Scarred Hearts: A Mafia Billionaire Romance

Scarred Hearts: A Mafia Billionaire Romance

last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-28
Oleh:  Emel EmeraldBaru saja diperbarui
Bahasa: English
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When her family’s fortune crumbles and her father dies, Leya Anderson is left with no choice but to marry the ruthless mafia billionaire, Harrison Blackwood. Scarred by betrayal and unwillingness to trust, Harrison sees Leya as nothing more than a gold digger, just another person waiting to break his heart. But Leya carries a secret that could shatter everything: she’s pregnant with his child. Trapped in a loveless marriage and tormented by the cruelty of the Blackwood family, Leya must protect her unborn baby at all costs. Yet as Harrison drowns in his thirst for revenge she fights for her own freedom. Can two scarred hearts find redemption or will their pasts destroy them both?

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Bab 1

CHAPTER 1: Trapped in the Gilded Cage

Leya stood by the edge of her father's study, her fingers trailing along the smooth wood of the desk that had once been his. The room once filled with his presence, his laughter, his unwavering confidence, once alive, now felt like a tomb: cold, hollow, and lifeless. Almost, as if she heard the echo of his voice from the walls, reassuring her that steadiness that she always relied on.

But now nothing was stable anymore.

Nothing was all right.

The memory of his death came crashing upon her like a tide, of which the force threatened to drown her. She remembered the call, how her mom's face had slumped, folding in on itself, as the weight of the news had shattered everything.

Leya watched immobile, her world breaking into pieces. The moment before, her father was alive, vibrant, with plans and dreams. The next… he was gone.

A car accident: sudden, brutal.

Her hands were quivering while she reached for the framed picture lying on the desk, that of her father proudly in front of their family business. She could recall when she looked at the picture and how proud she was of herself. All this now served to remind her of everything they lost. The company that once had been the hallmark of his presence in this world started coming undone almost as quickly as his life did. The mountain of debts stood like some dark storm, unrelenting and devouring the family whole.

The letters from creditors came first, then the calls, then the threats. Each heavier than the last.

Leya watched as the light in her mother's eyes gradually waned, the withering of the spirit from the weight of it all. How she tried to hold on, but a battle she could never win at. They knew that, and so did she.

That was when he showed up.

Mr. Samuel Blackwood

Every millimeter of the space was filled when he stepped into their home. Dark. Ominous. The power just oozed from him, and Leya was sure the air gradually shifted that very instant his voice filtered through. His voice was low with a soothing cadence as he laid down his terms that would keep them safe. Terms that came with a price.

"I will settle your debts," he had said, icily calm. "But there is something I require in return."

Leya's heart had dropped, knowing what it would be without him finishing the sentence. The look in his eyes, the glance at her apparent.

"Your daughter will marry my son, Harrison."

The words hung in the air, her noose tightening around her neck. She turned to her mother, searching for an escape, for something, anything that could free her from this nightmare. But the tears were already welling up in her mother's eyes, her voice trembling in a whisper: "We have no choice, Leya."

No choice.

The words rang in Leya's mind, a cruel refrain that never seemed to fade. And whatever she did, however, she pleaded with her mother to change her mind, the fact was quite inexorable: they were drowning, and Samuel Blackwood was the only one flinging them a lifeline.

And so, she agreed.

But it hadn't been for herself. It had been for her three younger siblings, who looked to her now to keep them safe. They didn't deserve to suffer because of the collapse of their family's world. She'd do anything to protect them; even sacrificing her happiness was called for; even binding herself to Harrison Blackwood was a price she'd pay.

Harrison paced in great waves of tension, his feet eating away at the floor of his father's office. His fists were clenched, his knuckles white, his eyes darting ever towards the door. Behind the great oaken desk, his father sat, indifference to the whole thing exuding from him, just another deal to be handled and forgotten.

"I won't do this," Harrison grated in a low, angry voice. "You can't just simply expect me to marry some girl just because you've made some deal behind my back."

And Mr. Samuel Blackwood raised an eyebrow, his eyes cool and calculating as he looked at his son. "This has nothing to do with what you want, Harrison. This is about the future of our family. About keeping alliances and making sure the Blackwood name doesn't get tarnished."

