Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Chapter 110 Honor Above Love

Ivy’s POV

The reinforced steel door to Caleb’s private office exploded inward as Zoe stormed through, leading a formidable pack of Thorne family wives behind her. The security detail stationed outside had clearly been no match for these determined women.

"What kind of bloody mess have you dragged my friend into this time, Don Thorne?" Zoe’s voice sliced through the tension like a switchblade, her eyes blazing with protective fury.

"Zoe, not now. Please," Caleb’s voice carried the weight of exhaustion that even the most ruthless crime boss couldn’t hide.

"Oh, absolutely now! I warned you what would happen if you destroyed her again." Zoe dropped onto the leather couch beside me, her arms wrapping around my shoulders like armor. "Get out. Your capos are waiting in the lobby. We’ll handle Ivy from here. Move!"

The lethal authority in her tone made even Caleb Thorne, feared Don of the most powerful crime family on the East Coast, take an involuntary step backward. He ran both hands down his face, the weight of his empire suddenly visible in every line of his body. He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead before retreating through the bulletproof door. Through my tears, I saw my circle of protection: Zoe, Gemma, Nora, Ruby, and Lila forming an impenetrable wall around me like the wives of soldiers preparing for war.

"Gemma called the moment the news broke through the family channels. We abandoned everything to get here," Nora explained softly, her voice carrying the kind of gentleness that only emerged in the safest of sanctuaries. "Jude briefed us on what happened with that manipulative mafia princess."

The loyalty of these women, bound together by blood oaths and shared survival in this violent world, wrapped around me like a bulletproof vest, though it couldn’t stop the trembling in my chest.

"Everything’s collapsing again," I whispered, fresh tears cutting tracks down my cheeks.

"Ivy, breathe. Caleb made the smart tactical decision sending Xavier with that manipulative mafia princess for proper medical verification. We wait this siege out together, capisce?" Ruby’s hand found my knee, steady as the steel in her voice.

We remained barricaded in Caleb’s fortress-like office while the hours crawled by like a stakeout. Caleb had ordered food delivery from the family’s trusted Italian restaurant, passing containers through Gemma at the reinforced door with strict instructions that we needed to maintain our strength for whatever battles lay ahead.

"Zo, we should go. Max needs us. Carmen’s been watching him since the lockdown started," I said, my maternal instincts suddenly overriding everything else.

"Relax, tesoro. I already spoke with Carmen through encrypted channels. She’s staying at my safehouse for now. Even ordered from that pizzeria Max loves because you know how that little soldier goes crazy for real Brooklyn pizza," Zoe soothed me with the efficiency of someone accustomed to managing crisis logistics.

"I don’t know what I’d do without all of you," I said, my voice thick with emotion that had no place in our brutal world. "Without this family."

"Oh, you’d probably be wandering the streets like some lost civilian," Zoe quipped, trying to inject some dark humor into the suffocating tension. "Now eat something. Whatever happens in this war, you can’t fall apart. Max needs his mother strong and ready for anything."

The thought of my son gave me the steel I needed to continue. I managed several bites of the sandwich, though it tasted like sawdust. The women filled the silence with carefully chosen conversation, working to ease the crushing pressure that threatened to break us all. I’d finally stopped the tears when we heard the unmistakable sound of violence from the reception area followed by raised voices that carried the edge of impending bloodshed. I forced myself not to flinch. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Caleb returned looking like he’d survived a firefight. His dark hair was disheveled, his eyes were shot through with red, and his usually pristine shirt bore the wrinkles of a man whose empire was under siege.

"Ladies, I need a moment with Ivy. Alone. And Zoe, before you start your rebellion, this isn’t negotiable," his tone carried the absolute authority that had built his criminal empire, brooking no argument even from my fiercest defender.

Each friend embraced me with the solemnity of soldiers heading into uncertain battle before filing out. Caleb settled beside me and captured my hands in his, scarred from countless acts of violence in defense of family honor.

"My queen, this changes nothing between us," he began.

"She’s carrying your child," I stated without room for doubt.

"Yes, but that proves nothing. DNA testing during pregnancy is too dangerous for family operations, and she’s refusing cooperation anyway. We’ll have to wait until after the birth for confirmation," Caleb explained with the cold precision of a man accustomed to strategic patience.

"I understand," I said, meeting his desperate gaze.

"But nothing changes, Ivy. You’re my queen," he insisted with the fierce possessiveness of a man who’d killed to protect what was his.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify