The Mafia's Mistress

EIGHT

Luciana sat in the passenger seat of Dante’s car, her pulse still erratic from the confrontation. The night air seeped through the cracked window, cooling her heated skin. Thesion between them was palpable, thick like the storm clouds rolling over the city skyline.

Dante’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, knuckles white against the leather. He hadn’t spoken a word since they left the party, and the silence felt heavier than the weight of his presence.

“You can’t keep doing this,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

His jaw ticked. “Doing what?”

“Controlling me.”

Dante exhaled sharply, pulling into the long, gated driveway of his villa. He parked but didn’t move, staring out the windshield as if willing himself to stay calm.

“I don’t control you, Luciana,” he said, voice deceptively calm. “I protect you. There’s a difference.”

She scoffed, turning in her seat to face him. “Dragging me out of a party like some unruly child isn’t protection. It’s possession.”

His head snapped toward her then, eyes dark and unreadable. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you tonight? There are dangerous people out there"

Luciana’s pulse kicked up a notch, but she refused to back down. “So are you.”

Dante leaned in, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. “Yes, but the difference is—I would never let anyone hurt you.”

A silence stretched between them, electric and suffocating. Luciana felt her breath hitch as his fingers traced along her jawline, his touch both gentle and possessive.

“Tell me you didn’t want me to come for you, tell me you didn't put on this f*****g dress to piss me off” he murmured.

She parted her lips, but no words came. She wasn’t sure if it was fear or desire keeping her frozen in place. Maybe it was both.

Dante’s lips were dangerously close, his breath mingling with hers. “Say it, Luciana.”

Her heart pounded against her ribs, the truth burning inside her. But before she could surrender to the moment, a knock at the window shattered the tension.

Dante cursed under his breath, pulling away as one of his men stood outside, waiting.

Luciana exhaled shakily, turning her gaze toward the sprawling villa ahead. Whatever had just passed between them wasn’t over.

Not even close.

The next morning, Luciana arrived at her university, grateful for the normalcy of routine. The bustling hallways, the scent of coffee lingering in the air, the distant chatter of students—it was grounding.

"Long time no see"Luciana didn't need to turn to know that it was Ryan towering over her, with that smirk on his face that never seemed to leave. She's known him since freshman year and he'd been hitting on her since then, hoping one day she'll finally accept him, well the circumstances had changed, the last thing she wanted was Ryan's fingers made into a necklace for her.

"Not long enough" she grunted, turning around and walking off. He wasn't deterred, he followed after her like the lost puppy he was until Luciana blatantly told him to f**k off.

The school day finally ended and Luciana headed outside to meet Adrian so they could leave but instead she was met with the sight of two men in suits waiting at the door with a car door open for her.

"Mr Costa requests your presence" Luciana rolled her eyes, cursing Dante as she slid into the car and slammed the door shut.

The Costa empire building was just a front for all the illegal stuff Dante did at the bank, the called themselves investors, investors in blood and dead people. Luciana got down from the car and entered into the huge lobby of the building, she headed straight for the elevator ignoring the stares she got as she went.

Dante's floor was quite empty and quiet, but she could hear hushed voices coming from his office, so she tapped it gently and pushed it open.

She froze. It wasn't only him in the office. He had a full room of men.

The distant murmurs of business, came to a silent halt. The weight of the gazes of the men, surrounded her, the air thick with power—it was suffocating.

Her breath hitched. The walls seemed to close in, the air thinning. Her chest tightened as panic clawed at her ribs.

"Luciana?" A voice called, it wasn't Dante but she knew that voice anywhere. It was Him. The man her father brought one time, the one who'd taken her virginity.

Luciana stumbled back. She murmured something before turning and heading out of the room. She stoód in the empty lobby trying to wrap her head around the fact that he was just in the other room, within arms reach.

" I didn't think I still have that effect on you" he said coming closer and closer until her was just inches away from her. There bodies were pressed together, Luciana's against the wall. He ran him finger on her jaw, raising her face to look into her eyes.

She was trembling and a few tears ran down her cheek. He pushed his finger into her mouth urging her to suck it.

"c*m for me baby"

Pop. The loud Sound resonated in the air and his body slouched against Luciana, his hot blood splattered across her face and shirt. Dante had shot him. Right in the f*****g head.

Luciana screamed throwing the dead body off her, she couldn't breathe, her head was banging and she gasped for any little air she could get.

Strong hands caught her before she collapsed.

“Breathe, Luciana.” Dante’s voice was firm, steady. He held her against him, his warmth anchoring her as she struggled for control.

She gasped, her fingers digging into his shirt. “I-I can’t—”

“Yes, you can.” His hand slid up her back, grounding her. “You’re safe.”

Minutes passed before the storm within her settled, and she realized she was pressed against Dante’s chest, his arms still wrapped around her protectively.

“I’m taking you home,” he murmured, leaving no room for argument.

With that said. Luciana laid her head and passed out.