Mia Valisteen was thrust into a dangerous world when her mother married Ray Valisteen, a feared Mafia lord. At just fourteen, she learned to navigate the treacherous life of the Mafia Princess, her every move watched and exploited by her stepfather’s enemies. On her eighteenth birthday, Mia was kidnapped by Dylan Griffin, known as “The Devil,” who sought revenge against her stepfather for a betrayal that destroyed his family. But Mia proved resilient, escaping Dylan’s clutches and disappearing into the shadows of Italy. Four years later, Mia has become a legend in her own right—a powerful Mafia boss feared by all. But her past catches up to her when her best friend, Mimi, is kidnapped by none other than Dylan. Forced to face the man who shattered her life, Mia is dragged into a dangerous game where love and hate blur, and loyalty is tested at every turn. Dylan’s obsession with Mia becomes his greatest weakness. As their worlds collide, Mia and Dylan must decide whether they’ll destroy each other—or unite to bring down those who betrayed them both.
Lihat lebih banyakMia’s POV
Life had always been simple. Predictable, even. Just me and my mom in our small apartment, surrounded by the familiar scent of her lavender candles and the comforting hum of her sewing machine. She worked tirelessly to keep us afloat, her delicate fingers stitching together our modest existence.
Then he appeared.
Ray Valisteen.
The first time I saw him, he was sitting at our kitchen table, a place far too humble for someone who looked like he belonged on the cover of a luxury magazine. His suit was sharp enough to cut through steel, his smile easy, almost disarming. But it was his eyes that struck me—dark, calculating, and cold.
I was only fourteen, but I wasn’t stupid. Men like him didn’t show up out of nowhere. He wasn’t here for a simple family dinner.
“Call me Ray,” he said, his voice smooth like melted chocolate. He leaned back in the rickety chair, completely at ease, as if the peeling wallpaper and chipped plates didn’t bother him. “Your mother has told me so much about you, Mia.”
I stayed silent, my instincts screaming at me to be cautious. Mom, however, was glowing. Her cheeks flushed as she fussed over the roast chicken on the table, smiling in a way I hadn’t seen in years.
“Ray’s been such a blessing,” she said, setting the dish down with trembling hands. “He’s... helped us.”
Helped us? I frowned, staring at the man across from me. What kind of help could someone like him offer?
Over the next few months, I got my answer.
Ray wasn’t just rich—he was powerful. His influence stretched far beyond the luxurious black cars that began picking us up from our dingy neighborhood, far beyond the lavish dinners at restaurants where even the waiters looked at us like we didn’t belong. My mom’s sewing business transformed overnight. Suddenly, her designs were in high demand, and our bank account swelled with more money than I thought we’d ever see.
But there was always a catch.
“Stay close to me,” Ray would say whenever we stepped out of the house. His hand on my shoulder was firm, protective, but it felt like a leash. Men in suits began shadowing us everywhere we went. At first, I thought it was because of his wealth, but soon, I realized it was more than that. It was the danger that clung to him, invisible but ever-present.
I started to notice the way people looked at him—fear mixed with respect. Waiters rushed to serve him, businessmen stammered in his presence, and even police officers seemed to look the other way when he sped through traffic.
It was intoxicating and terrifying.
One night, as I sat in the backseat of his sleek black car, I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Why do people act like that around you?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best effort to sound confident.
Ray glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable. “Because they know who I am.”
“And who are you?” I pressed, my fingers gripping the leather seat.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Someone who gets things done.”
That was the moment I realized my life would never be simple again.
---
When he married my mom a few weeks later, everything changed. I became "Mia Valisteen," the stepdaughter of a man whose name was whispered in hushed tones. We moved into a sprawling villa that overlooked the city, a place so grand it felt like stepping into another world.
At first, I tried to enjoy it—the fancy clothes, the private tutors, the endless parade of gifts. But the luxury came with strings attached. His world wasn’t just about wealth. It was about power. And enemies.
“Mia, don’t wander off,” Ray warned one afternoon as I explored the villa’s grounds. His voice carried an edge of urgency that made me stop in my tracks. “This isn’t the kind of life where you can afford to be careless.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant, but I was too afraid of the answer.
Deep down, I knew. This wasn’t just his world anymore. It was mine, too. A world of glitter and shadows, where nothing was ever as it seemed.
And I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.
As the Valisteen Princess, I had wealth, luxury, and influence. But with that came constant threats—Ray’s enemies, who seemed to be lurking around every corner. They never stopped coming after me, trying to use me as a pawn in their ruthless games.
