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2025-03-22 12:11:44
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The Mafia's Nanny 247
247Alaric’s POVThe moment Emilia walked my office with that innocent look she always had whenever she was about to request for something I wouldn’t like, I instantly knew what she wanted to talk about.Alonso.“We’ve been through this before Emilia. And my answer remains the same.” I said flatly, cutting her off before she could say anything at all. “No.”Her brows knit together, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You didn’t even hear me out.”“I don’t need to,” I said, pushing back from the table and standing. “Anything involving Alonso is a bad idea. The man’s a snake. End of discussion.”“Alaric, please,” Emilia said, following me as I paced toward the window. “He wants to meet for dinner. To talk. That’s all.”I turned sharply, facing her. “And you believe him? After everything he’s done?”Her gaze didn’t waver, her stubbornness shining through like it always did when she thought she was right. “I think it’s worth a try. If there’s even a chance we can stop all this fighting,
Last Updated : 2025-03-23The Mafia's Nanny 248
248Emilia’s POVThe restaurant was beautiful in a way that felt calculated. Warm golden lights spilled across polished wood tables, soft music hummed in the background, and the aroma of roasted herbs and garlic drifted through the air. But none of it could mask the suffocating tension hanging over our table.Alonso Cruz, my father, sat across from me, his smile too polite, his manner too smooth. He wore his charm like armor, but I wasn’t fooled. He was watching us closely, waiting for cracks to show. Beside me, Alaric was a coil wound so tight I worried he’d snap at the slightest provocation.“Alessandra,” Alonso began.“Emili,” Alaric growled, his eyes narrowed at Alonso. I held his hand, rubbing it in slow circles.I forced a polite smile, though my stomach churned. “Let’s just go straight to the point,” I murmured.Alonso leaned back in his chair, studying me with an air of practiced ease. “You know, I’ve always admired people who can keep their heads in chaotic situations. It’s a
Last Updated : 2025-03-23The Mafia's Nanny 249
249Alaric’s POVThe moment Alonso let his smile fade, I knew the conversation was about to turn. His charm was thin, like the slick veneer on cheap furniture, cracking at the first sign of pressure. And I had no interest in giving him the satisfaction of thinking he could control the room.I knew he knew Emilia and I were engaged. Word travels fast in the mafia world. I was just waiting for when he’d mention it. But Emilia beat him to it.He swirled his glass of red wine, watching the liquid as though it held the secrets of the universe. “You know, Emilia,” he continued, his voice smooth as silk, “there are certain… expectations for someone in your position. Responsibilities.”I felt Emilia stiffen beside me, her back straightening as her fingers hovered near her glass. I knew that tone of his. The carefully crafted words designed to put her on edge.“Responsibilities?” she echoed, keeping her voice polite. Always the peacemaker. I wondered how she was able to keep up with the façade
Last Updated : 2025-03-24The Mafia's Nanny 250
250Emilia’s POVThe tension in the room was like a noose tightening with every word. I felt like I was suffocating, and I felt even more stupid for convincing Alaric to come with me to this stupid dinner in the first place.Everytime I felt like we were finally edging towards peace, Alonso always drags us right back to square one. And Alaric doesn’t seem to mind, as far as he gets the chance to accuse Alonso of anything he could put his mind on.“I’m afraid I didn’t order something strong enough for this conversation,” I joked weakly, holding up my half-empty glass of wine in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.Alonso’s lip curled into a faint smirk. “Wine won’t save you from poor decisions, Emilia.”Alaric’s hand gripped the edge of the table so hard I thought the wood might crack. “If you have something to say, Alonso, stop hiding behind your smug little comments and say it.”“Alaric,” I said quietly, placing a hand on his arm, but he shook me off.Alonso tilted his head, his
Last Updated : 2025-03-24The Mafia's Nanny 251
