《Married To Danger》全部章節：第 71 章 - 第 80 章

ADRIAN I met Damien in the cigar lounge for our weekly debrief. The room smelled of smoke and leather, the city noises muffled behind heavy drapes. New York had been a dead end so far; pulling useful intel out of that mess took more patience than I had to spare. “The don has been on edge,” Damien said, settling into the armchair opposite me. “He’s been executing men left and right — traitors, bikers, even some of the Brotherhood. People are scared. One wrong move and you’re finished.” “If you have nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to fear,” I replied, but my voice was flat. I’d learned the difference between what everyone said and what actually mattered in this life. Damien didn’t miss the implication. “Exactly. But you didn’t tell Rico everything about what happened with Lorenzo and even how Serena died. In his current mood, that omission could cost you.” Only Damien knew the whole story. Even my father had received a slightly tweaked version of the truth. He had no idea Rico had

VALENTINA Adrian worked late that night, long after the house had gone quiet. I had tried to wait up for him, but at some point, exhaustion pulled me under. When I opened my eyes again, the other side of the bed was still cold. Stefan’s small body was curled against mine, his soft breathing filling the dark room. I carefully slid out of bed, tucked the blanket around him, and followed the faint golden light spilling from downstairs. The house was silent, but a light was on and it led me to the cigar lounge. Adrian sat in his favorite armchair in front of the fireplace, a half-empty tumbler of whisky resting in his hand. The amber liquid caught the firelight, glinting like something dangerous. His jacket and tie were draped carelessly over the other chair, his vest still on, but the top buttons of his shirt were undone, sleeves rolled back to his forearms. His hair was a little messy, his expression even more so. He rubbed at the stubble on his jaw, lost in thought, and for a momen

VALENTINA - THREE MONTHS LATER The rain had already started by the time I picked Stefan up from school. I’d been learning to drive over the summer and I was pretty good at it already, so I didn’t take a driver today. Stefan climbed into the backseat without a word. He didn’t even look at me. He just buckled himself in, turned his face toward the window, and watched the rain trace patterns down the glass. I tried to start a conversation. “Hey, sweetheart. How was school today?” No answer. “Did you have your art class? You were excited about painting that volcano, remember?” He gave a faint shrug, still staring out at the gray blur of houses as we passed them. Something about his silence unsettled me. Stefan wasn’t the chattiest kid in the world, but since he’d started talking again, he usually had something to say, especially about art, or the new dog we got, or what Sofia did that annoyed him. But now, he was like a statue. I kept glancing at him in the rearview mirror. His

VALENTINA The café was crowded for a Thursday morning, sunlight filtering through tall windows and bouncing off the brass accents of the tables. The sound of clinking cutlery and soft chatter filled the air, and I inhaled the strong smell of coffee that came with it. Gemma was already there when I arrived, waving from a corner booth with a bright smile. Her hair was pulled into a sleek bun, sunglasses perched on her head, a half-drunk latte in front of her. “You’re late,” she teased as I slid into the seat across from her. “I had to drop Stefan off at school,” I said, setting my bag down. “It was a whole thing. He didn’t want to go today.” She raised a brow. “I thought he loved school?” “He does, it’s just been a rough few days.” I forced a small smile. “But it’s fine now. Once he’s there, he’s happy.” Gemma gave me that look of half concern and half amusement. “You’re sounding like a real mom now.” I laughed softly. “Guess I am. How’s the baby?” Gemma had her baby a little

VALENTINA “I really wish you would stay.”My voice came out smaller than I meant it to, barely louder than the rustle of the suitcase zippers as Adrian packed the last of his things.He looked up from the suitcase on the bed, his tie loose around his neck. “I wish I could too,” he said quietly. “But it’s only going to be two weeks.”I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. Two weeks sounded short when he said it that way. But with everything that had been happening lately, two weeks felt like an eternity.“I know,” I said, forcing a small smile. “It just feels longer.”He gave a faint laugh and came over, wrapping his arms around my waist. “You’ll be fine,” he murmured into my hair. “You’ve got the kids. You’ve got Sybil, Elia and Domenico. And I’ll call every night.”“I’ll hold you to that,” I said, trying to match his warmth.But even as I smiled, I could feel the tension underneath it. The way his jaw was just slightly tight, how his eyes didn’t quite meet mine for more than