The Civilian Bride Is The Underworld Boss

to the Vitiello mafia empire, his childhood sweetheart

doorway, arranging a wager with his soldier

ficate was a forgery, and that a bloodless

, a temporary toy meant to be pass

awing blood, before ordering the men to dump a massive

animals, leering at my exposed, wet body

lly sanctioning my violation and te

hidden connection and resource to keep

re his seat, only to be discarded

a fragile canary with no

the Romano Famiglia, the ruthless Don wh

my civilian disguise, and gave the kill order t

pte

a P

eir to the Vitiello mafia empire, his childhood sweethear

orway, arranging a ten-million-dollar wager with his

he surface of the warm water with

d in my lungs. My fingers clamped onto the porcelain li

swimsuit by the estate pool, a crude attempt to humiliat

curve. The made men had tracked my movements with a naked, possessive hunger,

es that lapped against my bare skin, their spiny le

ld again. My cruel stepmother had sealed me in the pitch-black with

as I fought to rise, to reach for t

room doors wer

report of her heels against the tiles lik

ello-the man who had slid a wedding

el soldiers crowded the doorframe behind him,

gan to narrate the tremor in my limbs, calling to the men to witness t

produced their phones, their thumbs moving swiftl

n was exposed. Not one of them looked away; their eyes were

ody-words one might expect to hear in a cheap brothe

he leering crowd unti

ius to clear the room. I told him the insects were crawling closer

e doorframe and folded his arms, his dark e

ice, ordering me to sit still and afford the m

and forcing me to clench my jaw. Fueled by a sudden, cold anger, I re

that I could mobilize enough of my own men to hunt down every last

epped nearer to the tub, her fine-boned fac

ng deeper into the dissipating foam to

d a wager: she forbade him from interveni

he tip of Bianca's nose with a fond, proprietary air,

e cheers, praising Cassius for showing true allegiance to

inspecting a bag of wet, rotting garbage, Cassius moved his h

o indulge Bianca. He claimed a simple wager was of no consequence, since

wd, a tall associate let

d the truth in a voice loud enough for all to hear: the ma