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17. What was real?
Last Updated:
2025-02-27 19:24:11
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MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 18. You set this up
Aelia’s POVThe world around me blurred.Wine dripped from my hair, soaking into my dress, but I hardly felt it. My ears were ringing, my heartbeat thundering in my chest as I stared at Jamie.He wasn’t speaking.He couldn’t speak.That silence, it was worse than if he had denied it.Because his silence was the truth.The woman beside him, the one who had humiliated me in front of him, straightened her shoulders, her lips arching in satisfaction. Then, she turned to Jamie.“Choose,” she said, her voice firm, expectant.I sucked in a shaky breath.Jamie’s mouth parted slightly, but no words came out.Seconds passed.And still, nothing.My entire body went cold.I had been waiting for him to say something, to explain, to deny, to fight for me.But he didn’t.And that was all the answer I needed.I took a step back, my heels clicking against the polished floor. The restaurant felt suffocating, the candlelight too warm, the walls too tight.I had to get out.So I ran.I pushed past the t
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Pedro’s POVThe drive home was silent.No music. No calls. Just the steady hum of the engine and the rain drumming against the windshield.I should have felt something…satisfaction, amusement, victory.I had done exactly what I intended. I had shattered her relationship. I had watched as she crumbled, as she ran out into the rain with nowhere to belong.This should have pleased me.But it didn’t.Instead, a hollow emptiness settled in my chest, heavy and unfamiliar.My fingers flexed against the wheel, a muscle in my jaw ticking as Aelia’s final words rang in my head.“No one ever chooses me!”The way she screamed it, the rawness in her voice, it wouldn’t leave me.I tightened my grip, irritation burning beneath my skin.I had always known my emotions. I controlled them and mastered them.But right now, I didn’t know what the hell I was feeling.And I hated it.I picked up my phone and dialed.“Derrick,” I said the moment he answered. “Come to the house. Bring me everything you have
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Aelia’s POVWhen I woke up, I didn’t move, I didn’t even blink. I just stared at the ceiling, watching the dull cracks in the paint, following them with my eyes as if tracing an escape route.My body felt heavy.As though I had been buried beneath the weight of something I couldn’t name.The dress sitting nicely on my stool stared at me in mock delight, much to my terror. It barely resembled what it once was. The ruby-red fabric was wrinkled and stained, the shimmer dull, like it had withered along with everything else.I had peeled off the diamond necklace Jamie gave me at some point. It now lay abandoned on my nightstand, catching the soft morning light which was the only thing in my room that still had life.I turned my head and caught sight of myself in the mirror across the room.I wished I hadn’t.My eyes were swollen, the skin beneath them bruised and dark. My lips were dry, my hair a tangled mess. I looked like someone who had spent the entire night breaking apart.And I had.
