Mafia's Coded Heart
img img Mafia's Coded Heart img Chapter 5 Five
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Chapter 6 Six img
Chapter 7 Seven img
Chapter 8 Eight img
Chapter 9 Nine img
Chapter 10 Ten img
Chapter 11 Eleven img
Chapter 12 Twelve img
Chapter 13 Thirteen img
Chapter 14 Fourteen img
Chapter 15 Fifteen img
Chapter 16 Sixteen img
Chapter 17 Seventeen img
Chapter 18 Eighteen img
Chapter 19 Nineteen img
Chapter 20 Twenty img
Chapter 21 Twenty one img
Chapter 22 Twenty two img
Chapter 23 Twenty three img
Chapter 24 Twenty four img
Chapter 25 Twenty-five img
Chapter 26 Twenty six img
Chapter 27 Twenty seven img
Chapter 28 Twenty eight img
Chapter 29 Twenty nine img
Chapter 30 Thirty img
Chapter 31 Thirty one img
Chapter 32 Thirty two img
Chapter 33 Thirty three img
Chapter 34 Thirty four img
Chapter 35 Thirty five img
Chapter 36 Thirty six img
Chapter 37 Thirty seven img
Chapter 38 Thirty eight img
Chapter 39 Thirty nine img
Chapter 40 Forty img
Chapter 41 Forty one img
Chapter 42 Forty two img
Chapter 43 Forty three img
Chapter 44 Forty four img
Chapter 45 Forty five img
Chapter 46 Forty six img
Chapter 47 Forty seven img
Chapter 48 Forty eight img
Chapter 49 Forty nine img
Chapter 50 Fifty img
Chapter 51 Fifty one img
Chapter 52 Fifty two img
Chapter 53 Fifty three img
Chapter 54 Fifty four img
Chapter 55 Fifty five img
Chapter 56 Fifty six img
Chapter 57 Fifty seven img
Chapter 58 Fifty eight img
Chapter 59 Fifty nine img
Chapter 60 Sixty img
Chapter 61 Sixty one img
Chapter 62 Sixty two img
Chapter 63 Sisty the three img
Chapter 64 Sixty four img
Chapter 65 Sixty five img
Chapter 66 Sixty six img
Chapter 67 Sixty seven img
Chapter 68 Sixty eight img
Chapter 69 Sixty nine img
Chapter 70 Seventy img
Chapter 71 Seventy one img
Chapter 72 Seventy two img
Chapter 73 Seventy three img
Chapter 74 Seventy four img
Chapter 75 Seventy five img
Chapter 76 Seventy six img
Chapter 77 Seventy seven img
Chapter 78 Seventy eight img
Chapter 79 Seventy nine img
Chapter 80 Eighty img
Chapter 81 Eighty one img
Chapter 82 Eighty two img
Chapter 83 Eighty three img
Chapter 84 Eighty four img
Chapter 85 Eighty five img
Chapter 86 Eighty six img
Chapter 87 Eighty seven img
Chapter 88 Eighty eight img
Chapter 89 Eighty nine img
Chapter 90 Ninety img
Chapter 91 Ninety one img
Chapter 92 ninety two img
Chapter 93 Ninety three img
Chapter 94 Ninety four img
Chapter 95 Ninety five img
Chapter 96 Ninety six img
Chapter 97 Ninety seven img
Chapter 98 Ninety eight img
Chapter 99 Ninety nine img
Chapter 100 One hundred img
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Chapter 5 Five

Chapter Five

Astrid's POV

The screen flickered to life before me as I reluctantly complied with his request. Four days had passed since I'd been confined to this room, my every waking moment devoted to infiltrating The Ivano's formidable system. The challenge was even more daunting than I'd anticipated, but the potential payoff had once been tantalizing – enough to set me up for life. Now, however, I knew better than to ask for compensation.

As I dug deeper into the system, I uncovered snippets of valuable information. But I wasn't ready to share them just yet, instead, I stalled. One thing, though, had become abundantly clear: Luca's motivations went far beyond mere territorial protection. He was driven by a hunger to expand, to dominate.

And the last thing I wanted was to get involved in a mafia war but it wasn't like I had a choice already. It was either I stand with him or against him and that definitely means death which I am not ready to entertain. I still have a long life to live.

Drama, drama, drama. Hacking might be my comfort place, but getting involved in other people's messes isn't one thing I was interested in but that's exactly what the job is all about.

