All Chapters of Her Mafia Stepbrother’s Obsession : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Rain battered the tall windows of the mansion. Alessia stood in the middle of the dining room, her hands clasped.Her skirt was old and faded, and the cold had already found its way through the thin fabric, but she didn’t notice. She was too busy watching Elena.Her mother sat at the head of the dining table, drinking tea as though Alessia wasn’t standing there at all. Alessia kept her eyes on the floor, knowing better than to meet Elena’s gaze when she was in one of these moods.After a long silence, Elena placed her teacup on the table. The small sound made Alessia’s shoulders tense.Elena looked up at her with a stern gaze. “You look just like him today.”Alessia’s fingers tightened, her nails digging into her skin.Elena’s mouth twisted in disgust. “That same lost look on your face. I hate it.”“I finished cleaning the kitchen, Madre.”“Do you think I care about the kitchen?” Elena snapped. Alessia flinched, taking a panicked step backward.Elena pushed herself away from the table

The East Wing was quiet at night. Alessia sat on the edge of her narrow bed with her knees drawn toward her chest, staring at the wooden door.The thin blanket around her shoulders did little against the creeping cold. A guard’s boots passed outside — once, twice, then silence.She hadn’t left her room since dinner. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw those silver eyes at the end of the table. Cassian hadn’t looked at her like a man looking at a woman, he had looked at her as though deciding what she was worth.She had spent her entire life learning how to stay unnoticed. Antonio liked obedience, Elena liked submission and Bianca liked having someone weaker to torment. Cassian seemed to like none of those — he simply commanded fear without effort.A floorboard creaked outside, making her head snap toward the door. Then someone knocked.“Alessia?”She recognized the voice. “Marta?”“Yes.”Alessia relaxed slightly. Marta was one of the older kitchen maids who occasionally slipped h

Cassian had been standing on the balcony for several minutes. He’d seen Elena enter the gallery. He’d seen her strike Alessia.He’d watched her drag the girl around by her hair and kick her when she was already on the floor.He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t called for anyone. He hadn’t even changed his expression.A cigarette rested between his fingers. The smoke drifted lazily around his hand before disappearing into the high ceiling.Cassian looked down and Alessia was cleaning the marble. Slowly. She kept one arm close to her ribs whenever she moved.Her cheek was bleeding. She wiped it once, then continued working.Cassian took another drag. He had seen worse. Much worse. He had been around violence since childhood.He’d watched men beg for their lives. He’d put people in the ground himself. Pain had never been something he respected.It was simply something that happened. So the sight below shouldn’t have mattered. And it didn’t.Not in the way it might have mattered to someone else. H

Alessia instinctively leaned back, but the edge of the dining table pressed into her spine. There was nowhere left to go. Cassian stood directly in front of her, cutting off every escape.“Cassian... please...” Her voice trembled.Before she could say another word, he lifted his hand slowly. His fingers wrapped around the front of her neck.She froze. A small gasp escaped her lips. He wasn’t choking her. His grip was firm, just enough to keep her exactly where he wanted her. His thumb rested against the side of her throat, feeling the frantic beat of her pulse.It was racing. He could feel every frightened heartbeat beneath his skin. Without a word, he tilted her chin upward.“Look at me.”His voice was quiet, but it carried the kind of authority that couldn’t be ignored. Alessia’s eyes filled with tears. Her shoulders trembled. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.His pale silver eyes held hers, steady and unreadable. There wasn’t a trace of pity in them. He leaned closer until