All Chapters of THE MAFIA'S BLOODY POSSESSION: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Ace's PovThe self-defense training started two days after the photo leak, I had demanded it because waiting around while the Morettis dismantled my life piece by piece was not something I was willing to keep doing.Nikolai was against it. He stood in the gym doorway with his arms crossed, he told me my body was not ready. My head was not ready and that training while emotionally compromised was dangerous and stupid."I disagree." I walked past him into the gym."Ace.""I disagree." I picked up the hand wraps from the bench. "So either help me or leave."Ivan was already inside. He looked at Nikolai and Nikolai looked at him and something passed between them in the silence."Fine." Nikolai came in and let the door close behind him. "We start from the basics and we do not rush anything.""Agreed."We started with defensive positioning. Nikolai had gone over the basics with me months ago but I had not taken it seriously then because I had not understood yet what serious looked like. I

 Ace's Pov  The live broadcast started at nine in the morning and Rem walked into the main room with the tablet already playing and set it on the table without saying a single word first and that silence told me everything before I even looked at the screen. Nikolai looked up from his phone. "What is this." "Castro went live," Rem said. "Forty minutes ago. Every major criminal network in the city received it and it has been shared through private channels since." Nikolai took the tablet and pressed play and I moved closer and Ivan came around the table and stood on my other side and we watched it together. Castro was in a clean room with good lighting and he was dressed well and looking directly into the camera with the kind of calm that only came from a man who had been planning something for a very long time and was finally delivering it. 

  Nikolai's Pov  The video of us killing Ace's parents had been playing on every news channel for three days.  The underworld was in chaos, our enemies emboldened, our allies questioning us. But my only concern was Ace.  He hadn't left the penthouse, barely ate, and when he did sleep, it was plagued with nightmares. I watched him pace the living room, his movements restless, his face a mask of pain and fear. I tightened security, doubling the guards, implementing new protocols. No one got in or out without my explicit approval. But it wasn't enough. The fear of losing him was eating me alive, making me more possessive, more controlling than ever. "Ace," I said, my voice breaking the silence. "We need to talk." He stopped pacing, turning to face me. "What's there to talk about? Everyone knows. Everyone has seen it."

 Nikolai's Pov  The interrogation room reeked of blood and fear.  The assassin was strapped to a metal chair, his body broken and bloody after hours of my personal attention. Ace stood in the corner, his face pale, his eyes wide with horror as he watched me work.  I had insisted he be there. He needed to understand what happened to those who threatened him, what I was willing to do to protect him. I wiped the blood from my hands with a towel, my eyes never leaving Ace's. "This is what happens to people who try to hurt you," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "This is what I do for you." The assassin whimpered, his head lolling to the side. I ignored him, my focus entirely on Ace. He was trembling, his body rigid with fear and shock. "Come here," I commanded. He hesitated for a moment, then crossed the room slo

Busted Ace's Pov I knew I was in trouble the moment I stepped back into the penthouse.The air felt heavier than usual. The lights dimmed low, and both Nikolai and Ivan were waiting for me in the living room. Nikolai stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows with his arms crossed, his steel-grey eyes colder than I had ever seen them. Ivan leaned against the wall, but there was nothing casual about his posture. His jaw was tight, and his hands were clenched into fists.They already knew.“You went to meet him,” Nikolai said quietly. His voice was calm, but it carried the kind of danger that made my stomach drop. “After everything we told you. After we warned you.”I froze near the entrance, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I… I thought I could negotiate peace. I was trying to protect us—”“Protect us?” Ivan cut me off with a bitter laugh. He pushed off the wall and walked toward me slowly. “You went behind our backs. You looked that bastard in the eyes and sat down with him like we m