THE MAFIA WAR BEGINS
939 Words
The Mafia King’s Forbidden Wife
Chapter Nine: The Mafia War Begins
Elena stared at the picture on her phone.
Her hands felt numb.
Her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.
Adrian.
Standing beside her mother.
On the night she died.
The date was written beneath the image.
The same night Elena lost the woman who raised her.
The same night her entire world changed forever.
A thousand questions rushed through her mind.
Why was Adrian there?
Why had he hidden this?
And the question that hurt the most…
Was he telling the truth at all?
---
The door opened.
“Elena?”
She quickly locked her phone.
Adrian entered the room, but the moment he saw her face, his expression changed.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re lying.”
She almost smiled bitterly.
Funny.
The same man who kept secrets from everyone could recognize a lie instantly.
“You always know when someone is lying, don’t you?”
He studied her.
“What did you see?”
She looked away.
“Why were you with my mother the night she died?”
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
Adrian froze.
And Elena knew.
The answer was already there.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
Her heart sank.
“Why?”
Adrian took a slow breath.
“Because she called me.”
“Why would she call you?”
“Because she knew she was in danger.”
Elena’s voice cracked.
“And you didn’t save her.”
The words hurt both of them.
Adrian looked away.
“No.”
The honesty made it worse.
“I didn’t.”
---
For the first time, Elena saw something she never expected from Adrian De Luca.
Regret.
Not guilt.
Not fear.
Regret.
The kind that never disappeared.
“I spent years trying to find who killed her,” Adrian said quietly.
“And?”
“I failed.”
Elena looked at him.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
His answer surprised her.
“I don’t expect you to trust me.”
“Then why keep me here?”
His eyes met hers.
“Because whoever killed your mother is still looking for what she left behind.”
“The necklace.”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“They are looking for me too.”
---
Before Elena could respond, the sound of alarms filled the mansion.
Red lights flashed through the halls.
Adrian immediately became alert.
“What’s happening?”
His phone rang.
He answered.
“Speak.”
A voice came through.
Elena couldn’t hear everything.
But she saw Adrian’s face change.
“How many?”
A pause.
“Lock the gates.”
Another pause.
“No one enters.”
He ended the call.
“What is it?”
Adrian looked at her.
“The Rinaldi family.”
The name meant nothing to Elena.
But judging from Adrian’s expression…
It should.
“Who are they?”
“The people who have been trying to destroy my empire.”
A loud explosion shook the mansion.
Elena grabbed the nearest table for balance.
The attack had begun.
---
Outside, the peaceful appearance of De Luca Manor disappeared.
The guards moved quickly.
Cars surrounded the property.
The sound of weapons echoed through the night.
Elena stood near the window, watching the chaos.
This was Adrian’s world.
A world of enemies.
A world where power was measured by survival.
She finally understood why he was always cold.
Why he trusted no one.
Why he built walls around himself.
Because everyone around him wanted something.
Except…
Maybe her.
“Come with me.”
Adrian grabbed her hand.
She looked down at their hands.
Then back at him.
“You’re worried about me.”
His expression remained serious.
“I’m protecting you.”
“That’s not what I said.”
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then quietly:
“Yes.”
The answer shocked her.
Because Adrian De Luca admitted it.
He was worried.
---
They moved through hidden hallways beneath the mansion.
Elena looked around.
“You have secret tunnels?”
“Yes.”
“How many secrets does this house have?”
Adrian glanced at her.
“More than you want to know.”
She almost laughed despite everything.
Even during an attack, he was still impossible.
Then they heard footsteps.
Adrian immediately pulled Elena behind him.
A man appeared at the end of the hallway.
Not a guard.
Not someone they knew.
He smiled.
“Well, well.”
His eyes moved to Elena.
“The Rossi girl.”
Adrian’s expression turned deadly.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
The man laughed.
“Neither should she.”
Elena felt Adrian tense.
The man continued.
“Do you really think she knows the truth, Adrian?”
“What are you talking about?”
The man smiled.
“Ask your husband why your mother hid the necklace from him.”
Elena looked at Adrian.
“What?”
The man laughed.
“She didn’t trust him either.”
Before anyone could react, the lights went out.
A fight broke out in the darkness.
When the lights returned, the man was gone.
But he had left something behind.
A small envelope.
Elena picked it up.
Inside was an old letter.
Her mother’s handwriting.
Only one sentence was visible:
"Elena, if Adrian ever tells you he loves you, do not believe him."
Her heart stopped.
Because she knew one thing.
The letter was written before her mother died.
And suddenly…
She didn’t know who the enemy was anymore.
To be continued…
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