Harrison's jaw clenched. "I am not going to care about alliances, nor am I going to marry some desperate woman just because her family has gone bankrupt.

"Careful," his father's voice came as a dangerous warning, "it would appear that you forget who is in control here."

It seemed to Harrison that a storm brewed between them, but he knew better than to press his luck any further. His father wasn't a man one crossed lightly unless he wanted the consequences at least.

"I won't love her," Harrison said finally, his voice hard and the last word hanging heavy with defiance. He leaned forward in his seat, bracing his hands on the edge of the desk, knuckles still pale. "You can force this," he said, "but you can't make me care about her."

Mr. Blackwood did not bat an eyelid. He regarded his son through the same detached expression he would if discussing little more than a business transaction and to his mind, he was.

This has nothing to do with love, Harrison," he said calmly. His tone was so even. "Love is nothing in this instance. This pertains to control Power. Ensuring our family remains untouchable. You will marry Leya Anderson and in turn, her family's debts will be erased, their reputation salvaged. You are merely securing their loyalty, nothing more.

Harrison stiffened, hands fisted at his sides. "She's a gold digger. You said it yourself. Why should I play into her hands?"

Samuel's lips arced into the faintest shadow of a smile. "She's desperate, yes. But she is not the threat you seem to think she is. And besides, you will not be playing into her hands. You will hold all the cards."

Turning away, Harrison ran a hand through his hair as frustration boiled under his skin. He hated this, being manipulated, being pushed into a corner. The thought of marrying some woman he hardly knew, a woman whose family was hanging by a thread… It made him sick. But his father wasn't leaving him a choice.

"When is the wedding?" he asked tightly.

His father cast his eyes at the calendar; his voice was nearly all business, as if setting a date for a board of directors meeting. "Two weeks from today. Already everything is being arranged."

The stillness of his father's voice sent Harrison's blood into a boiling frenzy. Two weeks. Just two weeks before he would be chained to her, to this woman he did not want, did not trust. He strode out of the office, the future weighing upon him like a great press of suffocating air.

Closer to the wedding day, the Blackwood mansion became a beehive of activity as people scurried about making preparations.

Leya's mother insisted on trying to make the occasion beautiful, trying to appear and pretend that this was a joyous event instead of the transaction that it was. But Leya just could not find the tiniest speck of joy.

She stood in front of the mirror in her room, staring across the mannequin at her wedding dress. It was a silk and lace, delicate and intricate beautiful gown, the type of gown every girl dreamed of wearing. But to Leya, it felt like a cage.

Her mother fluttered into the room, hands flying nervously as she flitted over the dress to make sure that every detail was perfect.

You'd be beautiful, Leya, her mother said in a shaking voice smelling of false hope. This is. Going to save us. It is for the best.

Leya swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding dumbly. Her mother was only trying to keep up appearances, to keep the illusion going that all was going to be well. But Leya knew better. This had nothing to do with beauty. It had nothing to do with happiness. It was survival.

It was that knock on the door that finally broke the silence. Leya's mother opened it, and there in the hall stood Mr. Samuel Blackwood, a tall, imposing structure that seemed to fill the doorway. He smiled at Leya, and the kindness in his eyes was false.

"Leya, dear," he said, coming into the room, "I came to see how the preparations were going. You look… lovely." His eyes flickered towards the wedding gown.

Leya hunched a polite smile, her head barely nodding. "Thank you, Mr. Blackwood."

He came closer to her space, oppressed by the smallness of the room. "Call me Samuel," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We'll be family soon, after all."

Leya nodded. The word fell over her like a heavy blanket: family. How that sounded so hollow.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the mansion saw Harrison standing in front of his bedroom window, staring at the estate with a scowl on. He did not want this. Every bit of him rebelled against this very idea of marrying Leya Anderson: a woman he knew pretty much nothing about; a woman he felt convinced had agreed solely because of the money.

A light tap came to his door, and his sister Eleanor let herself in. She strode across the room with her face set in a mask of strained disapproval.