Last Updated : 2025-02-28MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 21. BEG
Aelia’s grip tightened around the envelope in her hands as she stepped into the towering glass building with a bold crest “Corale Prime” the biggest conglomerate in the continent. She didn’t hesitate and wouldn’t hesitate tonight.She had spent the entire day ensuring every last trace of Pedro Montonio’s gifts was erased from her life. A broker had liquidated the designer clothes, the extravagant jewelry, the limited-edition shoes, every damn thing, much to Darla’s dismay.Now, the money was in her hands, wrapped in a crisp white envelope.And tonight, she would end this.She walked up to the front desk with her heart pounding but her resolve firm.“I’m here to see Mr. Montonio,” she said, standing tall.The receptionist, a woman in her mid-thirties with sharp eyes that barely glanced at her.“Do you have an appointment?”“No, but—”“Then I’m afraid Mr. Montonio is unavailable.”Aelia clenched her jaw. “I just need five minutes.”The woman’s stare was cold. “No appointment, no meetin
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The silence in Pedro’s office was suffocating.Aelia stood frozen, her pulse pounding so violently she could hear it in her ears. He owned the orphanage.Her last refuge. The only place that had ever felt like home.Pedro Montonio had taken that, too.Her throat felt tight, her pride crumbling as the weight of what she had to do pressed against her chest.She hated him. Hated him to her core!But for the children, for Penelope…She swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “Please… don’t do this.”Pedro watched her carefully, his blue eyes glistening. He leaned back against his desk, arms crossing over his chest as he tilted his head.“I’m a reasonable man, Aelia.” His voice was smooth, controlled. “If you want me to leave the orphanage untouched, I need something in return.”Dread curled inside her. “What do you want?”Pedro’s lips quirked at the corner. “Work for me.”Aelia stiffened.“No.”His gaze didn’t waver. “Then the orphanage goes.”Aelia’s stomach plummeted.He wouldn’t.Would
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Valeria brushed her gaze passed the delicate clink of porcelain which filled the lavishly decorated tea room, where golden sunlight streamed through sheer curtains, casting soft glows over the polished mahogany table.She sat elegantly, her posture perfect, her manicured fingers swirling a silver spoon inside an ivory teacup. Across from her, Camilla Moretti, her mother, studied her with the same calculating sharpness she had wielded all her life.Between them, an array of herbs and spices lay in glass jars, their scents mingling in the air. Lavender, rose, bergamot, star anise, saffron.A delicate, timeless ritual. Tea-tasting.The act itself was a deception, an appearance of leisure, of harmless indulgence.But nothing about Camilla Moretti was harmless.“Your hand is unsteady,” Camilla observed, her voice smooth but piercing as she watched Valeria stir her tea. “Your mind is troubled.”Valeria stilled, her grip tightening around the spoon. Her mother never missed a thing.She force
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Aelia’s POVThe scent of antiseptic clung to the air. The soft beep of the heart monitor filled the silence, an annoying reminder that my body had betrayed me.I lay stiffly in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, ignoring the man sitting beside me.Pedro hadn’t left since I woke up.Not even once.And he was making himself useful in the most infuriating ways possible.The cool press of a damp towel met my forehead.I flinched.“Stop that,” I snapped, swatting his hand away.Pedro ignored me, dipping the towel back into the bowl of water before wringing it out. His sleeves were rolled up, his broad hands moving with precision.“You’re burning up,” he murmured, placing it back on my forehead with careful fingers.I nearly growled. “I don’t want your help.”“Yet, here you are. Needing it.”My fingers curled into the sheets, my pulse spiking for all the wrong reasons.Pedro Montonio, the same man who had blackmailed me, taunted me, and cornered me against a wall just hours ago was n
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Aelia’s POVPedro Montonio owed me an explanation.That thought had consumed me all night, turning over and over in my mind like a storm I couldn’t escape.And now, standing in front of the glossy black doors of his office, clutching the strap of my bag so tightly my knuckles turned white, I was about to get one.No more games. No more silent power plays.I slammed the door open without knocking.Pedro sat behind his desk, the golden light of the setting sun spilling through the high-rise windows, casting a glow on his crisp white shirt and loosened tie.He didn’t look surprised.His gaze lazily lifted to mine, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden desk.I shut the door behind me, forcing my heartbeat to settle.“You paid for Penelope’s surgery.”Pedro’s expression remained blank. “And?”And?My hands curled into fists.“You didn’t tell me. You didn’t ask for anything in return. Why?”A slow, almost amused smirk touched his lips.“Would you have accepted it if I did?”No
