Page 34 of Mafia King's Forbidden Vows

From where I stand, there are thick, black scars behind his arms. I grab one of his arms and turn it around. I can’t believe my eyes.

This guy must have gotten at least a thousand floggings because of the map lines drawn all over his back and the back of his arms.

“God…who did this to you?” I suck in sharp breaths, trying to hold back my emotions at the sight.

“This was a very long time ago. Nothing to get riled up about.”

I clench my jaw, biting back the wave of insults dancing on my tongue.

“Why did you even come here? Out of all the places you could have been tonight, why choose to come to my room?”

His eyes flicker, and for a moment, a look of uncertainty flashes across his face.

“I…I don’t know.” His voice is quieter than it was a few minutes ago.

“You don’t know?” I repeat, hardly believing my ears.

“Yeah, well, that’s the only answer I’ve got,” he says flatly.

“What if the cops round up the investigation and call you in for questioning? How would you explain what happened to you?”

“The investigation is a formality. They can’t prove the contraband is mine. Besides, my legal team told the prosecution that it was planted by one of my business rivals. I’ll watch them try to debate against that, especially since it’s the first time my business or character is being questioned.”

There’s an impressed smile on his face, as if he’s confident about having the power to manipulate the law at his will.

My brows crease as I take this man in, trying to make sense of this incarnation of evil seated in front of me. Before I can snap at him, he opens his eyes and fixes them on me in a blank stare.

“You owe me, Aria.”

I release a deep sigh of exasperation and lower myself onto the orthopedic mattress on the bed behind me.

“What in God’s name are you talking about?”

“You haven’t given me any information on the mafia families your father is onto like you promised you would. Are you trying to play a smart game here?”

My whole body goes rigid, my stomach twisting with anger. “My father only regained consciousness...”

“It’s been too long…”

“He’s recovering! The man is on heavy IV drips and rounds and rounds of medication. You expect me to bug him with an investigation in his condition?”

He relaxes back into the sofa, holding his head in his hand as if my words are a sledgehammer, slamming into his brain.

“You’ve had plenty of opportunities, Aria. You didn’t even need your father awake to get that information. You’re his daughter, after all.”

“I’m his daughter, all the more reason I cannot meddle in his affairs, especially now that he’s not there to cover it up if anything goes south,” I snap back at him.

I rise to my feet, walking the length of my room like a prowling animal.

“You’re just a scaredy cat,” he scoffs.

“Oh, you think I’m scared?” My fists clench into balls at my side.

“No, Princess, I think you’re weak,” he spits out like it is some sort of disease I have.

“Get out,” I say, my voice trembling with fury. I can no longer hold it in.

“I want you to understand what’s at stake, Aria,” his voice is commanding, like a father speaking to his unruly toddler. “This isn’t some game, or a bet, or even an adventure. This is real. People are at risk of dying, people I care about, so if you’re not willing to step up, then you’re just useless to me.”

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