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The Wait
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Conversation
*The Same day**CAMILLA’S P.O.V.*"What is Tom doing here now?" I growled, as my heartbeat thumped at my ribcage. Obviously, one wouldn't have the faintest idea what this uneasy conversation might be. Tom just wouldn't pop up like that for nothing, and that wasn't good.My father, John, stood from the table, leaving me with just a glance as he went out to greet his visitor. Something just didn't click in my mind. I couldn't let it be so until I knew what they had cooked up. I had to know."I'll be right back, Camilla," my father said with a smile that never reached his eyes. "Mr. Lockwood and I have business to discuss.""Oh, of course, Daddy," I replied sweetly, forcing my lips upwards in a lie.The moment he was out of sight, my mask finally cracked. I leaned over Jasper's crib and pressed my lips to the softness of his forehead. "Stay here, my love," I whispered, laying him back gently as he settled into a quiet sleep.I crept away toward the hall, every step in a way heavier, clo
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Arrangement
*CAMILLA'S POV.*“Look at you, sweet boy," I cooed and spooned another bit of baby milk into Jasper's mouth. Tiny fingers wrapped around the spoon as he made an enthusiastic little noise, his mouth stretching wide in a grin. "You're eating so good today! My big, strong boy."The quirk of his lips set a smile across mine, though my mind was thick with thoughts. Pulling him close against my chest, I planted a kiss on his chubby cheek. "We're going to be just fine," I whispered, though the moment the words left my lips, I knew what was to come would settle upon me like a weight.My father hadn't said anything yet. He thought I didn't know, but I knew all the same. I'd overheard him speaking with Mr. Lockwood weeks in advance. Arranged marriage. Tom Lockwood. Business alliance. The words struck a chill in my blood, dropping me back into the life I thought I'd left behind.I'd be there to do Father's bidding, no more than a chess piece in his big game plan.Not this time. This time I had
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Envelope
*DANTE’S POV*I stood at the office window, staring out into the teeming city below me. My mind, however, was miles away. It appeared to me in the form of Camilla, her words, the DNA test, all hanging over my head like a cloud that refused to go away. Two weeks had passed since I had mailed those hair samples to get the test. Long, agonizing weeks in which patience was something with which I had no choice.I had just reached for my coat, ready to call it a day and head home, when the creaking sound cut into my musings."Boss," Alex said, coming into the room with a brown envelope in his hand, while his face was a mask of unreadability.I turned slowly, knowing full well what he had in his hand. It felt heavier than it should like my whole future was weightily enclosed inside."Is that it?" I asked in a low voice.Alex nodded, reaching inside his jacket and laying the envelope on my desk. "The report from the hospital. The DNA test results."I stared at it a second, my stomach beginnin
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Dinner Date
CAMILLA'S POV.A somber, high-class restaurant smells of exclusiveness. Each step I took felt like more and more weight being pressed down on me, as if with each step further inside, the more the weight of my past life weighed me down. There was complete silence, eerily so; tables devoid of any guests to speak of, save for one man sitting at a table right in the middle.Tom Lockwood.Of course, my father had it arranged so the whole place was empty. He was always planning things well: never any distractions, not even the opportunity for an escape. But I wasn't here to try and resist. At least, not outwardly.Tom's gaze rose from his phone as I approached; his dark eyes locking with mine. Then, a smirk played on his lips after that, smooth, cold, rehearsed as I remembered. Standing up, his towering frame seemed to ooze confidence. The buttoning of the suit jacket still chanted superiority. Every move shrieked control."Camilla," he greeted me in a smooth, emphatic, rehearsed tone. "Yo
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Relief
CAMILLA'S POV.Dante's message still swam in my head the following morning, as I was feeding Jasper. The mere thought of seeing Dante again tied my stomach up in knots. And as I sat there with Jasper's small fists wrapped around my fingers as he suckled, I couldn't help but turn my mind to what this might mean for us, what he was going to say.I laid Jasper down to nap, my mind already running. Dante wanted to meet me at a café across town. I knew what it was going to be about and I'd prepared myself as much as I could, but even as I locked the door behind me my chest was tightening into a nervous vice.I was late. I rounded the bend, and there Dante was, already seated at a window table, commanding attention when he wasn't even trying. Casually attired in a black leather jacket, his angular jawline tensed as he checked his phone for the time. He looked no different than he ever had, except that I felt like I was seeing something new tonight: a gravity in his eyes. At least I hadn't
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Family Meeting
*CAMILLA'S POV.*I stood in front of the mirror. My reflection stared back at me. I no longer recognized that woman in the glass, so far from who I used to be. The modest dress, soft curls framing my face, an innocent smile; all this was a costume. But necessary. I needed to play that part tonight. And that meant being a compliant little girl in front of Tom and his family, perhaps even more so in front of my own father."Cam, we have to go," my father yelled from the hallway.I took a deep breath, ready for what was inevitable. Tonight wasn't just a dinner, but a performance, and I should darn well make sure I played my part to perfection.I went down the stairs, and he looked back with that cold look of his. But he said nothing, and that expectation hung between us there, an unseen anchor. I followed him wordlessly out to the car, my heart racing at the thought of having to face Tom, my stomach somersaulting with every thought of him.The ride to the Lockwood mansion was dead silent
