Not Afraid of the Mafia Heir’s Threat Chapter 10
I went to the hospital to see my father.
He was lying in the bed, pale and drawn.
My mother’s eyes were red when she finally forced the words out. “Everything was fine right after you left.”
“But lately, Lorenzo’s been acting like he’s lost his mind.”
“He’s been pressuring your father every day, demanding that you marry him.”
“When your father refused, he started going after the family business.”
“Your father got so worked up he collapsed.”
My cheeks felt cold.
I held myself together and said, “It’s okay. I’m back now.”
“From here on out, the family has me.”
I wiped my tears and went straight to the family enterprise’s corporate offices.
At least those years abroad hadn’t been wasted.
I could spot irregularities in the books now. I could follow the numbers, track the leaks, and understand where the damage was.
But fixing it would take time.
So I threw myself into it, day and night, holding the family business together while reassuring partners, investors, and everyone tied to our operations.
Some of the family’s old guard couldn’t stand watching the strain take its toll on me anymore.
One of them finally tried to persuade me.
“Sera, if you’d just compromise with Lorenzo, none of this would be so hard. When two mafia families tear into each other, it’s the others who benefit.”
She kept going, soft and earnest. “Who doesn’t make mistakes when they’re young?”
“Don Lorenzo has been waiting downstairs for three weeks now.”
Pain throbbed faintly at my temples.
I stood and looked out the window.
Rain was falling in a fine, steady sheet.
Night had settled in thick and dark.
Below, Lorenzo stood by his car with the headlights on, one hand braced against the door, the other rubbing a cigarette between his fingers.
Fine.
If the score couldn’t be settled cleanly, then maybe both sides deserved to bleed for it.
I took an umbrella and went downstairs.
The second Lorenzo saw me, his eyes lit up.
I looked straight at him and laid it out as plainly as I could. “Yes, you can wreck my family’s business.”
“But the Conti family and mine are tied together in too many shared deals.”
“If you insist on burning us down, you’ll scorch your own house too.”
Rain tapped against the umbrella in a steady rhythm.
Lorenzo forced out a smile and answered with a chilling, obsessive calm that had started to feel worse than anger. “There’s another way.”
“A win-win.”
“Marry me.”
I honestly couldn’t understand it.
That relationship had ended two years ago.
What was there left to hang on to?
The second two people part for real, there’s no going back.
And besides…
I let out a breath and raised my left hand, letting the streetlights catch the band on my finger. “Lorenzo, I’m married.”
Later, we sat across from each other in a coffee shop.
He offered me a towel and said softly, “Dry off first. Your shoulders got wet.”
I didn’t take it.
Instead, I accepted a clean one from the server.
Lorenzo’s hand stayed suspended in midair for a second before his fingers curled around the towel.
“I don’t believe you.”
I dried the ends of my hair and looked up at him. “Believe what?”
He still wore that faint smile, but there was something stubborn and hollow underneath it. “You can’t fool me, Sera.”
“In those three years in England, all you did was eat, study, dance once in a while, and go to the hospital.”
My hand stilled for just a second.
Lorenzo leaned closer.
“Sera, you never got over me.”
“That’s why you got sick.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, his tone turning coaxing, almost tender. “Which means you still love me.”
For a moment, I just stared at him.
I opened my mouth to respond.
Then a warm hand landed on my shoulder and gave it a gentle pat.
I turned.
Matteo stood there, travel-worn, the shoulders of his coat dotted with rain.
His brow was tightly drawn as he looked at Lorenzo and said coldly, “So you knew Sera was unwell, and you still went after her family’s company to force her hand?”
“Lorenzo Conti. I’d heard stories.”
“Turns out you really are that low.”
Lorenzo stiffened, his expression tightening as his jaw set. “Sera… who is he?”
Matteo sat down beside me, one brow lifting. “I’m Sera’s husband.”
“Want to see our marriage certificate?”
Then, with a bright smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he added, “You piece of trash.”
Lorenzo’s eyes turned red. His lips shook. “That’s impossible.”
“I would’ve heard about it.”
Soft music drifted through the café.
Matteo smelled faintly of cold pine and rain.
I sighed. “It’s true.”
“And Lorenzo, even if I weren’t married, there still wouldn’t be anything left between us.”
His voice trembled. “Is this because of Gianna? I already got rid of her!”
Expressionless. I shook my head.
He frowned and kept reaching for another explanation.
“Then is it because of the competition? Sera, I can give you another one. Ten more. A hundred if you want.”
“Just don’t leave me.”