บททั้งหมดของ The Mafia King's Collateral : บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

Liora's POVThe ambush came at dawn.Not a full-scale attack like before, but a vicious warning shot. Gunfire erupted near the eastern gate while most of the mansion was still waking up. I had been in the garden with Alora, trying to give her some sense of normalcy, when the first shots rang out.“Mommy!” Alora screamed.I grabbed her instantly, shielding her with my body as guards swarmed around us. Chaos exploded. Shouts. More gunfire. I ran toward the mansion, heart in my throat, when a sharp pain sliced across my left arm.I gasped but didn’t stop running.Only when we reached the safe room did I realize I was bleeding. A bullet had grazed me — not deep, but enough to stain my sleeve red and send fire racing up my arm.“Mommy, you’re hurt!” Alora cried, eyes wide with terror.“I’m okay, baby,” I whispered, pressing my hand over the wound. “It’s just a scratch.”But it hurt. And the fear in my daughter’s eyes hurt worse.~~~~~~~~Nikolai found us twenty minutes later.The moment h

Liora's POVThe empire was bleeding out.I could feel it in the air — the heavy tension that clung to every hallway, every whispered conversation between guards, every late-night meeting Nikolai held behind closed doors. Money was disappearing faster than we could track. Partners were pulling away. Allies were growing nervous.And Nikolai was changing again.He stood in the war room at 2 AM, sleeves rolled up, staring at spreadsheets like they were enemies he could kill. The scar on his shoulder was still pink and angry under the light. I watched him from the doorway, arms wrapped around myself, heart heavy.“You haven’t slept in three days,” I said softly.He didn’t look up. “Sleep is a luxury I can’t afford right now.”I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. The room smelled of stale coffee and stress.“Two more business partners pulled out today,” he said, voice rough. “The Volkovs are spreading rumors. Saying I’m weak. Unstable. That I chose a woman and a child over power.”

Liora's POVI was no longer waiting to be saved.The murder of Dmitri changed something deep inside me. The fear that had kept me compliant was slowly transforming into something sharper. Colder. More calculated.If Nikolai was going to burn the world to protect us, then I would build my own quiet empire within these walls.It started small.I began with the kitchen staff — the ones who saw everything but were rarely noticed. I learned their names. I asked about their families. I listened when they complained about long hours and low pay. In return, I slipped them extra money from the allowance Nikolai had given me, along with small favors.“You see things no one else does,” I told Maria one quiet afternoon while Alora napped. “I need your eyes and ears. Not for Nikolai. For us.”Maria hesitated, fear in her eyes, but eventually nodded. “For the little one,” she whispered. “I’ll help.”Word spread quietly among the lower staff. The “collateral” was becoming someone worth following.I

Liora's POVThe goodbye felt heavier this time.Nikolai stood in the foyer at midnight, dressed in full tactical gear, the scar on his shoulder hidden beneath layers of armor. His eyes were steel — cold, focused, ready for war. But when they landed on me and Alora, something softer flickered through them.Alora clung to my leg, sensing the danger in the air. “Mr. Nikolai… come back fast, okay?”He crouched down and pulled her into a careful hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I promise, little star. I’ll come back to you.”Then he rose and looked at me.For a long moment, we just stared at each other. The weight of everything we had shared — his broken confession about his mother, my growing strength, the fragile love we were still fighting for — hung between us like smoke.He pulled me close, one large hand cradling the back of my head.“If anything happens,” he whispered against my hair, “you take Alora and run. Ivan has instructions. Money. Safe houses. Everything.”I sh

Liora's POVThe gates opened at 3:17 AM.I was waiting in the foyer, arms wrapped tightly around myself, heart lodged in my throat. Alora was safely asleep upstairs under heavy guard, but I couldn’t rest. Not until I saw him.When Nikolai stepped out of the armored SUV, covered in dust and blood that wasn’t his, something inside me cracked open. He looked exhausted. Victorious. Dangerous. But the moment his eyes found mine across the courtyard, the cold king melted.He crossed the distance in long, urgent strides and pulled me into his arms without a word. His grip was almost painful, like he was afraid I’d disappear. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in gunpowder, sweat, and the familiar scent that meant home.“You’re back,” I whispered, voice breaking.“I’m back,” he rasped, lips pressed against my hair. “I told you I would be.”We held each other for a long time in the middle of the courtyard while guards pretended not to watch. His hands roamed my back, checking I was real