Chapter 4
The bright, luminous lighting of the showroom offered no shadows for the guests to hide behind as they witnessed the intimate, impossible gesture. The heavy silence stretched, thick with the electric realization of what the mafia boss had just done. By pressing her stained hand to his heart, he had publicly elevated the housemaid above everyone else in the room.
Aurelio held Nerea’s gaze. His dark, observant eyes were completely devoid of the lethal coldness he usually projected to the world. Instead, they burned with a quiet, intense devotion that left her entirely breathless.
Every single guest in the showroom remained absolutely silent, afraid to even draw a breath.
"Nerea," Aurelio said. His voice was quiet, deeply measured, yet it carried a profound authority that echoed off the high, glass walls.
Nerea swallowed hard, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs. "Yes, sir?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"These are the hands I trust," Aurelio stated softly, ensuring the fifty guests and capos heard every single word.
The sheer weight of the declaration struck Nerea harder than a physical blow. The absolute terror that had gripped her delicate features began to melt away. Her worried expression softened, transforming slowly into a small, shy, incredibly beautiful smile.
Aurelio didn't release her hand. His thumb gently, rhythmically brushed across her blackened knuckles, a soothing, anchoring motion amidst the chaos.
Across the marble floor, the sharp sounds of struggling finally broke the silence.
Soraya Bellgrave gasped, pushing a heavy glass shelf off her chest. She stopped struggling beneath the fallen shoes, her ivory dress ruined, her hair a tangled mess. She looked up, her eyes wide with shock and humiliation as she witnessed Aurelio holding the maid's hand.
"You..." Soraya choked out, pointing a shaking finger at Aurelio. "You let her do this to me?"
Aurelio finally tore his gaze away from Nerea, slowly turning his head to look at his former fiancée. The warmth vanished from his eyes instantly, replaced by the freezing, unforgiving void of a ruthless killer.
"Did I ask her to defend me, Soraya?" Aurelio asked quietly, his voice dropping to a terrifying register. "Or did she simply act with more loyalty in five seconds than you possessed in five years?"
"I am going to destroy you for this," Soraya shrieked, struggling to sit up as her bodyguards tried to pull her to her feet. "My family will pull our manufacturing contracts! Your entire laundering operation will collapse!"
"Are you truly threatening the foundation of my empire from a pile of broken glass?" Aurelio inquired, his sharp jaw setting into unyielding granite.
"It's over, Aurelio!" Soraya screamed, spitting a speck of blood from a small cut on her lip. "You chose a servant over a queen! You are a laughingstock!"
Aurelio slowly released Nerea's hand, stepping slightly in front of her to shield her from the venomous woman on the floor.
"Carlo," Aurelio said, his voice carrying effortlessly across the room.
May you like
The senior capo immediately stepped forward from the crowd, his hand resting on the lapel of his suit, right over a concealed weapon. "Yes, Boss?"
"Will you ensure Miss Bellgrave is escorted off the property?" Aurelio asked, his tone brisk and commanding. "And will you notify her father that the Grantham syndicate is forcefully acquiring his manufacturing plants by sunrise?"
