Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 455

Chapter 455: Chapter 51 I Love You

Lila’s POV

I couldn’t maintain my anger at Daniel despite how furious I’d been about his confrontation with Gemma. His concern for my safety in this dangerous world was genuine, even if his heavy-handed approach with the informant had been completely wrong. After just one night apart, I already missed him with an intensity that surprised me.

Entering our heavily secured penthouse with determination to make peace, I found it strangely quiet. The reinforced steel door clicked shut behind me as I searched each room—the kitchen with its bulletproof windows, our bedroom with its panic room entrance—but Daniel was nowhere to be found. The emptiness felt wrong since he should have returned from the precinct by now.

"This is weird," I muttered to myself, checking the encrypted phone he’d given me for any missed messages.

After securing my purse in the hidden safe and removing my shoes, I took a long shower in our marble bathroom, trying to wash away the tension of another day navigating between my law studies and the Thorne Group’s legitimate front operations. I slipped into one of Daniel’s dress shirts afterward, needing his scent around me even if he wasn’t physically present. When the digital clock showed he was definitely late by his usual standards, worry crept in. In our world, being late could mean anything from a raid gone wrong to a family meeting called by his father. I reached for the secure phone and dialed his number.

"Hi, little one," his sleepy voice answered after several rings.

"Big guy, are you okay?" Concern flooded through me at his groggy tone. In the Martinez family hierarchy, weakness was dangerous.

"Yes. I think I fell asleep. Where are you?"

"At home. And you?" I heard rustling through the encrypted connection as if he was moving, but then silence followed. "Daniel?" The call suddenly disconnected, sending a chill down my spine.

"I’m right here, little one." His warm hand appeared on my waist, making me jump slightly as I turned. Despite his position as a police inspector, Daniel moved with the silent precision his family had trained into him since childhood. "I came home early because I missed you. I lay down in the guest room where you slept last night and fell asleep breathing in your scent from the pillow."

"Daniel..."

"I was waiting for you to return," he continued, lifting me effortlessly with the strength that came from years of both police training and family enforcement duties. His voice trembled with emotion. "I can’t do this—having you sleep in another room, upset with me. I can’t function without you. Forgive me! I behaved terribly toward Gemma, but these threats against the families have me on edge. I’m terrified something might happen to you in this life we live. I love you, Lila. I love you in ways I never thought possible."

"What did you say?" My heart stopped as he looked deeply into my eyes with that intense stare that had intimidated countless suspects.

"I said I love you, Lila. My heart beats only for you. I’ve waited my entire life for you—I was made for you. I can’t lose you, my little one. I love you!"

Tears streamed down my face without warning. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, floating on those words I’d longed to hear. Joy overwhelmed me, almost too much to contain. His arms held me tightly against his powerful frame, his kiss giving me everything his guarded heart contained.

"Do you forgive me, love?" he asked again. My smile was so wide I could barely speak. "Lila, talk to me," he pressed, looking confused by my silence with that commanding tone he used when interrogating suspects.

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