Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ruined by The Mafia Heir : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

AREŚThe rooftop is crowded with expensive suits, cigars and quiet conversations. Waiters move between guests carrying trays of champagne and whisky, while politicians, businessmen and men with far more influence than they should have stand around pretending this is nothing more than another social event.Beyond the terrace, Sicily stretches out beneath the fading evening light, rooftops and hills disappearing into the distance.I lean against the cool marble ledge, half-listening to a nervous councilman droning on about import tariffs. I lift my scotch, peat-smoke amber in the glass, and swallow, tasting nothing but polished veneer.Dante lingers at my elbow, eyes like refined obsidian, silent as a sentinel. My patience frays at every manufactured smile, every congratulatory clap on the back.I’m a master of this masquerade, always have been, but tonight, I’d trade it all just to vanish.To my left, Bianca’s laughter p

JORDYN “If I see you anywhere near Eden again, I won't just sit quietly or pull you out. I'll burn the whole fucking place to the ground.”You want to know what I learned tonight?It would bode well for anyone with an ounce of common sense to listen when Areś Russo speaks.Because apparently, the man doesn't make empty threats.And unfortunately for me, I have a terrible habit of learning these things the hard way.Tonight, I dress differently. Not because Rocco told me to. He didn’t say a single word about what I should wear. I do it because, after everything that’s happened lately, I need to feel like I’m in control of something.My clothes. My body. The way people look at me.Who gets to touch me?Those choices are

JORDYNOh God, Areś.His voice cuts through the silence, stripped of every trace of warmth.Nicolai’s head snaps towards the voice, and mine follows a second later.I blink hard.For one ridiculous second, I think I’ve imagined him. Like my mind has somehow dragged Areś out of nowhere just because I need him here.But no.He’s really standing there.Areś stands at the entrance of the VIP lounge like he’s stepped straight out of a nightmare designed just for men like Nico. Dressed in all black, shadow clinging to every sharp line of his frame. Right now, he’s more storm than man.His eyes, for once, aren’t on me.They’re locked on Nico. Like a predator who’s just caught the scent of his prey.Nico’s fingers loosen and fall from my chin slowly, like he’s

AREŚ“Go home, Jordyn,” “No,” she refutes, shaking her head, her tone softening as she whispers, “I'm trying to apologise.”“I don’t want an apology.” I wipe a streak of dried blood off the back of my hand. “I wanted you to use some common sense. Don’t do reckless shit, and you won’t have to apologise for it.”Her jaw tightens. “I didn't think— " “Was it worth it?” I cut in, stepping away from the bar. “Walking into that lounge looking like that, pouring drinks for one of the worst bastards in Sicily for a couple of thousand euro?” I stop a few feet from her. “Do you have any clue who Nico Moretti actually is?”She flinches,

AREŚ"Is that what I am?" she asks softly. "Something you care about?"I don't answer. I don't need to. She can read it in the silence—in the way I'm holding myself still, the breath I'm not quite taking.Her hand finds its way back to my chest again, her palm flat over my heart like she can feel the storm there and is trying to calm it with her touch alone.I’m not sure if she knows she’s touching me or if it’s just instinct. Either way, it's making me crazy.Her other hand slowly rises to my jaw, fingertips brushing the edge of my beard, and I go still. I draw in a slow breath, trying to steady myself, but it doesn't work. My hands twitch at my sides, fingers curling and uncurling with the effort of not reaching for her—of not anchoring her to me, claiming her as mine in every way that matters.There's no hesitation, no uncertainty as she inches closer. Her chest finds mine, and suddenly there's no space left between us, only the thin barrier of our clothes and the electricity that