Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mafia's Little Doll: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Liam's POVI knew I should have been there earlier but I got caught up.Maria was already sitting at a bar table, a half-empty glass in her hand and another one waiting for her. She looked like she had been waiting a while, and guilt pressed on my chest. Work had dragged longer than I planned, but the truth was I should have dropped everything and come when she asked.Her eyes lit up when she saw me, but the smile she gave was heavy, slow. The kind of smile someone forces to look fine when they’re not.“You’re late,” she said, her words soft but a little slurred.“I know,” I admitted, sliding into the stool beside her. “Work held me up. I’m sorry.”She waved her hand like it didn’t matter, though I could see the way her fingers trembled slightly. The bar around us was starting to change. The lights were dimming, a DJ was setting up and the staff were rearranging chairs to clear space for dancing or whatever they had in mind. Evening was falling into night, and I could tell this plac

Liam's POV I got home late. The street was quiet, the kind of quiet that always made me think too much. My body was tired too, my mind even more.When I got to my apartment building, I didn’t expect to see anyone. I had thought everyone would be asleep, even Stephanie. But she was not.Instead, there she was, sitting on the couch like she had been waiting for me.Her eyes lifted to me as soon as I stepped in. “You’re late.” Stephanie said.“I know,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “Sorry. I didn't expect you'll still be awake.”“I was worried.” Her voice was soft, almost like she didn’t want to admit it.That made me pause a little. Stephanie wasn’t the type to say things like that though. I dropped my bag on the floor and moved closer, not too close though. “Worried about me? That’s new.”She gave me a small glare, though the corner of her lips curved a little. “Was only worried, that's all.”I sat down beside her, and that’s when I noticed the faint smell of food. “Wait… you c

Luca's POV I’m driving alone again with the hum of the engine filling the silence inside the car. Again, no Alex beside me and no driver in front. Just me. It had been a long time since I’d done this but now I'm doing it again.But instead of being fully focused on my mission away from home, I'm worried about Maria.I could picture her face if she knew where I was heading. The way her eyes would narrow and the tremble in her voice just like when she asked me about the perfume. She’d know. She’d know exactly what I was doing. And maybe she already suspected.A low curse slipped from my lips as I held the driving wheel tighter. Guilt weighed heavy on me, but the pull to see this woman again was stronger. It burned inside me, like a hunger I just couldn’t shake off.The traffic light ahead shifted from green to yellow. I pressed harder on the gas. The car flew past the intersection just as the red lit up behind me. For a second, I thought I made it clean. I glanced in the mirror, hopin

Liam’s POVIt was past midnight, and the house was dead quiet, but sleep refused to come to me. I had been lying on the couch for some time now, tossing from one side to the other, staring at the ceiling as though it held answers to questions I couldn’t even form.Maria.That girl just kept circling around my head like it was stitched into the night air. I kept wondering what she was doing right then. Was she asleep? Was she lying awake too, thinking of me the way I was thinking of her?I thought about the way she had pressed against me, the way she let me touch her but then pulled away. She had wanted me, I was certain of it. But perhaps fear had cut her short. Fear for me, maybe.What if she believed Luca would hurt me if he ever found out? She wasn’t wrong to think it. Luca had that kind of presence, the kind of power that could crush someone without even lifting a hand. Or maybe it wasn’t just about me. Maybe Maria herself was scared of what Luca would do to her if she didn’t r

Luca's POV Alex and I walked into the hotel lobby like we owned the place. If there's anything I like about having Alex around, it's this confidence that comes from having someone with me.It was quiet that afternoon. Few guests at the desk, low chatter from the bar. Alex started the talk with with the receptionist, smiling and making small talk with her as if she was someone important.I let him do the warm up. He liked that sort of thing. I didn’t.The woman at the desk looked young, tired. She gave our greetings the polite nod of someone who had practiced this face a thousand times. Alex chatted about the weather and the city. I watched her, counting the seconds until his small talk ran out. It didn’t take long.“Excuse me,” I said finally. My voice low, measured. The woman turned to me, eyes polite but guarded. “Do you remember me?”Her brows lowered for a second. “I’ve seen your face here before,” she said slowly. “But I can’t recall…”“I was in the hotel restaurant with a woma