"I still cannot understand that Father is insisting you go through with this," she growled. "Leya Anderson? Of all people? A family who became bankrupt, who is barely worth the clothes on their backs.".

Harrison said nothing. His jaw set. He knew his sister was angry, but it was for him; truly, she was angry for herself, too. Eleanor had always taken huge pride in the power and prestige that their family represented, and this was against that, an indelible stain on the name of Blackwood.

"Father thinks he is doing what is best," Harrison finally replied, his voice low.

Father is playing his games, as usual," Eleanor sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "And you're the pawn. But doesn’t it concern yourself, brother," she said, twisting her mouth up into a sly smile, "we will be sure to make Leya know her place in this house."

It was a thought that twisted Harrison's gut. He didn't want to be a pawn. He didn't want any of this. Yet the wheels were oiled long ago, and he could do nothing to stop them now.

DAY OF THE WEDDING

Finally, the big day of the wedding arrived, and the Blackwood estate turned out to be an explosion of opulence. Their guests flowed in flowing gowns and fitted tuxedos, abuzz in a multitude of gossip about this union to be.

Leya sat in the bridal suite, staring stupidly into the mirror at her reflection as the makeup artist finished. Her gown fit her to perfection, the veil trailed behind her like a whisper of something long forgotten.

But she felt nothing.

No excitement. No joy. Only cold sinking dreadful.

Her mother entered, her eyes agleam with unshed tears. "You look lovely, dear," she whispered, smoothing a stray curl from Leya's face. "Your father would be so proud of you."

Leya's heart twisted in pain at the mention of her father. What would he think of this? Would he have wanted this for her?

But before she could reply a knock came from the door. A bridesmaid peeking inside. "It's time," she said. "

Leya's breath caught as she stood up from her chair, her trembling legs beneath her as he stood. This was it. No turning back anymore.

Harrison was standing like a statue at the altar of the church. All their closest friends, business associates, and other important people belonging to high society were filled in the church. But to Harrison, all that meant nothing. His eyes were focused on the far end of the door, of the aisle waiting for the moment Leya would walk across those doors.

When doors finally opened Leya came into view. Unkempt, there was a murmur rippled through the crowd; she was beautiful, there was no denying that, but all she was to Harrison was the woman who foisted on him, not of his choosing.

His jaw clenched as she moved toward him, eyes downcast. This would not be a wedding but a transaction.

It was all over before he knew it. He vaguely heard the voice of the priest-or so it seemed like the man was speaking underwater. The vows, the rings, word after word, gesture after gesture, were links in the chain to bind Leya and Harrison. Leya's heart was thundering against her chest as she repeated her vows in a voice shaking yet with enough connotation to be heard above the hushed whisper of the guests.

Now was the time for her to say something, and Leya looked up to him half daring to hope for something, a little modicum of humanity, some acknowledgment of their being in this together, for better or worse. What stared back at her was cold, calculating indifference.

"I do," Harrison said, the firm words emotionless as they lanced into her like shards of ice.

A strange stillness enveloped Leya when the priest pronounced them husband and wife. She was out of her body, looking in, it would seem this was not her life. It wasn't happening to her.

"You may kiss the bride," intoned the priest, his small, irrelevant smile making formality claw at the words over Leya's skin.

The only hesitation Harrison showed was one brief, passing moment. Then, leaned in, his cold lips against hers, pressing with precision. There was no warmth, no tenderness in the kiss. It was wholly for the benefit of the other occupants of the room who watched with eager eyes. It is done.

The round of applause rumbled from the guests in polite unison, murmurs that filled the air with a forced gaiety. Leya forced a smile onto her face, but inside her heart was heavy and hollow. This was no cause for celebration. This was a performance.

