A Marriage with the Mafia Prince

Alyssa Hart is out of options. Drowning in medical debt, with her mother's life hanging in the balance, she's desperate for a solution. When an unexpected email offers her an interview at the mysterious Valentino Enterprises, she doesn't hesitate. But what she walks into isn't a job opportunity... it's a marriage contract. The powerful and feared Valentino Crime family needs a wife for their heir, Stephano Valentino. Cold, ruthless, and utterly uninterested in love, Stephano has discarded every woman his parents have introduced him to. They don't expect Alyssa to be any different. The deal is simple: marry Stephano, bear his heir, and in two years, she'll be free, with enough money to ensure her mother's survival. There's only one rule: this is not a real marriage. Stephano can do as he pleases, but Alyssa is bound to him alone. She should hate him. He gives her every reason to. But the longer she stays, the more she begins to see through the cracks in his armour. Beneath his icy exterior is something broken, something she can't help but want to fix. And Stephano, who swore he would never care, finds himself drawn to the woman he was never meant to love. But in their world, love is a weakness, and breaking the rules always comes with a price...

Chapters

Chapter 5

A L Y S S A

"I didn't sign anything," I rush to say. "It was just... a conversation. This was just motivation to get me to agree..."

"Agree to what?!" She waves the money in the air. "This is not just a conversation. This is blood money. I've heard things, Alyssa... the Valentinos are dangerous people... I don't want you anywhere near them!"

I drag my hands down my face as I stand to my feet. "I know how it sounds, okay? Believe me, I know. But they weren't threatening me. They were... professional. Cold, but... polite. Like it was a business transaction."

She stares at me like I've completely lost it. "Polite? Alyssa, they're the Valentinos. Polite is just another weapon for people like them. What did they say? Tell me why they gave you $5000?"

The words feel heavier when I have to form them aloud.

"They want me to marry their son."

Carmen blinks. Once. Twice. "I'm sorry.... what?"

"Two years. I marry their son, Stephano. I give them a child, and then I'm free."

Her mouth falls open. She looks at me like I've confessed to joining a cult. "You're not serious."

"They offered to pay off Mom's medical bills. All of them. And they'll fund her care permanently, till she gets better. Plus, I get a settlement when the contract's done."

She then places the money on the table, then she grabs a throw pillow and smacks me square in the shoulder.

"Hey!" I shout, staring back at her with shock.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?! You're not going through with this! Alyssa, this is insane! This is how women end up in Netflix documentaries!" She says, and I let out a dry laugh, though it comes out closer to a choke.

"I told them I'd meet him this afternoon. That's all. Just... meet him."

She drops the pillow, staring at me like she's trying to shake sense into me with her eyes alone. "So... you're actually thinking about it?"

"I'm thinking about mom," I say, my voice quiet. "She's dying, Carmen. And I'm out of options. This isn't just about me anymore."

The silence between us is heavy, and for a moment, I watch as her features relax. Finally, Carmen exhales and sinks onto the couch beside me. Her fingers worry the edge of the pillow in her lap. "Okay. Okay. I'm not saying I like it. Because I don't. This whole thing is shady as hell. But maybe..." she pauses, reluctantly, "...maybe this is your way out. I mean, $5,000 just for showing up? That's not nothing."

"I know," I whisper.

"You said they weren't creepy or anything?"

"No. Not creepy. Just very... direct. Like they'd already decided everything before I even walked in the room."

She frowns. "Did they say anything about what happens if you don't..." she lowers her voice to almost a whisper, "...get pregnant?"

"They said I'd still be let go. But Mom's trust wouldn't be extended."

"So it's baby or bust."

"Basically."

Carmen scrubs her hands over her face. "Jesus Christ help us."

I stare at the check again. My stomach knots tighter every time my eyes land on it, like it's a hook dragging me somewhere I can't escape.

"I feel like I've already stepped into something I can't back out of."

She doesn't argue with me. She just watches me, her silence louder than words.

"I need you to do something for me," I say, turning toward her.

Her eyes snap to mine. "Anything."

"If something happens to me... if I disappear, or you don't hear from me... You go to the police, and you tell them everything."

Her mouth opens. "Alyssa..."

"I'm serious," I cut her off. "I don't care what it looks like. You take the money, you take my laptop, and you tell them everything."

Her jaw tightens, but she reaches over and grabs my hand. Her grip is warm, firm, steady in a way I don't feel. "Nothing's going to happen to you."

"You don't know that."

"I won't let it."

I want to believe her. God, I want to.

My eyes burn, tears threatening, but I force them back down. I can't cry. Not yet.

"This is crazy," I whisper. "I can't believe I'm actually going through with this."

"You're not alone, I'm right here, okay?" Carmen says. Her voice is fierce now, unwavering. "You're not doing this without backup."

I nod. It helps. Not much, but enough to take a full breath.

"I have to get ready," I murmur.

She looks me up and down, unimpressed. "I hope you're thinking of changing."

A laugh escapes me, brittle but real. "I think I look fine. If he hates it, that's his problem."

"You know," she mutters, standing, "if he turns out to be hot, I'm going to be really conflicted about this."

"I don't care what he looks like," I say. "I just want him to sign the damn papers and leave me alone."

Carmen gives me a long, meaningful look. "That's not how this ends, Alyssa. If you get a child, you're stuck with him forever..."

I glance away. I know she's right. Somewhere deep down, I know.

But I'm already in it.

And the clock is ticking.

