The Mafia's Hidden Heir

Valentina 's POV

The wedding dress felt too tight. Too constrictive.

I fixed my gaze on my mirror reflection-a girl I hardly knew peering back at me. Clung to my body, the exquisite white lace spoke for grace and purity. But I felt anything but pure. And grace? < That had gone through my fingers the instant I turned Luca DeLuca's offer down.

Marrying you will be a protection.

Those were not phrases I could get out of my thoughts. They kept coming back to me as I stood by myself in the changing room, heart thumping with every second. The wedding was about to start. This morning. Swift and frigid, like a deal. For that is all this was. a deal. Luca's kingdom was safe, thus I wouldn't be under Enzo Romano's hands.

But there was something else chewing at me-a persistent sensation in the gut. The way Luca had stared at me last night, the glitter in his eyes when he declared this was not a love story. It started me to question my depth of sinking.

"Tina" A gentle voice emerged from my thoughts.

Turning to find Maria, my childhood friend, standing in the doorway, I Her hands were wringing anxiously, her eyebrows wrinkled with concern. Maria knew some but not all of my story. She understood I had fled a perilous life, but she was unsure of the whole scope of what was hunting me. She was also seeing her best friend wed a man I hardly knew right now.

Quietly approaching, she murmured, "Are you sure about this?" "I mean, this is quite abrupt. Why would you wed someone you know just a few weeks?

Opening my lips to respond, the words caught in my throat. How would I justify that this was not essentially a marriage at all? That this represented survival, nothing more?

Maria, "I have no choice," I murmured, my voice hardly a whisper. "I am in need of this."

Her eyes looked at me, seeking for answers I provided her. But you adore none of him. Is there another route as well?

I shook my head, resisting the tears that may have leaked over. NO. Not is it.

Maria moaned; her shoulders slumped in loss. She knew me enough to realize I wouldn't be moved. She glanced one last time and left the room, leaving me by myself with her reflection.

The door closed and I was once more quiet. The only sound coming from the wall was the clock ticking away the minutes till I would be Luca's bride.

The ceremony itself passed for nothing. Luca stood tall and frigid next to me, his hand tightly clutching mine as we committed vows neither of which we intended. His eyes as keen as ever, absorbing every detail and every movement in the room, his face was unreadable.

His strength seemed to weigh me in the way he carried himself. He seemed to be manipulating the very air around us to suit him. And, as much as I detested to admit it, it had a really fascinating quality.

The words of the priest poured over me, merging into the background as I concentrated on Luca's hand still clutching mine. Though not delicate either, his touch was forceful rather than cruel. a call to memory the agreement we had negotiated.

When it was time to kiss, Luca leaned in close and just brushed my lips, enough to make the few witnesses present believable. But the kiss lacked flare and enthusiasm. simply cold need.

We were ushered into the reception as soon as it ended, a little gathering of people connected to Luca's world that I didn't know. Important faces I knew were missing. While muttering behind our backs, wondering why the strong Luca DeLuca had decided to wed a nobody like me, they congratulated us with false smiles and hollow words.

A few hours later, I was standing on the balcony of our new house-a large estate outside the city. Now it was only me and Luca; the wedding was finished, the guests had gone. By oneself.

Nothing helped to release the strain in my chest as the cool breeze stroked my skin. Luca tonight seemed different than what I had anticipated. Though we were united by marriage and had taken our vows, this was not genuine. Not least, not to me.

Behind me, I heard the gentle creak of the balcony door opening, then Luca's footsteps. Silent for a bit, he came to stand next to me as we both gazed out at the darkening sky.

"You did well today," he murmured at last, his voice low and steady. "Everyone suspects nothing."

As always, it was closely guarded; I looked at him, trying to interpret his emotions. "I don't care what they suspect," I said, sounding more sharply than I wanted. "This isn't for them.."

"No, it's not," he said, turning to squarely face me. That does not mean we can afford to be negligent, though.