But Victor—Ray’s consigliere—was my protector. He was unlike the others, calm, calculated, and always two steps ahead. I grew close to him over time. More than just a bodyguard, he became my mentor, guiding me through the treacherous world I had been thrust into.
His advice was always straightforward, his loyalty unquestionable. “Trust no one, Mia, not even the people closest to you,” he would say, his gravelly voice a steady anchor amidst the chaos.
And I listened.
Victor was my lifeline, and in a world where trust was a luxury I couldn’t afford, he was the only one I could rely on.
Not that I didn’t know how to defend myself or fight back—I did. Ray made sure of that. Combat training, escape drills, even lessons in negotiation; he insisted I be prepared for every situation. But I still found myself relying on Victor for almost everything.
Maybe it was his quiet confidence, the way he seemed unshaken even in the face of chaos. Or maybe it was the way he treated me like more than just the "Valisteen Princess." To him, I was still Mia, the girl who used to smell like lavender and fall asleep to the hum of her mom’s sewing machine.
In this world of glitter and shadows, Victor wasn’t just my protector. He
was my reminder of who I used to be—and maybe who I could still become.
Chapter 91: A Fiery Farewell and Forbidden FlamesMia's POVThe moonlight shimmered on the river like scattered silver, but all I could see was the boat cradling Mimi’s body, gently swaying as if the water itself mourned. Lanterns floated above, their flickering flames casting halos over the gathered clan. The air was thick with a reverence so heavy it made breathing feel like trespassing.I stood at the edge, feet planted in grass damp with dew, fingers clenched around a bottle of aged whiskey. My pulse thudded hard in my throat. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.I couldn’t look away from Mimi—her dark curls pulled back with the crimson ribbon I had chosen, the familiar leather jacket resting on her shoulders like armor. The black dress hugged her like she still had somewhere to go. And in her hand, a single wildflower I had tucked there myself, picked just before the ceremony began.The silence was broken by Ashton’s voice. Rough. Shaky. Full of a grief I recognized too well.
Chapter 90 – Ghost Signal 2.Mia’s POVThe tires crunched against the gravel, loud in the otherwise deafening silence that filled the car. As the estate’s main entrance loomed before us, glowing faintly under the dim porch lights, the engine gave a soft sputter before Dylan brought the car to a stop.Before it even fully parked, I shoved the door open and stepped out.Cold air slapped my face, rustling strands of hair across my cheeks, but I didn’t react. My boots hit the ground with purpose—measured, unshaken. I didn’t wait for anyone. Not Dylan. Not the others.My hands were still. My breathing was level.And my face—stone.No grief. No rage. No tears.Only silence.Behind me, Dylan opened the back door with the kind of reverence that belongs to sacred things. He moved with slow, calculated care, like each gesture carried a weight he wasn’t allowed to fumble. And then he emerged, holding Mimi in his arms.Her body.Blood had dried on her skin and soaked into her clothes. Her curls,
Chapter 89: Ghost Signal(Mia’s POV)It started with a whisper. A feeling. Like something wasn’t right.The estate was quiet—too quiet. Victor had gone radio silent again, eyes always on the window, as if expecting someone to break through it. Alison kept herself busy, but I could feel her watching me when she thought I wasn’t looking. Everyone had their routines, their coping mechanisms.Except Mimi.She hadn’t shown up for breakfast. Or lunch. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday.I asked around.“Maybe she’s training again,” one of the guards said with a shrug.But someone else—one of the newer recruits—looked nervous. “I saw her,” he said quietly. “This morning. Thought I was imagining it. She was heading toward the north wall… looked like she was in a hurry.”A hurry?No one else saw her. Everyone was equally busy.Panic started to claw at my chest.I ran back to my room and grabbed my phone, praying she'd just gone on a walk and forgotten to text back. But there was nothing. No new
Chapter 87: Fractured LinesThe Betrayal(Mimi’s POV)Days passed in a haze after we returned to the estate.The bruises faded, but the weight didn’t. Victor was quiet—dangerously quiet—and Mia hadn’t left his side, except for the occasional walks to clear her head. Alison stayed alert, tense, as though expecting something to go wrong again. Me? I threw myself into training, cleaning, anything that could distract me from the feeling that we had failed.Then I got the message.MIA: “Need to talk. Alone. Same spot as before—urgent.”I didn’t hesitate.We hadn’t spoken since that night. Not properly. I figured she needed space, but the sudden text felt like a shift—like maybe she was ready. And I was desperate to fix the cracks between us. I didn’t even stop to wonder why she wanted to meet alone, or why she sounded so... unlike herself.I slipped out past midnight, using the gaps in the estate’s new patrol routes. The wind bit at my skin, and the forest whispered warnings I chose to ign
