Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mafia's Forbidden Heiress : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 79

LucianoI don’t regret bringing Aria deeper into this cruel world. Not anymore. One day, when the full truth about her father finally surfaces, we will build something new. Something cleaner than the blood-soaked empire my father left behind. But she has to be strong enough to stand beside me when I’m not there. I won’t have a woman who crumbles the moment enemies start circling.The door opened softly. Aria stepped inside, looking warm and beautiful like sunlight breaking through clouds. She carried a folder under her arm, her steps light but purposeful.“Luciano,” she said, “one of the hospitals replied. I scheduled a meeting for tomorrow at nine. Does that work for you?”I leaned back in my chair and smiled. “Yes, my boss.”She gave me a playful side-eye and swayed her hips toward the closet. When she returned, she held her favorite bottle of hair oil. She sat in front of the mirror and loosened her hair. Those long, dark strands tumbled down her back like liquid silk.She looked i

AriaThe suitcase lay open on the bed like a wound I couldn’t close. I folded another dress with shaking hands, the silk slipping through my fingers like everything else in this house. Luciano stood in the doorway, watching me, his powerful frame suddenly looking helpless.“Aria… please.” His voice was raw. “Don’t do this.”I didn’t look at him. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just going back to where I belong.”He crossed the room in three strides and dropped to his knees in front of me. The Don. On his knees. For me.His hands caught mine, stopping me from packing. “Stay. I will fix this. I swear on everything I have, I will fix it. Elena is playing games. You know that. Don’t let her win.”I stared down at him, at the man who had once locked me away, who had doubted me, who had burned himself into my soul. Seeing him like this should have given me power. Instead, it only made the ache worse.“You can’t fix a baby, Luciano,” I whispered.His grip tightened. “If it’s even mine. I’m havi

AriaElena had moved into Luciano’s old room like she belonged there. The knowledge sat in my stomach like lead. I told myself I didn’t care. I told myself I was done fighting for scraps of his attention. Yet here I was, standing outside the door with a folder of investment updates in my hands, heart hammering like a traitor.I raised my fist to knock and paused. Elena’s voice drifted through the wood, sweet and pleading.“Please, Luciano… just help me with the bath. I feel so weak today. For the baby.”His reply was low, edged with irritation. “You can manage, Elena. I’m not your servant.”I drew a long breath and knocked anyway.The door opened. Luciano stood there in a black shirt, sleeves rolled up, looking exhausted. His eyes met mine and something flickered across his face — relief, guilt, and hunger. All at once.“Aria,” he said, voice rough.Elena appeared behind him, one hand resting on her still-flat stomach like a crown. Her smile was sharp enough to cut.I kept my face ne

AriaRosa found me in the kitchen the next morning, her usual warm smile strained at the edges.“Don Luciano left early for San Francisco,” she said quietly, pouring me coffee. “Business with the ammunition suppliers. He won’t be back for a few days.”I nodded, but the words landed like stones in my stomach. Of course he left. Of course he chose the empire over staying to face the mess he’d made. Elena’s pregnancy hung over this house like smoke, and he had walked away from it. From me.I carried my breakfast to the small table by the window and ate without tasting anything. My mind kept drifting to the way Luciano had held me two nights ago, to the promises that now felt like smoke. I had let myself believe we were building something. I was very foolish to believe we had a future together. So stupid of me.Focus on revenge, I reminded myself. That was why I was here. My father’s name still needed clearing. His death still needed avenging. Everything else, the way my heart betrayed me

AriaThe iron gates of the old church creaked open under my trembling hands, and for the first time in hours, I breathed without looking over my shoulder. The night had been endless with every rustle in the bushes, every distant car engine, a potential threat. My feet ached and my mind spun. But here, beneath the faded cross above the entrance, something inside me unclenched just a little.I slipped inside. The air smelled of old wood, incense, and candle wax. It was quiet and sacred. Far away, Father Miguel knelt at the altar, head bowed in prayer, his white hair glowing softly in the candlelight. I remembered him from years ago, he was the kind man who had given me sweets after confession with my father. He looked older now, frailer, but the same gentle presence remained.I sat in the back pew, knees weak, and waited for him to be done. The silence wrapped around me like a blanket I hadn’t earned, and my eyes grew heavy with fear, exhaustion, and the weight of everything Elena had d