I turned away, unable to hold his eye for too long. Something about Luca unsettled me, something deadly hiding just under the surface. He was chilly, analytical, and every word he said seemed to hold an unsaid threat. But there was another thing as well, something I couldn't quite identify. Maybe a flutter of sensitivity here. Or was I thinking of it?

More to myself than to him, I murmured, "I'm not sure how much longer I can do this."

Luca's knuckles went white as his fingers tightened the balcony railing. " Valentina, you are without options. You agreed upon a bargain. And I will keep up as long as you maintain your end.

His comments stung, a sobering reminder of the deal we had negotiated. I disliked this. I loomed over him. I couldn't deny, though, that he was my only shield from the Romano family at the same time.

" Why did you agree to this?" Suddenly I asked the inquiry out before I could stop it. "Why married me?"

Luca's jaw tightened, and for a split second I assumed he wouldn't respond. Still, he spoke at last following a protracted silence.

Quietly, he continued, "Because I need you," staring directly at me. "You are the secret to keeping everything I have created from disintegrating."

I scowled, perplexity knotting in my chest. "What do you imply?"

But a great crash from within the home broke the quiet between us before he could respond. As I whirled, eyes wide, my heart shot into my throat.

Luca's whole attitude altered quickly. His body stiffened, he was on great alert, staring into the darkness for any indication of threat. His voice low and menacing, he said, "Stay here."

He vanished into the house without waiting for a reply, leaving me on the balcony alone with terror slinking up my spine.

As I waited, seconds felt like hours and my imagination ran a million possibilities. Was the Romano family among them? Had they lately come upon us?

But then quietly followed the smash, exactly as fast as it had arrived. excessive silence.

I could no longer stand it. Ignoring Luca's caution, I entered and followed the faint sounds coming from the corridor, my bare feet lightly padding across the marble floor.

I stopped turning around the bend.

There was a man towering, broad-shouldered and threatening. Though shadows covered his face, I could sense the threat pouring off him in waves. Luca was facing him, his back to me, his body stiff as if a predator about to attack.

The man spoke softly, nearly like a growl. "Did you not realize you could never permanently hide her?"

My blood came cold. Their search turned up me.

Once more, Valentina's fragile life is disrupted as an unidentified menace confronts Luca in their new house. This unexpected incursion makes the reader wonder about the stranger, why Luca's defense is failing, and what this implies for Valentina's delicate feeling of safety. The chapter finishes suspensefully, preparing the next confrontation as danger closes in.

Luca's POV

The moment the crash reverberated around the house, I could sense the air changing. It was the sound of someone invading my space, testing me, and subverting the delicate control I had over this scenario, not only the sound of things breaking.

I told Valentina to stay still, so I turned not looking back. She had to know where she fit in. Her conflict was not this one. But she never pays attention, does she? Her tenacity is her weakest point as well as a strength. And if she doesn't pick things up quickly she will die.

With heightened senses, I went about the home. Every shadow, every flutter of motion drew my eye, but I didn't see him until I rounded the corner.

Gianni.

Naturally, it was him.

"You're slipping, Luca," Gianni remarked, his voice low and sloshy with hubris. "You have become soft over this whole marriage process. Who would have imagined the great Luca DeLuca would tie himself down for a woman?

I kept silent. Gianni was not worth the breath it would have required to explain anything to him. Enzo Romano, a dog that had been smelling my heels for years, was sleeping in my house. He felt he was being cunning, but he had no idea who he was dealing with.

"How did you enter this? My voice was quiet but deadly, I asked.

Grinning, Gianni leaned sloppily against the wall as though he owned the house. "I have my ways." Thought I would drop over to wish you well on your marriage. Must be a hell of a woman for you to go through all this hassle.

I wasn't about to offer him anything; he was hunting facts. He was here for Valentina, or at least what I was supposed to understand. But this transcended her as well. It dealt with power. Order. And Gianni lacked both as well.

