

Mancini'S Forbidden Bride
Ava thought losing her husband was the worst. Then she found out he’s a mafia heir—and his brother Luca? A don with a stare that melts her. Rival gangs are closing in, her family’s plotting… can he shield her without succumbing to the fire?The safe behind Daniel’s study painting was supposed to hold his will. Instead, I found a gun, a bloodstained handkerchief, and a photo of him with Luca—arms around each other like brothers do, except their eyes were locked in hatred. My hands shook. Then the door creaked open.
I froze. Footsteps. Not the housekeeper’s rhythm. Heavy. Deliberate. I slipped the items into my coat just as the light flipped on.
Luca stood there, trench coat soaked from rain, gun already in hand. His voice was low, dangerous. “You shouldn’t be here, Ava.”
“I live here,” I snapped, backing toward the window. “This is *my* house now.”
His gaze dropped to my bulging coat pocket. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You have no idea what you’ve taken. Give it to me. Before someone else comes looking.”
Outside, tires crunched gravel. Headlights swept the walls. Not ours.
He stepped forward. “Last chance, Ava. Trust me—or run. But if you run, you die alone.”
