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87. REAL MONSTERS
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2024-11-18 14:32:41Related chapters
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 88. FIRE UNDERNEATH
88. FIRE UNDERNEATH CAMILLA'S POVIt had just gone past six in the evening, and office lights at Draven LTD headquarters were still bright. I had gone off hours ago at C-Care and came to meet Dante. But Dante and I dropped deep into an unplanned brainstorming session. The new expansion plans for Draven were both thrilling and intense, and tonight, in this quiet after-hours calm, there was a rhythm 990. My cell phone buzzed, no doubt a reminder that the world was still spinning outside this room. I ignored it, choosing instead to focus on Dante."How about a launch event in March?" I suggested, tracing the plans across the table with my finger as a feeling of excitement rushed over me.Dante gave me a reflective glance, his eyes shining with that familiar intensity. "It's risky but bold. March it is."I couldn't help but smile at the triumph of it all-being here, working with him as partners feels surreal yet natural."I think this partnership suits us," I said, a thread of warmth lac
Last Updated : 2024-11-19SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 89: Double Dealing
ELLA'S POVIt wasn't really Tom's usual meeting place, but then tonight was different; the urgency was electric in the air and tingling my palms. I looked down at my phone glowing bright amongst the shadows and smirked. In three weeks' time Dante would regret the day he ever smiled in my direction, looked at me as though I did not exist, but focused on her instead, Camilla.First, I heard the echo of his footsteps draw near, and there he was: Tom, smooth as ever, stepped into the room with that glint in his eye-like a predator."Calling it close, aren't we?" he said to me, one eyebrow cocked, as he approached me."You gonna wanna hear this," I said, my voice low, words dripping with the kind of malice I knew he'd like. "It's bigger than the last info. Dante's got a whole lineup of imports coming in, and… they're not exactly legal, he's sneaking them in."A satisfied grin stretched across Tom's face. "Go on."I leaned forward, my excitement barely contained within my tone, and extended
Last Updated : 2024-11-19SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 90. BREAKING POINT
CAMILLA'S POVI stood at the window of the study room, watching as city lights blurred against the dark skyline, my mind calm, and precise. Tonight, Tom thought he finally outmaneuvered Dante, thought they'd caught him in a move that would bring Draven LTD to its knees. But I knew Tom better than he thought, knew exactly how he operates, thanks to my past life. His plan wasn't original, as he'd like to believe.It was en route and right on schedule, but this time it had a few subtle changes, and adjustments to make it look completely legitimate. The standard cargo with ironclad paperwork would be all the authorities could find, leaving Tom's tip hanging in the wind.A knock on the door pulled me from my reverie. "Come in," I called, and Dante stepped inside, his normal preppy, clean-cut but a little haggard, with tension tugging at the edges of his features."Camilla," he said, and there was a hint of relief tangling his voice. "It's almost midnight. What are you still doing here?""O
Last Updated : 2024-11-19SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 91: CRACKS IN ALLIANCE
ELLA'S POVI slammed my glass down, the echo slicing through the silence of my apartment. Red wine splashed onto my fingers, but I didn't bother wiping it off. All that lined my vision was Tom's face, his smug expression, as if he held the upper hand—as if I was the one failing. As if I was the problem.How dare he.My phone buzzed on the coffee table, lighting up Tom's name. A single word text: "Meet me. Now!"I rolled my eyes and took another gulp of wine, reaching for my coat, the cabernet tasted bitter like the failure. If Tom wanted to talk, he better come prepared. Because I wasn't letting him brush off his failures on me.I found him waiting in the shaded corner booth of his favorite club, fingers drumming impatiently on the table. The sound of my footsteps made his head snap up. Dark eyes locked onto mine with that far-too-familiar spark of control he seemed to think he had over everybody. But tonight, I wasn't here to play nice."Ella," he greeted without preamble, the tensio
Last Updated : 2024-11-20SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 92: FAMILY'S PEACE
