All Chapters of The Ruthless Mafia Fake Bride: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Isabella's POV His words hung in the air between us, vulnerable and honest in a way I hadn't expected from Matteo. I should have pushed him away and told him this was inappropriate, that he couldn't just crawl into my bed whenever he felt like it. But the truth was, I hadn't been sleeping either.I had been lying there in the dark, my mind racing with everything that had happened today: meeting his father, sitting across from the man who had ordered my parents' deaths and smiling at him, laughing at his stories, and looking at his photographs like we were just a normal family getting to know each other.The performance had been exhausting.I had wanted to kill him. But I had smiled instead. I had played the role of the dutiful future daughter-in-law whilst rage burned beneath my skin.And now Matteo was here, holding me, his body warm against mine. The man whose father had destroyed my family. The man I should hate with every fibre of my being.But I didn't hate him. Not entirely.

Isabella's POV The restaurant was exactly the kind of place I would have expected—upscale, discreet, the sort of establishment where powerful people conducted business over expensive meals. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, white tablecloths covered every surface, and the other diners spoke in hushed tones that suggested important conversations.We were seated at a corner table, partially secluded from the rest of the room by strategically placed plants and decorative screens. I sat across from the don, the man who had murdered my parents, and kept the smile frozen on my face like a mask I couldn't remove. My hands were clasped in my lap beneath the table, hidden from view, where I could dig my nails into my palms without him seeing.The pain helped. It kept me focused, kept me from doing something reckless.A waiter appeared, handed us menus, and disappeared after the don ordered wine. I stared at the menu without actually seeing the words, my mind racing."Why had he br

Matteo's POVThe moment I saw Marcus standing so close to Isabella, his hand near her face, something inside me snapped. But it wasn't just about what I was seeing right now. It was everything. Every memory from our childhood came flooding back in an instant.FLASHBACK I was eight years old, standing in my father's study after accidentally breaking an expensive vase whilst playing. My father's face was dark with anger, his voice sharp as he berated me for being careless, for not thinking before I acted."Matteo, you need to learn control. You need to learn to think. How can I trust you to lead this family if you can't even walk through a room without breaking things?"Then Vincenzo appeared in the doorway. He was only six, but he already carried himself with confidence I didn't have. he always does things like he knows it all and it was infuriating. "Father, it wasn't entirely his fault. The vase was placed too close to the edge."My father's expression softened immediately. "That's

Isabella's POV  I had stayed in the hallway after Matteo stormed off, unsure whether to follow him or give him space. But then I heard voices from the study, his and Vincenzo's, and something made me stop and press myself against the wall just outside the door and listen. I knew it was wrong. I knew I shouldn't be eavesdropping on a private conversation. But after everything that had happened today, the lunch with the don, his revelations about my mother, the confusion that had been building in my mind, I needed to understand what was happening in this house. What dynamics I was caught in the middle of. And what I heard made several things crystal clear. Vincenzo was an asshole. That much was obvious from his tone alone; mocking, superior, designed to needle Matteo in ways that suggested years of practice. He knew exactly which buttons to push, exactly how to undermine his h

Isabella's POV I needed to get out of this house. I needed space to think, to process everything that had happened, to figure out what my next move should be.But more than that, I needed answers. And there was only one person who could give them to me.I found Matteo in his office, poring over documents that I assumed had something to do with the Caroline assignment. He looked up when I knocked on the doorframe."I need to leave the house today," I announced without preamble.His expression immediately became guarded. "Where are you going?"I had prepared for this question, had my lie ready. "To see some friends. I haven't spoken to them in weeks, and with the engagement party tomorrow, I thought it would be good to touch base. Let them know what's happening in my life."It was plausible enough. A woman about to get engaged would want to tell her friends, would want that connection to her old life before everything changed completely.Matteo studied me for a moment, and I could see