Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

After Emanuele had escorted her back to the apartment, he left because of some matters he needed to attend to. The apartment now held only her, Lilly, and Tony, as Harry was also a male who dared not easily invade Isabella’s room. Lilly was the first to rush in when she saw Isabella.

“What happened, darling? What’s going on?” Lilly asked, seeing Isabella in a tearful mess. She held Isabella in her arms, trying to comfort her.

Isabella’s body was cold to the touch, and she was trembling as if she had experienced a great shock. “It’s alright,” Lilly reassured her.

Isabella calmed down a bit and proceeded to tell Lilly about what had happened during their outing. “The moment I think about how he killed that man, I feel like I don’t even know this man. How could he do something so cruel? That man died because of me.”

“Isabella, this has nothing to do with you. If Emanuele doesn’t deal with those people, it will make him look weak. To maintain his position, he has to ensure that everyone knows the consequences of disrespecting him or anything related to him,” Lilly explained.

Though Lilly’s words made sense, Isabella still found it difficult to accept. “Could Emanuele kill me one day?” Isabella looked at Lilly, appearing extremely vulnerable.

Lilly shook her head. “No, you’re his wife. He has no reason to harm you unless you betray him.”

Isabella nestled in Lilly’s arms, and her emotions gradually calmed. Lilly continued to soothe her until Isabella closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Once Isabella was asleep, Lilly left her room. However, Isabella wasn’t asleep; she lay on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling.

This room was undeniably large and equipped with everything. After their shopping trip today, she had added many things to the room. She had found Emanuele’s room too dark and oppressive, and had brightened it up with colorful decorations, vases of flowers, and potted plants, giving the room a lively atmosphere.

Yet, Isabella was still somewhat uncomfortable. She missed her previous small apartment. Though it had been modest in size and simple in design, it had been filled with her belongings, creating a cozy atmosphere. It was cramped, and Emanuele particularly disliked it.

But she genuinely cherished it because it was filled with things she had collected piece by piece with her hard-earned money. It could be called cozy. But she was forced to leave it behind when she entered the Mafia’s circle and became a target, and she hadn’t even had time to say goodbye to her apartment properly. She had hastily moved and left behind most of her belongings.

Thinking of this, Isabella remembered the box she had always cherished, which was now stashed in a corner of the closet. She retrieved it and looked at the old Barbie doll within.

This doll had been her childhood companion. She used to sleep with it every day, even though she was afraid her aunt and uncle might discover it. If they did, Chloe would either claim it as her own or they would throw it away. So, she would hide it under her bed during the day and take it out to hug at night. The Barbie doll’s face had gathered a bit of dust, and it had been scratched, the marks refusing to come off no matter how she tried to wipe them.

Now, Isabella took the Barbie doll out and hugged it while sleeping.

Isabella was awakened by the sound of crying. She recognized it as Grazia’s crying.

“I can’t believe this, why would Andrew be attacked by the enemies?” Grazia sobbed, her face buried in her hands, overcome with grief.

“Grazia, calm down a little. We didn’t want this to happen either, and Andrew wouldn’t want to see you so sad,” Emanuele’s low, restrained voice cut through the emotional tension. It was clear he was struggling to keep his own emotions in check.

Isabella descended the stairs, finding Grazia in the living room, weeping while covering her face. Just a couple of days ago, she had been jubilantly helping Isabella pick out clothes, trying them on, her face full of joy. But now, she was devastated.

Isabella glanced at Grazia and then at Emanuele. Emanuele noticed Isabella and gestured for her to come over.

Isabella sat down beside Grazia and embraced her, offering comfort. “Grazia, what’s happened? Why are you so sad?” She wasn’t entirely sure of the situation, but based on their conversation, it seemed that something had happened to Andrew.

Grazia was weeping even harder in Isabella’s arms. “Andrew is dead. He didn’t return home last night, and today his body was found dumped at our doorstep.”

Grazia was devastated, and her face had turned red from crying. Her eyes were swollen like a rabbit’s, and she was gasping for breath as she cried.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“I just can’t believe it, that Andrew is gone. Isabella, what am I going to do?” Grazia sobbed, her cries becoming convulsive.

“It’s going to be okay, Grazia. You need to take care of yourself. If Andrew could see how heartbroken you are right now, he’d be sad too,” Isabella patted Grazia’s back and tried to soothe her.

To be honest, Isabella felt the sadness as well. How could she not? Andrew, that cheerful, talkative, and very humorous man, who was not involved in the Mafia, had entered this world for the sake of Grazia. He was genuinely good to everyone. When she had been nervous about her contact with the Mafia, it was Andrew who had comforted her. It was hard to believe that such a good person had been killed.

Watching Isabella and Grazia both crying, Emanuele’s brow furrowed. His emotions were a turbulent mix of sadness, anger, and a desire to hunt down those responsible. His impression of Andrew had been favorable. He always had endless conversations with him. Family gatherings had been solemn and serious, but ever since Andrew joined the family, they had become warm and joyful.

But now he was gone.

This morning, Emanuele had received a message from Frederick: “We’ve caught your dear brother-in-law. Next, the people around you will die one by one, including your newlywed wife. Be careful.”

It was like a death threat, making Emanuele unusually furious. Damn it!

Andrew was dead, and he still hadn’t located Frederick. The longer it took, the more satisfied the enemy became because they believed he couldn’t catch them.

Emanuele felt that he needed to not only find Frederick but also consider the safety of his family.

They couldn’t continue like this; sitting idly was not his style.

Isabella cried for a while but then composed herself. She consoled Grazia, saying, “Grazia, don’t be too devastated. You need to stay strong.”

“I don’t know how to live without Andrew. We’ve been married for ten years,” Grazia cried.

“You still have me, you have Emanuele, you have your parents, and the enemies outside are very powerful. The more you fall apart, the more they’ll become triumphant. We can’t let them win,” Isabella said, wiping away Grazia’s tears with a tissue.