Semua Bab Ruined By Mafia: Bab 61 - Bab 65

I could feel the weight of their eyes on me, heavy and assessing, like physical pressure against my skin. Each gaze carried different intentions—some curious, others suspicious, a few openly hostile—but all shared the same underlying quality: calculation. Nothing and no one was viewed without first determining value, usefulness, or threat level. I was being cataloged, dissected, my worth measured in ways I couldn't fully comprehend. Their scrutiny raised goosebumps along my arms despite the warmth of the crowded room, a primitive response to predatory attention that no amount of composure could fully suppress.Watching. Calculating. Assessing my worth. These weren't casual observations born of idle curiosity. These were deliberate evaluations made by men who had built empires on their ability to read people, to identify weaknesses and strengths with a single glance. I could almost feel them stripping away layers of pretense, searching for the truth beneath the carefully constructed fa

The conversation around the table continued, but I wasn't paying attention anymore. The voices of everyone blended into a meaningless hum as something else captured my awareness—a subtle shift in the atmosphere that prickled against my skin. I could feel him before I saw him. A new presence. A shift in the air that altered the energy of the entire room.It was subtle at first—the way the men at the table adjusted their posture, straightening almost imperceptibly in their seats. The way their laughter quieted just slightly, becoming more measured, more controlled. The way Dante's fingers, which had been idly tapping against his crystal glass, suddenly stilled. These minute changes spoke volumes. Whoever this man was, he mattered. He carried weight in this world I was still learning to navigate.I turned my head just as he approached, stepping into the warm glow cast by the ornate chandeliers overhead. The golden light seemed to accentuate everything about him—his height, his posture, t

I kept my expression carefully composed, even as my pulse hammered against my ribs. The room around us continued its rhythmic flow of conversation and laughter, the clink of crystal against crystal, the low murmur of business being conducted beneath the veil of social niceties. None of it penetrated the strange, tense bubble that had formed around our corner of the table. Because I could feel it—the weight of Alessandro's stare, the slow, deliberate way he studied me.His gaze traveled over my features with the careful attention of someone memorizing details for future reference, lingering on my eyes as if searching for something specific there. His smirk was lazy, the slight curve of his lips suggesting amusement at some private joke, but his eyes—his eyes were sharp. Focused. Predatory in a way that made my skin prickle with warning.The businessman who had attempted to steer the conversation back to safer topics had given up, turning his attention to one