All Chapters of My Mafia Dominant Is Back: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Lyla immediately stopped what she was doing, concern flashing across her face. "Did I hurt you?" she asked. She realized she had tied the bandage a bit too tight, and now blood was seeping through, staining the gauze.Carlo furrowed his brows, his expression a mix of pain and innocence. "Lyla, do you hate me that much?"Lyla knew he was faking it—Carlo was a master at twisting words—but guilt still crept in. After all, he had gotten hurt because of her. She carefully unwrapped the bloodied bandage and replaced it with a fresh roll, this time working more gently.Carlo remained silent, his eyes fixated on the equipment in the lab.Lyla followed his gaze before explaining, "That's our lab’s newest piece of equipment. It measures endorphin levels.""Endorphins?" Carlo inquired, intrigued."Yes," she continued, "endorphins are chemicals produced in the brain that act like morphine, providing pain relief and pleasure. Our study explores the relationship between pain and stress relief. One o

Carlo’s hand slowly trailed up from her sore backside to her hair, stroking Lyla’s trembling body as if soothing a frightened kitten.After a long silence, he spoke, his voice much gentler than before. “Lyla, you were wrong.”“Yes, I was wrong,” Lyla obediently nodded.“No, what I mean is—you were wrong,” Carlo repeated, lifting her chin gently to make her face forward.In front of her, the equipment screen lit up, displaying a blank coordinate grid. Now, a winding line appeared, wavering slightly but showing an overall slow and steady rise.Lyla knew this experiment well enough to understand exactly what it meant.Her earlier guilt disappeared, replaced by an overwhelming wave of shame as the undeniable truth stared her in the face.Carlo had been right. She was wrong. If she truly believed in science, trusted that experiments didn’t lie, then she had to admit the truth. She enjoyed being controlled and had, in fact, felt a certain pleasure in the measured pain.Carlo's hand slid fro

That was the last time Lyla saw Carlo three years ago.Now, sitting at a café near the entrance of Westhaven College, where she now teaches, Lyla cradled a cup of hot latte, her mind far away. Hudson had offered to pick her up and take her to the location Carlo had designated, but she refused. She chose this café, right across the campus entrance. Three years ago, Carlo had vanished from her life without a trace, leaving her to wrestle with self-doubt and confusion, trapped in a cycle of pain and desire in her dreams.Three years later, she would not let him hold that power over her again.Lyla often found herself replaying memories of their time together. She couldn’t forget the day after Carlo’s abrupt departure when she locked herself in her dorm room all day, refusing to face the world. But eventually, she had to attend her evening lecture. Walking into the classroom, she was met with the heated buzz of gossip."Did you hear? Jessica killed someone."“Killed someone? When did this

“Ah, so you’re mad because of that waitress?” Carlo’s face lit up with a look of mock realization, but it was so exaggerated that anyone could tell he was faking it. The only genuine thing was the smug smile plastered on his face. “I only gave her my business card. Are you jealous?”Lyla felt like a needle had just pierced her heart. She tried to suppress her emotions, keeping her voice cold as she replied, “No. What I’m saying is, if you hurt any of my students at this school, I will call the police.”“Hurt them?” Carlo let out a chuckle. “It was just a business card. How could I have possibly hurt her? I can give you one too, if you want.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an identical card.“I don’t want it...” Lyla started to refuse, but her eyes caught something on the card that surprised her. Furrowing her brow, she asked, “Wait a minute, who’s James Donovan?”“Who knows,” Carlo shrugged casually, “someone stuffed it in my pocket at a party, I guess.”It felt as if t

“Are you stalking me?” Lyla demanded angrily.“I’m too busy for that,” Carlo shrugged dismissively. “I’ve been waiting here the whole day.”“Waiting for me?” Lyla scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’ve moved on. I don’t need anyone waiting for me.” She emphasized the phrase " waiting for me". With those words, full of hidden meaning, she turned and started walking away without looking back.“If that kiss had made you happy, I would’ve left without a word and never bothered you again,” Carlo’s voice echoed behind her.Lyla’s steps faltered. She turned around to find Carlo leaning against his car, holding a tissue. Even under the dim streetlights, his serious expression was clear—gone was the playful nonchalance he usually wore.After a moment’s hesitation, Lyla walked back toward him. She forced a smile, trying to appear unfazed as she took the tissue from his hand and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.“I was happy,” she said with a hollow laugh. “He asked me to be his g