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The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 99
ALMA’S POVDante avoided the shop after our last conversation where I left him and the cake, he did hand it over the next day to Martha, leaving an apology note in the box. Martha didn’t ask questions, but I felt her disapproval every time she looked at me, it was strange and constricting.I didn’t have much experience with men, but I hated how I had treated Dante, he was our neighbor, I didn’t want to make things awkward; but that was wistful thinking on my part.He greeted the girls and Martha when he came by to deliver the snacks they ordered but gave me a nod, a nod? Why was I getting worked up when I was the one who pushed him away?I had half the mind to refuse when Martha offered me a biscuit, but I took it, chewing angrily as I looked over the books; the same books I had checked several times.“You’re going to read the same page for another two hours?” Martha wasn’t being her kind usual self.“It’s called daydreaming Martha, I’m allowed to get lost in my thoughts once in a whi
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 100
ZAVERIO’S POVI was watching my men work when Von walked into my office per usual. I might as well order another table so we can share my personal work space with how often he was here.“You are avoiding me.”Was I? I didn’t know. Everything was a blur recently. “I apologize if I have been doing that, I don’t have any recollection of it.”“Everything has been a blur since Alma left.” Von threw his hands in the air. “I have no idea how you function these days, and you refuse to talk about it.”“Why are you so desperate to have me share something you think is bothering me?” I was getting tired of the same old conversation over and over again. “There’s nothing bothering me so let it go.”“We both know Alma would never leave without leaving a note or explaining why she left if she had no absolute choice but to, but she did without looking back. It has been months and she hasn’t tried to reach out once.”“Get to the point, we don’t have all fucking day.” Von wanted me to show any emotion o
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 101
ALMA’S POV“Thank you” I accepted the cup of tea from Martha, and wrapped my hands around it for the warmth.Martha had closed early when she found me crying uncontrollably in the office, she didn’t ask, but she stayed until I could get a hold of myself and took us straight home.Zara got tended to and I was thrown into bed after I drank some painkillers and two tall glasses of water. I didn’t remember much after that, but when I woke up, I felt better.“Care to share what happened?” Martha asked, taking a sip of her coffee. “I don’t mind if you don’t have anything to say, but those weren’t tears of joy.”“Some were mixed in the rest. I received news from a friend back home that was bittersweet. I didn’t know how to handle it, but I guess my body chose break down and cry.”“Did you lose anyone close to you?”“No.” I shook my head, it was now or never. “My name was cleared back home meaning I get to return anytime I like.”“Cleared?” Martha frowned. “When you say cleared? Were you a cr
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 102
ALMA’S POV“Is this the part where you take your daughter and run?” Martha threw my words back at me with a smile. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, I’m sorry if I came off too strong.”I blinked, molded in place. The woman who helped me give birth to my daughter was not a midwife? She was the leader of a cartel. The same woman who had helped me start my business- it all made sense.“That’s why you knew everything there was to know about business, how you knew who to hire and what business to start.” I was talking to myself, but my brain was running at a mile per hour trying to catch up.“Is that why you helped me start the business up so you smuggle drugs through me?” I voiced the second through that crossed my mind.“That was actually on my list, but after spending months with you and your daughter, I didn’t consider it an option.” She responded. “Helping you with the shop was a great way to keep my mind sharp and also prepare myself in advance, should I need a shop of my own.”“T
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 103
GIO’S POVI was sitting across from Rose in the private jet, and my eyes trailed her delicate features. Her eyes were closed so I took my time looking at her unmarred skin, in another life she would have made a good model, a great one with her strong jaw and- very blue eyes.“Should I be worried?” Rose’s voice was rough but her eyes were sharp. “If you’re wondering I don’t swing that way.”Nadine snorted from somewhere in the plane, and I hid a smile behind my palm. “I wasn’t thinking about you that way either. I was just staring because you don’t look like someone who should be doing what you’re doing.”“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”“You have a very fine cover.” Nadine said, winking at Rose as she walked past to the open bar.I didn’t comment on the redness that appeared on her face, or the way her eyes lowered. “It’s a miracle you’re here with us today, I thought Zaverio had killed you in his office the last time we were here.”Rose rubbed her chest. “Those rounds hurt like a m
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 104
GIO’S POVAlma’s little store was in a cute little spot, and I watched her stand at the counter packing up orders from the shop across the street.Their treats were amazing, Nadine and Rose obviously agreed because they were scarfing down everything they could put their hands on. I washed down the sweet taste in my mouth with black coffee, smiling when Nadine looked appalled. “I don’t ha2ve a sweet tooth.” I lifted my shoulders. “I had to wash all that sweetness down with something bitter.”“That sounds like something a witch would say.” Nadine shook her head. “How old are you that you crave bitterness?”“Let’s not get started on the way she likes her coffee.” Rose crossed her hands. “I thought being in the army would ruin my taste buds, but living with Gio is proving to be worse than that.”“I can’t imagine.” Nadine shuddered, looking over my shoulder. “Are we going to sit here all day or…?”We weren’t going to sit in this nice pastry shop all day, but I knew the prime minister had