I moved forward, the strain between us growing. " Leave. Now."

The smile of Gianni got bigger. "What's the urgency, Luca? Terrified, I might tell your newlywed the truth? You know she will soon learn, right? Not too far off. The falsehoods, the blood on your hands-all will surface.

I tightened my hands, my endurance running thin. Leave.

But Gianni remained still. He simply stood there, that haughtiness on his face, challenging me to start. He was ready for a struggle. And some of me wanted to present it to him.

I spotted movement from the corner of my eye before I could act. Valentina." Of course she had disobeyed me. Her eyes wide and full of terror, she was peering beyond the door. She was not aware of how perilous this planet may be or of the game we were playing.

Before Gianni spotted too much, I had to get her out of here.

I snatched him by the collar one fast step and pushed him toward the door. "You want to engage in games, Gianni?" Take it somewhere else. I will deal with you later.

Gianni stammered but did not rebel. He knew better than to challenge me right in my house. Still, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes darting to where Valentina was hidden.

"Careful, Luca," he sneered. The truth cannot remain buried for very long.

And he was gone, vanishing into the night as fast as he had arrived. Heart thumping in my chest, I locked the door behind him. That he had seen Valentina and that he had come this near disgusted me. This was not included in the agenda. Here, concealed from Enzo's reach, she was supposed to be safe. But Gianni's arrival had dashed that fantasy.

Valentina was standing in the corridor, her arms encircling herself as if she were attempting to prevent disintegration as I turned back.

Her voice shaky, she asked, "What was that about?"

I looked at her for a time, considering how much to say. She was brittle enough as it was. She might be totally broken if I toss her into the deep end of my life. She still had to grasp, though, what was on line.

"Nothing you need to worry about," I responded, my voice sharp.

Her eyes blazed with rage, the fire I had seen in her before flickering to life once more. "Don't tell me, Luca. You lie. I am entitled to know what is happening. Whose was he? Why was he present?

I tightened my mouth, deciding whether or not to let her in. Though she wasn't ready for this, keeping her in the dark could be more damaging. Knowing she was here, Enzo knew Gianni had seen her. Things were going to become disorganized quickly.

At last, I crossed my arms, "He's one of Enzo's men," I said. "He won't be back; he came here to cause disturbance."

Valentina's eyes grew terrified, and I watched her realize something. "Enzo is aware I am here?"

You nodded. He does now.

She paled, her body stiff as she worked through what that meant. She was clearly developing stress and anxiety about what was next. She cannot, however, break down right now. not during times of this instability.

Steering closer, I continued, "I told you I'd protect you." Still, you have to believe me. Keep away from this. Let me tackle it.

Valentina shook her head and spoke with a shaky voice. "Luca, I cannot only watch and do nothing. Though I am in it now, I did not ask for any of this. I have to know what is happening.

I grumbled and frustratedly ran a hand through my hair. Her being entangled and pushing herself farther into the turmoil exactly what I did not want. She was indeed correct, though. She was in this now, whether or not she enjoyed it.

My voice low, I said, "There's more to this than just you." "This marriage, the agreement we reached goes beyond only ensuring your safety. It's about preventing the breakdown of all I have created. Enzo wants control of the city, hence he will have advantage against me if he gets his hands on you.

Valentina looked at me, her brow wrinkling in perplexity. "Leverage? Why would he show concern for me?

I stammered, considering how much to expose. Though the reality was dangerous, she had to grasp the stakes.

"You're not just some hapless woman, Valentina," I remarked gently. "You link to something more than just yourself." Your family...you know the Romano family has a background. A past Enzo intends to leverage to his benefit.

Her eyes went wide with disbelief, and I could see the bits beginning to fit her. She had no idea how deep this went or what she had been fleeing over all these years.

"My family?" She murmured, her voice scarcely audible. "What do they have to do with this?"

