Page 81 of Ruthless Royalty

I shake my head, feeling the frustration building up again. “Dmitri?—”

“You’ve chosen to be with a Mafia heir, and now you have to accept what that means. You have to start thinking like someone who understands the world they’re in. The one they didn’t chooseinitially,but ended up choosingwillingly.”

The words cut deep, and I can feel tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. I don’t want to cry in front of him, don’t wantto show any more weakness than I already have, but it’s hard. It’s so damn hard.

I wipe my eyes, my mind a whirlwind of emotions. “So what? You’re saying I should just give up my freedom, my independence, and marry Giovanni because it’s the safest option?”

“I’m saying you need to think carefully about what’s at stake,” Dmitri replies, his voice steady. “This is not about giving up your freedom—it’s about protecting yourself and the people you care about. It’s about making a decision that could mean the difference between life and death.”

I understand what he’s saying, but it feels like I’m being asked to give up so much, to sacrifice everything I thought I wanted for the sake of survival.

I swallow hard, nodding again as I stand to leave. “Thank you, Dmitri. I … I appreciate you talking to me about this.”

He nods, his expression unreadable. “Good night, Chiara.”

I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know if I can live in a world where my choices are so limited, where every decision I make has life-or-death consequences. But I also don’t know if I’m strong enough to walk away, to leave Giovanni behind and try to go back to the life I used to have.

I don’t know if that life even exists anymore.

As soon as I get to my bedroom, I pick up my cell phone and send a text. Before I make up my mind about Giovanni, I need to do this one thing first.

GIOVANNI

As my car pulls up to the Mikhailov estate, I can feel the tension in my shoulders, a tightness that’s been building ever since that goddamn fight with Chiara when we left Willow Bridge.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about everything that went down, playing it over and over in my mind until I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew I couldn’t just sit on my ass and let things fester. If I want to fix this, I need to do it in person. No calls, no texts—just me showing up, face-to-face, and making things right.

As I’m nearing the gate, my phone buzzes. It’s Nikolai.

“Gio,” he says, his voice sharper than usual, almost frantic. “Is Chiara with you?”

I blink, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “No. Why would she be with me? I’m literally at the gate of your estate, coming to see her.”

There’s a brief silence on the other end before Nikolai curses under his breath. “Shit.”

A cold dread starts to settle in my gut. “What the hell’s going on, Nikolai?”

He exhales heavily, like he’s struggling to keep it together. “Chiara’s gone. She gave the guards the slip last night.”

I slam my hand against the dashboard, barely holding back the surge of anger and panic crashing over me. “What the fuck? I’ll be there in five minutes.”

I hang up before he can respond, my foot pressing down harder on the gas.

By the time I pull up to the Mikhailov estate, I’m barely keeping my temper in check. The massive iron gates swing open, but I’m already out of the car before it fully stops, storming toward the front entrance.

Nikolai is pacing at the top of the stairs, looking like he’s about to snap. Next to him are Mihai and Connor, both of them tense, their expressions mirroring the worry etched on Nikolai’s face. This isn’t the usual crew I’m used to—their calm, calculating demeanor is gone.

As soon as Nikolai sees me, he rushes over. “She’s really not with you?” His voice cracks, something I’m not used to hearing from him.

“No, she’s not fucking with me!” I snap, the frustration spilling out as my mind spins. “You think I wouldn’t tell you if she was? Where the fuck is she?”

Nikolai runs a hand through his hair, the composure he usually carries barely hanging on by a thread. “She left a note. Said she was going to New York to see someone and would be back soon. We assumed she was coming to you, since your territory is New York.”

The dread swirling in my chest turns into full-blown panic. My territory. If she’s gone into Brooklyn without protection…

“Why the fuck didn’t you call me earlier?” I growl, feeling the anger simmering beneath the surface.

“We thought she was with you!” Nikolai barks back, his frustration matching mine. “Until now, I was sure of it.” He stopspacing and locks eyes with me. “Who the fuck did she go visit, then?”

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