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 105
ALMA’S POV“Nadine?” I repeated her name like a prayer. “There’s no way, I saw Damien shoot you, I saw you on the floor, it’s not possible.”“It’s very possible my darling.” Nadine sniffed, and as she walked closer, my vision got blurrier until I could no longer see her clearly. “Your daughter looks exactly like me.”I laughed and my tears fell, it was Nadine, it truly was her. I touched her face and everywhere I could. She was alive and she was here in front of me; was this what a miracle looked like?“I wouldn’t have left if I knew you were alive.” I choked on a sob, “I thought you were dead, it killed me when I left, I even buried you in my backyard.”Nadine snorted, wiping her runny nose. “You dug a six feet hole in your backyard to honor me, now I want to die.”I didn’t fight her when she took Zara, and my heart melted when Zara didn’t pull away from her. She wasn’t a difficult baby, but she didn’t allow just anyone hold her.“Hey baby, I am your godmother. Your mommy and I grew
Last Updated : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 106
ALMA’S POVNadine and I were cuddled up in my bed. I wrapped my whole body around her like a koala and listened to her soft snores while she slept. It felt like the first week after I had given birth; how alert I was with every breath change or slight movement.After the fourth time I jerked awake, I gave up on sleep and just watched her. Her hair was shorter, which gave me a perfect view of the scars on her neck left behind by Damien.Doctor Hassan had done his best with the stitching, but it was always going to be a statement of what she had almost lost. When Damien had shot her multiple times, and all I could do was watch, I thought I was dying slowly; I had never felt so helpless in my lifeI blinked away the tears that flooded my eyes, keeping my sniffles light. My head felt heavy and my eyes were scratchy, but my fear was falling asleep and waking up to find out it was all a dream.Gio and her friend didn’t walk into my shop with Nadine, and I would wake up to the terrible reali
Last Updated : 2025-03-31
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The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 131
ALMA’S POV“The men I sent to the house didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and the shop is empty and untouched. Martha wasn’t snatched from your home or the shop, so I’ll have to dig deeper and ask some people a few questions.”I nodded, half listening to what my mother was saying. I was riddled with guilt over the fact that Martha was missing, she could be anywhere with anyone who wanted to hurt me or use me to get to my mother.The endless circle of looking over my shoulders even when I hadn’t left the house was exhausting to say the least. If I had somehow dragged Martha into my family’s mess, I would never forgive myself.“You don’t have to get too worried about it, Alma. I can’t promise that nothing will happen to her because we don’t know who has her, but I can promise to bring her back safely when we find out who does.”“What if she’s dead and we’re running in circles chasing our tail.” That question hung heavily in my mind; I lost sleep thinking of Martha drowning or gett
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 130
GIO’S POVI watched the way her fingers tightened around the steering wheel and I feared she would rip it off. Her question hung in the air like a harsh noise, and I opened my mouth to answer several times but the words died in my throat.“Is this a new way to throw someone off, you send them to get breakfast and then go on a date with someone else?” Rose flexed her fingers again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”“I was going to tell you and it wasn’t a date.” The words didn’t sound believable to my own ears. “It’s not what you think I promise, I would never try to get rid of you like that.”“You’re saying what you’re saying but I saw something else, I waited outside that fucking restaurant for hours Gio with my phone in my hand, you couldn’t even shoot me a sympathy text?”I closed my eyes, “I was going to text you I swear, I calculated the time it would take you- Look, I didn’t want to you to get home and panic when you couldn’t find me but I didn’t want to be rude.”Rose nodded. “Right, y
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 128
GIO’S POVRose and I were passing a bowl of popcorn while we watched a re-run of Grey’s Anatomy in the living room. We had been holed up in this space for almost three days; it would be obvious to anyone who walked in that we were in our honeymoon phase.I smelt like her and she smelt like sin. Rose was right when she said I was the initiator in this relationship. I had never doubted my stamina but with Rose, I knew that was a battle I was never going to win.She was always ready when I reached for her, and she fucked me so good, it made me crave more like a sex junkie. Rose had turned me into a sex addict and it wasn’t even up to a week.“Do you think they are going to wrap up this series one day?” Rose asked around a mouth filled with popcorn.“Do you know when the world is going to end? If you do then maybe when the world is ending, because Grey’s Anatomy is going to be here until all the current actors die and they recruit new ones.”Rose chuckled. “I love popcorn and your legs pi
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 128
