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53

Author: Um_royhan
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-12 11:50:55

53

Alaric’s POV

The thrum of bass from the nightclub seeped through the walls like the beat of a pulse, filling the air with a low, steady vibration. The place was packed tonight, bodies moving on the dance floor like a mass of shadows under the shifting lights. I took a slow breath, letting the scent of sweat, perfume, and alcohol wash over me. It was familiar—too familiar. The kind of place where deals were made in whispers and secrets traded like currency.

Allesio walked beside me, his face set in the hard, impassive mask he wore when we were on business. We cut through the crowd like a blade, the people parting instinctively as if they could sense the danger clinging to us. This was a place where people looked the other way, where nobody wanted to remember your face the next day. It was exactly why we were here.

Our target was a small-time informant, the kind of rat that lived in the sewers of the city, scraping by with whatever scraps he could find. He wasn’t important in the gr
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  • The Mafia's Nanny    54

    54Alaric’s POV I was in my study, going over the details of our latest shipments, when the knock came—two sharp raps, a pause, then a third. Allesio’s signal. I set down the file I’d been reading, already feeling the prickling sensation of unease.“Come in,” I called, pushing away from the desk.Allesio entered, his face set in a grim line, holding a small, nondescript brown package. It wasn’t the kind of thing you’d pay attention to in a pile of mail—ordinary, almost insignificant. But the stiffness in his shoulders told me everything I needed to know.“Found this at the front gate, sir,” he said, placing the package on my desk. “No return address.”I met his eyes. “Did you check it?”He gave a curt nod. “No explosives. It’s just paper inside, but it feels wrong.”Wrong. That single word was enough to send a jolt of cold rage through me. I grabbed a letter opener from the desk, slicing through the tape quickly, and pulled the flaps apart. Inside, there was a plain white envelope. I

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    55

    55Emilia’s POV I didn’t plan on sneaking out. If was stupid to even plan on sneaking out when Alaric had tightened security like this, and placed the house on lock down. It was almost impossible. Almost. I knew it was only a matter of time before he doubled down on security, making it impossible for me to step outside the mansion’s walls without an armed escort.So, I made a choice—a reckless, stupid choice, but one that felt necessary. I couldn’t stand idly by, feeling like a caged bird while threats loomed over Francesca and me. I needed answers, and I had a contact – thanks to Rosa – who might be able to provide them.I waited until late evening when everyone was busy. Allesio was preoccupied, and Alaric had locked himself in his study again, probably strategizing. I slipped into a pair of sneakers, threw on a hoodie, and walked casually down the hall, forcing myself not to rush. I knew the patrol routes by heart, having observed them closely in the last few days. It wasn’t hard

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    56

    56Alaric’s POV The moment Emilia stormed into my study, I knew we were in for it. Her face was flushed, eyes blazing with a mix of anger and something else—something that made me grip the edge of the desk a little harder. I’d just finished speaking with Allesio, trying to piece together the intel she’d risked her life for. I was barely holding onto my temper as it was.“What the hell were you thinking?” I snapped before she could even open her mouth.“What was I thinking?” she retorted, slamming the door shut behind her. “I was thinking that someone needed to actually do something, since you’ve been too busy hiding behind your walls to make any real moves!”“Hiding?” I pushed myself away from the desk, stalking closer to her. “You have no idea what I’ve been doing. You think I’m just sitting here, doing nothing? I’ve been working around the clock trying to keep you and Francesca safe.”“Then why don’t I feel safe, Alaric?” Her voice cracked, just slightly, but she recovered quickly.

