Claimed by My Mafia Stepson

CHAPTER 19

—Madeline—

I paced the room; one hand on my lips and the other grasping my waist. The last thing I should be doing was fantasying when my whole world was shattering.

I walked to the chair and collapsed into it.

It was time I found out what kind of family I had married into— the secret they were hiding in the dark.

I let out a breath and turned to the computer. With trembling fingers, I began searching. Before the wedding, I had looked into Androa Morvanti myself and everything had come up clean.

Too clean. Too spotless.

Androa Morvanti was a business tycoon with a company into Luxury and Tech. There were brief mentions of an estranged son. Nothing more.

So I sat straighter and searched for ‘Dominic Morvanti.’

Send.

The page loaded. Nothing.

No photographs. No interviews. No public appearances.

I found that very strange.

It was as though someone had erased him from the internet. No accounts. No digital footprint anywhere.

Wait. Was he a ghost?

No.

Worse.

He existed… exactly where he wanted to be seen. So where did someone this powerful leave traces?

I leaned back and rocked my chair.

Something hit me.

I leaned forward again and checked companies tied to the Morvanti Empire. No immigration records. No airport private terminal logs. Nothing.

I searched for an hour, and still came up with nothing.

A groan escaped me, but I wasn't one to give up. If anything, my years as dispatcher had taught me resilience.

Where did a man with no digital footprint conduct his real business?

I hesitated and breached regional security clearance files. My breath caught.

Got him.

His pictures flooded my screen. Devastating photos, each one carrying an unsettling energy. The kind that could make good women ignore their instincts.

The file expanded and my blood turned cold.

Dominic Morvanti was one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the region.

The man who made me feel seen. The man who called me Little Bird. The man who looked at me like I was precious.

Manufactured the weapons that ended lives as if they were nothing but business.

He didn’t just sell violence. He profited from it through shell companies. Cargo routes. Offshore accounts. Government contracts hidden beneath layers of fake corporations. His fingerprints were buried inside conflicts across multiple borders.

My fingers went numb.

All this time, I had believed the Morvanti Empire was built on Luxury and Tech. Little did I know their hands were soiled in blood.

Dominic Morvanti was the one funding the empire. Androa was more of a ceremonial head.

My thoughts shifted;

The men greeting Dominic first. Marco’s loyalty. Elisa’s warnings.

The invisible authority he carried.

God. How had I fallen for such a man?

I scrolled through the page, my heart practically in my hands. Then suddenly, the screen flickered, and I was logged out.

What?

Someone was watching me.

An image appeared on the screen... A little bird trapped in a dark cage.

Then a message underneath:

‘Nice try, Little Bird.’

Dominic.

Shock slammed through me.

The chair scraped as I stood so fast it almost fell. I rushed to the window and balcony. He wasn't there.

I checked every corner of the room. The closet. The bathroom.

Nothing.

There was no sign of him anywhere. No microphones. No cameras. So how had he found out?

I stared, frozen, at my computer until the answers hit me.

Of course.

Dominic Morvanti was into tech.

The room began to feel smaller and smaller. As if all the oxygen had disappeared.

The police.

I grabbed my phone, but couldn't bring myself to do it. Not out of fear. Perhaps something deeper.

Loyalty?

A knot tightened in my stomach. I tossed the phone aside and pressed both palms against my face.

Why did I feel the need to protect such a family?

My eyes settled on my ring.

No. It wasn't Androa Morvanti. It was Dominic Morvanti.

God help me.

Part of me wanted to run from him. The other part wanted tonight more than ever despite everything I had just discovered.

“Get it together, Madeline.”

I slipped under the covers and tried to force myself to sleep. As if that'd erase the cold reality of my life.

It worked.

I woke up to loud gunshots. Only to realize it was a dream.

My chest heaved. Beads of sweat rolled down my back. I slipped out of bed and washed my face in the bathroom.

“Mrs. Morvanti?”

A knock sounded on the door.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and smoothed my dress, then answered the door.

It was the same housekeeper who had announced dinner at the pool yesterday. And if I remembered correctly, she was also the one who had offered to help with my bathwater the morning after my wedding.

She offered a polite smile.

“Are you okay, Ma'am?”

I nodded. “Is anything the problem?”

“Mr. Morvanti has requested for a family aperitivo in the garden.”