GIO’S POVI uncrossed and crossed my leg for the fifth time, trying to focus on the file I was supposed to be reading. My subordinates were going to dish their case out to me and I needed to be updated, it wouldn’t help me make up my mind, but it would paint a picture for me.I had twenty minutes to drag my brain from the high Rose had kept me in all morning to the present. Like the kiss, we didn’t talk about the fact that we had had sex. When I walked out of my bedroom, dressed for the hour, she was back to being my bodyguard.The heat lingered in her eyes but they didn’t reach mine, not when we were in a space that clearly defined our positions. I was her boss and she was my employee- not directly but if she looked at me the way she did this morning, I wouldn’t mind if she took me on my table.I bit my finger hard, it did the job of centering my focus. Why was I thinking of Rose’s fingers and the way they felt inside me, how they moved and how full I-“Miss Gio.”The file in my hand
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 127
GIO’S POVI heard the light footsteps of Rose walking past my door to the kitchen, then the telltale sound of water filling the coffee pot, she never drank coffee the way I do, but she always put a pot on for me to drink away.I hadn’t slept a wink but I didn’t feel tired. I was confused about our current situation. Was the kiss a figment of my imagination? I touched my lips and pulled my hand back when they tingled. Was that normal?What were supposed to do now that it had happened? Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing and she had forgotten about it. Energized by that thought, I jumped out of bed with a light spring in my step.I was going to go out there and behave normally; there was no need to make anything awkward she had probably just kissed me in passing or something, pushing the painful squeeze in my chest away I opened my door and stopped short.Rose was sitting at the dining table, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her hair was wet which meant she had taken a shower and
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 126
ALMA’S POVMy mother pushed the food in her plate around, more focused on the file she was reading. I didn’t want to interrupt so I kept my movements silent; eyeing her in case she needed space.We hadn’t spoken much since her checkup with the doctor. Big Mac had tried to make me more at home in my mother’s huge house. I used the excess time on my hands to explore the many rooms that were unoccupied.Big Mac kept Zara entertained when I was busy keeping myself from losing my mind. He didn’t communicate much with me about anything, and I didn’t mind much since we didn’t have a lot to talk about.My main worry was with Martha, she hadn’t answered any of my calls since I left with Big Mac after my mother was shot. I was too worried to function properly. What if something had happened to her? I shook my head, printing the details of that day into focus.Martha hadn’t been in the house when my mother arrived, she had convinced me to let her check the store, it had been closed indefinitely
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 125
ZAVERIO’S POV“The next shipment is scheduled to fall next week.” Von said, tapping on the screen of the tab in his hands. He wasn’t a man used to advanced gadgets, but he had to get used to them seeing as our whole organization was leaving the paper trail era.“What about Ambrose? Did he like the guns we shipped to him the other day? If he did then he needs to finish paying for them.” I threw the tennis ball in my hand into the air and caught it. “Alvaro said he was going to drop by today, I have no idea what he wants to discuss, do you?”Von shook his head, “Our little bird is also back in her nest.” He was referring to Gio who had been incognito for some days. We tracked her to a rundown bar but kept our distance, leaving the overall surveillance to her bodyguard who acknowledged our presence but didn’t give room for any slip-ins. Rose was impressive, and if she decided to join the dark side, I would hire her.“We will find out what happened when she is ready to come back in, we ca
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 124
GIO’S POVMy phone vibrated on the bedside table in the shitty hotel I had found to hole myself into. I ignored it like I had for three days, staring at the ceiling until my eyes felt raw. It was my morning routine before I proceeded to drown myself in alcohol at night.I didn’t know how far I had walked after I left Rose but when I came to my senses, it was raining, I was soaked and as the universe pointed out, in front of a seedy hotel with lights that blinked haphazardly. I didn’t think twice about walking in, the girl manning the register took one look at my suit and sneered.“We don’t give rooms to cops.” She looked like she was ready to spit in my face.I blinked, looked down at my corporate attire. “I am not a cop, I work well with numbers.”She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She snatched a key from the few on the rack and threw it at me. “Keep the noise to a minimum, don’t expect any breakfast in bed and be gone in the morning.”Her eyes bore a hole in my back as I walked away.
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 123
GIO’S POVI avoided eye contact with everyone I walked past, hiding my shame in my eyes. If they looked hard enough, they would know what I had done, who I had chosen and whose blood was going to be on my hands.The pounding headache was the retribution I needed, it was a result to the restless night I had had. The five files Emily had given to me held information of a few powerful people in the world.Their deaths would shake the core of what they were heading, and that was the reason Emily was asking me to take my pick from the litter. Norma’s face had haunted my dreams, making it extremely hard to sleep.She may not have ratted me out to Emily and Rose had said she would keep my other business in strict confidence but I couldn’t trust her. I couldn’t trust anyone, not even myself.File one, Norma- Prime minister of Spain, married and divorced three times before she was elected, finally, she got married to her childhood sweetheart and they were the couple of the year. She and her on