Camilla's POVSoft light from the chandelier bathed the sitting room in a warmth that casts a gold sheen over plush furniture and polished hardwood floors. Jasper sat center of it all, his tiny fingers digging into the edge of the coffee table for balance as his eyes locked onto Dante and me with that determined glint I was starting to recognize as pure Draven spirit. My heart swelled as I looked at him-my beautiful boy.“Come on, Jasper," I cooed, holding my hands out to him. "You can do it, baby. Just one step."Dante knelt beside me and set his gaze in the middle of our son. "Just one, little man," he said softly, filled with excitement and warmth. "One step, and your mom and I will give you the biggest cheer of your life.”Jasper wobbled, holding onto the edge of the table with chubby hands and a fierce grasp that spoke volumes to someone who was determined not to fall. His great big grey eyes, mirrors of his father's, stared at us with such concentration and excitement. He wanted
Last Updated : 2024-11-20SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 93: TOXIC ENCOUNTERS
TOM'S POVIt had started as no more than a whispered unease, a faint haze across my sight that cleaned itself a second later, and I'd been sure I'd just imagined it. But as days slid by, that haze grew darker, creeping into my mind, weaving itself into my body like a parasite.I sat in my office, staring down at the contract I'd spent the last hour trying to read; words on the page blurring and swimming before me until they finally dissolved into nonsense. Frustration prickled along my spine, and I closed my eyes, pressing my fingers into my temples. "Mr Lockwood?" I jerked my head up, to find my assistant, standing in the doorway with a look of concern."What?" I growled, sharper than I meant to, but I didn't care. There was just something wrong, off-the-charts disturbingly wrong-and I wasn't in the mood for questions.She stepped back, her hand releasing the door as she took a second to recompose herself. "You asked for the quarterly reports by this afternoon. I wanted to check to
Last Updated : 2024-11-21SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 94: MIND GAMES.
TOM'S POV.I had been confined to a wheelchair for weeks, because of these symptoms. Whereas earlier I used to tower above all others because of my unbridled force, now I sat in this damned chair, legs useless weights, arms losing strength day by day. Irony indeed was bitter. People feared my dominance; now they pitied me. I hated it. Hated them.My fists knotted, my nails digging into my palms. The pain anchored me in the now. It wasn't some random event that had happened. My body hadn't betrayed me of its own volition. There'd been a puppet master yanking on strings, and I knew full well who was on the other side of them.That afternoon, My assistant wheeled me into my office, her soft footfalls barely audible over the dull roar in my head. Now she treated me as if I were glass, her voice perpetually soft, and guarded, as if some wrong word might shatter me."Anything else for you, Mr. Lockwood?" she asked, honey dripping with pity from her tone. She jerked at the blanket on my lap
Last Updated : 2024-11-22SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 95: UNPLEASANT WEDDING GUEST
CAMILLA'S POVBefore us was the stretched Italian countryside-endless rolling hills of vineyards bathed in shades of gold by the afternoon sun. If anything, the villa where the wedding was held wasn't less than magnificent, a true melting pot of old-world charm and modern-day elegance. Marble columns framed the entrance, while a string quartet floated its music across the open courtyard.I really should have been utterly mesmerized by the view, but Dante's tense attitude was impossible to overlook."Relax," I whispered, tugging at the hem of my silk dress as I leaned in toward him. "Why are you so tense over a wedding?"Dante's jaw clenched, his sharp features lit for a moment by a flash of annoyance. "This isn't just some random wedding.""What do you mean?" I pressed, my curiosity getting the better of me as far as letting him stew in silence went.He said nothing for a second or two, his dark eyes scouring the crowd ahead of us. "This is Rocco Cafaro's domain." he finally said; his
Last Updated : 2024-11-22
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SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 111: Silent Sorrow