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Betrayed
CAMILLA'S POVIt was exactly how it felt: garish, ice-cold, and full of pomposity. Tom had his arm over me, some sort of prized possession he just had to show the world. I glued a fake smile on my lips as we went into the ballroom and the moment heads turned. Every inch of that room screamed money and power, something Tom desired most yet was the only thing I abhorred."Remember," he whispered into my ear, his fingers digging into my waist, "speak only when spoken to. We would not want you saying something foolish."I nodded, trying to let the expression on my face be meek. Inside, a war was going on, with the clutch that felt controlling, and the way he told me to do this and that, it was all so intolerable. All the same, I knew I needed to play along, for the time being at least.In a flash, Tom's colleagues came towards us, a Murmuration of pinstriped men hooting with laughter at jokes that weren't funny. Lapping this up, lapping up praise and adoration."And this must be your love
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Planning
CAMILLA'S POVIt was as if, with every passing day, the ringing of time in my head showed me how the time was running out, and Dante's betrayal also got me broken, but I would not let it get to me. I had to get Jasper and myself out before the wedding or else I'd never be able to if I didn't take any action. The wedding which loomed over my head tightened the noose that strangled any glimmer of happiness. There was only one thing Tom and my father didn't know; they didn't know that I had an exit, and I was going to take it.It all started right when he gave me that unlimited business card when he was still playing a sweet father. Quite vividly, I recall that it instructed me to purchase whatever I needed for both me and Jasper. But the moment that card came into my hands, deep somewhere inside, I knew it was more than buying dresses and expensive stuff, it was my life support.I had sworn that when I came into profit, it would be for myself alone and not for the delight of Father and
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SAVING 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
SAVING 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
SAVING 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
SAVING 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
SAVING 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
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
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 87. REAL MONSTERS
TOM'S POV.The rain was reduced to a light drizzle by the time Ella slipped into the passenger seat of my car, as poised and polished as ever. She said nothing immediately, just buckled her seatbelt and waited, like she was used to men taking the lead.I coughed into my hand and threw a sideways glance at her. "Are you always this silent?"Trace of a smirk playing on her lips, wordless dare. "You were the one who called me, Tom. So tell me-what's on your mind?”The most flickering light of amusement was standing in her eyes, but I was buying none. Ella was clever, dangerously so, and I knew she would never walk into a room or even a car without having something of a scheme already in motion; that's just the reason I knew I should know what she was really aiming for.I leaned back, my tone casual, but pointed. "I'm just curious. You say you're loyal to Dante, yet here you are scheming behind his back. Why?"She laughed softly, but devoid of even a hint of mirth in it. "Loyalty? Tom, yo
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 86: Alliance of Convenience
Ella's POVI had waited until almost everyone was gone, slipping through the side door and out into the parking lot, where the shades stretched long and dark. My heels clicked as I moved, scanning the rows of luxury cars until I spotted him. Tom was leaning against his car, phone in hand—an unreadable expression on his face. He looked like a man deep in thought—or maybe just plotting his next move.‘Great,’ I thought; that made two of us."Mr Lockwood," I called out, my voice slicing through the stillness. He didn't turn right away, but I caught the clench of his hand around his phone before he jammed it into his pocket. He turned finally, eyes slitted with suspicion. He regarded me warily and weightedly."Ella Stonefield," he growled low and rough enough without bothering to conceal his annoyance. "What brings you out here?"I walked towards him in measured steps, keeping my smile calm and casual. "I thought it was about time we had a talk," I told him, letting my gaze drift over him
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS The Welcome Party
Camilla's POVThe chandeliers of the ballroom sparkled like stars, soft and warm, spilling their gentle glow onto the faces of our guests. Dante had spared no expense for this welcome party; a celebration, he said, of my new official role as CEO of C-Care Cosmetics to make up for the one that was ruined by John's schemes. I could feel the admiration in the eyes around me, a mixture of respect and surprise.I clung to Dante as if his presence was the only steady point in a churning sea of faces and voices. But as the evening lengthened and my new position gained its slow weight on my shoulders, with it came—a thrill, some sort of fierce pride. It wasn't about the title; it was about my story, my strength.But just like that, when all appeared to be perfect with the world, a shadow fell across the party. I felt Dante's tension beside me, the slight clench of his jaw, and turned to where he was looking.Tom Lockwood.The room seemed to have grown several degrees colder the instant he ste
