Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Chapter 112 Chocolate and Thorns

Ivy’s POV

The weekend dragged by in a suffocating haze of well-meaning friends and endless conversations about my impossible situation. Everyone tried their best to convince me to fight for Caleb, to stay and weather the storm that Yara Rossi would unleash. But they couldn’t grasp the deadly reality I was living in. I refused to become the catalyst for a war between a Don and his potential heir through marriage. Yara would turn my existence into a living hell, using her father Roman’s influence and her own vicious cunning, and I knew I wasn’t ruthless enough to survive that kind of systematic destruction.

Monday morning arrived like an execution date. I steeled myself for another day of pretending normalcy while everything inside me felt shattered by the weight of leaving the only man I’d ever truly loved. As I approached the Thorne Group building, a familiar figure blocked my path like a predator stalking wounded prey. Roman Rossi stood there with the cold calculation of a man who’d built his power on others’ misery.

"What the hell are you still doing here, you worthless little whore?" His voice sliced through the morning air like a switchblade. He positioned himself directly in my path, making escape impossible. When I attempted to sidestep him, his fingers clamped around my arm like a steel trap. "I’m talking to you, you pathetic street trash."

"Get your hands off me." I wrenched my arm free, my skin burning where his manicured fingers had dug in. "I have every right to be here. I work for this organization."

"Not for long, you don’t." His eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction, the look of a man who enjoyed watching others squirm. "I’m going straight to Caleb to demand he throws you back into whatever gutter he dragged you from."

"Go right ahead." I turned my back on him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing how his threats affected me.

Roman lunged forward to grab me again, but Fisher, our head of security, materialized between us like an avenging angel. His hand rested casually on the concealed weapon beneath his suit jacket.

"Step away from the lady, sir. You’ve been explicitly instructed to keep your distance from her." Fisher’s voice carried the quiet authority of a man who’d seen combat in darker places than corporate lobbies.

"Thank you, Fisher." My voice barely rose above a whisper as we stepped into the elevator together.

"No need to thank me, miss. It’s what Mr. Thorne pays me for." Fisher’s expression softened slightly, though his vigilance never wavered. "But even if it wasn’t my job, I can’t stomach that snake or the way he treats you. That’s no way to handle a lady." He paused, studying my face with the keen eyes of someone trained to read danger. "I’ll be waiting for you at the entrance every morning from now on, and I’ll escort you out every evening. He won’t get near you again."

His protection nearly broke through the walls I’d built around my heart. I managed a grateful smile, overwhelmed by this unexpected shield when I felt so vulnerable in the crossfire of mafia politics.

The executive floor hummed with a different energy, charged with the tension that always surrounded high-stakes power plays. Gemma rushed toward me the moment the elevator doors opened, wrapping me in a warm embrace before guiding me toward my new workspace under Xavier’s protection. She’d worked miracles over the weekend, transforming the space and even relocating my familiar furniture from Caleb’s office to ease the transition.

A stunning bouquet of blood-red roses sat on the small table near the armchairs, their dark beauty a stark reminder of the dangerous world we inhabited. The card tucked between the thorny stems made my hands tremble as I read:

"You will always be my only love. My perfect love. I cannot accept losing you."

The tears came without warning, and Gemma held me as I crumbled under the weight of loving a man whose world could destroy me.

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