All Chapters of Forbidden By Her Mafia Stepbrother : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The hallway outside seemed longer than usual. Each step echoed in her ears. Marriage. To Giovanni. The word wife made her feel sick. She could still feel his hand on her waist, could still hear his smooth voice asking if she always trembled like that.Her mind flicked, unbidden, to a different corridor. A different man. Cold amber eyes. A rough voice telling Giovanni he would have Enoch break his legs if he took one more step.Did he know?A hollow ache settled in her chest. Of course he knew. He was the Spanish mafia boss. Not a single leaf moved in the Hierro estate without his permission. He had likely approved the alliance himself. For one stupid, desperate second, she wondered if he would stop it just because he had hidden her in the hallway last night. But she quickly crushed the thought. Why would he care? He hadn't saved her out of kindness. To him, she was just an entertaining distraction, someone to mock. Handing her to the Italians meant absolutely nothing to him.She reach

The two words weren't a request. They were a quiet, absolute command that demanded total obedience. Viola’s feet felt glued to the floor. She stared at him, her chest rising and falling fast, the humid air of the pool room suddenly feeling too thick to breathe. He didn't move toward her. He just stood there in the dim blue light, water dripping slowly from his chest to the wet tiles, his heavy gaze pinning her in place. The silence between them stretched, thick and suffocating. He was waiting for her to submit. To walk across the room and step right into the trap. When she didn't take a single step, the predatory stillness in his posture shifted. He tilted his head, his amber eyes narrowing slightly as he slowly raised a dark eyebrow. It was a silent challenge. A terrifying dare. Run. Her survival instinct finally shattered the paralysis. Panic spiked sharply in her chest. Viola spun around, shoved the heavy glass doors open, and sprinted blindly out of the pool room. She

The freezing water hit her so hard it knocked the breath straight out of her lungs.Viola gasped, her eyes flying open as she choked on the water sliding down her throat. She pushed herself upright, her wet hair plastering to her face. As her vision cleared, she saw a trembling maid standing near the bed, holding an empty metal bucket.But it was the woman standing just behind the maid that made her blood run cold.Her mother."Mother," Viola stammered, frantically wiping the water from her eyes as she scrambled backward against the headboard.Her mother took a sharp step into the room, her face twisted with a terrifying rage. "How dare you."Viola’s chest heaved. She looked at her mother’s furious expression, her mind racing. "What? I don't—""The forbidden wing, Viola," her mother cut in, her voice dropping into a deadly hiss. "Everyone in this house knows the rule. Or are you just trying to be a fool? You dared to go up there?" Viola froze. The remaining air vanished from her lung

The hot water of the shower did nothing to melt the freezing chill of the dark storage room.Viola stood under the spray until her skin turned pink, but the hollow, suffocating feeling still clung to her bones. She dried off with shaking hands, pulled on a faded gray dress, and tied her damp hair back. She looked like a ghost in the cracked mirror.She walked down to the kitchen. The staff was already busy working, their low whispers filling the room. But the second Viola stepped inside, the talking abruptly stopped. The room went dead silent. No one looked her in the eye. Rosita simply walked over and handed her a heavy silver tray holding a pot of black coffee, cups, and a plate of breakfast.Viola took it without a word.The walk up to Sebastian’s suite felt suffocating. Her legs were heavy, her muscles still aching from the hard stone floor. When she reached the massive dark wood doors, she stopped. She stared at the metal handle, her breathing turning shallow.She swallowed hard,

The next day passed in a strange, quiet blur.After breakfast, Sebastian left the estate and did not return. Viola had expected to spend the day terrified in his private suite, but without him there, she had nothing to do. The silence of his massive rooms eventually drove her back downstairs to the familiar chaos of the kitchen.She spent the afternoon helping Rosita bake bread. The warm smell of yeast and flour was the only thing in the house that actually calmed her nerves."Viola."A young maid tapped her on the shoulder. "Miss Vanessa has called for you. She is in her room."Viola wiped the flour from her hands, a knot immediately forming in her stomach. Vanessa never called for her unless she wanted something unpleasant.She walked up to her sister's room and raised her hand, knocking softly before pushing the heavy door open.Vanessa was lounging on a plush velvet chair, watching a maid carefully paint her toenails a bright, glossy red. The second Vanessa saw Viola walk in, she