Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6 by Olivia Thorn

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 26

For almost half an hour, I lay curled up on the spare bedroom floor, sobbing my heart out.

I hurt so bad it felt like I might die.

Actually, I wanted to die.

I just wanted this awful hurting inside me to end.

When my tears finally slowed down, I realized I should probably clock out and tell them I wasn’t feeling well. That way, I could go back to my room and not have to try to fake it through the rest of the workday.

I didn’t think I could handle the stares and whispers once the story got out. And thanks to Marianna hearing Valentino say, “We need to talk,” I was pretty sure it would get out pretty damn quick. Especially once somebody saw me and put two and two together.

I went to the bathroom to clean up. Thank God I hadn’t worn much makeup today, because what little I had on was a mess. I washed up and did my best to look presentable, but my eyes were still red and swollen.

If I could just make it to the kitchen without being stopped…

Or without breaking down again…

That last part was the hardest. Not starting to cry again.

I kept my head down as I walked back to work.

A couple of other servants walked by, but they rarely talked to me anyway, so they didn’t notice.

But Alessandra did.

I was almost to the kitchen when she saw me. She was coming down the hallway in the opposite direction, and she called out cheerfully, “Hi, Caterina!”

When I heard her voice, my heart stopped in my chest.

I thought about turning around and running in the other direction –

But my feet froze.

I looked up the tiniest bit –

And out of the edge of my vision, I saw her happy expression turn to worry.

“Caterina?” she said as she walked up to me. “What’s wrong?”

I lifted my face – and as soon as I made eye contact with her, my lip started to tremble and the tears started flowing.

“Caterina!” she cried out in alarm as she wrapped her arms around me.

As soon as my head was on her shoulder, I started crying again. My entire body shook with my sobs.

“What’s wrong?!” she asked as she stroked my hair. Then her voice turned angry. “Did Valentino do something?!”

“N-n-no…”

She held me at arm’s length and dipped her head so she could look into my downcast eyes. “Cat, tell me the truth: did he cheat on you?”

I shook my head ‘no.’

Alessandra frowned. “Was he cruel to you? Did he hurt you?”

“N-no… it w-wasn’t his fault…”

“What wasn’t his fault?!”

“N-Niccolo said that because of the stuff going on with their uncle, they h-had to get allies… so he t-took Valentino to S-Sicily for an arranged marriage.”

On those last two words, I burst into a howl of pain.

Not as loud as the howl Alessandra gave, though.

“WHAT?!” She put her hands on my cheeks and forced me to look at her. “Niccolo forced Valentino into an arranged MARRIAGE?!”

She looked both shocked and outraged.

I nodded ‘yes.’

this look

hand, I would have yelled for Niccolo

the hand

told me she’d occasionally been snippy with Dario back when he brought

honestly say this after

was pissed, Alessandra was

really thinking about where she was leading me

we reached the

Rosolini men always

Mafia business.

stood in front of the door, his hands crossed in front of

Alessandra in

of my way!”

he immediately

wife yells at you to do something,

in my heels and started trying to pull my hand out of her grip. All my tears immediately dried up as absolute

okay, I’m alright, I’m

are not alright! NONE of it is, and I plan to get to the bottom of it!”Alessandra pulled me forward with

the top of her

SHIT – oh shit, oh shit,

at

Alessandra’s shouting,

then he saw

his eyes like

asked

to see one of the

Don said

guy quickly left

given just about anything to

when Alessandra

Valentino

mentally crossed myself as I watched the Don. He did not look

and all the saints in heaven, please protect me

Rosolini scowled. “We need to

– we need to talk about it RIGHT NOW!” Alessandra yelled. “Did you really send

up with the plan, but yes,

“You know he and Caterina

Oh shit!

didn’t know if I’d

Well…

Actually…

heart had broken into a

was in love

I had no idea if he felt that

was amazing in

had at least five

But love?

told me he loved

Alessandra to say that he was

sure that

that was forgotten as Don

walked by a graveyard at midnight and

was pretty sure he would look

furious as he walked slowly around the

Alessandra, though?

didn’t seem fazed

right back

Me?

the other direction if I hadn’t been frozen to

of Alessandra,

said coldly, “Caterina, if you

“Yes, Don

here to hear whatever

Rosolini stared down at

that, I think I would

he said to