Switched at the Mafia Auction のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 151 - チャプター 160

~ Avelyn ~I was left panting and in disbelief of what just happened while he was in the bathroom. How did I let myself feel all those wild things that I shouldn’t for a man like this?I’m blaming this damn body for always betraying me!While I was still on the floor, shaking on my knees from anger or pleasure, I couldn’t tell. A soft coat warmed my exposed back and then he lifted me up from behind. Turned me around and wore me his suit coat like I was a two year old. There was no point in trying to use the buttons because I was lost in it. Now truly resembling the two year old. After adjusting it, he leaned in, letting his lips graze my earlobe on purpose. This man is shameless!“From now on, you sleep in my room,”“What?” I stumbled over my words. But he didn’t wait around and walked out. I found my legs following behind and knew that it wasn’t up for debate. When the elevator doors opened again, reality rushed back in like cold water.Noise. Light. Music swelling too loud. Perf

~ Avelyn ~Xander wasn’t there when I woke up. I knew it before I even opened my eyes. He truly stayed in his study and disappeared. The room felt hollow, like something heavy had been removed and taken its gravity with it. The air was too still and neat. His side of the bed was smooth, untouched, the sheets cool beneath my fingers when I reached out without thinking.For a brief, stupid second, I wondered what that call he received last night was about. And if the display at the party had been a dream stitched together by exhaustion and adrenaline.It wasn’t.My body answered before my mind could argue. The faint ache between my thighs. The soreness along my neck. The lingering sensitivity in places I didn’t want to think about this early in the morning. I stared at the ceiling and let the silence press down on me, heavy and unmoving.He was probably our for serious business, I told myself. That was always the explanation with men like him. Serious business justified everything, abs

— Xander —The civil bureau was quieter than it should have been.That alone told me everything.Places like this were meant to feel dull with paperwork, neutral walls, bored clerks counting minutes until lunch. Today, it hummed with restraint. Every corner felt staged. Security dressed as officials. Officials pretending not to recognize me. And cameras carefully placed, subtle, but unmistakable.Veronica had been busy.She stood beside me in white.Not bridal white. That would have been obscene. This was strategic, ivory silk, tailored to look effortless, conservative enough for legitimacy, expensive enough to remind anyone watching exactly who she was. A De Luca. A woman bred for appearances.She leaned slightly into my arm as we waited.Not enough to be obvious, just enough get under my skin. Reporters stood behind the glass partition, pretending to be there for unrelated documentation. Their lenses angled wrong. Their attention too sharp. This wouldn’t stay private for more than a

— Xander —The house felt wrong the moment I stepped inside.Not quiet because quiet had never bothered me. Silence was something I’d grown up with, learned to weaponize. This was different. This was invasion.The foyer lights were too bright, deliberately so, like someone wanted every surface seen, admired. The air smelled wrong. Floral. Powdered. A scent that clung instead of dissipated. I stopped just past the threshold, fingers tightening once at my side before I forced myself to move again.Someone had rearranged the house.Not physically, nothing so crude. But the energy had shifted. The servants moved differently, too cautious, too aware. They bowed lower than usual. Eyes averted longer. Fear always left a residue. So did entitlement.I loosened my tie as I walked, tugging it free from my collar and stuffing it into my coat pocket. My jacket followed, draped over my arm. The day replayed in fragments as I crossed the marble floor.Ink drying on paper.Cameras clicking. Veronic

~ Avelyn ~I had only just finished talking to my mom when I blinked against the sunlight and realized my bags had been tossed carelessly onto the cracked ground of the cemetery. The air was thick with dust and decay, the sweet scent of wilting flowers overtaken by something metallic and sour. My chest tightened instantly, I knew something was wrong before I even saw them.Two figures approached through the haze. Lilian’s heels clicked sharply against the stone, each step precise, deliberate. She wore a crisp white blouse and black slacks, immaculate as ever, but the cruel curl of her lips betrayed her intent. Behind her, Laura followed, her stance less elegant, more predatory, her eyes cold and calculating.I wanted to turn, run, hide, but my feet felt glued to the ground. Something about this place, the way the sun glared off broken tombstones, made my body scream for escape, but it was already too late.“Hello, Avelyn,” Lilian said sweetly, her tone laced with venom. “Didn’t expect