251Alaric’s POVThe door of our room closed behind us with a soft click. I could feel the anger radiating off Emilia in waves. I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it onto the nearest chair, already bracing for what I knew was coming.“You couldn’t even try, could you?” Emilia’s voice was sharp, cutting through the quietness like a blade.I turned to face her, arms crossed. “Try what? To sit there and let him insult me? To pretend I don’t know exactly what kind of man he is?”She stepped closer, her eyes blazing with anger. “To be civil, Alaric. That’s all I wanted. Civil. But you couldn’t even give me that.”“Did you hear the things he said to me?” I shot back, my voice rising. “To us? He doesn’t respect me, Emilia, and he sure as hell doesn’t respect you if he thinks he can dictate your life.”Emilia threw up her hands in frustration. “This wasn’t about respect, Alaric! It was about finding some kind of middle ground, about trying to stop this constant fighting.”“Middle ground?” I
Last Updated : 2025-03-25The Mafia's Nanny 252
252Alaric’s POV“I’m not dealing with this tonight,” I grumbled, walking past her and out of the room. I stormed to the kitchen to get something cold for myself.“You will, Alaric. Answer my fucking question,” she snapped, coming after me.“No. Okay? It’s not about Francesca’s mother. So drop the damn topic. And just know that I don’t want you around Alonso ever again,” I replied icily.She scoffed, shooting me a look of disbelief. I leaned against the edge of the kitchen counter, arms folded across my chest, as Emilia paced back and forth in front of me.“Do you even hear yourself, Alaric?” she demanded, spinning around to face me. “You can’t just decide to shut Alonso out forever. He’s my family.”“Family doesn’t have you kidnapped,” I shot back, my voice low but sharp. “Family doesn’t manipulate and guilt-trip you into questioning your own choices.”“That’s not the point,” she argued, her tone sounding more like desperation right now. “We can’t live like this—constantly at war wit
Last Updated : 2025-03-25The Mafia's Nanny 253
253Emilia’s POVThe house was quiet, save for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Alaric had retreated to his office after our argument, leaving me alone in the living room to stew in my thoughts. I sat on the edge of the couch, my knees pulled up to my chest, staring at nothing in particular. Everything that had happened today —the dinner, the argument, my father’s words—pressed down on me like a suffocating blanket.How had it come to this?I pressed my palms to my temples, willing myself to think clearly. The truth was, I felt torn in two. On one side was Alaric, unwavering in his conviction that my father was a threat, a man undeserving of forgiveness. On the other was my father, whose disapproval of Alaric hung over us like a storm cloud. I couldn’t deny the pain in his eyes when he’d told me Alaric would only bring danger into my life. It wasn’t just disapproval; it was fear.But fear of what?I’d spent the better part of my life believing Alonso Cruz was untouchable—a
Last Updated : 2025-03-26The Mafia's Nanny 254
254Emilia’s POVThe café was quieter than I expected for a weekday afternoon. A few scattered patrons sat hunched over laptops or nursing cups of coffee. I fiddled with the handle of my mug, the heat radiating through the ceramic doing very little to steady my nerves.Alonso wasn’t late—he never was—but the anticipation of seeing him again had me on edge. After the disastrous dinner, I wasn’t sure how this conversation would go. Part of me was still angry at him for the things he said about Alaric. The other part—the one that still saw him as my father—wanted to believe there was a way to bridge the gap between us.When the door chimed, I knew it was him before I even looked up. Alonso Cruz had a presence that couldn’t be ignored. He walked in with the air of a man who owned the room, his suit crisp, his movements deliberate. His eyes found mine almost immediately, and I saw the flicker of something—relief, maybe?—before his expression hardened again.“Emilia,” he said, his voice low
Last Updated : 2025-03-26
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The Mafia's Nanny 268
