All Chapters of The Mafia Boss’s Mute Bride: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ARIANA I STRETCHED MY LIMBS OUT as the first peek of sunlight streamed into my room, lighting up the space. I felt significantly better than I did last night. After another creative block at work, my mood had taken a downward spiral. There was nothing I hated more than failing my clients. Nothing felt right anymore. Tears of frustration clung to my lids as I walked into the house, and that was where I'd bumped into Mikhail, who was on his way out of the house. "Whose jaw am I breaking?" He'd asked in the most casual tone like we were talking about tea and brunch while he slipped his brass knuckles on. The psycho carried that around with him along with the knives and guns strapped to his body. What could I say? My brother-in-law bordered on psychopathic. Five days had passed since the call with Aleksei, and it was safe to say Mikhail and I were slowly developing a bond against my better judgment. It was surprising,

ARIANAMira was the first to notice my presence. Her entire face brightened, and she pushed past Mikhail. Her black curls bounced around her face as she bounded over to me."Oh. My. God. You look amazing. Your skin is literally glowing. You nailed the vibe I was going for in my head when I first saw the dress. And the necklace?" She smacked her nude-painted lips together. "Chef's kiss. The Tarasov men have taste. Scratch that. Your husband has taste. Igor is a piece of shit, and Mikhail doesn't know his right from his left.""Not true!" Mikhail interjected. "And back off before you overwhelm Ariana."Did I mention that Mira talked a lot? Like she was physically unable to keep her mouth shut for one minute. That had stopped her from getting jobs in the past, but according to her, she didn't care."I just can't change who I am, you know," she'd said with a sigh. "I'll just be with you for the rest of my life."I had no complaints because she was fun to be around, and she reminded me of

ARIANA AN HOUR LATER, and I was already regretting attending this party. It was filled with endless fake conversations and smiles. My face threatened to fall off I fake-smiled at one more person in this event. Just like Laura had predicted, I'd gotten a few judging stares, but none of them had dared to be outrightly rude, and I knew it was because of the six-foot-five giant plastered to my side. He hadn't been joking when he said he'd punch anyone who ogled my body. A man's gaze had briefly strayed in my direction and lingered a second too long, and Aleksei had promptly walked away from him like they weren't mid-conversation. "I don't want to ruin the night for you, or I'd have punched him," he'd said when I gave him the stink eye before we ran into another couple that held us for the next ten minutes. "One more hour, and we can get out of here. I've engaged with at least half of the intended people tonight. It's just Pierce and a few other senators left," Aleksei said fro

ALEKSEI "LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. You're pissed at Ariana because you think she's cheating on you?" Irritation flickered in my chest as I moved a pawn on the chessboard. "That's what I said, yes. And no, I don't think. I know." The evidence stared right back at me in the form of that fucking bracelet on her wrist. She cherished the fucking thing more than her own life, for fuck's sake. I'd never seen her look as desperate as she did when I tried to take the bracelet away from her, or when she woke up thinking it was gone. This was the same woman, who hadn't batted an eye when I said I wanted to get married to her. She didn't know what she was walking into when she stepped into that office to accept my proposal, but she'd done it anyway without fear shining in her eyes once. Yet, I'd seen genuine fear in her tear-filled eyes yesterday. All because of that fucking bracelet. Amedeo chucked, leaning back in his seat. "Okay, lover boy. Jeez, you're pissy today. By the way, I

ARIANA I'D TEMPORARILY forgotten how to breathe. The few seconds it took me to get into the car felt like an eternity with Aleksei's eyes burning holes into my back. "At some point, you two are gonna have to fuck, because the sexual tension is suffocating." I shook my head at Mikhail as if to say I don't know what you're talking about, ignoring eye contact with him. There was no tension. Confusion? Yes, but that was on Aleksei's part. Mikhail said nothing, but the dark amusement that lit his eyes briefly was telling enough. "I must warn you about Reina. She's our aunt slash stepmother." His lips pressed into a flat line like he was fighting back a laugh. "It's complicated," he added. "Long story short, Reina stole my father from my mother, trapped him with a failed pregnancy, and then she eventually married him. Our father divorced our mother, and he married Reina. They've been together ever since. She's a bitch of epic proportions." My mouth fell open and closed. Twic