Semua Bab Forbidden Lust: Bab 131 - Bab 140

132Gustavo (Adrian’s Uncle | Presumed Dead)The mafia had the most advanced criminal minds my ass.It’s almost disappointing how easy it was. For men who built empires on fear, they never once considered they could be outplayed.“Should we send a vehicle after her?” Barbara, my secretary, asked as I took a seat, not looking away from the monitors that had Emilia walking away from Raffael’s car in the rain. The footage flickered slightly, but not enough to miss anything important. Not enough to miss the tension.Ah. A lovers’ spite.I leaned back into my chair, a quiet laugh leaving my lips as Raffael stepped out of the car. He took off his jacket, moving toward her with intent, but she slammed it down almost immediately, her mouth moving fast with words the rain wouldn’t let me comprehend.The FBI could do better with their equipment. Barely.“Sir, should I call the make-up artist to start helping you remo—”“Oh my fuck, Emilia, have some self-respect, boo,” Henry cut in, launching

134EmiliaEverybody talks about having self-respect, but nobody talks about how painful it actually is.Especially when you’re in love, and you can see they’re trying.Because it would be easier if he didn’t care. Easier if he didn’t look at me the way he did, or say my name like it still meant something. Easier if I could just hate him.But I couldn’t.And that was the problem.Well… fuck him.“Mehn, fuck him for real,” Nora said from beside me, like she had reached into my head and pulled the words straight out.I let out a small, humorless laugh, shaking my head slightly.“You’re not helping.”“I’m not supposed to help,” she shrugged. “I’m supposed to support bad decisions and validate your anger.”Despite everything, that almost made me smile.“He is trying, Nora,” I sighed as we turned down the hallway toward Mr. Coleman’s classroom.The words felt heavier than they should have, like admitting it out loud made everything more complicated.Nora had been talking non-stop since mor

136NoraMy godchildren made me grateful to know that I had a successful abortion.“Leon, no.” I tried to move my godson’s hand away from the toy in the shopping aisle, but apparently I couldn’t overpower an eight-month-old, because he tossed it into the cart anyway.Ah, fuck it. He could have it. I wasn’t about to risk another tantrum in the middle of a store.“Miss Nora?” One of the numerous bodyguards Raffael and Emilia had sent with me stepped forward , holding out a phone.“Heyyy,” I said, balancing the phone between my ear and neck while I peeled a half-stuck price label off Elara’s mouth.Emilia sounded out of breath when she spoke, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she and Raffael had finally reconciled and were clearly celebrating. “Sorry, Nora, but could the twins stay over tonight?” she breathed, her words cut off by a soft moan.Ah. My virgin Emilia of yesterday. They grow up so fast.“Yeah, yeah. Natasha can come pick them up tomorrow once she’s back from her

Henry and Luca are mentioned in chapter 132 and 136 respectively.138GustavoWatching the De Lucas stirred something in me.A reminder that somewhere beneath the ruin I’ve built, a heart still dares to beat. It was irrelevant. Compassion is a currency I refused to spend, on them, not on anyone.“Cute,” I scoffed under my breath as Emilia leaned forward, offering Raffael a spoonful of pancake batter. He tasted it, then rewarded her with a butterfly kiss that drew a soft giggle from her lips. Disgusting.I turned slightly. “Are you seeing this shit?”Lucas didn’t answer. He was too busy grinning at whatever nonsense danced across his phone screen.“Lucas?” I called again, sharper this time. Still nothing. With a quiet sigh, I pressed two fingers to my temples, then lifted my half-empty water bottle and hurled it straight at his head.“Hey!” he snapped, recoiling as it struck him. He rubbed the sore spot with a scowl, glaring in my direction. I didn’t flinch.“I brought you into this op

140RaffaelI had to do it.There was no room for debate. I didn’t think before I stood up, easing the covers back an inch at a time until I could sit upright. The silence in the room pressed thick and suffocating in my ears, but the weight of what I was about to do was heavier.“Where are you going?” Emilia shifted on the bed, moving closer, her arms slipping around my waist as if she could anchor me there. Her touch almost dragged me back under the covers where things were simple.But what kind of man would that make me?“Ronan has some shipments I need to oversee.” I cleared my throat before answering, hoping she didn’t catch the crack in my voice.Emilia’s brows furrowed as she reached beneath her pillow for her phone, the glow lighting up her sleepy face. “By 4 a.m.?” she asked, suspicion laced softly in her tone. “You better be with me when I break the news to Nora about Lucas”I chuckled, though it didn’t quite reach my chest, my gaze lingering on her longer than necessary.“Go