Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE MAFIA'S JEWEL: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Massimo’s POVI should not be enjoying this, but Elena has checked the nearest exit twice, and I am trying not to smile.She thinks I am in San Francisco. From the first-floor gallery, I can see her without being seen myself. Below us, there are guests settle into their seats. The auction house occupies three floors of an old colonial building overlooking the harbour. Benito sits beside me with his phone ready. I fold the security manifest and hand it back to him.“The service entrance?”“Covered.”I look down to find Elena smooths her dress over her knees. Black was the designer's choice, undoubtedly. I must remember to thank her. Elena leans towards the woman beside her, smiling at something she says, and I forget the designer entirely.Three days ago, her tutor declared her ready. I had expected competence; But I hadn't expected her to learn that fast. She always stayed after lessons to ask questions and went through the catalogues over dinner.All that effort, just to get away fro

Massimo’s POV“What do you mean, the guards were knocked out?” I thunder.Benito flinches at the sound of my voice, clenching his phone tightly in his hand.For a moment, he only looks at me, terrified.“Answer me.”“They found them unconscious.”My heart is beating so hard that I can feel it in my throat. I look down at the piece of her gown that was found on the restroom floor, then turn to stare all around me. People are still talking, congratulating one another, collecting their things.Where the fuck is she?“Find her.”“We’re searching the building. I have men checking every exit, and we’re going through the camera feeds.”“She cannot have gone far.”The words sound more like a reassurance I am giving myself. She has no car. She doesn’t know the city. So there is no way she could have gone far, right? She also couldn’t have knocked out four men on her own. There are so many variables, and I hate variables.For Christ’s sake. I pound my fist against the wall.“Four of them?” I ask

Elena’s POV“Elena, am I so bad that you would rather go with a drug-peddling organ trafficker than stay with me?” the man says almost as if he is in agony.I stare at the man crouching in front of me. I know that voice, and the face looks familiar, but for a few seconds I cannot make sense of anything here.Then it hits me.Massimo.He has come for me. Massimo has come to save me. But wait, he is supposed to be in San Francisco. He told me he was leaving, and I had been so pleased because it meant I could get away without him knowing.Yet here he is, with his hair a mess and blood on the collar of his white shirt.“Massimo?”He reaches towards me, and I throw myself into his arms, almost knocking him over. My knees scrape against the floor, but I barely feel it as I cling to him, pulling so tight it would seem I was trying to squeeze him to death. I have spent days trying to escape this man. Now I cannot bear the thought of him moving even an inch away.“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”The

Massimo’s POVThe silence between us stretches as I stare down at her hand on my wrist.Does she know what she is asking? More importantly, can I spend an entire night in Elena’s presence without giving in to the part of me that wants far more than she is offering? I have been trying to keep some distance between us, and now she wants me in her room until morning. She doesn't want me she is just vulnerable. If having her fingers around my wrist is already doing this to me, how the hell am I supposed to survive staying with her through the night?I run my free hand through my hair. She begins to pull away, and I reach for her hand before I can think better of it. which is what I should do think better and refuse. But Instead I find myself saying.“All right.”Her eyes meet mine, and my throat tightens at the relief I see in them. When she looks down at our hands, I wait for her to lead us back into the room. She simply stares.I let go reluctantly. For a few moments, she stays where she

Massimo’s POVDid she just call me beautiful?I know I’m easy on the eyes, but no one has ever called me beautiful. I would probably have had their tongue for it. Yet I am lying here wishing she would open her eyes and say it again.I rest one hand behind my head and look at the ceiling before I do something foolish.“Go to sleep, tesoro.”A sleepy smile touches her lips as her eyes finally close. I wait for her to start moving again, but she stays where she is. After a few minutes, her breathing deepens, and I turn my head to look at her.Who would have thought I could spend my time simply staring at a woman? Not that looking is all I want to do. God knows it isn’t. I want things from Elena that would leave her blushing if she ever tried to tell her friend about them. Things I have no business thinking about while she sleeps beside me, trusting me to keep my hands to myself.The lamp lights her face. Her lips are slightly parted, and I let myself look at them for a moment before movin