Last Updated : 2025-02-28
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MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 95. Getting rid of Aelia
The blue and red lights of police cars painted the hospital walls in frantic pulses. Officers moved in clusters, speaking in clipped tones into radios, while reporters hovered just beyond the line of sight, hungry for the next tragedy to feed on.Darcy pushed through them all, heart in her throat, hair clinging to her cheeks from the wind. Her shoes slapped hard against the concrete, breath ragged as her eyes scanned for a familiar face. Then she saw Pedro, standing like a wall of stone by the hospital entrance, surrounded by his men.Without thinking, she lunged.“You bastard!” she screamed, her fists slamming against his chest. “How could you let this happen?! How could you lose her?!”Pedro barely flinched. His eyes were dead and distant.Adrian appeared out of nowhere and caught Darcy from behind, dragging her back just enough to stop her flailing.“Darcy,” he whispered tightly, trying to calm her, but she kept fighting him.“She’s missing because of you!” Darcy’s voice cracked. “
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 94. Beg for death
Pedro stood motionless, his hands tucked behind his back as he stared at Valeria like she was a puzzle missing only one piece, one very damning piece!His sharp eyes slid from her face to the bag in her hands, then back up again.“I’ll ask only once,” his voice was calm, but laced with steel, “why the hell are you here?”Valeria held her chin high, calm on the outside, but her knuckles turned white as she gripped the handle of the tote bag. “I brought you some essentials. You haven’t been home in weeks. Thought you could use food, clothes. Maybe a razor.”She extended the bag slightly in his direction like evidence, but Pedro didn’t move.“Convenient,” he murmured. “The one day you visit the hospital, she disappears.”Valeria’s jaw tightened. “Are you accusing me?”Pedro didn’t answer. He stepped in closer. Too close. His breath mingled with hers, his voice dipped into a dangerous whisper. “You think I’m stupid?”“I didn’t even go near her room,” she said defensively, expression smoo
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 93. Wakey wakey
One Hour EarlierIt was warm here, too warm.Aelia stood barefoot in a sun-drenched field, the sky a rich shade of rose gold, the air thick with the scent of lavender and memories. The children from the orphanage were playing in the distance, their laughter soft and echoing, like it came from behind a veil. And beside her, Daisy stood. Whole. Smiling.“You could stay,” Daisy said, her voice feather-light, as if it didn’t belong to a body at all. “You and I… we could watch over them together.”Her fingers were laced with Aelia’s, the grip gentle but firm. Aelia looked down at their joined hands, felt the warmth, the strange comfort of it all.But something tugged.Not her hand, but her soul.“I can’t,” Aelia murmured, her voice uncertain, hollow. “I promised Penelope. I can’t leave her… I can’t leave them.”Daisy’s smile didn’t fade. “Then go,” she said softly. “I’ll take care of things here. You still have something to finish.”Aelia hesitated, but nodded and just like that, the golde
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 92. Someone took her
Pedro hadn’t slept.He sat in the dim hospital room, his elbows propped on his knees, shoulders weighed down by exhaustion and a torment he refused to name. His phone was in his hand, the screen glowing faintly as he scrolled through the collection of photos and videos his shadows had gathered, moments he hadn’t been a part of, moments when Aelia had smiled without knowing he was watching.Aelia sipping coffee by the window of the villa, her eyes reflecting sunlight.Aelia pacing while on the phone, probably with Darcy, her brows furrowed.Aelia sitting on the beach, hugging her knees, completely unaware of the drone that captured her.He hated himself for them now. Hated that he’d needed control so desperately, he resorted to surveillance. And yet he couldn’t stop watching her. Because she wasn’t smiling anymore. She wasn’t pacing or sitting or drinking coffee.She was motionless, and he was losing his mind.A quiet knock on the door pulled him back. A nurse stepped in politely, sa
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 91. She’s mine now
