Page 20 of Kidnapped By the Mafia

He turns to the cubicles. “This place is shut down, permanently. I want you all out of here in the next thirty seconds and you’ll get twice your month’s pay as severance. Anyone left in the room after I stop counting gets nothing.”

The place empties faster than I thought possible.

“What is it, Emily?” Lucas asks as the door closes behind the last employee. There’s concern in his eyes, and for a moment, I let myself believe that everything might be okay. “You needed to tell me something, right?”

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “I’m pregnant,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can second-guess myself. “I just found out, and… and it’s yours.”

13

EMILY

For a moment, time seems to freeze. he stares at me, his expression unreadable, and I brace myself for whatever comes next.

I expect anger, disbelief, maybe even rejection. But what I see instead takes me completely by surprise.

His eyes widen slightly, and then, to my astonishment, a smile spreads across his face—genuine, warm, and filled with an emotion I can’t quite place.

“Emily… that’s incredible,” he says, his voice filled with something like joy. But just as quickly as the smile appears, a shadow of concern crosses his face, and he looks away, his expression darkening.

I feel a knot of anxiety tighten in my chest. “Lucas, what’s wrong?” I ask, my voice trembling. “Aren’t you happy?”

He turns back to me, and I can see the conflict in his eyes, the war between his emotions and whatever thoughts are running through his mind. “I am happy,” he says, his voice steady but tinged with something darker. “But there are things you don’t know about me, Emily. Things that complicate this.”

I swallow hard, fear creeping into my heart. “What do you mean? What kind of things?”

He hesitates, then sighs, as if he’s about to lift a heavy burden. “You need to understand something about me, about who I really am,” he begins, his voice low. “I’m not just a businessman. I’m a powerful figure in New York’s mafia.

“I have connections, influence, and control over things that most people don’t even know exist. This building,” he gestures around us, “is part of my empire. I bought it recently, which is why I could fire your boss without a second thought. But he works for a rival of mine, Albrecht. This news, it could complicate things for us both.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the breath out of me. I feel the ground shift beneath my feet as the reality of what he’s saying sinks in. “You’re… what? You’re involved in crime?” I whisper.

He nods, his expression grave. “I’m not proud of everything I’ve done, but it’s who I am. It’s how I’ve survived, how I’ve built my life.”

“The mugging,” I say, my voice shaking. “Greg’s car. Vince getting the shit kicked out of him. Was that all you?”

He doesn’t flinch, his eyes meeting mine with unwavering honesty. “Yes,” he admits, his voice steady. “They deserved worse for what they did to you. No one fucks with you without paying the price.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine as I take in his words. This isn’t just about protecting me—this is about control, about power, about a darkness I never imagined. “Lucas… you could have killed someone. How could you do that?”

He steps closer, his eyes intense and unwavering. “If someone hurts you, they hurt me, and I won’t let that go unpunished. If you want, I’ll make sure Greg and Vince never bother you again. Permanently.”

My heart stops. The air around me seems to thin, making it hard to breathe. “Are you saying you’d kill them?”

“If that’s what it takes to make you happy,” he says without hesitation, his voice firm and unyielding. “I will destroy anyone who ever tries to hurt you.”

It’s too much. The fear, the confusion, the overwhelming realization of who Lucas really is—it all comes crashing down on me. I take a step back, shaking my head as tears well up in my eyes.

“No,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “This was a mistake. Coming here, telling you… all of it. I can’t be part of this, Lucas. I can’t be part of your world.”

I see a flicker of pain in his eyes, but he doesn’t stop me as I turn and run. I have to get out of here, away from him, away from the darkness that surrounds him.

The tears blur my vision as I flee down the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest, the reality of what I’ve learned too much to bear.

As I burst out of the building and into the busy New York streets, the noise and chaos of the city swallow me up, but it does nothing to calm the storm raging inside me.

I thought I knew who Lucas was, but I was wrong—so, so wrong. And now, I’m carrying his child, a child that ties me to a man I can’t even begin to understand.

I don’t stop running until I’m far away, until the building is just a distant memory, and all I can feel is the weight of the world pressing down on me.

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