Page 36 of Dark Mafia Bride

She’s here. In my house.

When I got home less than an hour ago, I could feel a difference in the atmosphere. I’d told my men earlier today to bring Mirabella and her family here, so I knew she was here. Maybe that’s why I felt the shift in the air the moment I walked in. Her presence—it’s like it changes everything around me.

I was tempted to head straight to her room just to see her. I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since our last encounter. The dress she wore, the way she looked me right in the eyes and told me to mind my business.

I smirk at the memory. No woman—especially one as small and inexperienced as Mirabella—has ever talked to me like that before. That spark in her, the way she challenged me…it was intriguing.

The idea of barging into her room just to see the shock on her face when she realizes I’m the man she’s marrying gives me a dark sense of satisfaction.

“Boss?” Luca’s voice snaps me back to the present.

I glance up at him and notice a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. “We brought her in this morning, as you requested, but…we couldn’t bring her family.”

I narrow my eyes. “And why is that?”

Luca shifts slightly, which is unusual for him. He’s typically unreadable, always calm. “She didn’t want us to bring her family just yet. She told them about the marriage only this morning and argued that she couldn’t just uproot them into this situation so suddenly.”

I almost chuckle. I can hear her words in his explanation. “So, she convinced you to go against my orders?” I scoff, but there’s a smirk playing on my lips.

She’s not even my wife yet, and already she’s managed to make Luca disobey me for the first time. I should be annoyed by it—the influence she has, the power she doesn’t even realize she holds—but instead, I find it thrilling.It’s a damned turn-on.

Think straight,I remind myself. This marriage is for business, nothing more. That’s how I should think of her—nothing but a strategic partner. But her attitude, her fire, her ability to command…I used to wonder if choosing her was the right move. She didn’t check any of the boxes Aldo had set for the woman I was supposed to marry. But I chose her for my own selfish reasons.

Now I see she didn’t need to fit any criteria. She’s exactly the kind of woman I need. One who can make men—and eventually the world—fall to their knees. All without even trying.

“It won’t happen again, sir,” Luca says, bowing his head slightly.

Luca has never failed me before, and knowing how loyal he is, I can tell he regrets disappointing me.

But he didn’t disappoint me. In fact, he’s just shown me that my choice, selfish as it was, might’ve been perfect.

“Make sure she has everything she needs,” I say, leaning back in my chair. “I want her comfortable.”

Luca looks up, a hint of surprise in his eyes that I’m not angry. Then he nods. “I’ll take care of it,” he assures me before turning to leave.

As the door closes, I’m left alone again, thoughts of the woman upstairs filling my mind.

I know she’s probably dying to see who she’s being forced to marry. I can picture her pacing, losing her mind at the thought of tying herself to a stranger. I shouldn’t enjoy the idea, but I do—and I feel no shame in it. I’ve never claimed to be a good man. Yet, despite everything, I can’t shake a flicker of guilt.

I don’t know how she’s coping with all this, being thrust into my world, separated from her family. I planned for them to join her for the wedding and then arranged another house for them afterward. I know her family is her foundation, that they’ve never been apart. But it’s too late for second thoughts.

She signed the contract. That’s what matters. I don’t need to love her or pretend we’re a regular family—except in public. As long as we both hold up our end of the bargain, this will work out for both of us.

Besides, this arrangement isn’t forever. We aren’t committing to a lifetime together. This isn’tfor better or for worse, till death do us part. Though, for some reason, that thought leaves an odd feeling in my chest.

The door swings open abruptly, pulling me from my thoughts. Zia Camilla strides in, her sharp heels clicking against the marble floor. Behind her are Aunt Francesca and Marta,both looking critical, though their expressions lack the hostility in Camilla’s.

They’ve seen Mirabella. And they’re clearly not pleased.

“Ettore,” Camilla’s voice is laced with barely suppressed anger. “You must be joking. A woman likethat? A nobody? In this house?”

“Watch yourself,” I warn, running a hand along my jaw.

“Watch myself?” she mocks, glancing back at Francesca and Marta as if to confirm if they’re watching what’s happening.

“I had to do a double take when I first saw her, Ettore. I thought she was lost, a wayward soul who somehow stumbled into our lives. I honestly wondered how the guards could let someone like her cross our threshold.” She pauses, a smirk forming. “But then I saw Paula and another maid trailing her, and I was struck by the irony. Surely, you wouldn’t…” Her laughter is bitter, cutting. “Imagine my surprise when I inquired with Paula and learned that she is indeed the woman you’ve chosen to marry.”

Camilla’s breathing grows heavier, while I’m desperate for a smoke or a whiskey—anything to help me keep my temper in check.

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