I released, feeling the weight of the secrets I had been carrying. "Your father long ago was close to the Romano family. Before birth. He crossed Enzo's father, and today Enzo seeks retribution. He believes he can use you to write an ancient debt.

Valentina's face lost all color, and I could see terror in her eyes. This went beyond her now as well. It concerned something far more than each of our own capacities.

Her voice quivering, "I didn't know," she said. "I knew nothing about any of this."

"I know," I whispered softly. Still, you have to use caution now that you do. Enzo won't stop until he has what he is after. And right now that denotes you.

Valentina is thrown into a deeper web of mafia politics and risk than she could have ever dreamed as she discovers the truth about her family's relationship to the Romano family. Her brittle confidence in Luca is shaken as she discovers exactly how much he has withheld from her; the threat of Enzo grows more real with every second. The last tense, stressful scene in the chapter leaves the reader wondering what Valentina will do next and how she will negotiate this dangerous new reality.

Valentina's POV

The planet seemed to be squeezing in on me. The hard truth Luca had just dropped revealed the raw reality under layers of my life like a dagger slicing through them. Father's past? Romano Family? It felt like the life of someone else rather than mine. Still, all that was genuine-too real.

Luca's keene eyes fixed me, as though he were deciding whether or not I would buckle under strain. The same calm, under control gaze he always wore-that which had comforted me-now seemed far and frigid. Throughout, he had known all along. Protecting me, he had kept me in the dark. But in falsehoods what defense was there?

"What do you mean, my family?," At last, the words crawling out of my throat came out. I asked. "What did my father do to make me a target?

Luca inhaled and his jaw tightened. Like he often did, he was considering what to say. He was computing. I wanted to scream at him to give me the truth straightforwardly without hiding it under caution, to stop him from playing his little games. I was not fashioned from glass. I was not in need of coddling.

"Your father... he was a trusted man in the inner circle of the Romano family," Luca said, his voice calm but heavy with what he was not saying. He broke them. Years ago, before you were born at all. Walking away from them, he grabbed something belonging to Enzo's father. Enzo believes he is due now.

Not ready to believe it, I shook my head. father? Someone I hardly remembered, someone who had disappeared from my life when I was still a small child? Was he part of this dream? "That does not make sense." He left throughout my early years. He participated in nothing like this. Your boyfriend is the incorrect one.

Just for a second, Luca's eyes softened; then the hard mask came back. "I wish Valentina I could tell you it's a mistake." But that is not the case. Just before we-that is, over the past months of your family-found out about

"Just before we got married," I said to him, resentment into my voice. "That is what this is, not otherwise. Marital union. That was a means of self-defense. To keep me under cover from Enzo.

He ignored it; silence was sufficient proof. I started to become sick in my throat. All that had been a lie. Every look and every touch-our whole relationship was based on dishonesty. Like Gianni has said, I had been a pawn in his game.

Needing to go away to clear my brain, I pushed by him; Luca caught my arm, his grip strong but not hurting. "Valentina, stop." You must comprehend-"

"Know what?," asked. I snapped and yanked my arm free. "That in some mafia conflict I didn't even know existed I have been nothing more than a bargaining chip. That you have been controlling me from the beginning?

"I have been keeping you safe. His voice was louder than normal, a fracture in his otherwise under control façade. His dark, piercing eyes focused on mine with a force that caused my breathing to stop. "Do you suppose Enzo would have let you live knowing your name? Valentina, you would already be dead without my intervention. Possibly worse.

His remarks' unvarnished honesty struck me like a gut-tender blow. Luca was right for all his defects and dishonesty. Living in a fantasy where none of this occurred, I had been blind. Perhaps perhaps, just perhaps, his actions-twisted as they were-had kept me alive.

But that made swallowing much more difficult. Still burning in my chest was resentment. "What then?" My voice was softer, but still somewhat angry when I asked. "Do I just wait for Enzo to come for me here? Given your lies to me over the past several years, do I trust you to keep me safe?

