MY MAFIA PROTECTOR

CHAPTER 7: BEST FRIEND BETRAYAL

The name was spoken with a low, vibrating authority that seemed to settle the very dust in the air. Both women turned. Felix Orlando sat in the doorway in his electric wheelchair, the subtle hum of the motor the only sound in the sudden silence. He looked like a fallen king—pale, bandaged beneath his black silk pajamas, but possessing an aura of menace that filled every corner of the room.

"Darling," Kiara’s voice transformed instantly, melting from sulfuric acid to liquid honey. She hurried toward him, her heels clicking a frantic rhythm. "I was just… getting to know our guest. I wanted to make sure she understood the etiquette of this house—"

"I said get out, Kiara. Now." Felix didn’t even look at her. His gaze was locked on Megan's, specifically on the red, swelling imprint of a hand on her pale cheek.

"But Baby, she’s been screaming, she’s ungrateful—"

"I said get out, and don't ever call me Baby again," he repeated, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a thread of pure ice. "If I see you near this wing of the mansion again without my express invitation, I will ensure that the Romano family loses their seat at my table. And you will never return to this house. Do I make myself clear?”

Kiara’s face paled. She opened her mouth to protest, saw the dead, dark void in Felix’s eyes, and thought better of it. She snatched her designer bag from the table, giving Megan one last murderous, sideways glare that promised a slow death before she swept out of the room.

But before she could leave Megan called her back.” Hey you forgot something” Megan called out

WACK the sound echoed in the room. Megan had delivered the slap back to Kiara's face leaving Kiara in shock.

Felix was also shocked but low-key proud

As soon as the heavy oak door clicked shut, Megan’s legs gave way. she collapsed onto the floor she was also shocked by her actions.

"Who was that?! Why do you bring crazy people into my room?!" she yelled, her voice trembling. "You said you’d protect me! You said I was safe here! And then you let her walk in and slap me?! Answer me, you bastard!"

Felix didn’t respond to the insult. He maneuvered the wheelchair closer, the clinical hum of the machine sounding like a death knell.” But you stood up for yourself and slapped her back” Felix replied calmly leaving Megan stunned by his answer

The main problem is I want to go home! Why is that so hard for your ego to grasp?!"

"You can’t go home," he said, his voice flat, devoid of sympathy. "Because home doesn't exist anymore. My enemies—the Luciano family—are scouring the city for you. They don't just want me; they want the girl who interfered with their kill. If you walk out of these gates, within ten minutes, a black SUV will pull up next to you. They won't slap you, Shandra. They will put a bag over your head and take you to a basement where you will pray for a bullet."

Megan went still, her chest heaving. "So what? I’m just supposed to live like a ghost? Forever?"

"Until they are all wiped out," Felix replied, as casually as if he were discussing the weather forecast.

He reached into a compartment on his chair and pulled out a thin, sleek tablet. He activated the screen and handed it to her. "Look at the screen, Megan. Look at the reality of the 'normal life' you’re crying for."

Megan's hands shook as she took the device. The screen showed a local news site. There was her face—a photo from her old LinkedIn profile. The headline read: MISSING: Shandra Kirana, 24.

Last seen near the North Bridge. But beneath the headline was the horror. He scrolled down to a deep-web forum archive. There were anonymous threads with her photo. The bounty was listed in Bitcoin—a number that translated to more money than she would have earned in ten lifetimes.

"They think I’m part of your gang," she whispered, her voice failing.

"They think you’re my weakness," Felix corrected. "Luciano doesn't care who you are. He cares that you took something from him: my death. He wants to lure me out using your screams. So, by all means, leave. Walk out. See how long your 'freedom' lasts.”

"So I’m a prisoner. Either yours or theirs."

"You are not my prisoner," Felix said. "But there’s a final piece of this puzzle you need to understand.James. Your fiancé."

Hearing the name felt like a physical blow. "What about him? He’s in Bali. He’s gone."

"He didn't just run away with your savings, Megan. He was approached by Luciano's scouts three days ago. They offered him a choice: tell them where I was hiding that night, or die with you." Felix leaned in closer, his breath ghosting over her ear, sending a chill down her spine. "He didn't hesitate. He sold the coordinates of the alleyway. He sold the timing of my transport.

When they asked about the girl with me—you—he told them you were just an unimportant slut he was planning to dump anyway. He told them they could dispose of you as long as they let him keep the money."

Megan’s world collapsed. The memory of Jacob’s smile, his promises, the five years of her life she had given him—it all turned to ash. "No... he wouldn't. He couldn't..."

"He did," Felix said, his voice a dark caress. "I have the transcript of the call. I have the bank transfer records. I’m telling you this because I want you to realize the truth, Megan. There is no 'out there' to go back to. Maya betrayed you. Jacob sold you for a villa in Bali. The world you love has already executed you.”

"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked hoarsely through her fingers.Felix leaned in, his voice dropping to a possessive whisper. "Because I want you to know that I am the only person left in this world who sees you. The only one who has a use for you. I’ve been watching you, Megan. Long before that night in the rain. I watched you at your office. I watched Jacob cheat on you weeks ago. I waited for the moment you would be broken enough to be mine. Saving me wasn't fate, Megan. It was an opportunity I had been waiting for.”

Megan pulled her hands away, her eyes widening in a new kind of terror. "You… you’ve been stalking me? You this piece of trash psycho! Before the alley? Before everything?"

Felix gave a thin, predatory smirk that didn't reach his eyes—a look of absolute ownership. "I told you, Megan. I know everything. And now that I have you in my house, I’m never letting you go.”

"I watch every move you make in your daily life, Megan. Including the bastard who threw you out onto the streets and laughed at your ruin behind your back," Felix whispered, his voice like he was about to murder someone.

The hum of the motor was the only sound as he turned away from her, heading toward the massive oak doors of the suite. "Come with me," he commanded.Without waiting for her to respond he led her to his office.

The he played a video tape for her

"Look," Felix commanded, his voice devoid of warmth.

Megan leaned forward, her fingers trembling as she gripped the leather armrest. On the screen, she saw a chaotic scene. Her landlord, a man she had once considered a grumpy but harmless uncle, was standing on the sidewalk with the neighborhood head (Pak RT). Behind them were several hired men with crowbars and empty crates.

They were roughly throwing her belongings out of the second-floor window.

"No..." Shandra whispered, her breath hitching. She watched as her favorite teal-colored ceramic lamp shattered against the asphalt. Her clothes—the few nice things she had saved for—were tossed into the mud. Her cooking utensils, her small collection of vintage books, her sewing kit—all of it was being treated like literal garbage.

"Those are my things!" she screamed, her finger pressing hard against the monitor as if she could reach through the pixels to stop them. "Those are mine, you bastards! I paid for those!"

But the horror didn't stop there. In the corner of the frame, a familiar silver sedan pulled up. James stepped out, followed by Maya. Megan felt a visceral wave of nausea. They weren't there to stop the eviction. They stood on the sidewalk, James’s arm draped possessively around Maya’s waist. They were laughing.