Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

Lina’s POVI woke up before dawn, but this time it isn’t hesitation that's keeping my eyes open. It’s decision.Carlino’s arm is heavy around my waist, his breathing slow, steady. Possessive even in sleep. I lie still, staring at the ceiling, listening to the distant shuffle of guards changing shifts. The house hums with quiet vigilance.For days, I told myself I was thinking. Now I know I was stalling. I don’t owe anyone my loyalty. Definitely not a man who bought me, a man who rules with fear. A sharp wave of nausea rolls through me, sudden and cruel. I press my hand to my stomach and close my eyes.Maternal fear is different from ordinary fear. It isn’t loud. It’s calculating. Protective. It whispers of worst-case scenarios and forces you to look at them without blinking.If something happens to him, they’ll come for me.If something happens to me—I don’t let the thought finish.Carefully, I slide out from under his arm. He shifts but doesn’t wake. I grab a robe and step into the

Lina's POV The first guard swears. “We’ve got company!”A standoff forms in seconds.Weapons raised.Red laser dots tremble across chests. I’m still held between them. One of the strangers speaks, calm and cold. “Hand her over. No one else needs to bleed tonight.”“She’s under Don Carlino’s protection,” the guard growls.The stranger tilts his head. “That protection looks thin.”From the main road, more headlights flood the darkness.Then—Silence.A single car pulls up slowly behind the armed line. The engine slowly died down. The door opens.I don’t need to see him to feel him.The air changes.Carlino steps forward, shirtless. Like he left mid-breath. His gaze finds mine instantly. Relief was nowhere to be found.Not anger.Calculation.“Lina,” he says evenly. Lina, not Tesoro.The guard holding me loosens his grip but doesn’t release. Carlino’s eyes flick to him. “Let her go.”The guard obeys.I step away, but I don’t go to him. The stranger across from us smiles faintly. “Seems

Lina’s POV The room feels smaller after he leaves. Not because of the walls. Because of the rule. I stand there for a moment longer, staring at the closed door, then exhale slowly. My cheek still tingles. My thigh burns faintly beneath the fabric. The sting lingers but it's the warning that lingers deeply. “Try that again, and I won’t be measured about it.” Measured. I let out a quiet breath through my mouth. He thinks fear will tame me. He doesn’t understand something. Fear sharpens me. A knock sounds at the door. Three short taps. I don’t answer immediately. Let them wait. Let them wonder if I’m crying. Because I’m not. The knock comes again. “Signora?” It’s Niel. I walk over and open the door halfway. He stands straight, eyes forward, careful not to look at my face too closely. “Yes?” “Security has been doubled on the east and south wings. Don wants confirmation you’re inside.” I lift a brow. “You can see that.” “Yes, ma’am.” “And?” “And he asked i

Carlino’s POV“Move!” I bark.Everything detonates at once. My men scatter into formation, weapons lifting in fluid precision. The car swerves sharply toward us, headlights blinding, engine screaming like something feral.She’s still standing there.For half a second too long.I don’t think. I move.My hand clamps around her upper arm and I yank her hard against me, pulling her out of the vehicle’s trajectory. She stumbles into my chest. I feel her jolt.The car tears past the exact spot where she’d been seconds earlier.Gunshots crack, short, controlled bursts from my men. Tires shriek. The vehicle fishtails violently before disappearing down the road in a violent spray of gravel.Silence follows.Thick. Electric.I don’t release her.My grip tightens—not protective now.Possessive.Furious.“Inside,” I say.Not loud.I didn't need to shout for her to get the message.She pulls slightly. “I can walk.”My jaw flexes. “You will. With me. And don’t you dare argue with me.”She falls sil

Carlino’s POVThe highway is sealed within minutes. Two SUVs block the front. Another cages the rear. My men move with surgical precision, weapons drawn but steady. Headlights wash over the lone vehicle idling between us.A masked man steps out slowly.Black coat. Black gloves. Face concealed beneath a matte mask that reflects nothing. He doesn’t rush. Doesn’t posture. Just stands there like he belongs.I stepped out of my SUV, the cold biting through my shirt. Lina moves to follow. “Behind me,” I say without looking at her.She exhales sharply but obeys—barely. The masked man tilts his head. “The infamous Carlino,” he calls out, voice deep, distorted slightly by whatever device he’s using.My men stiffen. I don’t.“You breached my gate,” I reply evenly. “You drove through my perimeter like a child begging for attention.”A soft chuckle echoes from behind the mask. “And yet, here you are.”He’s close en