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39 Bab
CHAPTER 1: Trapped in the Gilded Cage
Leya stood by the edge of her father's study, her fingers trailing along the smooth wood of the desk that had once been his. The room once filled with his presence, his laughter, his unwavering confidence, once alive, now felt like a tomb: cold, hollow, and lifeless. Almost, as if she heard the echo of his voice from the walls, reassuring her that steadiness that she always relied on. But now nothing was stable anymore. Nothing was all right. The memory of his death came crashing upon her like a tide, of which the force threatened to drown her. She remembered the call, how her mom's face had slumped, folding in on itself, as the weight of the news had shattered everything. Leya watched immobile, her world breaking into pieces. The moment before, her father was alive, vibrant, with plans and dreams. The next… he was gone. A car accident: sudden, brutal. Her hands were quivering while she reached for the framed picture lying on the desk, that of her father proudly in front of
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-18
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CHAPTER 2: Harrison's Fury
The reception had taken place in the great ballroom of the Blackwood estate, a lavish affair of crystal chandeliers casting shimmering light across polished marble floors. Leya swam through the crowd, accepting well-wishes from the guests she didn't know, nodding politely at their empty compliments. But all the while, she had the feeling that she was a ghost wafting through a life that wasn't hers. She caught a glimpse of Harrison across the room, similarly flanked by his family and his business associates, wearing the same detached expression, his smile never quite reaching his eyes. A prisoner in this arrangement too, though his prison was one of power and expectation, not desperation. As the evening wore on, she found herself standing beside the big bay window, looking down into the sprawling gardens below. Laughter and clinking glasses faded through the background as she allowed herself for a moment to breathe in the weight of everything that happened. She felt her mother com
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-18
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CHAPTER 3: Midnight Warning
Mr. Samuel Blackwood sat back in his dark leather chair. The poor light from the desk lamp cast sharp shadows across his face. His fingers drummed around the edge of the thick file labeled Anderson while his eyes were hard and calculating. He swirled the glass of brandy in his other hand, eyes narrowing while weighing his next move. That wasn't some list of debts and bankruptcies. This dug a little deeper than that. For years, Samuel had been keeping tabs on the Anderson family, way back before Leya's father died in that tragic accident, before their business went belly-up. He knew fully well it would only be a matter of time before the bottom fell out from under them, and he was positioned just right to make the most of it. Yet even more Leya did not know: secrets safely laid to rest, secrets her father had taken to his grave. Samuel's eyes strayed to the picture inside the folder, the same framed smiling family photo that had once hung in the Anderson house. He touched his fing
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-18
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CHAPTER 4: Harrison's Visit
Leya sat alone in her room, the soft light from the lamp casting enough glow to chase away the shadows that seemed to cling to the walls. The air was thick and suffocating as if the mansion itself were alive, pressing down on her from all sides. She sat down leaning against the headboard, her fingers straying aimlessly across the embroidered patterns of the bedspread while her mind fell back to recollections of the time past. The nights had become her only solace, those scant times when she could be left to her thoughts alone, away from the freezing stare of Harrison, the chain of belittling remarks from Vivian, and the constant prying eyes of Eleanor. It was in this quiet that she remembered what it had been like to be herself, before marriage, before the death of her father, before the walls of this mansion closed in on her as though in a prison. And as it was the case, her thoughts took her back to her father's study. She could almost envision him now, sitting behind the desk, h
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-20
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CHAPTER 5: The Safe Behind the Portrait
Leya's breathing ceased at that door. There was a mass that had rested there on her chest. The door had been creeping and reeling on the opposite side, but whatever lay there was bearing against no segment of the door. It's not screaming. It's waiting. She shook with fear. Her head spun. It wasn't Harrison, for he'd have already flung open the door, firing piercing asides like barbs. But this one had a brooding air—brooding as if he survived her confusion. The silence continued. And then— The handle was turned. Leya sat up in bed, her heart pounding so hard she was certain she'd lost hearing. The door groaned, the inch or so of door to frame allowing only the darkness of the hall beyond. Then the whisper. Low. Gentle. Chilling. "You don't belong here." Leya's insides knot. Her fists were wrapped around the blanket, knuckles whitening. The whisper hadn't been Harrison's. Nor Eleanor's, nor Vivian's, nor even Samuel's. It was someone else. A man shot through
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13