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    57

    57Alaric’s POV The sun was setting when Allesio walked into my study, a grim expression on his face. He looked tired, like he’d been running on fumes, but there was a glint in his eyes that told me he’d found something worth all the effort.“We’ve got a lead,” he said without preamble, dropping a crumpled piece of paper onto the desk in front of me.I picked it up, smoothing out the wrinkles. It was an address scrawled in a hasty, almost frantic hand. I could picture the informant Allesio had likely cornered—desperate to save his own skin, stuttering out information in exchange for a chance to breathe another day.“What’s this?” I asked, even though I already knew. My pulse quickened.“An old safehouse,” Allesio explained. “Used to belong to one of your former associates before the Nightshade Syndicate took over. It’s not one of their main hubs, but it’s where they’ve been regrouping, lying low while they plan their next move.”I nodded, standing up and grabbing my coat. “Then I’m g

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    58

    58Emilia’s POV It was nearing midnight and I was pacing around Alaric’s office, trying to wipe away all the bad thoughts. It wasn’t working.Alaric had shot those three men right in front of me. I didn’t know why that shocked me, but it did. More than I’d like to admit. But what shocked me more was that I didn’t feel any form of empathy for these men. If anything, they deserved it. And I’d have done it myself if I had a gun on me.Alaric had been unusually silent since we got back from the safehouse, and I knew that meant he was grappling with something he wasn’t ready to say out loud.I took a deep breath, steeling myself before speaking. “We need to go over what we found.”He didn’t turn to look at me, his gaze fixed on something far beyond the window glass. “I already did,” he muttered. “And it doesn’t make any sense.”He was lying. It made too much sense, and that’s what scared him. I crossed the room, placing the worn leather ledger on the desk between us. It looked like any or

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    59

    59Alaric’s POV This was a set up. A fucking set up. And as much as I hated to admit it, it was a mistake from my side. I should have seen it coming. This was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission—get in, find the intel we needed, and get out. But the moment we breached the door of the hideout, we walked straight into an ambush.The air was so thick with the metallic tang of gunpowder and smoke, so heavy I could almost taste it. My ears rang from the explosion that had gone off moments earlier, shattering what little quiet we’d had left. Everything had descended into chaos faster than I’d anticipated.I glanced to my left. Emilia was crouched behind an overturned table, her face a mask of fierce concentration as she returned fire. There was nothing delicate about the way she moved. She had a gun in her hands, her body angled for the cleanest shot, and there was something wild in her eyes—something that matched the thrum of adrenaline in my veins. And it also made me wary. Wh

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    60

    60Alaric’s POV The look on Allesio’s face had my heart beating too hard in my chest. Too hard that I feared that it might jump out. He was holding a file, thick with evidence—something he’d been working on while we were at the hideout. I could tell from the grim line of his mouth that whatever he had discovered, It wasn’t good.I leaned back against the edge of my desk, crossing my arms as I waited for him to speak. The silence stretched thin between us, almost suffocating. I could feel the cold fury building inside me, an icy current that threatened to spill over.“Just tell me, Allesio,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “Who is it?”He looked down at the file, almost like he couldn’t bear to meet my eyes. That single hesitation told me everything I needed to know. My heart dropped, a heavy weight settling in my chest. Whoever it was, this betrayal was going to cut deep.“It’s Dominic,” Allesio said finally, his voice low.For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Dominic. Of all the p

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  • The Mafia's Nanny    61

    61Alaric’s POV There was a stillness in the air, the kind that usually made people uncomfortable. It was quiet. But not a peaceful kind of quiet. I could tell that the men were whispering amongst each other. They were used to violence, yes, but this was different. Tonight, I was making an example of one of them. One of us. Dominic.I stood in the grand hall, my back to the assembled lieutenants and guards, staring out the tall windows. The city lights stretched far into the distance. I clenched my jaw, my shoulders stiff and threatening to fall, but I forced myself to straighten.Weakness was not an option tonight. Dominic had made his choice. Now, I had to make mine.“Bring him in,” I ordered, my voice cutting through the silence like a knife. Allesio nodded, his expression a grim mask as he disappeared down the hall.I didn’t turn around. I needed a moment—just one—to gather myself, to let the anger and disappointment harden into something useful. A weapon. Because if I faltered,

