Semua Bab Enemies At The Altar : Bab 31 - Bab 40

Mia woke the next morning with her pulse already racing.She didn’t sleep—not even for a moment.Every time she closed her eyes, Mark’s voice haunted her:Loving her is the only mistake I’ll never regret.She pressed her fingers to her lips as if trying to silence the memory.It didn’t work.By the time she made her way downstairs, the mansion buzzed with activity. Don Romano had called a strategy meeting—something about reorganizing patrol routes and reinforcing borders after Ethan’s intrusion.Mia tried to avoid it.Avoid him.Avoid the way her heart kept tripping over itself whenever she thought of the man she once swore she hated.But Don Romano spotted her halfway across the hall.“Mia. You’re attending this one.”She didn’t argue.She couldn’t form words anyway.Her father led her into the war room—maps spread across the table, red pins marking pressure points, several capos murmuring over intel sheets.And in the center—Mark.He didn’t look up immediately.He stood stiffly, po

The storm hit fast.One moment the evening sky was clear, the next it ripped open with violent thunder that shook the mansion’s walls. Rain hammered the windows in sheets, relentless and wild. Mia jolted at the first crack of lightning—too bright, too close.She froze in the hallway, hand gripping the railing.Not again.Not another storm.Her breathing grew uneven, the tremor in her hands automatic—her body remembering what her mind tried to forget. Every storm dragged her back to childhood, to dark nights hiding under blankets while her father yelled at business rivals over the phone.Thunder became yelling.Lightning became slamming doors.She blinked rapidly, trying to pull herself together.Another bolt split the sky—so loud the chandelier above her trembled.The mansion went black.Every light.Every lamp.Every shadow instantly swallowing the halls.Mia’s breath hitched. Hard.“Not… not now,” she whispered, clenching her fists. “It’s just a power cut. Just a storm. You’re fine.

The first night Mia saw him, she thought she was dreaming. She’d woken sometime after 2 a.m., heart still racing from another nightmare—Ethan’s voice echoing in her sleep, the memory of his hands, the chase, the helplessness. She sat up, wiped her eyes, and crossed the room for water. When she opened her door, she froze. Mark was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, head tipped forward, arms crossed over his chest. Asleep. As if he’d been keeping watch… for her. For several long seconds, Mia simply stared. The hallway light cut a warm gold line across his face, softening the sharpness of his jaw. His hair was slightly messy, falling over his forehead like he’d run his fingers through it too many times before finally drifting off. He looked peaceful—something she rarely saw on him. But more than that… he looked tired. Exhausted. Like the weight of keeping her safe was pressing into his bones. Her chest tightened. She closed the door quietly, unsure what to do with the s

The mansion felt impossibly quiet after the chaos. The adrenaline had drained from Mia like water slipping through her fingers, leaving her trembling and hollow. She walked through the halls in a daze, hesitant to go anywhere but unable to stay in her room. Her feet carried her toward the infirmary, guided by a force she couldn’t name. Mark lay on the bed, bandages wrapped tightly around his side. Monitors beeped softly, a rhythm that somehow felt too slow, too fragile. His hair was damp against his forehead, sweat clinging to his skin despite the cold air. She hesitated at the doorway, unsure if she was allowed to just… watch. “Come in,” a hoarse voice whispered. Mia’s breath caught. Mark’s eyes opened slightly, enough to see her. She stepped forward cautiously. “You… you’re going to be okay, right?” He didn’t answer immediately. Just let out a small, strained exhale. Then he said her name. “Mia.” It wasn’t a demand. It wasn’t a warning. It wasn’t even a possessive growl lik

The first thing Mia sensed was wrong wasn’t the noise.It was the stillness.The mansion carried sound the way a living thing carried breath—footsteps, murmured voices, the soft clink of weapons shifting at guards’ sides. Tonight, all of it felt… coiled. Waiting.She stepped out of her room just as Luca turned the corner, his expression hard, eyes burning with something close to grim satisfaction.“What’s happening?” she asked, her pulse already spiking.Luca didn’t slow. “Stay where you are, Mia.”That alone told her everything.“No,” she said, falling into step beside him. “Tell me.”He hesitated only a second. “We caught him.”Her heart dropped. “Who?”Luca’s jaw tightened. “Ethan.”The name struck like a slap.Mia stopped walking.“What do you mean, caught?” Her voice sounded thin, distant—like it didn’t belong to her.Luca turned back to her, eyes sharp. “Red-handed. He was handing over intel to the Santoro gang. Maps. Guard rotations. Tonight’s shipment routes.”The hallway seem