Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 447

Chapter 447: Chapter 43 Protective Fury

Lila’s POV

The piercing sound of my encrypted phone dragged me from sleep. I hadn’t silenced it the night before, and my blood ran cold as I recognized the caller ID. Only one person had the audacity to contact me through our family’s secure line at this ungodly hour.

"Hello, Claire," I answered, using her first name deliberately, my voice thick with exhaustion.

"What kind of greeting is that?" she snapped through the encrypted connection. "This early hour and you’re still lounging in bed? What other disgraceful habits have you developed in that cesspool that I’ll need to purge when I bring you back to the estate?"

I sighed deeply, pushing myself up against the headboard of Daniel’s king-sized bed. The reinforced windows of his penthouse apartment reflected the early morning skyline of our territory. "Claire, my work at Thorne Group doesn’t begin until later in the morning, and I’m staying within our allied boundaries. There’s no reason for me to rise before dawn."

"Excuses!" Her voice climbed to that familiar pitch that once terrorized me as a child. "I raised you according to Sullivan family traditions—a proper mafia wife rises before dawn every morning to ensure her husband’s coffee is ready the moment he opens his eyes."

"Claire..."

"Don’t you dare use that tone with me, Lila!" she interrupted, her fury crackling through the secure line. "I’ve already informed you that you’re returning to the compound, and your engagement to Connor’s heir has been finalized through the proper channels."

My patience shattered completely. "You’d better cancel whatever backroom deal you’ve struck. I’m not returning to your compound, and I absolutely refuse to marry into the Connor syndicate. We’ve discussed this exhaustively."

"You will obey family law, young lady." Her certainty was as suffocating as it was infuriating, but I was no longer the compliant daughter who once cowered under her authority.

"What do you really want, Claire? Besides these empty threats about some arranged alliance?" I kept my voice steady, determined to maintain control despite the tremor in my hands.

"These aren’t threats, Lila. You will be wed according to Sullivan family protocol, and soon. I should have enforced this arrangement long ago—especially after discovering you were operating within our territory without reporting to the family council."

"I’ve been staying with Beckett at his secured residence," I defended myself. "And I avoided the main compound because reliable sources informed me you’d prepared a containment room specifically to imprison me." From my peripheral vision, I noticed Daniel had awakened, his dark eyes burning with escalating rage as he listened to our exchange.

"And I will utilize every resource at my disposal," she replied with chilling satisfaction. "Either you return to the compound willingly and submit to family decree, or I’ll deploy our private security forces to retrieve you and keep you confined until the wedding ceremony. And I’ll ensure your future husband understands the importance of maintaining strict control over his wife afterward."

Tears began streaming down my face as the familiar suffocation of her control threatened to drag me back into that nightmare. "Claire, you cannot imprison me or force a marriage contract—"

The phone was suddenly lifted from my trembling hand. Daniel sat up fully, his jaw clenched with deadly intent as he activated the speaker function.

"Good morning, Mrs. Sullivan. This is Inspector Daniel Martinez, Lila’s boyfriend." His deep voice carried that deceptively calm tone I’d heard him use during interrogations.

"Of course this shameless girl has spread her legs for some opportunistic outsider," Claire spat through the encrypted line. "Behaving like a common street whore instead of respecting Sullivan family honor—"

"You are profoundly mistaken," Daniel cut through her venom with arctic precision. "Think whatever poisonous thoughts you wish, but understand this clearly—my patience with your harassment is reaching its limit. Lila is under my protection now. She will not be marrying Connor’s son or anyone else because you demand it. And I strongly advise against attempting to physically coerce her into compliance."

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