268Allesio’s POVI stood there, frozen in place, as Alaric’s anger washed over me like a tidal wave. His words hit hard, each one sinking deeper than the last. I had been trying so hard to keep my head above water, but now everything I had been avoiding came crashing down.He didn’t say anything right now, just stood there, his jaw clenched, eyes dark with frustration. He was waiting for me to speak, but I couldn’t. My mind was spinning, tangled in the web of lies and omissions I had spun.Finally, he broke the silence, his voice low but lethal. “So this whole time, you’ve been holding back? You’ve known what happened to Dominic, and you didn’t say a word?”I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Alaric, I—”“Don’t,” he cut me off sharply. “Don’t give me some excuse. I asked you to get close to Rosa and get information. You promised me you’d find the truth. And now you’re telling me you knew it all along and kept it from me?”I opened my mouth again, but the words caught in my throat. Ther
The Mafia's Nanny 267
267Allesio’s POVThe buzz of the conversation around me faded as I stared blankly ahead, the voices becoming a dull hum. Alaric was talking about something—some issue with the Cruz family, I think—but it didn’t matter. His words blurred into the background. My mind was somewhere else entirely, a place I didn’t want to go but couldn’t stop myself from falling into.I clenched my fists under the table, the memory creeping in like an unwelcome guest.“You’re awfully quiet,” Alaric said, glancing at me as he tried to balance Francesca on his lap. She was squirming, reaching for the pen he’d set down on the table a moment earlier.“I’m listening,” I replied, my voice rough as I dragged myself back to the present.“You don’t look like you are,” Alaric muttered, handing Francesca the pen in defeat. She giggled, immediately starting to scribble nonsense on the notepad in front of her.“Sorry,” I said, exhaling sharply. “What were you saying?”“The Cruz family,” Alaric said, his tone sharp, t
The Mafia's Nanny 266
266Allesio’s POVIt had been a week since I made that promise to Rosa. Since I promised her that I won’t tell Alaric. And each day felt like a weight pressing down harder on my chest. The guilt of keeping the secret, the guilt of betraying Alaric, was gnawing at me, and I couldn’t escape it. The promise I’d made to her—I won’t tell Alaric, I won’t tell anyone—had started to feel less like a vow and more like a cage I couldn’t break out of.I spent more time at the mansion than her condo now, hoping to bury my thoughts under the grind of work. I told myself that keeping my focus on Alaric, on what I owed him, would keep my head straight. But every time I looked at him, every time I saw his face, the guilt flared up again. It didn’t matter that Rosa was the one I loved. I had a duty to Alaric that I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much my heart pulled me in the other direction.This war with myself—loyalty versus love—was eating away at me.I had just stepped off the elevator when I bum
The Mafia's Nanny 265
265Rosa’s POVIt was late when Allesio finally came back into to the condo. The air between us wasn’t just tense—it felt fragile, like a glass already cracked and on the verge of shattering. But this time, it wasn’t about the Cruz family or Dominic’s death. Something else weighed on him.“Allesio?” I called softly, setting my book down on the nightstand. He paused in the doorway, his hand resting on the frame like it was the only thing holding him up.“Rosa.” His voice was low, almost hoarse, and I knew whatever he was carrying wasn’t just another argument waiting to happen.I stood, crossing the room until I was close enough to see the faint lines of worry etched on his face. “What is it?”He hesitated, his eyes searching mine. “There’s trouble at the docks.”My stomach clenched. “Again?” I breathed out.“Yes. Again,” he murmured in reply.“What happened?” I asked.“Alaric got word that a shipment went missing. Weapons, high-grade. Some of the guys think it’s a setup.” His jaw tight
The Mafia's Nanny 264
264Allesio’s POV.“You’re lying to yourself, Allesio. And it’s going to destroy you.”Rosa’s voice cut through the heavy silence like a blade, sharp and deliberate. I looked up from the glass in my hand, the amber liquid trembling slightly as I set it down. Her words hung in the air, daring me to respond, but for a moment, I didn’t. I couldn’t.Instead, I leaned back against the chair, exhaling slowly. “What am I supposed to say to that?” I muttered, my tone edged with exhaustion. “You want me to admit you’re right? That I’m falling apart? That I don’t have the first clue how to fix any of this?”“I want you to stop pretending you can carry all of it alone.” Rosa crossed her arms, her gaze piercing. “Because you can’t. And if you don’t realize that soon, it’ll cost us everything.”I ran a hand through my hair, the frustration boiling over. “And what exactly do you suggest, huh? Just tell Alaric the truth and hope he doesn’t tear the world apart looking for revenge? Because that’s exa
