Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 364

Chapter 364: It’s Your Damned Baby

The woman’s recklessness. The man’s relentless reach. The way he protected her. The way she still moved as though she knew—absolutely knew—he would be there when it mattered.

It struck too close. It was her and Luca in a dance. By the time the dancers hit their final dramatic hold and the room burst into applause, tears were already sliding down Veronica’s cheeks.

Luca turned immediately. "Bambola?" he whispered.

Veronica laughed through it, already swiping furiously at her face with the tips of her fingers. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s your damned baby." She sniffled and shook her head. "I’m going to ruin my makeup."

"You’ll still look gorgeous."

Veronica shot him a wet, unimpressed look. "You’re still getting some tonight. Stop being a suck-up."

Around them, the room began settling again as the applause faded. Guests murmured to one another.

The lights rose once more. Don Genovese himself stepped into the center of the ballroom.

Massimo stood in the light. The room quieted in waves until even the drifting conversations at the back disappeared. He gave a brief speech, just enough to acknowledge the gathering, the family, the blessing of new life and new beginnings without drowning the moment in sentiment.

He turned slightly and extended one hand. "Veronica."

She looked at Luca. Luca gave her the smallest nod, his hand squeezing hers once before letting go.

Veronica moved to Massimo’s side.

"I present to you, the Genovese Regina, responsible for the next generation of Genovese."

Applause rolled through the ballroom in warm waves, rising fast and full until even Veronica—still standing beside Massimo, still trying not to cry again in front of half the famiglia—had no choice but to laugh through the emotion of it.

The music began once more, and the room loosened back into motion. Congratulations came from every direction.

Men bowed their heads toward her. Women kissed the air near her cheeks, touched her arm, admired her dress, her ring. Veronica handled it as best she could, still glowing, still overwhelmed, still trying to remember that she was apparently now being presented to society as some kind of crowned future legend and not just a girl who had once spent her days in a pizza parlour.

Soon she was snatched away entirely by a circle of the wives who had seen enough rings in their time to know a very serious diamond when they saw one.

"Oh, let me see!"

"Look at the size of that stone!"

"Luciano did not come to play."

Kindly, blessedly, everyone was too polite to mention Bianca. No one said her name. No one asked questions. No one dragged the old wound into the middle of the evening to stain it. Whatever they thought, whatever they whispered privately, the room had collectively agreed to leave that ghost outside the ballroom doors.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify