Page 7 of Masked Mafia's Runaway Bride

“You’ve got that look again, Enzo. Tell me, what do you know?”

He crossed his arms, his expression as unreadable as ever. “This time, it’s big.”

I arched an eyebrow, not sure if I believed him. Enzo’s idea of ‘big news’ usually meant someone went bankrupt or some associate made a shady deal. But I motioned for him to go on.

“Rumor has it…” He paused, and I could feel my pulse quicken.

“Yes?”

“Rumor has it your father’s alive.”

I blinked, trying to process his words. My father? Alive? It didn’t seem real, yet it made sense in a twisted way. After the chaos of that day, his body was never found. My heart raced.

“Alive?” I repeated. “And you’re only telling me this now?”

Enzo shrugged, though there was a slight smirk on his face. “You never said to report on rumors. But this one, Mirella…it’s got legs. People in Don Carlos’s circle say he’s holding your father somewhere, using him as leverage.”

My fists clenched, my nails digging into my palms. “Leverage for what?”

“Everything, as far as I can tell. Your father’s wealth, his connections. Don Carlos’s men whisper that he’s milking your father’s name for every last drop.”

The urge to slam something overcame me. Of course, Don Carlos would hold my father captive. The man was a vulture. And he knew keeping my father meant keeping everything he had stolen from us.

I got up from my chair and paced the room. It was all too much to process. But one thing was certain: I couldn’t leave my father there. If he was truly alive, I owed him that much.

“How sure are you, Enzo?”

“Eighty percent.”

I smirked at his certainty. “Eighty percent, huh?”

“Enough for me to bet on it,” he added, his face unwavering. “Which is why I brought this to you now. If you want to move forward, I’m ready.”

I met his gaze, considering it. Enzo had been with me for years and had proven his loyalty more times than I could count. If he was confident, I trusted him.

“And what if it’s a trap?” I asked.

“Then, we spring it. Besides, I don’t see you backing out of this now.”

He wasn’t wrong. I didn’t come this far to stop just because there was a risk. I’d built Raven’s empire from nothing. I had the means, the power, and the influence now. I could do this. I had managed to stay anonymous all these years as Raven, only dealing in the shadow. Enzo was at the forefront always. He had this ruthless charm to his allure that made him lovable and scary at the same time. People feared him, which was perfect. To the world, Raven was just a mythical tale. She wasn’t real. Even though I had shown myself on one or two occasions in an all-black clothing disguise, I was still invisible. Just like that day at the engagement party, just before he saw me and whisked me away.

“If we’re going after Don Carlos, we’ll need more than just a plan,” I said. “We’ll need strategy and allies.”

Enzo nodded. “Which is why I took the liberty of gathering a list of potential friends. Ones who would be very interested in seeing Don Carlos lose.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his foresight. “You think of everything.”

“Someone has to keep you in check.”

We shared a quick, rare laugh—a release from the heaviness that hung in the air. But then, the reality settled in again, hard and cold. This wasn’t just some business venture or a power play. This was my family—my father. And the fact that Don Carlos was holding him, using him for his own gain, filled me with a quiet fury.

“Gather everything we need,” I ordered. “Money, resources, locations. I want to be prepared for every possibility.”

Enzo gave a curt nod. “Understood. Anything else?”

“Yes.” I looked him straight in the eye. “No one is to know about this—not Dahlia, not Alex. Not until I know it’s safe.”

“Of course.”

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