Camilla's POVIt had become a prison of memories. Every day, the walls seemed to shut in tighter, heavier, bearing me down under the burden of my sorrow. Wherever I looked, there was Jasper: his toys scattered over the bedroom floor, his little shoes standing all in a line by the door as if he would burst through it at any moment, smiling; that bright smile that brightens the darkest of days.He never did, though.And this silence was unbearably loud.Dante hadn't said a word to me since that night in his study. Now he barely even acknowledged that I existed, bypassing me with an empty gaze, his features set into a permanent mask of stone-as if I wasn't there. Yet his pain was wrapped around him like a second skin; I knew mine did the same. But rather than pulling us together, the opposite seemed true, farther into our private hells.I had spent most of my time in Jasper's room; it was the only place I could still feel him, still pretend this nightmare hadn't swallowed us whole. I cou
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 110: HOPE IN ASSUMPTIONS
Camilla's POVI did not want to go into that study again. Not after the way he had left me in tatters last night. And yet my feet moved of their own accord, as if fueled by something deep inside of me I couldn't suppress. Desperation, maybe. Perhaps I just wanted him to say anything, anything, which would not cut me to the core.I didn't knock; I merely opened the door and stepped inside the darkened room. He stood by the window, his back to me, one hand clutched on the frame, the other wrapped around a glass of whiskey. His shoulders were tight, his posture unyielding. He didn't turn around."I told you to leave me alone," he said, his voice flat but threaded with exhaustion."I won't," I whispered, shaking. "We need to talk.""There's nothing to say." His voice went sharp though he didn't turn to me. "You've said enough."I swallowed hard and made myself keep going. "Dante, you can't shut me out like this all the time. We need each other, we are both suffering.”He whirled on his he
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 109: Desperate for Answers
Camilla's POVThat night was unbearably hot, and the silence seemed to cleave on, choking. I wasn't able to stay put in my room and started pacing. It seemed like the walls in my room were closing in on me, and the seconds dragged like an eternity.I just could not bear it. I had to talk with Dante.I slipped out into the dark hall, my fingers of one hand tightening on the edge of my robe, quietly and silently. I stood outside Dante's study, my heart pounding in my chest. The door was open, and the thin light spilled into the hall, so I took another big breath and went in.Slumped over his desk were papers everywhere: wrinkled shirt, sleeves rolled up the elbows, mussed long hair from running his hands through it. Anger tautened the leanness in his face; tension spoke silently of an emotion managed but little below the surface."Dante," I whispered as I entered.His head came up; eyes slitted. "What is it that you are doing here?”My throat was dry as I swallowed. "I can't stand the
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Chapter 108
DANTE'S POV.Standing right at the edge of the river, where my boots sank into damp earth, my fists had a whitened knuckle.Alex's voice cut through the steady rush of the water. "Dante, we have scoured the area. “Are you sure we are in the right place?"I nodded stiffly, gaze affixed on the water. "Yes, I'm sure. I am not leaving until we find something."Anthony wearily came up to me, worn out but set. "We've been here for hours. Maybe we should fall back, re-plan, and…”"No." My voice was colder than ice, and it cut the tension. "We keep searching."Anthony exchanged a glance with Alex, but neither of them dared do more. They knew better. This wasn't a democracy; this was an order.The necklace.It's a tracking device that, while planted inside Jasper's necklace months in advance for any incidents like this, which I'm so grateful for now, I would never have believed this could ever be a necessity if the tracker hadn't led me here. It is the only thread that I knew, and still now us
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 107: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US
Camilla’s POVMy hand pressed against the cool wood of Dante's office door, my heart slamming hard against my chest like it would burst free any second. It had been a week since the incident, a week since Dante had walked out of this very room, leaving me on the floor sobbing my heart out. He hadn't looked at me, hadn't said a word to me since."Dante…" I whispered, barely loud enough for even me to hear it. I dropped my hand, stepped back, and swallowed against the lump in my throat. He wouldn't open it. He never did.I listened every night to the heavy footsteps pacing in the study, the low of his voice speaking with Alex and Anthony over plans. Working tirelessly to find Jasper but never including me. This wasn't my mission.I'd tried to help with anything I could get my hands on, yet every time Dante would dismiss me with no more than a curt shake of his head or a cold glance.I'd become invisible in his eyes.And still, I refused to let go. Not with my son, not with him.I breath
