Semua Bab Her Mafia Stepbrother’s Obsession : Bab 51 - Bab 60

“I… I am sorry,” Alessia murmured, her voice barely audible as she quickly looked away from the bed. “I… I brought your lunch.”Cassian chuckled, the deep sound coming from his throat. He made no effort to cover his bare chest. “Put it down there.”She had no idea where “there” meant, so she kept her eyes on the floor and walked straight to the mahogany side table. She placed the silver tray on it, the cutlery rattling against the polished wood, then she turned and headed for the double doors.“Stop.” Cassian’s voice made her halt, but she didn’t turn around. She stood near the doorway with her hands curled into fists.“Leave,” he said. “Lock the door.”Alessia took a step, thinking he was speaking to her. “Not you, dolcezza.”She stopped. Behind her, the dark haired woman rose from the bed. Her silk dress made a soft sound as she walked past Alessia without saying a word.The woman stepped into the corridor, pulled the mahogany door shut, and turned the brass lock from the outside.A

The next day, Alessia did everything she could to stay out of Don Antonio’s way. She kept her distance from her mother and Bianca too, avoiding anything that might draw their attention to her.She couldn’t afford an argument or an unexpected chore to interfere with her plans. Tonight, she was leaving the estate.Still, as she went about her work, her thoughts kept returning to Cassian. She didn’t understand why her body reacted so strangely whenever he was near.He frightened her more than anyone in the house, yet she couldn’t forget his hands pulling her against him, his lips brushing against her ear, or the look in his pale silver eyes.She hated that those memories made her feel something she couldn’t explain. It was late afternoon when the sky turned a dull, bruised grey.Alessia was almost finished trimming the thick rosebushes in the side garden when the heavy iron gates screeched open.Three black SUVs rolled across the gravel driveway and stopped near the main entrance.Alessi

The cold bit through Alessia’s thin dress as she made her way toward the end of the perimeter. She kept close to the shadows, careful not to step into the reach of the floodlights. The damp ground was uneven beneath her bare feet, sending shivers through her body with every step. The night wind slipped through the thin cotton of her gown and chilled her skin. She pressed herself against the towering stone wall and kept her head down.The wide beams from the watchtowers swept across the grounds, forcing her to wait before moving again. She watched the lights, then hurried forward whenever the darkness covered her path. Every rustle in the woods made her glance over her shoulder.She kept going. The farther she got from the estate, the lighter she felt. After a few more minutes, she spotted a car near the old service road.A woman stood beside it, pacing along the driver’s side. “Aunt Rosa?”Rosa looked up. The worry on her face disappeared, replaced by a bright smile as she hurried

Alessia froze in terror. “What? You… you told Rocco?”The words barely left her mouth. All the color drained from her face, and her hands became damp against the Persian rug. She remembered Rocco’s fingers around her throat, squeezing until she could barely breathe. The memory made her stomach twist.If he knew she had tried to escape — if he knew she had run from the marriage he had forced on her — she knew he would make her pay for it.“I did.” Bianca straightened. “Madre didn’t punish you enough to my satisfaction, so I thought maybe Rocco would do a better job.”She calmly smoothed her silk blouse and glanced at her nails as though they were far more interesting than the girl sitting on the floor in front of her. There was a small smile on her lips.Alessia stared at her. To Bianca, this was a game. She had found out about Marta helping Alessia and had used it against her. Then she had made sure Aunt Rosa’s attempt to get her out of the estate failed too.“Why?” Alessia asked, he

The drive to the boutique dragged on for two hours. Alessia sat pressed up against the car door, desperate for as much space as possible from Rocco sitting beside her. He hadn’t said a word since she got in — not one — but his eyes never left her. She could feel him watching every anxious swallow, every twitch in her hands. Even the sound of his slow, deliberate puffs on a cigar seemed loud in the silence. Honestly, she would’ve preferred shouting. This quiet, smothering tension was worse than any threat he could make.Every mile away from the De Rossi estate felt like she was walking toward her own destruction. Rocco leaned back, legs crossed, mouth set in a hard line, just waiting. Alessia’s skin crawled he was biding his time until no one else was around.When they finally reached the boutique, Alessia barely had time to take in the building — a huge place of glass and dark marble, tucked behind security gates and as intimidating as any fortress. It belonged to someone mysteriou