Page 56 of Masked Mafia's Runaway Bride

“Fine,” I muttered, pushing off the doorway. “I’m leaving.”

But as I walked out, my mind was a whirlwind.

Something wasn’t right.

Alex wasn’t just any kid, and Mirella wasn’t just any other person in his life. She was too careful, too protective, too guarded. And the way Alex talked about her, the way he called Dahlia by name—it didn’t fit.

Pieces of a puzzle I hadn’t even realized I was trying to solve started clicking into place.

Mirella had always been a mystery to me. She could be sweet and soft one moment and cold and distant the next. She hid things—big things. I’d seen glimpses of the walls she kept up, but this felt different.

I drove back in silence, replaying the conversation with Alex in my head. The way he said “Mama’s friend” stuck with me like an echo I couldn’t shake.

Mirella was protecting Alex from something—or someone.

But what?

And, more importantly, why?

By the time I got home, my chest felt tight with unanswered questions. I knew one thing for certain: Mirella wasn’t the naive girl I used to know. She was hiding something, and whatever it was, it wasn’t small.

For the first time in years, I wasn’t sure if I truly knew her at all.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

SERGIO

The door to my room clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My mind was still reeling. Mirella, sweet, soft-spoken Mirella—had just disarmed and shot two men like she’d been doing it her whole life. And then there was Alex, calling Dahlia by name as though she wasn’t his mother. Nothing made sense, and the more I thought about it, the more it felt like I’d been handed a script for a play that I didn’t understand.

I rubbed a hand down my face and reached for my phone. There was one person I trusted to help me figure this out. I dialed Ryan, my right hand in everything important—and most things illegal.

“Get to my room,” I said as soon as he picked up. “Now.”

It wasn’t long before Ryan walked in, his usual cocky grin in place. He leaned against the edge of my desk, arms crossed. “What’s got you all worked up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “It’s Mirella. Something’s off.”

That wiped the grin off his face. “Off? How?”

I started pacing, the words tumbling out faster than I could organize them. “I went to check on Alex today. He ran to me like any kid would, but then he called Dahlia by her name. Not‘Mom.’ Just Dahlia. When I asked, he said his mother wasn’t home. Then Mirella—she wasn’t even home.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Okay, weird, but maybe the kid’s confused? You know how kids are. Didn’t you say he had some high fever or something?”

I stopped pacing and turned to face him. “It’s not just that. She’s not who she’s pretending to be. We went on a mission to secure a shipment earlier, and she... she fought like a professional. Took down men twice her size without even flinching. And not just random flailing—she knew exactly what she was doing. Like she’s done it a hundred times before.”

Ryan let out a low whistle. “You’re telling me Mirella—‘Oh no, I can’t hurt a fly’ Mirella—took out trained men?”

“She did,” I said, my voice harder than I intended. “And it wasn’t just luck. She was methodical, fast, and calm. Too calm.”

Ryan tilted his head, considering me. “You think she’s hiding something?”

“I don’t think. I know.” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building. “And I’m going to find out what it is. I need you to dig into her past, especially after she left New York. Use your contacts, your networks—anything you can. I need answers.”

Ryan didn’t move, his expression unreadable. “You sure about this? What if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not wrong,” I said firmly. “There’s something she’s not telling me, and I need to know what it is. Besides...” I hesitated, then decided to come clean. “I’ve been building my own networkwithin my father’s empire. Quietly. If I’m right about Mirella, this might be bigger than we think.”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “You’re building a network behind Don Carlos’s back? Are you insane? I thought when you mentioned it earlier, it was something small for just insider Intel, not a full-blown network. If he finds out—”

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