A faint noise from outside my quarters made me turn my head toward the door, my senses heightened. The door creaked open a few seconds later, and I tensed, my heart racing in anticipation.

I was bracing myself for Luca's arrival, but the man who stepped into the room wasn't him. Instead, it was one of Luca's henchmen - a lofty figure with broad shoulders and a chiseled face that seemed carved from cold steel. His eyes locked onto mine as if he was sizing me up. For a moment, he simply stared at me silently before finally speaking.

"Boss wants you in the main room," he said, his voice flat.

I nodded. "Did he say why?"

His expression didn't change and he just kept on staring at me. "Just come with me."

I followed him down the hallway, my hands buried deep in the pockets of my hoodie. It was obvious he didn't know the size of my clothes and just asked them to pick something oversized or even get me his size of clothes.

As we entered the main room, Luca stood by the expansive window, his back to me. The city lights cast an ethereal glow on his figure, highligting the commanding presence he oozed. He remained motionless, his attention fixed on the view outside as I approached. He didn't acknowledge my presence, but I didn't expect him to. I settled into one of the plush couches, my eyes fixed on his imposing figure.

The man who had brought me closed the door behind, leaving us in silence. "What do you want from me, Luca?"

He slowly turned, his cold blue eyes locking onto mine. "I just want you to do your job, Ash."

"For the last time, I am no longer Ash. My name is Astrid. And I've gotten what you asked for. Their finances and recent dealings. It took longer than expected because it looks like they used even harder codes inside which would have cost you millions of dollars to break through even if you were to find someone to." I tutted, sliding the drive on the table for him to take.

He walked over to me in long strides and as he was about to take the drive, I pulled it back, making him stare at me questioningly. "First, what's the progress of my mother and sister's trail?" I asked him.

His expression didn't waver as he stood back up. "My men are on it. Now hand it over." He ordered, his tone laced in authority.

"How am I to know?" I raised a brow, while slightly closing my eyes. But he suddenly grabbed my hand, making me yank the o

the drive behind me. "Answer me?"

"You answer me. Looks like you badly want physical touch after the other night." He said, his voice cold, making me wonder how he could say such a thing with a straight face.

"You flatter yourself. I can't even remember most of that night. I'm just asking for the development and proofs before I go on. That's the point of our working together, isn't it?" I pointed out and it seemed to get to him but he suddenly pulled the drive out of my hand, his hands brushing against my finger, sending a strange warm sensation.

"Vincent is keeping an eye on them, but whoever is holding them is clearly hiding something. We only stumbled upon them by chance while I was searching for you," he said, his back to me as he walked over to his open laptop, his fingers already flying across the keyboard.

"Tch." I tutted before standing up. "If you have anything to tell me, I'll be in my room." I quietly walked back, my mind all over the place. Why was I even doing this for them in the first place? They might be the only family I have but they weren't the nicest to me. But, I still had to search for them since it was partly my fault they had to leave and be taken away.

As I reached for the door to my room, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, frowning at the unknown number on the screen. I considered ignoring it because I never had any great experience with unknown numbers but I just answered it anyway.

"Hello?" I said cautiously.

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a voice that sent ice through my entire veins. "Ash Vega. I believe we have some unfinished business."

It was a voice I hadn't heard in months, one that I thought I'd long buried. The sound of it was like a trigger, something I haven't heard since I halted my hacking program. Memories I'd desperately tried to suppress came flooding back: the life I'd narrowly escaped, the one that had left me shattered. And with them, the nightmares I'd fought so hard to forget began to resurface, their dark tendrils creeping back into my mind.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice trembling despite trying hard to keep calm.

A low chuckle echoed through the line. "I think you know. I want what you took from me and I'm ready to do everything it takes to get it back."

This serpent had lain in wait, patiently biding his time, and now that the moment was ripe, he was ready to strike. But what was his ultimate goal? What evil desire had been simmering beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed?

"I don't have anything you want." I replied, this time my voice steady.

"You've always been a terrible liar, Astrid. But that's not why I'm calling. I'm calling to make you an offer that can save your life– and of those around you." He replied, his tone saying he didn't buy it one bit.

"And if I refuse?"

"Oh my, you haven't even listened. Well, then I'll make sure you never see your family again. And I will make sure Luca Santoro pays for every mistake you've made."

                         

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