My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 701

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Chapter 701

Gianna

1481

If someone dropped a bomb on this place right now. Every mob boss in the house would be gone and the world would probably sleep a little easier tonight.

Jesus.

That wasn’t just an intrusive thought. That was a full-on villain origin thought.

I rubbed my face.

Yeah.

I definitely wasn’t okay.

I shook the thought from my head and let my eyes wander around the grand hall. Small groups had already formed, the different crime families greeting one another, exchanging quiet words, handshakes, and polite smiles that never quite reached their eyes.

Servants moved silently between groups, offering drinks no one seemed interested in. Expensive shoes clicked against marble before fading into the low hum of careful conversations. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light across the room, making the gold details on the walls shine.

Everything looked beautiful but everything felt cold.

I stood beside Claire, my hands folded tightly in front of me. I tried to keep them still, but my fingers kept twisting together without me noticing.

My eyes drifted across the room.

They found Raphael.

Again…

I’d already lost count of how many times I’d looked for him.

He stood with his brothers, one hand resting in the pocket of his black trousers while the other held a glass he hadn’t touched. Vincenzo was saying something to him. Dante answered with a shrug. Silvio rolled his eyes.

Raphael didn’t react. He simply stared ahead, his face carved from stone. Not once… Not once since leaving for Sicily had he looked at me.

The space between us wasn’t very large, maybe twenty feet. It felt like another country.

A dull ache settled inside my chest. I wanted him to look at me. Even if he looked at me with anger. Even if he hated me. Anything was better than this. Anything was better than pretending I wasn’t even there.

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A movement near the entrance pulled my attention away.

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The heavy wooden doors opened once more. Every conversation nearby seemed to soften. People looked up and so did I.

Daddy walked in first.

His back was straight, his expression calm, his dark suit fitting him perfectly. There wasn’t a single wrinkle on his jacket.

Behind him came the rest of the Toricelli family, uncles, cousins. Men I had grown up calling family. Faces I hadn’t seen in years.

For a second, I counted them without thinking. My eyes searched the group again. Then a small line appeared between my brows.

Where was Gio?

The Council had ordered every direct member of every crime family to attend.

That was the whole point.

No one was supposed to be missing.

My eyes searched again, he wasn’t there, then I looked for Perla. She wasn’t there either.

That didn’t make sense.

Daddy rarely attended important gatherings without her beside him.

My stomach tightened.

Were they coming later?

Had something happened?

Or…

Were they deliberately kept away?

Questions piled on top of one another so quickly that my head started to hurt.

I barely noticed someone stepping closer beside Daddy until my eyes lifted.

Leone.

His hair was combed neatly away from his face. His suit looked expensive enough to buy a house. He hadn’t changed much. The same sharp jaw. The same easy confidence. The same smile.

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