sec" She collected and brought the takeout bags in and shut the door with her elbow. The warm scent hit her instantly—grilled salmon, something garlicky, a faint trail of fresh ginger and lemon. She padded barefoot across the living room to the dining table and began unpacking each container, laying them out one by one. Grilled salmon on a bed of quinoa and roasted vegetables. Sushi rolls, neat and glossy. Seafood paella with brown rice. Even dessert. It looked too fancy for a casual night in, but then again, she wasn't expecting Lucas to eat 'unhealthy' food because it was called takeouts. She tilted her head slightly, checking the receipt tucked under the last box—pay on delivery. She turned back toward the stairs and jogged up halfway before calling out, “Lucas?&rdq

154

They didn’t talk much at first.Lucas sat back against the pillows, one leg stretched beneath the foldable table now balanced across both their laps. Valentina sat cross-legged beside him, her hair tucked behind her ear, still a little damp from her shower. She dipped a piece of sushi into soy sauce and reached across to drop it into her mouth, chewing quietly while scanning the rest of the options.He watched her for a moment before going back to his own food, reaching for the paella and scooping a bite of shrimp and rice. The warm spice lingered faintly in the air, mixing with the slight citrusy aftershave still clinging to his skin.She leaned forward, stealing a piece of grilled salmon from his side of the tray without asking. He didn’t protest, just gave her a look like he was mentally noting it down for later. She ignored it.“Why did you order enough food for six people?” she asked eventually.“Didn’t know what you’d feel like eating,” he said simply. “Figured you’d find someth

155

FEW DAYS LATERThe light had already changed once or twice by the time Lucas stepped through the door. It was late morning, closer to noon, and the scent of whatever Valentina had made earlier still lingered faintly in the house. He walked in without much sound, keys in one hand, coat draped over his forearm, the other hand holding his phone with a few unread messages lighting the screen. His face held that familiar unreadable look he wore when his mind was too full.Sha was in the kitchen, barefoot, dressed down in a soft top and leggings, slicing an apple she probably wasn’t hungry for. She didn’t say anything when she heard the door and just glanced over when he walked past the archway, waited a beat, and then went back to her task.Lucas set his things down on the side table near the stairs. There was the soft thump of leather, and the click of glass as he poured himself some water from the dispenser, and walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the island across from her.“Ther

156

The building wasn’t what she expected.There was no imposing glass tower, no sleek marble lobby echoing with the click of power heels. The Vescari Foundation headquarters was tucked into a quiet corner of the city, the exterior was like an old colonial structure with tall windows, pale green shutters, and ivy climbing steadily up the sides. It didn’t look like the headquarters of a major international nonprofit. It looked like someone’s well-kept family home.Valentina stepped out of the car and paused for a second on the walkway, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. Olive gave her a small nod through the window before pulling off.Inside, the air was soft and cool. It smelled faintly of lemon tea and papers. A young receptionist stood to greet her, already expecting her name.“Mrs. Caruso?” the woman asked kindly.Valentina offered a confirmation nod.“Welcome. They’re already upstairs waiting. This way, please.”---She was led up a curved wooden staircase to a second-floor meeting ro

157

The hospital’s corridors were quieter in the morning than they had been the day before. Not that it mattered. Valentina didn’t come for atmosphere. She showed up because she’d said she would, because the appointment had been set, and because she couldn’t shake the pressure of needing to be present—especially now that the treatments had actually started. She didn't want to miss anything.The nurse at the reception gave her a short nod of recognition. “You were here yesterday, right?” It was a different nurse this time.She returned the nod. “Yeah.”“She responded a little better to the meds last night,” the nurse added casually, as she led the way down the corridor. “Few reflex came back briefly. That’s something.”Valentina hummed and followed closely behind, with her arms loosely folded, eyes ahead. The nurse kept talking, something about the new chart, the adjustments the doctor made, and she listened even though she got bored halfway and most of it blurred once it got to her ears.

158

SAME DAYAlecia didn't believe in waiting around to be played.She had never been the kind of girl to sit idle while someone thought they were outsmarting her. Bianca had that smug little glint in her eyes at the charity event, as if she was two steps ahead. And Alecia might’ve let her bask in that illusion—just long enough to flip the board.It was nearly noon when she arrived at the suite, it was quiet, dimly lit by the pale blush of early evening filtering through sheer curtains. The slow click of her heels the only sound as she crossed to the desk. She had specifically chosen a low-profile hotel—not one of the flashy high-rises with glass elevators and over-curious staff. Here, the service was discreet, and no one asked questions. She liked that.The receptionist had barely looked up when she'd checked in. A reservation under an alias she’d used twice before. Just enough history to avoid suspicion, not enough to be memorable. She walked into the room and was hit with the faint sce

159

Morning brought no clarity.Alecia stirred restlessly under the weight of unanswered thoughts, her phone lying beside her like it had the night before, with the screen dim and untouched. She reached for it again, checking for missed calls or texts—nothing. She’d called Matteo three times the previous day, messaged once, even tried reaching out to one of his people, the boys that he walked around with, but no one had seen or heard from him. That was unlike him.He wasn't loyal because he was paid to be. He was loyal because he chose to be. And even on his worst days, even when he was pissed or busy or dragging his feet about something she wanted done, he never left her hanging without a word, he was obsessed with he that much, which was strange because he had admitted million times that has feels nothing for her.She tried again, pressing his name in her call list, holding the phone close as it rang. Once. Twice. Five times. Still nothing. The line didn’t cut or bounce her to voicemail

160

The room smelled like stale coffee and cheap cleaning fluid.Alecia sat at the narrow table, one heel tapping faintly beneath her chair, though her posture remained otherwise relaxed. She didn’t look at the clock, or even shift around uncomfortably, she didn’t ask how long this was going to take, anything that will make them think she was an easy target, any sort of remorse or question could, and would implicate her. She knew better.Across from her, one of the officers was flipping through a folder slowly, occasionally asking a question she’d already answered ten minutes ago. Another stood by the door, arms crossed, gaze fixed somewhere near her left shoulder like he was trying not to look too interested.“Can you confirm again,” the seated one said, “what time you last saw Mr. Matteo?”“Three nights ago. Around ten.”“You left together?”“No. He stayed behind. Said he had something else to take care of.”“You didn’t speak to him after that?”“We talked on phone the next morning but

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