Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86: I Don’t Marry Married Men

"Wouldn’t that make me arrogant?" she asked, arching a brow at him. Veronica had never looked at herself the way men looked at her. She had grown up behind flour-dusted counters and hot ovens.

"No," Luca said, leaning back on one hand. "You hide your beauty deliberately under that stupid pizza T shirt and those tragic jeans."

"Tragic?" she laughed, genuinely this time. "They are practical."

"They are criminal," he corrected smoothly. "It’s like you are trying so hard to dim yourself. When you should shine."

She placed his plate in front of him. "Eat. And stop trying so damned hard to be romantic."

"I’m not trying," he muttered. "It’s involuntary around you."

She rolled her eyes but sat beside him, folding her legs neatly beneath her on the plush rug. The LED lights cast a warm glow over her red dress, turning her skin honeyed and luminous. The vegetable garden behind them, stubbornly green and fragrant, felt like a rebellion against the violence that clung to his world. Basil leaves and rosemary swayed gently in the night breeze.

They ate.

She talked.

About the pizza parlour. The way customers had started drifting to newer chains. About how the oven needed repairs and how her father had left unpaid debts.

Luca didn’t interrupt. He watched the way her hands moved when she spoke, the way her eyes lit up despite exhaustion. She loved that shop. Not because it was profitable. But because it was theirs. Flour on her cheek. Childhood memories in the brick walls.

After they finished, he wiped his hands and reached into his pocket.

"Come here," he said quietly, spreading his thighs slightly to make space between them.

She eyed him suspiciously. "What’s that?"

He held up a small velvet jewelry box.

"You are not about to propose, are you? Because I will have to remind you, I don’t marry married men."

"I’m never going to hear the end of that, will I?" Luca laughed. It carried relief in it. Relief that she was here. Relief that she was breathing. Relief that he could still touch her.

"Nope," Vee replied easily. "I’m a glorified side chick." She shifted and settled between his legs, her back pressed to his chest.

Luca’s smile faded just slightly. He hated that word on her tongue. Hated the idea that she saw herself reduced to something disposable. Something temporary. Something shameful.

He opened the velvet box carefully.

The necklace caught the soft LED glow instantly, scattering violet and rose light. The diamond was bold. A purplish pink stone cut in a teardrop shape, suspended in delicate white gold.

Vee’s breath caught. "What’s this for?" she asked quietly.

Luca unclasped it, letting the chain slide through his fingers before lifting it behind her neck.

"Don’t worry," he murmured. "It’s not bribery. It’s more for your safety."

The clasp clicked shut against her skin.

"Do not ever take this off," he added. "There’s a tracking chip in it."

"You have to promise me to be more careful, Vee," he continued, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. "If that is the only gift you ever give me, I’ll take it. Be aware of your surroundings. Be alert. Always." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

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