Chapter 87: Fractured Lines### Part I – My Descent (Mia’s POV)I remember the cold bite of the night air as we slipped out from behind the high walls of Dylan’s clan estate. I, Mimi, and Alison had long shared a rebellious streak, but tonight—tonight it felt different. There was an intensity in our hearts, a mix of defiance and dread. We’d disobeyed orders once more, driven by the desperate hope of finding Victor before something irreparable happened to him. I clutched my side, not from pain but because my pulse roared in my ears as we crept through the labyrinth of back alleys.The moon was a thin crescent in the sky, and its pallid light barely touched the ground. “We shouldn’t be this far out,” Alison whispered, her eyes darting around in the darkness as though expecting danger at every turn. I couldn’t help but agree. But every step was driven by the memory of Victor’s last call—a single, cryptic text that hinted something was very, very wrong.Following a series of hastily scraw
Chapter 86: Disappeared I tapped my fingers against the edge of the table, my gaze flicking toward the door for what had to be the tenth time that morning. The estate was unusually quiet—not that it was ever particularly loud—but something felt... off. It had been nagging at me all day, a persistent itch at the back of my mind.Mimi sat across from me, idly spinning a ring around her finger. She hadn’t said much, which was unusual. Normally, she had something to complain about, something to gossip about, or some ridiculous scheme to rope me into. Today, though, she was just as distracted as I was.I finally voiced what had been bothering me. “Hey… have you seen Victor lately?”Mimi stopped playing with her ring and frowned. “Now that you mention it… no. Not in a while.”A small crease formed between my brows. “Yeah. Me neither. I thought maybe I was just missing him, but it’s been—what? A week?”“At least.” Mimi sat up straighter, her gaze sharpening. “Victor doesn’t just disappear.
Chapter 85: The Truth Beneath the SurfaceMimi finally spoke, her voice quiet. “I had no idea.” She met my gaze, something like guilt flickering in her usually confident eyes. “About your father, I mean. My father’s group… they destroyed a lot of lives. But I never knew yours was one of them.”I studied her for a moment, then shrugged. “It’s not like you had anything to do with it, you were just a toddlar like I was.”She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway.Dylan tilted his head slightly. “So? Now that you know, what are you going to do with it?”I thought about that. About Ray, about my mom, about how knowing the truth didn’t change much—but at the same time, it changed everything.Then, I smirked.“Nothing,” I said easily. “Just thought you two should know.”Dylan let out a quiet chuckle. “Typical.”I stretched, letting the weight of the conversation settle. And then, because I couldn’t resist, I added, “Though, there is one thing.”Mimi raised a brow. “What?”I grinned, m
Chapter 84: The Truth Beneath the SurfaceI checked my phone for the third time, pressing the call button and holding it close to my ear. The silence in my room was absolute, the soft hum of the city beyond my window the only background noise. No static, no strange interruptions.No one was listening.I took a deep breath and dialed.The call barely rang twice before my mother picked up."Mia?"Her voice was the same as always—warm, steady, familiar. It made me think of childhood memories filled with home-cooked meals and gentle lullabies. But there was also something else now, an underlying concern."Yeah, Mom. It's me," I said, settling onto my bed, pressing my back against the headboard."Is everything alright?"I hesitated. How was I even supposed to start this conversation? But I needed answers, and she was the only one who could give them to me."Yeah, I just… I wanted to ask you something."A pause. "What is it?"I swallowed, glancing at my locked bedroom door as if expecting s
Chapter 83: The Dawn Before the StormThe morning arrived quietly, as if it were the soft prelude to an overture that had yet to unfold. In the dim light of early day, I found myself awake in a solitude that felt almost sacred —a pause before the crescendo of events that would later alter the course of my night. Every minute of that morning carried a sense of both anticipation and introspection, a tender space where memories of yesterday blended with the elusive promise of what was to come.I lay in bed, cocooned in the faded linens that had borne witness to many restless nights, and listened to the gentle hum of the city beginning to stir. Outside, the first hints of daylight crept over the horizon, casting long, gentle shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. The quiet was profound, filled with the unspoken possibilities that only early morning can hold. It was a time when the world seemed to be holding its breath, awaiting a signal to burst into life.As I slowly sat up, the
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Komen