Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 51: Chapter 51

ALINA
The door opened.
Ethan walked in like he owned the place. He was dressed in a black suit that hugged his broad shoulders.
His eyes moved across the mahogany desk, the shelves stacked with ledgers, the leather chair I sat in.
He took his time, nodding slightly. “Still looks like Daddy’s office.” He smirked. “That means you’ve been busy.”
I leaned back in my chair. “I have.”
He didn’t even know just how busy I had been.
Ethan pulled out the chair across from me, sat down, and stretched out like he had all the time in the world. His arm rested lazily against the desk.
I watched him, taking in the way he carried himself. He looked relaxed but alert, like a man who was always two steps ahead of the room.
He hadn’t changed much. The same strong jaw, the same arrogance on his face. He still looked too handsome for his own good.
I knew that he knew he was handsome. And he knew I knew that too.
“So.” He tilted his head. “Have you made a decision?”
I arched my brow. “On what?”
He gave me a slow look, like I should already know the answer. “On whether you want my services.”
I laughed, sitting back. Why did he think I would ever be in need of such services when I had Luca? “I’ll call you when I find someone I want dead.”
His lips twitched like he found that funny. “Fair enough.”
I tilted my head, watching him. “Why were you asking my men about me? You could have gotten yourself killed.”
He shrugged, eyes never leaving mine. They dropped to my lips for a second and my breathing escalated. “Only way to get your attention.”
I studied him. Ethan really did look ridiculously handsome. Even more than I remembered.
There was something about the way he sat there, completely at ease in a room that wasn’t his, something in the way his green eyes watched me.
I laughed. “And now you have it. What do you want with it?”
Ethan leaned forward, elbows on his knees, voice lower now. “You.”
The breath caught in my throat.
I stared at him.
For a second, I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. The word sat between us, heavy with a meaning I didn’t know how to interpret.
Then he leaned back, a slow grin spreading across his face as he let out a chuckle. He knew he had me stunned. “At the very least, I need you on my client list.”
I exhaled, unimpressed. “I don’t find that funny.”
Ethan shrugged, like he didn’t expect me to. “I wouldn’t dare touch what belongs to The Monster.”
His voice was light, but I caught the flash of his eyes. What was that about?
I crossed my arms. “Good choice. Always remember that.”
He laughed under his breath, tilting his head as he studied me. “And here I thought you were your own woman.”
“I am.”
His eyes dropped to the books on my desk, then back to me. “But Luca owns you.”
I leaned forward, matching his stare. “Luca doesn’t own me.”
Ethan smirked like he wasn’t convinced.
I could feel my patience thinning. “Why are you here, Ethan?”
His smirk faded slightly, and for the first time since he walked in, he looked somewhat more serious. “Maybe I wanted to see how the Costa princess was holding up.”
I kept my face blank and neutral. He wasn't getting anything from me. “I’m fine.”
His eyes dropped to the books again. “Looks like it.”
I sighed, pushing my chair back. “If you’re here to waste my time, Ethan, I'm sorry but I have to…”
“I’m here because I’m interested.” He cut me off smoothly, leaning back in his chair. “Not just in your business, but in you.”
I stiffened slightly.
He watched me, amusement playing at the edges of his lips. “Relax, princess. I already told you I wouldn’t dare step on Luca’s toes.”
I didn’t like the way he kept saying Luca’s name, like he was testing for a reaction.
I gave him a blank look. “Good. Because you wouldn’t last a day.”
He grinned. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“It’s a fact.”
Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. “Damn. I missed this.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Missed what?”
“The fire.” His green eyes ran over my body, then came back to my eyes. Was the room suddenly hotter? “The last time I saw you, you were just this fired up. I have to admit I was intrigued.”
I scoffed, sitting back down. “You don’t know me.”
He chuckled. “I know enough.”
“Then you should know I don’t like games.”
Ethan nodded slowly. “Neither do I.”
For a second, we just stared at each other. I wasn’t sure if he was pushing my buttons for fun or if there was something else under it.
I was getting impatient. Could he get to the point? “You said you wanted my attention. You have it. Now tell me what you actually want.”
Ethan made a point of deliberately staring into my eyes. “You’re different from when I last saw you.”
I gave him a flat look. “And?”
He studied me for a second before nodding to himself, like he’d just confirmed something. “And that means you might be ready to make deals.”
I frowned. Hadn't I told him I didn't want his services already? “What kind of deals?”
“The kind that benefits us both.”
I leaned back. “I don’t trust you.”
He smiled like he expected that. “You don’t have to. You just have to listen.”
I considered him.
Ethan was dangerous, but he wasn’t stupid. And he wasn’t here just to waste my time. He had a reason for coming, even if he was dragging it out.
