THE MAFIA KING'S LOVE

‎Ella’s POV ‎Daniel was sitting next to me, his hand gently holding mine. He leaned closer and pressed a soft ‎kiss on my lips. I smiled, and in my heart, I whispered: ‎Daniel is not like other guys. He respects me. He doesn’t pressure me to do anything I’m not ‎ready for. He’s kind. Patient. Almost too good to be true... ‎He looked at me with those warm eyes and said softly, “I remember the first day I saw you. ‎You…” ‎He paused and kissed my hand, making my heart flutter. ‎“…you were sitting right there. Your nose buried in a romance novel. ‎I blushed, lowering my eyes shyly. Everything about Daniel felt like a fairytale. ‎A waiter came over and asked, “Can I get you two anything else?” ‎I looked up and said quietly, “Um… maybe some dessert?” ‎But Daniel’s eyes weren’t on me anymore. ‎They were on the waiter. ‎And the way they looked at each other… It wasn't normal. ‎A smirk tugged at the waiter’s lips. Daniel smiled back. ‎I was too lost in my thoughts to notice at first. ‎I looked down at my watch and quickly stood up. “Actually, no. I have to go now,” I said. ‎“Otherwise, I’ll be late for the psych eval I have to do at the prison.” ‎I picked up my handbag and started adjusting the strap on my shoulder. ‎Daniel reached out, stopping me gently. “At least take one to go. I’ll get it for you,” he said, ‎already walking off with the waiter before I could respond. ‎I sat back down, smiling. ‎That’s when his phone began to ring. ‎It buzzed and buzzed on the table. ‎Out of curiosity, I picked it up. The caller ID said “Dad,” and a photo appeared on the screen. ‎The man in the picture was handsome. ‎“Hmm,” I said to myself. “This must be Daniel’s dad, Hot.” ‎The phone kept ringing. ‎I stood up, thinking to go hand it to Daniel before I left. ‎But when I turned to look for him, I didn’t see him anywhere. ‎The waiter was gone too. ‎My eyes scanned the restaurant, but they were both missing. ‎I walked toward the back of the restaurant, where the kitchen entrance was. I told myself I was ‎just going to drop the phone with Daniel and leave. ‎But when I opened the door... ‎My world shattered. ‎Right in front of me, Daniel was kissing the waiter. ‎His hands on the guy’s waist. The guy’s arms around Daniel’s neck. ‎Passion. Intensity. Like they had done it many times before. ‎I couldn’t breathe. ‎The phone slipped from my hand and crashed to the floor. ‎Daniel looked up, shocked. “Ella…!” ‎I turned and ran. ‎I just ran out of the kitchen, through the restaurant, past the confused guests, and into the ‎street. ‎“Ella! Wait!” Daniel ran after me. ‎He caught my wrist and stopped me. ‎“Ella, please… let me explain.” ‎I yanked my hand away. “Explain what, Daniel? That I was your little cover-up while you made ‎out with your boyfriend?” ‎He looked down, ashamed. “It’s not like that. I mean, yes, Colin and I… we’ve been together. ‎But my family… they would never accept me. I had to pretend. I didn’t want to disappoint them.” ‎“So you used me?” I asked, tears in my eyes. ‎He shook his head. “No. I swear I like you, Ella. You’re kind. Real. I just… I needed a ‎distraction. ‎He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick envelope. ‎“I wouldn’t ask you to pretend for free,” he said quickly. “I can give you money. One million. ‎Two, even more. Just… help me keep this secret. Please.” ‎My heart dropped even further. ‎“You think I want your money?” I snapped. “I don’t want your money or you.” ‎“I never want to see you again!” ‎I turned and walked away. ‎I left and headed down to the prison where I have some work to do. ‎I sat alone in the prison waiting room, wiping tears from my face. Everything still felt like a ‎dream. ‎How could I be so stupid? ‎The guard opened the door and said, “Your client is ready.” ‎I took a deep breath and stood up, trying to compose myself. ‎I walked into the small interview room and sat across from the