The Mafia King and His Bride의 모든 챕터: 챕터 31 - 챕터 40

* Lorenzo *The corridor beyond the ballroom swallowed the music until it was only a distant pulse, Stefi and I have been in a mutual agreement for quite a while. But we aren't romantically involved. Sex was a natural thing that we had both enjoyed until Miranda came to my life, I don't think I could ever do it with Stefi anymore.Her heels struck the marble sharply as she followed me, quick and eager steps. She thought this was a victory. The small private lounge at the end of the hall stood empty, its dim lighting meant for negotiations that preferred shadows over witnesses.I closed the door behind us. She turned immediately, smiling, already reaching for my tie."I knew you just needed space," she said softly. "You've been tense all evening. You should have told me sooner so that I could help you."Her fingers brushed my chest. She moaned softly.I caught her wrist gently but firmly and lowered her hand."No, Stefi I don't need your help. Don't get me wrong."The word sat between

* Miranda *His kisses did not ask for permission. It was hungry like he had been holding back all night. I opened my mouth to welcome him and moaned softly as the pleasure surged through me like waves.For a heartbeat I forgot how to breathe in my own, I was taking it from him. The room, the corridor, the entire gathering with its alliances and betrayals, all of it dissolved into the warmth of his mouth and the steady strength of his hands at my waist.I should have stepped away. I knew every reason why. Salvatore's name. The risk we are taking by doing this. The line we had already crossed when he pressed that pouch into my palm in the ladies' room, trusting me with a choice that could not be undone.But when his fingers tightened slightly, not forcing, only asking, my resolve unraveled quietly. I want him. Maybe from the very first time that I saw him, I fell under his charm.My hand found his shoulder. Solid and hard. Nothing like the hollow performances I had endured for months.

* Miranda *The news came to me through one of the helpers' careful whispers outside the breakfast room."Signore Salvatore returns to Brazil tonight, madam. The jet is being prepared.""Oh really."Rosa an older famale help who has been working in the mansion even before I came here look at me and nods. "That is from what I heard, maybe Signore will inform you this evening.""Maybe he will. But thanks for letting me know Rosa.""Don't mention it signorina, happy to tell you as long as you don't mention my name to Signore Salvatore."I smiled at her and nodded. "No, not a word from me Rosa."Tonight, I thought to myself.I smiled as if it meant nothing. As if my pulse did not immediately shift into that quiet, calculating rhythm survival had taught me. Departure meant distance from him. Distance meant I could breathe. But this departure also meant something else for him.He would not leave without claiming what he believed was his. I noticed his movements towards me, the extra caress,

* Lorenzo *My father did not return yet, but his messages kept me busy every day.Every morning it arrived through calls, text messages, orders relayed by men who work for him and the family. He kept me moving, calculating, negotiating, pressuring. Brazil had not taken his reach, only his presence.And Brussels refused his proposal. Refused us when I offered a generous amount for the lands that he wanted to buy from them.The mountain land remained untouched, and stubborn. We tried money first. Then next is the promise of alliances. But to no avail, the Brussel family is not pleased. Now he wanted me to resort into threats that wore suits and smiles. But none of it worked, so his command came without decoration.He wants me to use force. I read his message twice. Not because I did not understand it, but because I wished, for a moment, that I did not.The Brussels were not weak. They were patient and stubborn. Territorial as well. They had built something slow and deliberate in those

* Lorenzo *The mansion was still quiet when the sun rose, but the helpers were already busy as a preparation. Men moved differently when my father announced his arrival. Footsteps are everywhere. But voices lowered. Even the marble floors seemed to listen.I had not slept well. Miranda noticed it without asking. Ever since we began our connection she would always notice what I did not admit.By noon the call came again, not from him this time, but from one of his senior men. Arrival confirmed. Flight already in motion. No delays this time.He was not giving me time to think. Good. Thinking had begun to feel like hesitation. I was in the study reviewing the property maps when Miranda entered quietly. She carried a tray neither of us would touch. An excuse to stand beside me without explanation. Because there are eyes everywhere.Her eyes moved across the documents, the terrain lines, the boundaries my father wanted erased."You are preparing as if nothing has changed," she said softly