I exhaled slowly. “Fine. Talk.”
Ethan grinned. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
I waited.
He watched me for a moment, then said, “Your clubs have been making good money.”
I tensed slightly but didn’t respond. The clubs had always been making good money.
He leaned forward. “But you’re expanding. And expansion means new threats.”
I tapped my fingers against the desk. “Are you offering protection?”
Luca would slice his throat for even daring to think such a thing.
“Something like that.” His green eyes became darker. “I know things, Alina. Things that could help you. But I don’t work for free.”
“What do you want?”
Ethan’s jaw flexed slightly, and for the first time, I saw something serious in his eyes. “A partnership.”
I exhaled slowly, considering that.
Ethan was good at what he did. And if he wanted to work with me instead of against me, that meant something.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk. “And why should I trust you?”
He smiled, but there was something dangerous behind it. “Because I’m the best at what I do.”
I studied him for another long second, then sat back. “I’ll think about it.”
Ethan’s smirk returned. “That’s all I ask.”
But I had a feeling that whatever Ethan was really after, he wasn’t planning on letting it go anytime soon.
And that made him dangerous in a way I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
I picked up my bag and stood. “Let's go.”
I walked out of my father’s office, Ethan beside me, his usual relaxed stride matching my pace.
The club was still alive with heavy music and flashing lights.
Ethan’s voice cut through the noise. “You look like you’re thinking too hard. That’s never a good sign.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know me well enough to make that assumption.”
He smirked, easily keeping up. “Oh, but darling, I do.”
I frowned at him. I hated how smoothly he said things like that, like he was so sure of himself.
And worse, I hated that his voice was actually nice to listen to.
Rich and steady, amused, like he found everything just a little bit entertaining.
I pushed the thought aside and kept walking.
As we neared the main floor, my eyes went straight to the lady I’d seen her before. The woman. The dancer. But she wasn’t there.
I stopped mid-sentence, forgetting whatever I’d been saying to Ethan suddenly.
She had been right there. And now she was just… gone?
Ethan must have noticed my shift in focus because he tilted his head at me. “Something wrong?”
“No,” I said automatically, already reaching for my phone.
Ethan watched as I pulled up Mikhail’s number. I pressed the phone to my ear, searching the club again, as if she would somehow reappear.
Mikhail picked up on the second ring. “Yes, Boss?”
“The woman who was dancing,” I said, eyes still searching the room. “Where is she?”
There was a pause. “I’m sorry, Boss. I’ll send someone to the dressing room,” Mikhail said.
“Do it fast,” I told him, then lowered the phone.
I hated waiting.
Ethan chuckled beside me. “Whoever this is, she must be important.” He gestured toward my hand. “You’re holding that phone like you want to break it.”
I realized I was squeezing too hard and forced my fingers to relax. “Just drop it.”
“But why would I?” He leaned against the railing, watching me with that same smirk. “You’re pacing. You’re impatient. Not even Luca makes you pace.”
I frowned at him. What the hell was his goal? “Stop making statements like you know me.”
He grinned. “But I do.”
I frowned at him again, irritation burning my chest. It wasn’t just what he was saying, it was the way he said it. Like he really believed it.
Before I could respond, Mikhail walked up. His face gave me the answer before he even spoke.
“She’s gone, she took an early break and went home,” he said.
A sharp stab of frustration made me fist my fingers around the phone again. “Gone?”
“Yeah. No one saw her leave, but she’s not in the dressing room.”
“Keep tabs on her,” I said. “I want to talk to her. And soon.”
I dismissed Mikhail and he walked off back to his duties.
I turned and headed for the exit, needing fresh air. Ethan followed, still watching me like a hawk.
“You seem a little too invested,” he said.
I ignored him, pushing through the club doors. Pietro would be in the car waiting for me. I'd texted him to bring the car around to the front.
The parking lot was mostly empty. A lot of the crowd was still inside since it wasn't nearly time to leave.
I was walking beside Ethan, trying my best to ignore his arrogant presence beside me when I saw her.
The dancer from the club was standing beside a car, head bent, her entire posture different from the confident way she had danced earlier.
A man was in front of her and he was yelling into her face. His body language was aggressive, hands moving up and down, pointing in her face as he yelled at her.
Something was wrong.
I slowed my steps, watching. The woman barely moved, her shoulders tight, eyes fixed on the ground like she was afraid to look up at him.
Then the man lifted his hand and slapped her very hard.
Her head snapped to the side, and she raised her hand to her face, crying out in pain.
A flash of white-hot anger burned through me.
I was already running towards them before I realized I was even moving.