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Unwelcome Rivalry
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Strength in Numbers
ELLA'S POV.The last of the allies had sat, and my stomach twisted as Dante stood to speak. Mesmerized, I watched him work the room without ever raising a finger. That strength, that confidence, was one of many reasons I'd hustled so hard to stay near him, build something with him. And now, this maid, this nobody, stood beside him, trying to play like a part of our world.I forced a smile, but he launched into a speech about the big of a threat Rocco was and how united we had to be against him. But my eyes kept darting back to Camilla. There she sat, just so composed, just so smug. It really grated on my nerves. How could Dante even think of marrying her? Years of being with him through thick and thin, and she, who came no more than a maid, was to take over now?Dante grumbled in the room. "Rocco will keep on undermining our business if we are not united. Your presence provides us with the surety of the strength needed to face him."I scanned the table. The allies seemed noncommittal.
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Tying the Knots
DANTE'S POV.Today was the day Luca got discharged, and though his road to complete recovery was slow, he was getting there. He held himself tall, but the weight of the last couple of weeks hung in his eyes. I helped him into the car while Camilla climbed into the car from the other side“You're ready for this?" I asked her once we were in the car headed to court.She nodded, eyes steady yet, far away. "As ready as I'll ever be."Luca chuckled lightly from the backseat. "Marriage isn't that frightening according to how you two are making it seem. You'll get used to it soon enough.”I forced a smile. He had no idea. This wasn't a marriage, not in the sense he thought it was. It was just a means of benefit for the both of us. But he doesn't need to know all that. Today was about sealing our public image. Was about securing the Draven name.We trodded our way back to the courthouse, and as we emerged into it, I felt Camilla falter just a bit. I leaned into her and whispered low, so only
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Brewing Storm
Ella's POVI stood at the edge of the room, champagne flute in hand, staring at them. Dante and Camilla. The perfect picture everybody was abuzz about. It was almost impossible not to look at them, she snuggled in closer to him, her eyes gleaming as she whispered something in his ear. He smiled and a wave of anger boiled up inside me.How does this happen? How can he choose her over me?Camilla caught my gaze across the room, and to my utter disgust, she smiled, a knowing taunting smile, as though she knew the anger moving through my veins. And to rub salt into the wound, she waved, a small condescending wave that had my hands tightening around the glass until my knuckles went white.I stood there, silently seething, as Dante wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her close as they turned to greet yet another guest. She leaned into him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. And the worst part? Dante didn't even flinch. He allowed i
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Unfinished Business
Tom's POVThe cigar in my hand burned steadily, curling up wisps of smoke in front of my face as the anger inside me simmered. I stared out at the sprawling skyline outside the window of my father's office, thinking of one thing and one thing only—Camilla Walker. Or rather, Camilla Draven now?Married. She actually had the bloody nerve to get married. After everything, after jilting me, after leaving me at the altar like some kind of fool. And now, she had the audacity to think she could get away with this. My hand tightened on the cigar until I snapped it in half. A fitting symbol of what I wanted to do with her entire life."Calm down, Tom," my father rumbled from behind me. He was standing beside John Walker, Camilla's pathetic excuse for a father, who looked every bit as shocked as I'd been when our spy had brought us the news: Camilla's child was Dante Dravens’ son."Calm down?" I snarled, flashing them both a glare. "How in the bloody hell do you want me to stay calm after find
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS A New Ally
Camilla's POVI walked absent-mindedly amidst the jostling sea of people in the mall. Jasper's stroller moved along beside me, well-balanced with hardly any resistance at all.After the wedding event. There was this nagging belief that wouldn't leave my head that something was building, some kind of omen that at any instance would be threatening to tear my life into shreds.When I entered the boutique, I remember the clicking sound of my heels on that shiny floor echoing in my head. It was thick with clothes racks alive with new fabric scents entwined into a faint smell of expensive perfume. My mind needed something to get it off, so I moved toward the dress that caught my eye.But as I swung round, my foot fell on the foot of somebody behind. The loud grunt was followed by a firm grip on my arm before an apology could leave my lips."Watch it, lady!" a man snarled in his voice. I looked up to see a tall burly man glaring down at me, his face twisted in annoyance."I'm so sorry, didn'
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Blast from the past
Camilla's POV"You're really saying I should try the lavender macarons?" I raised an eyebrow at Kate as she settled us into our corner table, in one highly active pastry shop. The place hummed with activity, thick with scents of warm pastry and rich coffee. I wrapped my fingers around my steaming cup, the warmth curling around my hands like a soft blanket."Definitely! You will love them, I promise!" Kate beamed with sparkling eyes."Alright, alright, I'll try. You owe me if they taste like soap.""Deal!" She leaned back in her seat to survey the rainbow of baked goods behind the glass case. "What else are you in the mood for?""Honestly? Just good company and maybe a couple of those amazing pistachio pastries." I grinned and took a look around the busy shop for what felt like the first time in weeks, letting myself relax. It sounded normal, the chatter of friends catching up, the laughter coming from groups of people, clinking plates and cups, everything was so soothing.Then I saw a
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Fighting Fate
