Semua Bab Enemies At The Altar : Bab 81 - Bab 88

Luca barked orders. Phones lit up. Locations were pulled from traffic cams, private toll feeds, bribes, favors. The city began tightening like a fist.Mark didn’t wait for reports.He walked.Not fast. Not frantic.Controlled.Which was worse.Within minutes, the war room was alive with static and screens.“Black SUV flagged near the industrial district,” Luca said, eyes flicking between monitors. “Plates swapped twice.”“Thermal?” Mark asked.“Spotty.”“Drones?”“En route.”Mark didn’t sit.He removed his jacket slowly and laid it over the back of a chair like he was preparing for dinner instead of violence.“She’s conscious,” he said.Luca looked up. “You don’t know that.”Mark’s jaw tightened.“I do.”Ethan had made one mistake.He believed this was about possession.Mark knew it wasn’t.It was about protection.And there was nothing more dangerous than a man protecting the one person who could ruin him.They moved out in three SUVs.No sirens.No wasted fuel.Mark sat in the front

The mansion gates swung open before the car even came to a stop.Word had traveled faster than the convoy.By the time Mark helped Mia out, half the household staff and the security team were already gathered near the entrance, the air thick with tension.At the top of the marble steps stood Don Romano.He didn’t look like the powerful man who ruled half the city. He looked like a father who had waited too long.“Mia.”Before she could take a step forward, he pulled her into a tight embrace. For a moment, she stiffened—then the exhaustion buried deep in her bones won. She wrapped her arms around him.“You’re hurt?” he demanded, pulling back to examine her face.“I’m fine.”But his eyes caught the fresh bruise on her cheek.His jaw clenched, hardening instantly.“Ethan?”Mark answered without hesitation.“He won’t touch her again.”Romano held Mark’s gaze. For a long moment, loyalty and challenge flickered silently between the two men.Finally, Romano nodded once.“Good.”He placed a g

Morning arrived softly, its light slipping through the curtains like a tender secret. Mia woke slowly, her body still wrapped in warmth and stillness. For a moment, she didn’t move—she simply felt. The steady presence beside her, something solid and real. Her lashes fluttered open, and there he was: Mark. Exactly where he promised he’d be.The realization settled in her chest, unfamiliar and thrilling, tinged with a hint of danger. He was asleep—not the guarded, half-aware version she knew, but truly at peace. His face relaxed, breaths even, arm resting lightly where it had been all night. In this quiet stillness, he seemed different—softer, younger, less untouchable.Mia shifted gently, careful not to wake him. Her eyes traced his features anew, as if seeing him for the very first time, free from the weight of everything else. Her hand moved slowly, hesitantly, a featherlight touch against the tip of his nose. A playful, delicate gesture. She froze, breath caught—but he remained lost

In the next few hours, the air in the main hall felt heavier than usual. Word had spread quickly. Ethan had been brought in. Alive. That alone was enough to draw attention. Men stood along the edges of the room—silent, watchful. No one spoke above a murmur. No one dared disrupt what was about to happen.At the far end, Don Romano sat. Calm. Composed. Dangerous. Mia stood a few steps behind him, her arms folded lightly, her expression controlled. But her eyes—her eyes were fixed on the man being dragged in. Ethan. Bruised. Blood dried along his jaw. His shirt was torn, his hands bound tightly in front of him. But he was still standing. And still breathing. That was deliberate.Mark walked in behind them. Slow. Measured. No rush. No visible anger. And somehow, that was more unsettling than anything else.Ethan lifted his head the moment he saw Mia. Something flickered across his face. Not regret but something twisted.“Mia,” he rasped.Her expression didn’t change. Not this time.“Don’t