The Mafia's Nanny 263
263Allesio’s POVI felt like I was losing my grip on reality. Every time I saw Rosa, it was like the walls were closing in. Her confession still hung over me like a storm cloud, and no matter how much I tried to shake it, the weight wouldn’t lift. The guilt wasn’t just about keeping secrets from Alaric—it was the deeper betrayal I couldn’t even admit to myself. The tangled mess of Dominic’s death, the Cruz family, and Rosa’s insistence on her and her family’s innocence had my head spinning.The worst part? I wasn’t sure if Alaric had picked up on it yet. If he hadn’t picked up on it that I already knew and I was hiding it. He wasn’t blind, and he definitely wasn’t stupid. The man could read me like a book on my best day, and I wasn’t even pretending well anymore.I couldn’t avoid him forever, though. I was in his office, and the air felt even more suffocating than usual. He was flipping through some papers at the scattered on the table, his focus seemingly on anything but me.Meanwhi
The Mafia's Nanny 262
262Allesio’s POV“Do you ever think about how things might’ve been if Dominic were still alive?” I asked, my tone casual, though my heart thudded heavily in my chest. I was at Rosa’s condo today too. It was where I was spending most of my free time now. And I decided that I wanted to know everything today. Maybe, just maybe she doesn’t know anything and I don’t have to choose between her and Alaric.She raised a brow, giving me a somewhat confused look. “Dominic?”“Alaric’s brother. Do you think if Dominic was still alive, Alaric would have been a better man than he is now?” I asked her, observing her intently. “Do you ever think about how things might have been I’d Dominic were still alive?”Rosa froze for a moment, her glass hovering mid-air. “That’s a loaded question, Allesio.”I shrugged, keeping my gaze steady. “Is it? Alaric does. A lot. He doesn’t say it, but I know he’s still haunted by it.”Her eyes flicked to mine, wide and uncertain. “Haunted how?”“Like he’s carrying some
The Mafia's Nanny 261
261Allesio’s POVSecrets have a way of sinking into your bones, of twisting around your every thought like a barbed wire. No matter how much I tried to focus on the present, the weight of the decision I’d made not to share Rosa’s information with Alaric clawed at me.It wasn’t like I didn’t understand the stakes. Alaric and I had been through enough together for me to know how he operated. Loyalty wasn’t just a requirement in our world—it was the lifeline that kept you breathing. And yet, I chose Rosa.It wasn’t a decision I’d made lightly, but every time I thought about the way her eyes brightened whenever she saw me, I knew I couldn’t throw her into Alaric’s crosshairs. Not when she trusted me.Alaric was already seated in the dimly lit bar when I arrived, a whiskey glass in his hand and an air of impatience hovering around him.“You’re late,” he said, his eyes cutting toward me as I slid into the seat across from him.“Traffic,” I lied smoothly, signaling the bartender for a drink
The Mafia's Nanny 260
260Rosa’s POV.The afternoon sunlight was warm on my face as Allesio and I walked back to the apartment. The day had been full of small joys—ice cream, bookshops, and just the comfort of him being with me, but something was very off about him. It was just too obvious. And it had been for a few weeks now and I couldn’t figure out what the issue was.Allesio wasn’t himself.Sure, he laughed at my jokes and indulged me when I dragged him into yet another store to look at scarves or quirky trinkets. He held my hand and kissed my temple like always, but there was a distance in his eyes. It was like his mind was somewhere else, wrestling with something I couldn’t see.“Are you okay?” I asked again, keeping my tone light as we climbed into the elevator lifting us up to our apartment. I just couldn’t let it sit still, seeing him so obviously bothered.“Yeah,” he said quickly, a little too quickly.I let it slide, but my curiosity sharpened. This wasn’t the first time I’d felt him pulling awa