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Latest chapter

  • The Mafia's Nanny    308

    308Rosa’s POV The morning light streamed through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the apartment. I sat on the couch, nursing a cup of coffee, my fingers drumming against the ceramic. I’d come back to the states three days ago to finally pack up and move back to Italy. Across from me, Emilia stared, her lips pursed like she was trying to figure out how to respond to what I’d just told her.“You’re leaving,” she finally said, and it wasn’t a question.I nodded. “Yeah. I think it’s time.”She exhaled, leaning back against the couch. “Time for what? To run away? To bury yourself in business deals and pretend like you don’t care?”I rolled my eyes. “I’m not running away.”Emilia shot me a pointed look. “Rosa, please.”I sighed, setting my cup down. “I need a break. And I need to be there for my father. He’s been handling everything on his own for too long. It’s about time I stepped up.”She folded her arms. “And Allesio?”My stomach clenched at the mention of his name. I forced mys

  • The Mafia's Nanny    307

    307Allesio’s POV The whiskey burned on the way down, but it wasn’t enough to numb the ache in my chest. Nothing was. The dimly lit bar around me hummed with the usual noise—clinking glasses, quiet chatter, the occasional burst of laughter that grated on my nerves. It was ironic how the world kept spinning, people kept living, and I was stuck in this endless loop of regret and self-destruction.I swirled the amber liquid in my glass, staring at it like it held the answers to my misery. Maybe if I drank enough, I’d finally stop seeing her face every time I closed my eyes. Maybe I’d stop hearing her voice in my head, the way she told me to stop chasing her like I was nothing more than an annoying shadow she couldn’t shake off.The bar stool next to me scraped against the floor, but I didn’t look up. I already knew who it was. Only one person would be stupid enough to come find me when I clearly wanted to be alone.Alaric sighed, loud and unimpressed. “How long are you going to do this?

  • The Mafia's Nanny    306

    306Rosa’s POV The jet lag hadn’t hit me yet, but I was already very exhausted and felt done for the day.Italy looked the same as it always did—beautiful, timeless, like it existed in a different universe from the chaos I had left behind. I inhaled the crisp evening air as I stepped out of the sleek black car, the grand estate standing wide in front of me. The Smith family mansion. My father’s empire.The guards stationed outside barely blinked at my arrival, nodding respectfully as I walked past them. I had never lived here full-time, but it was still home in some ways. A piece of me, whether I wanted to admit it or not.The grand doors opened before I could even knock, and there he was—Romano Smith. The infamous Don. My father. He looked the same, even though it seemed he had grown older since the last time I saw him. He was dressed in his usual crisp three-piece suit, his silver hair combed back, his sharp eyes studying me the way they always did, like he was seeing everything I

  • The Mafia's Nanny    305

    305Allesio’s POV I couldn’t live without her.Not just in the poetic, tortured way people talk about when they lose someone they love. No, this was worse. This was physical, a gnawing emptiness in my chest that only got worse with each passing day. I had tried everything to forget her—drinking, fighting, drowning myself in work. But nothing helped. Nothing came close to filling the void she left behind.I had been a coward. A liar. A manipulative bastard. And now, I was paying the price for it.“Are you even listening to me?” Alaric’s voice cut through my thoughts, his irritation clear.I looked up from my drink, barely focusing on him. “Not really.”Alaric sighed, rubbing his temples. “I said, let her go.”I scoffed. “Like you ever let Emilia go?”His jaw tightened. “That’s different.”“Is it?” I leaned forward. “Because I remember a time when she hated your guts too. When she wanted nothing to do with you.”“And I gave her time,” he shot back. “I didn’t chase her down like a despe

  • The Mafia's Nanny    304

    304Rosa’s POV The moment I stepped out of the ballroom, I knew I should have just stayed in tonight. I should have ignored Emilia’s gentle nudging, should have turned off my phone, should have stayed curled up in bed with a book I wasn’t really reading. Because now, standing in the grand foyer of this ridiculous charity event, I felt like an idiot.I walked away from Allesio like he was nothing. Like seeing him after all this time didn’t shake me down to my bones. Like the way he said my name didn’t make my throat tight. But I did it. I walked away.And I should have kept walking. Should have gotten into a car and gone home. But no. I needed a damn drink first.I made my way to the bar, ordering a glass of champagne, something crisp and dry that wouldn’t sit too heavy on my tongue. Something to remind me that I was fine. I was moving on.And then I saw her.Tall. Elegant. Brunette. Draped in a silk gown that screamed old money and good taste. She laughed at something he said, her pe