man I was assigned to evaluate. ‎He was already sitting there, hands resting calmly on the table. ‎He looked up and smirked. ‎“You look even prettier when you cry.” ‎I frowned and wiped my eyes. I hadn’t even realized I was still crying. ‎I put on my glasses and looked at him properly. ‎My heart nearly stopped. ‎The most dangerous man in the world. ‎The Mafia King. ‎Mr. Lippert. ‎ I remember the photo I saw on Daniel's phone. It was him. ‎"So,he's Daniel’s father?” ‎The walls of the prison suddenly felt too small. My heartbeat was loud, louder than I wanted it to ‎be. He hadn't said a word yet, but I could feel it… the danger around him. It was in the way he ‎sat, calm and proud. ‎His stare made me feel like he was peeling layers off me with his eyes. I straightened up, forced ‎a breath out, and told myself: ‎You got this, Bella. You're a professional. You can handle this. ‎I opened the file in front of me and managed to speak. ‎“Mr. Lippert… My name is Bella Thompson.” ‎He didn’t respond, just stared like he was watching something amusing. ‎“I’ve been assigned to do your psychological evaluation.” ‎His arms were folded across his chest, but his eyes… they never left my face. ‎“You?” he finally said. “You’re doing my psych eval?” ‎His voice was smooth… and sharp. ‎“You look like a little girl playing doctor.” ‎That hit me hard, but I swallowed the sting and forced my hands to stay steady. ‎“I assure you, Mr. Lippert, I’m more than qualified…” ‎Before I could finish, my pen slipped out of my hand and rolled across the table… all the way to ‎his side. ‎He slowly reached down, picked it up, and instead of placing it gently back on the table, he held ‎it out in the air, just far enough that I had to lean toward him to take it. ‎I reached forward, but when I touched the pen… he didn’t let go. ‎His fingers brushed mine. ‎On purpose. ‎A shiver ran through me. I looked up quickly, and his eyes met mine. He was smiling, but not in ‎a kind way. ‎I quickly pulled my hand away and sat back up straight. ‎Don’t let him get to you, Bella. Stay focused. ‎He leaned back in his chair and said calmly, “So, Miss Thompson… where do we begin?” ‎I cleared my throat. “Please state your full name and date of birth.” ‎“You already know that,” he said with a lazy smile. ‎I kept my voice steady. “It’s standard procedure. The next question I ask you will be of a more ‎personal and psychological nature. ‎He suddenly leaned forward again, elbows resting on the table, his eyes darker now. ‎“what gives you the right to ask me a thing?” ‎I flipped through my file, and brought out my license. ‎“the state has issued me a license to�Before I could show him, he grabbed my wrist. ‎I froze. ‎His hand wasn’t tight, but it was firm. ‎His face moved close to my wrist, and he breathed in like he was smelling a flower. ‎“Chamomile… lavender,” he whispered. ‎I stared at him in shock. ‎“You must be a virgin,” he added. ‎I jerked my hand, panic rising in my throat. “Let go of me.” ‎“Or what?” he said, eyes daring me. “You’ll scream?” ‎“I mean it, let me go or I’ll scream!” ‎“Do you promise?” he asked, with a devilish smile. ‎“GUARD!” I yelled. ‎The door burst open, and one of the guards walked in quickly. ‎But Mr. Lippert didn’t even flinch. He was still holding my hand. ‎“Get the f**k out of here, cowboy,” he said coldly. ‎And to my horror… the guard left. Just like that. ‎My heart was racing. My mind was screaming. ‎Lippert finally let go of my hand and leaned back again, like nothing had happened. ‎“I run this prison, Doctor,” he said softly. ‎I pulled my jacket tighter over my chest. I didn’t even realize it had come undone a little during ‎the struggle. ‎His eyes dropped again, to my chest. ‎He pointed at my breast. ‎“Your shirt gives it all away,” he said, his voice low. ‎I looked down, and gasped. ‎My blouse had shifted. My n*****s were poking through the fabric from the cold air. ‎