A family gathering after all that they'd put me through.

“Thank you,” I said and shut the door. I walked to the window— and the cars were gone, a sign that the guests had left too.

The emerald dress I stepped into kissed my feet and cinched at my waist.

Every breath I took caused the silk to shift, offering a teasing glimpse of the shadow between my breasts and neckline, so low it was a dare.

“Perfect,” I whispered.

But my smile faltered as I caught the fine line spidering around my eyes.

I could've concealed them with makeup. I didn't. Aging was a gift and I had every intention of embracing it.

I let out a breath and headed out.

The wind rustled through the leaves of the garden, carrying the scent of blooming flowers. I rounded the corner and saw them already seated at the table.

Androa and Elisa were nuzzled together. She’d changed into a floral dress and him, a gray shirt.

Dominic was in a crisp white shirt, the top buttons undone, just enough to reveal a gold chain. He looked very composed for a man who had just reminded me how little privacy existed in this house.

Like breaching my computer had been no different from checking the weather. A small smile formed on his lips.

“Madeline!” Androa called.

He pushed Elisa aside and signaled at a servant who immediately pulled out the last chair for me.

I found that strange.

Was he trying to impress me after his actions last night?

I forced a smile and settled in my chair.

Elisa glared at me. She wasn't even trying to hide her disgust yet had called herself my ally.

I let a servant pour me wine. I could feel Dominic's eyes on my body—taking me slowly, lingering on my cleavage as I took a slow sip.

“You look refreshing tonight,” Elisa said.

“Thank you. You clean up well yourself,” I replied with a smile.

It was the fakest pleasantry.

Elisa touched her face. “You have some lines spidering around your eyes. You should cover them with makeup.”

“It's fine, Elisa.” I snapped. “I'm comfortable in my skin. Are you?”

She straightened and glanced at Androa. “I was just trying to be nice.”

Dominic poured himself a glass of whiskey. As if the whole thing was already getting under his skin.

“What's this?” I asked, leaning back on my chair.

“I thought a little something to set the mood before dinner,” Androa said, picking up a piece of sliced apple. “A moment to unwind after all the tension recently.”

I took in the place once again.

The table was set with artfully sliced fruits, nuts, and delicate pastries. Fresh made juices. A bottle of whiskey.

A live band played something soft and elegant— a perfect moment to melt into one's partner.

Elisa yawned and snuggled again in Androa's embrace, grabbing a piece of biscuit and smiling at the band.

Dominic's gaze remained unreadable.

I picked up a kiwi and pretended to enjoy every bite, only to freeze as Dominic took a slow sip— his lips brushing the rim of his glass the same way they did my skin the other night.

My breath stuttered.

Sitting straighter, I shoved the rest of my fruit inside my mouth. Swallowed hard. Felt it scrape my throat.

One man wasn’t afraid to lose me. The other was already deciding how to break me and I was shamelessly looking forward to it despite everything I had uncovered today.

What did that make me?

I took a steadying breath and turned my attention to the band.

Dinner came early.

Stars twinkled in the sky as we ate in the garden, the moonlight and candles our only sources of light

Elisa rushed through her meal and feigned nausea, whispering to Androa to take her back to his room.

One would think the number of times they'd done this would make it hurt less. The opposite was true. It still hurt watching him immediately bend to her request— the way he set down his glass and glanced at me as he lifted her into his arms—bridal style.

Maybe this was his way of punishing me for turning him down last night.

I downed my glass of whiskey and watched him carry her away.

The music turned into a mocking strain of melody. I tipped my glass and glanced at Dominic, then the servants. I pushed back my chair and sauntered deeper into the garden, away from the stares and the noise.

I needed a moment alone from him. From them... to mourn my miserable life and a marriage already dead on arrival. I needed to clear my head.

I stepped off the stone path and onto the cool grass. Dew dampened the hem of my dress as I wandered deeper into the garden. I had no idea of where I was going.

But solitude only made it worse.

Was it bad that I wanted to be seen? To be held? To be loved?

I craved to be pinned against the rough bark of these trees and ruined until my vision turned white. I wanted warmth.

Tears trickled down my face, and I wiped them with the back of my hand.

I rounded the corner and a familiar scent hit me before I collided into a wall of muscle.

Dominic.

No...

Not again.