CAMILLA'S POV. Annie's head shook, stepping back with a defensive posture "You don't know me. You have no right to-""I do know you! I know what you did for me once. You've helped me, you don't remember me, but I do. You're a good person, Annie! You deserve to live! You have to leave this shop right now, it's not safe for you here.” Annie's mouth had opened to retort, her eyes rounding even further with puzzlement. A flash of fear crossed her face, "You're not making any sense at all."“I know it sounds crazy,” I said, and my eyes tried to plead with her, "you'll regret it if you don't listen. Something bad is going to happen here, and you might get hurt. Please, just get out while you still can.”"Camilla," Kate's voice cut through again, insistent. "Drop it, This is insane.""No!" I returned, my head jerking back and forth between Kate and Annie. "Not yet! Not until she understands."I turned back to Annie, more desperate this time. "Annie, please, you've got to believe me. You
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Waiting room
Dante's POVMy mind was gone with that phone call. I could barely make out the words; gunshots, Camilla, hospital. The rest was a total blur. My brain wouldn't hold one thought of her lying somewhere bleeding and injured. No, that wasn't Camilla. She was hard, untouchable, that's how I had been lying to myself. But now, the image of her lying in the hospital bed, fighting for her life flooded my head as I drove to the hospital. I burst through the entrance of the hospital and felt my heart beating to the rhythm of a drum in my chest. The fluorescent lights above did little for the unease running wild in my veins. A nurse at the front desk looked up in alarm as I approached."Camilla Draven. Where is she?" I spoke in a sharp tone, barely containing the desperation and urgency in me.The nurse's eyes opened in an instant, and her fingers flew upon the keyboard in that same instant. "She was brought in a while ago. She's in surgery right now, sir. You'll have to wait in the…”“Where is
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SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 99: A Proposal of Peace
DANTE'S POVThe door softly shut behind us, nestling us into the silence of the hotel room. There was still friction from tonight hanging in the air, but at least some of the weight was off my shoulders at any rate. It was huge, and Rocco agreeing to go to Chicago was just a major first hurdle of many different obstacles going forward. Twenty years of hate and all the reasons that it had created were never going to get solved overnight.Camilla stood at the window, staring out at the Italian city below, where the lights sparked on like diamonds in a polished velvet case. That soft glow came alive in her silhouette, and for a moment, I simply looked at her. There was something about Camilla where convoluted situations seemed doable.She muttered to herself, in the otherwise silent room: "I just can't believe it. Rocco actually agreed to meet your father. It is not real."I crossed the room, leaning against the edge of the bed and folding my arms as I watched her. "Wouldn't have happene
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 98: Vengeance in the Shadows
CAMILLA'S POVI heard the sharp shatter of glass as the room froze in place; it was as if the air formed into ice. My pulse thundered in my chest as instinctively, I pulled Annie's arm back from this stumbling man and his predicted random movements. He sneered, his frame unsteadily swaying, but a dangerous mixture of arrogance and intoxication gleamed in his eyes.The scrape of a chair leg across the floor cut through the silence before I could get another word out. I whirled to see Dante storming toward us, an expression blacker than I'd ever seen on his face. Every step he took was deliberate, as if some sort of predator closing in on his prey."Dante…" I started, but the words died in my throat.In an instant, he was beside us, his towering figure completely blocking me from the man's line of vision. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Dante said in a low, controlled voice full of threat.The man was either utterly unaware of the serious peril he found himself in or simply
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 97: FRIENDSHIP AND ALLIANCE
CAMILLA'S POVThe bar was in twilight, heavy with the smell of ages of whiskey and cigar smoke. The low murmurs of conversations and clinking glasses alike seemed to fade into the background, my attention was on Dante and Rocco - they sat at a corner table, but a single lamp cast sharp shadows across their faces. The tension between them was palpable from my seat: Dante hunched forward, his knuckles grazing the table; Rocco leaned back, his face impassive, save for the gleam of ice in his eyes.I sipped my wine slowly, the coolness of the glass a balm against the palm of my hand, but doing little to settle the queasy twist of my belly. Next to me, Annie seemed placid, but I noticed how her fingers gripped the stem of her glass just that little bit too tightly.“Why do they always look like they're about to kill each other?" I asked, trying to sound light.Annie smirked. "You're witnessing history in the making. Rocco doesn't listen to anyone-except me, sometimes. If he's even conside
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 96: SEEKING CLOSURE
CAMILLA'S POVThe moment the door to our room clicked shut, I blew out a very long, deep breath that I didn't realize I was holding. Dante sprawled across the room, yanking off his jacket to toss it onto the armchair in a spiky movement. His silence was deafening; the tension crackled between us in the air."Dante—" I began, but he sliced the word off.He whirled on me now, his eyes seething with anger and disbelief. "So you're saying she's the same woman" he snarled. "The Annie you practically threw yourself in front of a bullet for.” I crossed my arms over my chest and met his glare. "I didn't know who she was. She was just a woman in danger. I did what anybody with a conscience would have done."Dante snorted, passing a hand through his hair. "Anyone with a conscience wouldn't have flung themselves in front of a bullet!"The memory of that night tumbled back into my mind in a rush. "I didn't think," I whispered. "I just acted." Those words, like a threat of a storm, seemed to set
SAVING 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
SAVING 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
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