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CHAPTER 6: She Wasn't Meant to Know
The air had been thick and stagnant out there like a coiled spring, and Leya braked hard, Harrison's last words in the empty room echoing in her head.Goodnight, wife.She bit down hard on her cheek and took a breath. Her flesh was taut underneath where he was pressed atop hers, his pressure digging into her skin. She wasn't sure if the chill on top of her spine was fear or anger.Or both.Harrison was aware of it. Had been strewn about how his eyes had rested on her, imposing defective stubbornness over him. And he'd fought more fought against it—he'd risen up in protest. He had swirled her about like some plaything that revolved within his brain, unaware as to whether or not she would go back to it.Her hands trembled and she hated it. Hated thin, hated being trapped in her own boudoir. She fought just to get herself out of bed, lead legs, shambling into the room to the window. In the mansion window outside, the mansion lawn spreads and stretches, glimmering in dark moonlight. Iron
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-06
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CHAPTER 7: A Warning in the Dark
Leya breathed deep, she stamped the spasm of fear beneath her in quiet. The notebook was heavy between her fingers, leather wrinkled under her hand pressed against it. She desired the attic desolate of her before person and beast could encounter its door. She took the journal and floated to the door, hesitant hand around the doorknob so as not to squeak. She jumped at a jump because squeaking back hinges were caught in the quiet of their silent turn. She floated out and closed the door quietly. She floated down creaking wooden stairs silently with no noise whatever through the black mansion halls. She had to find somewhere where she could sit and read the journal—a spot where they'd never think to search. The servants' block? No, too probable. The library? Too probable. Her mind ran in circles until she recalled one spot that might be beyond their reach. The greenhouse. It was towards the house, on the east side of the east wing—unmown and unpicked since Samuel died. Nobody ever we
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10
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CHAPTER 8: The Hidden Clause
Leya leaned against the stone wall for a moment after Harrison departed, attempting to catch her breath. The air now felt colder with him gone, his scent-scented, clean-pervading still clinging around the greenhouse. She forced the notebook into her palm, her mind spinning at what he'd stated. He doubted that she did believe him—he was good with that. She never thought that he would, though. But how that he spoke, in which he seemingly could not accomplish that which was happening, shook her to the core of herself more than she ever would concede. Harrison was ever capable, ever hard and unstoppable. And this evening, she glimpsed something—a fear or uncertainty. She wasn't going to sit around waiting for him or anyone else to make a move, She must attempt to get something out of Samuel regarding what he had been holding back and why it mattered to him. Slipping unnoticed out of the greenhouse, Leya crept unseen back into the mansion. She did not go through the front door and glided
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10
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CHAPTER 9: The Edge of Loyalty
Harrison rested against the courtyard's rim, cigarette burning low in his hand, its ember shining like the final reminder of authority he could hold onto. The cold night wind swirled against Blackwood Mansion's walls and brushed against him, but he did not tremble. He never did. He rested and glared at the greenhouse. She was in there. Leya. He had witnessed the light move from the soiled glass, observed her slip in like a phantom to its source. What did she read in Samuel's notebook? Which page had she turned that altered the very nature of her existence? He could not have stopped her. Could have. Hadn't. And that—that doubt—was what had Eleanor pursuing him like a wolf scenting weakness. She was on one thing correct: Leya was dangerous. But not that she had envisioned. Not for defying. For telling the truth. For not tiptoeing around their dictates like a static, proper puppet. For regarding him tonight—like he wasn't a monster. But like she viewed right through him. That
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11
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Chapter 10: The Heat Beneath the Cold
Leya gasped, looking at the burned letter, Samuel's words branded like a cancerous blessing in her mind."If they find out what you are—"What was she?All that she had seemed to roll away from her like loose marble, leaving her chilled. She balled the burned paper in her hand, heat branding the shape of her palm where ash foamed like hidden secrets.Shayla watched her with wide eyes. “Leya… what does it mean?”“I don’t know,” she whispered, though her voice was sharp, her spine steel. “But I’m going to find out.”Moments Later – Harrison’s WingThe hallway leading to Harrison’s private rooms was veiled in shadow, the sconces dimmed, casting sharp lines on the marble. Leya stormed forward, no longer caring about being silent, about being proper.She wasn’t here for answers anymore.She'd arrived in needing the truth—and she was going to get it out of him if it was the very last thing she ever drew breath.Guards to his front gate started tattling, but one glimpse at her—and off they s
last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-12
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