  • The Mafia's Nanny    303

    303Allesio’s POV The car rolled to a smooth stop in front of the grand hotel, its towering glass windows reflecting the golden glow of the city lights. I adjusted my cufflinks, barely listening to Alaric giving instructions to one of his men over the phone. Another pointless charity event, another night pretending to care about something other than the mess I’d made of my life.Inside, the ballroom was dripping in luxury—crystal chandeliers, waiters in crisp uniforms weaving through the crowd with silver trays, and the endless murmur of people pretending they weren’t all rotten beneath their polished exteriors. I grabbed a glass of whiskey from a passing waiter and took a slow sip, scanning the room with idle disinterest.And then I saw her.Rosa.My grip on the glass tightened. For a second, I thought I was seeing things, some cruel trick my exhausted mind was playing on me. But no, it was her. The curve of her jaw, the way her dress hugged her figure like it was made for her. Her

  • The Mafia's Nanny    302

    302Allesio’s POV The whiskey burned its way down my throat, but the ache in my chest didn’t ease. It never did, no matter how many glasses I downed, no matter how many fists I threw at nameless men in dark alleyways. I was becoming reckless, but I didn’t give a damn. Maybe if I pushed hard enough, if I destroyed myself enough, the guilt would stop gnawing at me.It never did.“You look like shit,” Alaric said, dropping into the seat across from me in the dimly lit bar. “And you smell worse.”I smirked, lifting my glass in a mock toast. “Cheers to that.”His jaw ticked. “This is getting pathetic.”“What’s pathetic is you tracking me down like a goddamn babysitter.” I tossed back another drink and signaled for another. The bartender hesitated, eyes flicking to Alaric, but I shot him a glare. He poured it. Good man.Alaric exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. “You’re fighting like you’ve got nothing to lose.”I chuckled darkly. “Because I don’t.”“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

  • The Mafia's Nanny    301

    301Rosa’s POVThe restaurant was nice. Upscale but not overly pretentious, the kind of place where the waiters wore crisp white shirts but didn’t look like they wanted to strangle themselves with their ties. Candlelight flickered across the polished wood table, catching the deep red of my wine as I swirled it in my glass. Across from me, Jason—or was it Jacob?—smiled, teeth perfectly straight, dimples popping like he had been genetically engineered to charm.I smiled back. It wasn’t hard. He was attractive, well-dressed, and had that effortless confidence that came with knowing you were objectively good-looking. He was saying something about his job—finance, obviously—and I nodded like I was interested. I should have been interested.Instead, my mind drifted to the last time I had sat across from a man at a restaurant. The heat in Allesio’s gaze, the way he had leaned back in his chair like he owned the whole damn place—and maybe he did. The way his hand had rested on my thigh under

  • The Mafia's Nanny    300

    300Allesio’s POV The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Alaric sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his jaw clenched, fingers drumming impatiently against the polished wood. Around him, his most trusted men stood at attention, awaiting orders.“She only took her car and even that’s untraceable. No flights booked in her name. No trace of her anywhere,” one of the men reported.Alaric exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “I don’t give a damn how much it costs—find them. If they’re hiding, make them regret it.”I sat back in my chair, rubbing a hand down my face. This was getting out of control. I had been barely holding it together as it was, knowing Rosa had shut me out completely. The only thing keeping me from losing it entirely was the fact that Alaric was just as on edge. Maybe more. He was spiraling without Emilia, and I couldn’t blame him. It had been days. No calls. No messages. Nothing. And with Emilia being pregnant? Yeah, he was losing his mind.

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