Semua Bab Enemies At The Altar : Bab 121 - Bab 130

The next morning, the mansion felt different.Not louder.Not quieter.Colder.Like everyone was waiting for something to happen.News traveled fast inside the Romano family.By breakfast, everyone knew Mia had confronted Don Romano.By lunch, everyone knew she had called him "Don."By dinner, sides were already forming.Mia hadn't left her room all day.Not because she was hiding.Because she was exhausted.Emotionally.Mentally.Physically.Mark stayed with her most of the morning.Only leaving when Luca informed him that Don Romano was demanding a family meeting.Not requesting.Demanding.The war room filled quickly.Captains.Advisors.Lieutenants.Everyone important was present.The atmosphere was tense.No one wanted to be the first person to speak.Then the door opened.Don Romano entered.The room immediately stood.Respect.Habit.Fear.Maybe all three.Only after the Don sat did everyone take their seats again.Mark sat near the end of the table.Silent.Watching.Waiting.

The enemy's next move had already begun.Mia just didn't know it yet.It was past midnight.The mansion had finally gone quiet.No meetings.No arguments.No whispered political battles hiding behind polite smiles.For the first time all day, Mia felt exhausted enough to sleep.She curled against Mark's side, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing.Safe.Warm.Familiar.The feeling lasted less than an hour.A vibration woke her.Soft.Brief.But enough.Mia blinked sleepily.The room was dark.The spot beside her was empty.Mark was gone.She sat up slowly.At first she wasn't worried.Mark often worked late.Sometimes he trained.Sometimes Luca dragged him into another crisis.Nothing unusual.Then she noticed the bedroom door wasn't fully closed.And voices drifted through the opening.Mark's voice.Low.Serious.The way he sounded during war meetings.Mia frowned.Curious more than suspicious.At least initially.She slipped out of bed and quietly walked toward the door.T

The message sat in the back of Mia's mind all morning.Valentina.The secret phone calls.Mark is hiding things.The war.Everything felt complicated again.And when things became complicated, there was unfortunately one person who always appeared.Luca.Mia found him in the kitchen stealing pastries.Not eating them.Stealing them.There was a difference."You look troubled."Luca took a bite.Mia sighed."I'm not troubled.""You just sighed like a widow in a historical drama."She grabbed a cup of coffee."I'm fine."Luca nodded.Then nodded again.Then nodded a third time."What are you doing?""Waiting.""For what?""For the jealous confession."Mia almost threw the coffee at him."I'm not jealous."Luca laughed so hard he inhaled pastry crumbs.Five minutes later, after surviving the near-death experience of choking on a croissant, he pointed at her dramatically."That's your problem.""I have many problems.""No."He stood."You have one problem."Mia immediately regretted askin

The next morning arrived too quickly.For the first time in days, Mia seemed lighter.The conversation on the balcony had helped.Not fixed everything.But helped.And in their world, that mattered.Unfortunately, peace never lasted long in the Romano mansion.Mia was searching for an old sketchbook in one of the storage rooms when Luca appeared.As usual.Uninvited."What are you doing?""Looking for something.""Exciting.""It isn't.""Then why am I here?""You followed me."Luca considered this."That's a good point."Neither noticed Mark walking into the hallway nearby.Inside the storage room, boxes covered several shelves.Old books.Photo albums.Childhood keepsakes.Things nobody had touched in years.Mia eventually found her sketchbook."Finally."Then another box shifted.A small package fell out.Landing at her feet.Mia froze."Oh."Immediately.Mark noticed.Luca noticed too.Which was unfortunate.Because Luca noticing things usually led to problems."What is it?""Nothi

The sealed file sat untouched on Mark's desk. It had become a silent reminder of the promise he had almost broken. No more secrets. No more protecting Mia with half-truths. No more deciding what she deserved to know. He had promised her that night on the balcony. Now it was time to keep that promise. The mansion was quiet after dinner. Most of the family had retired for the night. Luca had somehow convinced three guards to play cards with him. Their arguments echoed faintly down the hallway. "You cheated." "I won." "You definitely cheated." "Prove it." Mark smiled to himself. Some things never changed. He knocked softly on Mia's bedroom door. "Come in." She was sitting by the window with a book in her lap. She wasn't reading it. She looked up and smiled, though there was still a trace of uncertainty in her eyes. Mark noticed. It was the reason he had come. "I need to tell you something." She closed the book immediately. "What happened?" He didn't answer right