Darcy sat on the edge of the bathroom counter, hissing softly as Adrian dabbed disinfectant on the cut across her forearm. Blood had already been cleaned off, but the skin was torn and angry, a painful reminder of Sola’s outburst.“You’d think I got slashed in a knife fight,” she muttered, wincing. “Didn’t know betrayal came in crystal form.”Adrian didn’t laugh. His brows were furrowed, jaw tight. He’d been quiet ever since Sola left, and that silence was beginning to hum with tension.“I’m fine, you know,” Darcy added, watching him through the mirror. “I’ve taken worse.”“That’s not the point.”Adrian’s voice was low, sharp. He met her eyes through the reflection, and she saw it the, the fury still simmering behind his calm exterior.“She could’ve hit your face. Or your head.”“But she didn’t.”“I should’ve thrown her out the second she showed up.” His voice cracked with restraint, like he was still trying to rein it in. “I knew she was spiraling.”Darcy tilted her head, still watch
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 90. One-sided love
Adrian hadn’t slept.Not really, anyway. The past month had been a cycle of long nights and longer days, of watching Pedro lose his mind by inches and keeping the pieces of their crumbling world from collapsing entirely.But tonight, for once, the storm had settled.At least, it seemed that way.Darcy was sitting across from him in his apartment, barefoot, legs tucked beneath her, a half-empty glass of whiskey dangling from her fingers. She had been talking about something, Aelia, Pedro, maybe the last time she had gotten a decent night’s sleep but her words had faded into the background, a low hum against the quiet crackle of the fireplace.Adrian wasn’t listening. Not because he didn’t care. But because he was too busy watching her.She was tired. She would never admit it, but he could see it in the slight droop of her shoulders, the way her usual sharp edges had softened just enough to let him see the exhaustion beneath.“You’re staring.”Adrian smirked. “I was admiring.”Darcy sno
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 89. Hope
One Month LaterThe world outside carried on as if nothing had changed. Stocks rose and fell, wars were waged in boardrooms and back alleys, and people continued to wake up, go about their lives, and go to sleep.But Pedro’s world hadn’t moved in a month.Aelia was still unconscious.She lay in that same pristine hospital bed, her body too still, her face far too pale. The machines surrounding her had become a familiar sight, the beeping of her heart monitor a sound Pedro had memorized. He hated it. That thin, fragile line on the screen was the only sign she was still here, yet it was never enough. It mocked him.Every day was the same. He’d sit by her bedside, watching, waiting, barely speaking. Some nights, he’d stay so late that Derrick had to pull him away, reminding him he still had an empire to run. Some mornings, he’d wake up with his head resting beside her arm, exhaustion having stolen away his consciousness for only a few fleeting hours.And then there were the days like tod
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 88. Her boyfriend
Louisa’s words haunted him.“I have a boyfriend now.”She’d said it so easily, so carelessly, as if it didn’t mean anything, as if he didn’t mean anything. But Derrick knew better. He felt better. That night they spent together wasn’t just lust, wasn’t just two people falling into old habits.It meant something.He saw it in the way her fingers trembled when she touched him, the way her breath hitched when he whispered her name.And now she was telling him she’d moved on? That she was settling down?Bullshit.But it wasn’t until later that day, when he saw it with his own eyes, that the words really started to sink in.He hadn’t been looking for her. Not intentionally, at least. But as he stepped out of the hospital, irritation already simmering beneath his skin, he caught a glimpse of her.Louisa.Standing by a sleek black car, dressed sharply in one of her tailored outfits that hugged her body just enough to be professional but tempting.And she wasn’t alone.A man, tall, broad-shou
MAFIA’S PET: Beg, or worse, Break 87. She didn’t break
Darcy Never Liked Hospitals.They smelled like loneliness and disinfectant, like whispered prayers and silent cries. They were places of endings and beginnings, of cold white lights and walls that had absorbed too many last goodbyes.But she was here.Standing beside Aelia’s bed, her fingers curled tightly around the metal railing as if her grip alone could anchor her friend to this world.Aelia looked small against the stark white sheets, too pale, too still. The rhythmic beeping of the machines monitoring her vitals felt both comforting and unbearable, a cruel reminder that she was alive but not awake.Darcy’s throat tightened as she studied the bruises peeking out from beneath the hospital gown, the quiet evidence of the violence Aelia had endured. It was wrong. Aelia had always been the strong one, fierce and stubborn, the kind of person who could stare down danger without flinching.Now, she looked defenseless.“She looks better than yesterday,” a voice murmured from behind her.