Continue to next part

Betrayed by his own family, Carrick Aurum Gale was left for dead. But death was only the beginning. Reborn with a powerful system, Erebus, Carrick rises from the ashes to reclaim his rightful place as the most powerful Mafia Lord. With ruthless determination and cunning strategy, he builds a new empire, the Zenith Family, and sets his sights on vengeance against those who wronged him. The streets will run red, allegiances will be tested, and the very foundations of power will be shaken. The boy who was once discarded will become the master of his own destiny. Witness the unrelenting ascent of Aurum Zenith, the Mafia Lord who will stop at nothing to claim his throne.

Action LitRPG Mafia Modern

9.5

Forged in His Shadows

9.5

Clara Vance sacrificed her career and freedom to protect her blind sister, eventually becoming a clandestine forger. Her life is upended when a botched deal attracts the attention of Julian Thorne, a lethal syndicate leader. To ensure her sister’s safety, Clara must submit to Julian’s absolute authority. As she enters his world, she finds that the true threat is not just his power, but her own burgeoning and dangerous attraction to him.

Billionaire Mafia Romance

8.0

His Fake Heir, My Undeniable Power

8.0

After fifteen years of marriage and a brutal battle with infertility, I finally saw two pink lines on a pregnancy test. This baby was my victory, the heir that would finally secure my place as the wife of mob capo Marco Vitiello. I planned to announce it at his mother's party, a triumph over the matriarch who saw me as nothing but a barren field. But before I could celebrate, my friend sent me a video. The headline read: "MOB CAPO MARCO VITIELLO'S PASSIONATE NIGHTCLUB KISS!" It was him, my husband, devouring a woman who looked like a younger, fresher version of me. Hours later, Marco stumbled home, drunk and reeking of another woman's perfume. He complained about his mother begging him for an heir, completely unaware of the secret I held. Then my phone lit up with a text from an unknown number. "Your husband slept with my girl. We need to talk." It was signed by Dante Moretti, the ruthless Don of our rival family. The meeting with Dante was a nightmare. He showed me another video. This time, I heard my husband's voice, telling the other woman, "I love you. Elara... that's just business." My fifteen years of loyalty, of building his empire, of taking a bullet for him-all dismissed as "just business." Dante didn't just reveal the affair; he showed me proof that Marco was already stealing our shared assets to build a new life with his mistress. Then, he made me an offer. "Divorce him," he said, his eyes cold and calculating. "Join me. We'll build an empire together and destroy him."

Mafia Modern Romance

7.6

Not Just A Nanny: The Genius Returns

7.6

I spent five years as the perfect wife to Easton Harrington, smoothing his midnight-blue ties and fading into the wallpaper of his massive estate. I thought I was the heart of our family, but I was really just a ghost in a sensible beige dress. The illusion shattered at a charity gala when Easton’s "family friend," Georgina, appeared in a gown that matched his suit perfectly. While they basked in the flashbulbs as a golden couple, I was literally pushed into the velvet ropes by a cameraman. No one noticed. Then my four-year-old son, Holt, slapped my hand away in front of the city's elite. "Don't touch me! You're not my mom, you're just the nanny. Daddy said so." The room went silent, but Easton didn't defend me. He just looked annoyed that I was causing a scene, making a sharp shooing motion for me to take the boy away. Beside him, Georgina feigned shock while her eyes crinkled in pure amusement. I realized then that I wasn't his partner; I was a placeholder. They had stripped me of my dignity and even my child's love, treating my five years of devotion like a temporary staff position. I didn't scream. I just slid off the Harrington heirloom ring, tossed it into a fountain, and walked out into the night. Easton thinks I’m a penniless housewife who won’t last a week without his credit cards. He doesn't know that I’m Dr. Althea Morrison, the "prodigy" researcher his company has been begging to hire. I'm not asking for alimony, and I'm not begging for a second chance. I’m returning to the lab to build an empire that will bring his to its knees.

Mafia Modern Romance

8.4

Seducing The Mafia's Lord Stepbrother

8.4

"I break everything I touch,bunny. What makes you think you're going to be any different?" "Cause I'm already broken, Mr Moretti." ••••••• Amy Baker's life had hit a dead end for years. Surviving from hand to mouth through multiple part-time jobs and coming back home to her gambling addict boyfriend. On what was supposed to be their five year anniversary he sold her to pay his debts to one the country's deadliest Mafia, a man who sent shivers in the underworld. Finding herself in the web of Antonio Moretti, Amy has two choices to remain a timid prey or evolve to a predator herself. To break or be broken.

Mafia Modern

7.3

She Cheated With A Pawn: The King's Wrath

7.3

My wife, Elena, walked into the Grand Boardroom and placed a possessive hand on her lover's chest. Julian, a low-level associate I’d only hired as a favor to her, sat in my chair with his muddy boots on the polished mahogany table. He blew smoke in my face and laughed. "You're just a figurehead now, Dante. The Syndicate belongs to Elena. And since I'm the one keeping her happy at night, it belongs to me too." Elena looked at me with cold eyes, delivering the ultimate betrayal without a shred of remorse. "I'm pregnant, Dante. It's Julian's. We need the Moretti name for the baby, so sign the transfer papers and leave." She believed the power of attorney documents I signed while delirious with fever had given her my empire. She thought the mercenaries standing behind her were loyal to her checkbook. She truly believed she could fire a Don like a mid-level manager caught stealing office supplies. But she didn't know that in our world, loyalty isn't bought with stolen money. And she certainly didn't know what was actually in the leather folder she was holding. I looked at the traitor and the rat, feeling a strange, lethal sense of calm. "You want to talk about papers?" I tossed the real file onto the table, watching their smiles falter. "You didn't sign a transfer of power, Elena. You signed a Renunciation of Protection." I signaled my Enforcers, and the room exploded into motion. "Now," I said, staring at Julian's terrified face. "Let's see how much the streets respect you without my name."

Mafia Modern Romance

A Marriage with the Mafia Prince

Chapter 5

You may also like