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 106: Shattered Trust
Camilla’s POVThis was a battlefield of a room, where every second was elongated by oppressive silence that seemed to extend interminably. Dante stood tall and rigid, his eyes ablaze with that controlled anger so much more terrifying than when he yelled. His fists were knotted at his sides, every single one of his muscles straining against the explosion.I shook right there where I was standing; my heart went hard as a football in my chest, to the point it would explode any moment. I could hardly look into his eyes, but turning away felt worse because I'd be admitting defeat, which wasn't any better. Still, I attempted to say something."Dante, please-" No more than a whisper, my voice even cracked.He raised one hand, and I subsided wordlessly. His eyes narrowed to ice-cold, unforgiving slivers that cut without restraint. "Don't. Just… don't. Start explaining." His voice was dead-cold, flat, yet somehow more terrifying than a shout.I swallowed audibly, trying to stabilize myself. "I
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 105: INNOCENT MISTAKE
. CAMILLA’S POVAnger brewed in Dante's storm, it was beyond darkening skies. Of course, it was in his eyes, all afire, and also in his stance-broad shoulders tense, fists clenched at his sides, as though physically holding himself from an explosion. Every single nerve in my body seemed to burn with anticipation of the inevitable impact of his anger against the truth so about to be laid bare."Where were you when all this was happening?" Dante's voice was low and modulated, but the menace behind wasn't to be mistaken. His words rumbled into the room as he took a step closer to Anthony, who seemed stuck in place, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.Mumbling, Anthony's voice broke beneath the dead weight of Dante's glare. "I-I was-"Don't stutter!" Dante snapped, the edge of his voice slicing through the air. My body jerked at the sharpness of it. "Answer me!""I'm sorry, Boss. I didn't think-" Anthony cut himself off, face white as he realized how incriminating his words sounded.
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 104: A Nightmare
CAMILLA POVAnthony's voice still echoed in my head as I sprang from my office chair, my heart pounding hard enough to drown out anything else around me.“You need to come to the mansion now," he'd said, an urgency keening his voice that made me not wait for an explanation.I snatched up my keys and ran for my car, my mind racing with scenarios, each one worse than the last. Time crawled, though I was doing a hundred. The outside world blurred and I didn't focus on anything other than that growing knot of dread clutching my chest.I skidded into the mansion driveway, my hands shaking. This was the stuff of my worst nightmares.The front doors were open, their edges splintered. Blood smeared the white tiles of the entryway and the metallic scent of violence hung heavy in the air.“God, no,” I whimpered, My legs were jelly as I flung myself inside.In an instant, Anthony was by my side, all paled and anxious. His shirt was stained with blood. "Ma'am-What's going on?" I screamed, shaki
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 103: The Calm Before the Storm
Camilla's POVI stepped out onto the asphalt-heels clicking softly, scanning my surroundings at the dock: salty and oily smells overlaid one another, with metallic undernotes of danger. Dante's men moved industriously around me. Voices sharp, cut through the morning air as they worked ready shipment. Red drug-sized crates going onto unmarked trucks, all rather well-planned.Anthony stood beside me, crossing his arms as sharp eyes scanned the view. "All clear, ma'am," he said. "Nothing out of order."I nodded, my lips pressed tight, but the knot in my stomach wouldn't untie. "Keep watching. I don't trust this."Anthony turned to me, his face wary. "Ma'am, are you sure there is something to be concerned about? Mr. Draven has done this a hundred times. He knows how to handle things like this.""He doesn't know everything," I said under my breath, for my ears more than anything.Anthony merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing. He jerked his head toward a cluster of men standing off to t