Luca moved forward, his enormous presence directed down at me. His hand lifted, and for a moment I felt he would be comforting me by touching my face. Still, he stopped himself and dropped his hand back toward his side. His voice low, he replied, "You don't have to trust me." But you really do need me. The only person separating you from Enzo is me.

That fact hovered between us, unspoken but clearly present. I despised it-hated that I needed him, hated that my life had turned to this. Deeply though, I knew he was correct. No matter how much I hated the circumstances, if I wanted to survive I had to rely on Luca.

At that moment, the door knocked-loud, forceful. Luca stiffened, his brows narrowed as he waved for me to keep back. His hand already reaching for the revolver hidden under his jacket, he hurried quickly toward the door. As the tension rose, I experienced a flash of terror and felt my heart hammer in my chest.

Luca opened the door just enough to see out, his body separating me from whoever stood outside. Silence fell for a moment; then a low, smooth voice flowed into the room.

"Come in peace, Luca."

Though I could not identify who it was, Luca's posture suggested he was not expecting them. He widened the door to show a man I had never seen before. Tall with dark hair slicked back and eyes that appeared to sparkle with laughter. He was dressed sharply, his suit perfect and immaculate, but something about him made me shiver.

"Dante," Luca said, his voice chilly and harsh.

Smiling, Dante entered the room as though he owned it. "Is that any approach to welcome an old friend?"

Closing the door behind Luca, he said, "I didn't realize we were friends." His body was stiff, coiled like a spring almost about to break.

Dante turned to look at me, his smile broadening. "Ah, this had to be the gorgeous Valentina. You have been mentioned so much.

I stepped back involuntarily, stiffened beneath his examination. His attitude to me seemed predatory, as though I were prey and he was choosing how best to capture me.

"What do you wish, Dante?," Luca asked, obviously running short in patience.

Dante turned his eyes away from me and back toward Luca, grinning sloppily. "I'm here to offer you.

Luca crossed his arms, his look incomprehensible. "I have no interest.

"You haven't heard the offer yet," Dante remarked, his voice light yet tinged with danger. "You see, Enzo is growing rather irritable. He is bored with waiting for you to turn over Valentina. But I am a sensible man. We should be able to agree.

The mention of Enzo made my blood stop cold. This was it, everything down to this. Me personally. My life, my safety, exchanged like money between guys who considered me as nothing more than tools to a goal.

"What sort of agreement is this?" With a harsh voice, Luca asked.

Dante's smile came back, more broadly this time, as though he had been waiting for that inquiry. Enzo lets you retain whatever you have created after you give Valentina. Not a conflict or any bloodshed. Everyone walks away content.

The quiet that ensued felt stifling. Looking at Luca, waiting for his reply, my heart thumping in my chest He failed. He only stared at Dante, his face insensible. I had a flutter of uncertainty for the first time-a worry that perhaps Luca would accept the contract just maybe.

"Luca?" I murmured, my voice hardly heard.

He cast no glance at me. His jaw tightened and he fixed Dante squarely. His voice was like ice, he murmured at last, "Get out."

Dante's smile stumbled, but only momentarily. Luca, you are erasing a mistake. Enzo will not be so giving the next time.

"I told you to get out."

Dante backed toward the door with his hands in imitation submission. "Good, good." But avoid claiming I failed to warn you.

That meant he was gone, the door closing behind him. The room's tension remained unchanged. If anything, it just got heavier, the weight of Dante's words hanging around.

My heart in my throat, I glanced at Luca. "What happens now??"

Luca turned to face me, his face austere, yet under the surface lurked something worse. "Now we get ready for battle.

Valentina finds herself further in the perilous realm of mob politics than she has ever known as Enzo looms and the mysterious Dante arrives. Valentina's struggle to trust the man who has misled her has set the stage for a lethal confrontation since Luca's determination to give up forces her to face the terrible realization that her existence might depend on his darkest inclinations.