Under The Mafia King's Protection

carrying her deeper into the unknown. Her hands clenched the strap of her handbag as if it were a lifeline, her heart a steady drumbeat of uncertainty. She had no choice but to be here. W

uffocating. "We'll see." Celeste frowned. "You don't believe me?" "I don't trust easily, Celeste." He took another step closer, until the scent of his cologne-woodsy, dark, and expensive-wrapped around her like a warning. "And I don't take risks. If you're lying to me, I'll find out." Something inside her snapped. "Then maybe you should let them kill me." A flicker of something-anger, amusement, something darker-passed through his eyes before he leaned in, his lips a breath away from her ear. "Not an option." Her breath hitched, her fingers twitching at her sides. "Why?" He pulled back, just enough to look at her. "Because you're mine to protect." The words settled between them, final and unyielding. Celeste hated the way they made her feel. Because for the first time since her world fell apart, she wasn't sure if the man standing in front of her was her savior... Or just another monster waiting to consume her whole. Celeste's hands curled into fists, nails biting into her palms as she willed herself not to tremble under Salvatore's gaze. He was too close, his presence overwhelming, the scent of his cologne-smoky, dark, and undeniably male-wrapping around her like an invisible restraint. "You think you can just claim me like that?" she asked, her voice sharp despite the thundering of her pulse. "Like I'm some possession of yours?" Salvatore didn't flinch, didn't even blink. Instead, he smirked, slow and deliberate, like he was amused by the very idea of her resistance. "You misunderstand, bella." His voice was soft, but it carried the weight of a promise. A threat. "This is not about ownership. This is about keeping you alive." Celeste let out a hollow laugh, stepping back-not out of fear, but to put distance between herself and the man who made her stomach tighten with a confusing mix of dread and something else entirely. "Maybe I don't want your protection." Salvatore exhaled sharply, as if she were a stubborn child refusing to see reason. "And maybe I don't give a damn what you want." His words hit her like a slap, stealing the air from her lungs. "You think I enjoy this?" he continued, stepping closer again, forcing her back until she felt the cool glass of the penthouse windows pressing against her spine. The city lights glowed behind him, casting him in shadows, making him look even more formidable. "You think I wanted this? To be stuck with a woman who looks at me like I'm the devil himself?" Celeste swallowed hard. She wasn't sure what rattled her more-the frustration in his voice or the way h