Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE MAFIA'S PRICE: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

The meeting place was a quiet industrial lot on the edge of the city, chosen for its open sight lines and lack of civilian traffic. Morning light lay thin and pale across the concrete. Dante arrived first with Liam and a small, disciplined team. Two vehicles formed a loose perimeter. No one spoke unless necessary. The air carried the faint smell of oil and distant rain.Dante stood with his hands loosely at his sides, posture relaxed but ready. He had slept little. The probe against the coastal house the previous day still sat in his mind, along with the image of Alessia directing men while carrying their child. He intended to finish this cleanly.Krasnov’s convoy appeared twenty minutes later. Three vehicles. When they stopped, Viktor Krasnov stepped out first. The fury of the rooftop meeting had cooled into something tighter and more controlled. He looked older than he had two days earlier.He walked forward until a measured distance remained between them.“I’m withdrawing,” Krasnov

The coastal house felt too quiet after the last days of waiting. I sat near the wide windows that looked out over the water, one hand resting on the solid curve of my belly while Riley shifted and settled under my palm. The afternoon light had turned soft and gold. Maxim was in the kitchen with Betty, speaking in low voices. Ivan had given up pacing and was now stretched on the sofa, pretending to scroll through his phone while glancing at the driveway every few minutes.I had read Dante’s message three times already.On my way. I can’t wait to see you.The words were simple. They still made my chest tight with a mixture of relief and leftover fear. He had told me the war with Krasnov was finished. The mother had been returned safely. He was coming home. Yet until I saw him walk through the door, part of me refused to believe it completely.“You’re going to wear a hole in that window if you keep staring,” Ivan said without looking up from his phone.“I’m not staring.”“You’ve been in

In the quiet dark of the bedroom, with Alessia finally asleep against his chest and the steady rhythm of her breathing matching the distant sea, Dante lay awake and let the full weight of the last days settle over him.Relief was the first and strongest current.Krasnov had withdrawn. The mother had been returned unharmed. The immediate threat against his family had been forced back. For the first time in weeks he could lie beside Alessia without calculating the next strike or the next possible loss. The relief was physical — a loosening in his shoulders, a slower heartbeat, the ability to simply feel the warmth of her skin without one hand already reaching for a phone.Under the relief sat something heavier and more complicated: the knowledge of what he had been willing to do.He had taken an elderly woman as leverage. He had kept his promise not to harm her, and that mattered, but he had still used her. The fact that Alessia’s boundary had shaped his restraint did not erase the tact

The morning felt lighter than the ones before it. I stood by the big windows of the coastal house and watched the sea move under the soft sun. Riley kicked gently inside me, as if she also knew something was changing. Today we were leaving. The safe house had protected us during the worst days, but it was time to go back to our real life.Dante came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. His hands rested on my belly with care. “The cars will be ready soon,” he said in a quiet voice. “Are you sure you feel well enough for the drive?”“I feel fine,” I answered. “I just want to go home. I miss our own bed and our own things.”He kissed the side of my head. “Then we go home.”Downstairs everyone was already moving. Maxim checked his bag one last time. Ivan carried Betty’s small suitcase while making jokes about how many clothes she had brought for only a short stay. Betty laughed and told him he complained too much. The extra guards Dante had called in during the danger were reduc

“I am sorry,” he said. “Do I know you?”The woman laughed lightly. “Still the same serious Dante. It is me. Lily. We spent time together two years ago in Monaco and we flew back here together. You really forgot?”The name hung in the air. Dante’s expression changed as memory returned. I saw the exact moment he remembered. A small tension appeared at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at me quickly and then back at her.“Lily,” he said. “Yes. I remember now.”She smiled as if that was enough and sat down in the empty chair at our table without being invited. She still had not looked at me properly.“Who is this Dante?” she asked, finally turning her eyes toward me. Her tone was light but not friendly.Dante answered in a clear voice. “This is Alessia. My girlfriend.”I watched Lily’s smile tighten. She looked at my belly for a short second and then back at Dante. “Your girlfriend and she’s pregnant. Wow you move fast.”The air at the table changed. My appetite disappeared. The warm fe