All Chapters of The Mafia's Pawn: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Cleo's POVAfter thinking for what felt like hours, I realized that my only viable option was Russo. But he wouldn’t help me for free that, I was certain. If I wanted his trust, I would have to play his game, be good to him, calm, and compliant. I needed to deceive him, to make him believe that I was slowly giving in, that I was coming around to his way of thinking. Only then could I gain enough freedom to walk out of this prison disguised as a mansion.It seemed like a perfect plan, and I was ready to execute it. But as hours turned into days, and days into weeks, Russo was nowhere to be found. At first, I thought he was simply giving me space, letting me stew in my thoughts until I was ready to do his will. But as time passed and he still didn’t show, my unease grew. It had been almost a month since our last encounter, and the door to my room only opened to deliver meals and remove the trays. Each time, I watched the guards closely, hoping for some sign of what was happening in the

Cleo's POV Luck was on my side, as I made it to the blind spot without incident, the shadows of the tall hedges shielding me from view. I glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, then reached for the gate and pulled it open just wide enough to slip through.Within the twinkle of an eye, I was out.After running a few meters away from the mansion, I stopped to catch my breath. I found a silent corner where I slid in and quickly changed out of the stolen uniform. I had worn a trouser and a crop top beneath the uniform before leaving home hoping to blend into the crowd without causing unwanted attraction to myself. “Now where do I go first?” I asked myself as I detangled my loose hair. After a few seconds of thought, I decided to see Miley first, to confront him on why he didn't look for me when he didn't hear from me for over a month and maybe we could plan to escape together. While he gets the car and other things ready, I would go over to Aunt Lydia. Chase her out of

Cleo's POVElla’s eyes flickered, her rebellious mask slipping for just a second as she realized how close I had come to pulling the trigger. She didn’t say anything, but the faintest hint of uncertainty crossed her face. For once, she didn’t have a snarky comeback, and the silence between us felt thick and heavy just like a storm about to break.Miley let out a shaky breath, relief flooding his features as he took another step closer. “Cleo, please… just put the gun down,” he urged softly, trying to reach out to me as if his touch could somehow fix the mess he had made. His words were gentle, but they held no real understanding, no acknowledgment of the damage that had been done. I stared at him, and all I could see was the man who had promised me the world, only to tear it apart without a second thought. There was no fixing this. No going back. Miley and Ella had made their choices, and so had I.“It's okay, Cleo,” Miley said, his voice barely a whisper now. “Let’s just end this h

Cleo's POVI stirred awake, my head throbbing like a drumbeat, the dull ache radiating through my skull. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t respond. I blinked, my vision hazy and blurred as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. My breath hitched when I finally took on where I was, a dark grimy room, the air thick with smoke that rose lazily from a fire burning inside a rusty old drum.The heat from the fire flickered across the walls, casting long, ominous shadows that seemed to dance mockingly around me. I strained against the ropes biting into my skin, my heart racing as the reality of my situation settled in. I wasn’t free. I hadn’t escaped. I had been caught.Panic flared in my chest, but before I could react, a figure stepped into my line of sight, his movements slow and deliberate. I squinted, my eyes watering from the smoke, and my heart sank when the figure resolved into someone all too familiar.Russo sat casually on a stool in front of me, his posture relaxed but

Cleo's POVMy legs felt heavy as I followed Viktor back to my room, every step echoing with the weight of what had just happened. The papers and IDs Russo had handed me earlier were clutched tightly against my chest, their crisp edges digging into my skin like a thousand tiny needles. Each document felt like a piece of my freedom stripped away, a reminder that every aspect of my life was no longer mine but controlled by the man who had made himself my captor.When Viktor opened the door to my room, I stepped inside, feeling the cold, indifferent space close in around me. He didn’t say a word as he shut the door behind me, the soft click of the lock echoing in the silence. I was alone again, but it didn’t feel like solitude, it was more like isolation, the kind that eats away at you from the inside out.I let out a shaky breath and walked over to the bed, dropping the stack of documents onto the covers. The white sheets of the contract lay on top, staring up at me like a taunt. Russo’s