Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 Into the Trap

Ivy’s POV

I stood beside my mother when Xavier burst through the hospital room doors, his usually composed face etched with the kind of dread that made my blood freeze. As the Thorne family’s consigliere recounted every chilling detail of that psychotic woman Yara’s phone call, each word struck me like bullets from a rival family’s gun. The more he revealed about her twisted demands and threats, the harder the tears flowed down my cheeks. After Xavier departed to coordinate the family’s response, Mrs. Martinez pulled my mother into the corridor, explaining in hushed tones exactly who Yara Rossi was in the underworld hierarchy, while Ruby filled in the horrifying gaps about the Rossi family’s reputation for brutality. My mind struggled to process this nightmare consuming our world.

The sharp buzz of my encrypted phone shattered the tense atmosphere. I snatched it immediately, recognizing Caleb’s voice though something in his tone made my skin crawl with foreboding.

"Keep quiet. If any of Caleb’s soldiers are around you, get away from them now. Call me back only when you’re completely alone."

I lowered the phone, my hands trembling as I backed toward the door. His words felt like a death sentence pressing against my chest.

"Ivy, where are you going?" Zoe’s worried voice stopped me at the threshold.

"I need to see Caleb," I managed, forcing the lie past my constricted throat. "I want some time with him."

I fled the room before she could press for details.

In the empty corridor between the elevators and the family meeting room, I raised the phone again with shaking fingers.

"Where is Caleb?"

"Easy there, sweetheart." The endearment that once seemed genuine now dripped with malice worthy of any capo. "Your boy is still breathing, but since your mafia king refuses to be reasonable, you’re going to follow my instructions exactly. No conversations with Caleb’s crew, no heroics, and maybe you’ll see your child again."

The betrayal hit me like a sledgehammer to the gut. This man I had trusted with family secrets, shared meals with, confided in about the dangers of mafia life. How could I have been so blind to a snake in our midst?

"First, you’re leaving this hospital. Head to that little Italian place from yesterday and wait. Keep this line open and don’t breathe a word to anyone in the Thorne organization."

The reception area crawled with armed family members who would certainly notice the don’s woman leaving unescorted. Instead, I headed for the corridor’s end, my heart hammering as I pushed through the emergency exit into the stairwell. My footsteps echoed ominously as I descended several floors, finally reaching a nearly deserted medical wing.

The elevator felt like a coffin carrying me to my execution. When it finally arrived, I pressed myself against the wall as if I could disappear entirely. Each floor that passed brought me closer to whatever hell awaited outside these walls.

The street felt surreal, like walking through someone else’s nightmare. A few blocks stretched endlessly before me, each step a betrayal of everyone in Caleb’s family who would die protecting me, but what choice did I have? Max’s innocent face filled my mind, driving me forward through this urban wasteland.

I had barely reached the Italian bistro when a black sedan with tinted windows materialized at the curb like something from a funeral procession. The window slid down, revealing Caleb’s smile, but now I saw it for what it truly was—predatory and cold as any rival family assassin.

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