The Mafia And His Angel: Part 2 (Tainted Hearts 2)

I wished I knew more about my past. About my own family. But I knew nothing. I lived my life as a ghost, completely forgotten by my own father and everyone else. Only Alberto was a constant in my life.

But he did nothing except ruin me even more. Every day spent with him, I lost a piece of myself until I had nothing left.

Could Isaak be the key to my past? Was my mother his Leila?

I wanted to know, but I couldn’t afford to reveal myself. My identity needed to stay hidden, and the only way to continue this façade was to be indifferent. I shouldn’t care. For all I knew, it was just a big coincidence.

But Isaak’s words were etched deep into my mind.

Everything was so uncertain.

Even my fate.

Chapter 9

Alessio

“Who is she?”

That was the first thing Lyov asked when he walked into my office. I knew who he was talking about, but I ignored his question. I was standing on the top of the stairs when Lyov and Isaak made their first appearance. I saw Ayla freeze from a distance. My first instinct was to go to her. And I did…without a second thought.

But I realized too late what I had done.

“Alessio, I asked you a question,” Lyov growled.

“And I chose to ignore it. Now, can we discuss why you are here?”

My head snapped up when he slammed his fists on the desk. “Are you fucking stupid? After everything that happened, you let yourself get fucking weak over some girl?”

“That’s none of your business,” I hissed. Pushing my chair away, I stood up and glared at him. I saw Isaak and Viktor standing at the door, both their arms crossed over their chests, an impassive expression on their faces. Like father, like son.

Walking around the desk, I pushed Lyov away. “Stay the fuck out of this. I’m serious about this, Lyov. Don’t tell me what to do.”

“I taught you better than this. I drilled it in your head before I left. No weakness. Make sure you don’t have any weakness because that’s the first thing your enemies will go after,” he snapped, moving in my face.

Grabbing his collar in my fist, I pushed him way before yelling, “I know!”

Lyov laughed at my answer. “You know?” he mocked me, his laughter harsh around the walls of my office and to my ears. “Then explain that look in your eyes when you stared at her.”

I paused at his question, feeling the anger coursing through my body. He was pushing me, forcing me to think about what I tried to bury deep inside of me.

“You know damn well what the outcome of this will be, but you still let yourself get weak,” he continued in the same agitated tone, his face completely red with rage. My fists clenched at his words.

He was wrong. History wouldn’t repeat itself. I wouldn’t let it.

“I handed this empire, this family to you because I thought you wouldn’t make the same mistake I did,” Lyov said, his chest heaving with fury.

“I’m not you!” I roared, lurching toward him in anger. My fists made contact with his face in a loud crunch, and he fell backward against the coffee table.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Isaak moving toward us, but Lyov raised a hand to stop him. He got up and wiped his cracked, bleeding lips with his sleeves.

“That was your mistake. It was your fault. Not mine,” I hissed. “You loved Mom. You brought her into this fucked-up world, and you got her killed.”

His eyes went wild with rage, and he came toward me in full force. His fingers grabbed around my shirt and pushed me into the wall behind me. “You are right. It was my mistake, and you are making the same fucking mistake.”

Letting me go, he took a step away. “After everything, I thought you would know better. You’ll get her killed. Then you’ll lose yourself. And in the end, you’ll bring this whole family down with you.”

That was what happened in the past. Lyov almost ruined this empire, and I was the one who saved it. But I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as him.

“Stop comparing me with you!”

We both moved toward each other at the same time. I didn’t have a chance to move away before he landed a punch in my stomach. I quickly retaliated, punching him in the shoulder.

I bore an anger that had no boundaries. Lyov had snapped the last thread of my control. We rolled on the ground, both of us lost in our years of held-in fury.

His fingers wrapped around my neck, squeezing. His hold slipped when I punched him in the face. I felt someone pulling me back, but I struggled against their hold.

“Alessio, let go of him. Damn it, Alessio. Let go!” Viktor snapped, pulling me away.