All Chapters of THE MAFIA KING’S UNWANTED BRIDE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

The drive felt endless.Amara sat stiffly in the back seat of the armored SUV, her wrists finally free of cuffs but her freedom still an illusion. Two of Leonardo’s guards sat beside her—one on each side—while another drove. Leonardo sat in the passenger seat ahead, silent, unreadable, terrifyingly calm.She could see the sharp line of his jaw from behind, the way his finger tapped once against the armrest. It was the only sign that he was thinking… calculating.Or angry.She wasn’t sure which one scared her more.The city lights disappeared the farther they drove, replaced by long stretches of forest and empty roads. Amara swallowed, her heartbeat loud in her chest. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but how? Where? She was trapped in a moving fortress with armed men who wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her in the leg and drag her back alive.Alive.Leonardo wanted her alive.That was somehow worse.She tried to steady her breathing, tried not to think about the auction room, the cold

Sofia led Amara through a series of hallways, each wider and more intimidating than the last. Amara’s palms were sweating, but she forced her shoulders back, fighting the urge to shrink into herself.If Leonardo wanted her to play the role of his wife, she wasn’t going to walk in looking broken.Sofia had dressed her in a simple, elegant black dress—long sleeves, high neckline, something that screamed power without being overly revealing. Her hair was brushed back, and she wore no jewelry.“You look perfect,” Sofia said softly. “But… be cautious. They are very loyal to Leonardo. And they are not gentle.”Amara swallowed hard.“What are their names?”“There are three you need to worry about,” Sofia whispered. “Marcello—his right hand. Dante—head of security. And Rocco—his cousin.”Sofia hesitated at the last one. “Rocco… is the most unpredictable.”Terrifying. Great.They reached a large double door. Sofia nodded once, encouragingly.Then she knocked.“Enter,” a deep voice commanded.S

The necklace was heavier than it looked.Amara felt its cold weight settle against her collarbone as Sofia fastened the clasp behind her neck. The silver tag disappeared beneath the fabric of her dress, but the knowledge of it remained—constant, intrusive.A reminder.Leonardo De Luca always knew where she was.“You don’t have to go,” Sofia said quietly, smoothing invisible creases from Amara’s dark emerald dress. “He may say you do, but… you still have a choice.”Amara met her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look like a prisoner tonight. Her hair was pinned loosely at the nape of her neck, her face calm, her posture steady.That frightened her more than the tracker ever could.“If I stay,” Amara said, “I’ll rot in that room wondering what he’s hiding from me. I’d rather face the danger.”Sofia hesitated. “Just… stay close to him.”Amara gave a humorless smile. “I don’t think that’ll be hard.”The estate buzzed with quiet activity as night settled in. Black cars lined the drive,

Amara woke before dawn to the sound of footsteps outside her door.Not hurried.Not loud.Measured.She sat up instantly, heart pounding. The west wing was different—closer, quieter, heavier. She could feel Leonardo’s presence here even when he wasn’t in the room, like the walls themselves answered to him.A knock came. Sharp. Precise.“Up,” a male voice said from the other side. “Training starts now.”Training.So he hadn’t been bluffing.Amara swung her legs off the bed and opened the door. Dante stood there dressed in black combat gear, his expression unreadable.“You’ll follow me,” he said.She didn’t argue. She already understood something crucial about Leonardo’s world: resistance wasted energy. Strategy did not.They moved through the mansion’s lower levels until the air changed—cooler, metallic. Dante stopped before a reinforced door and pressed his palm to a scanner.Inside was a training hall.Weapons lined one wall. Mats covered the floor. Surveillance cameras blinked softl