Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 61: Chapter 61

ALINA
I woke up suddenly, my heart pounding.
The day had already begun, because light was pouring in through my curtains.
I groaned and sat up. I never woke up this late. I must have been very tired. Little wonder why Luca had forced me to sleep.
I threw off the covers, got out of bed, and quickly showered and dressed.
Luca hadn’t woken me up. That meant something was wrong or he was just being a pain in the ass by trying to protect me.
Either way, I didn’t like it.
When I opened the door, I nearly ran into a wall of muscle.
I blinked. Took a step back.
The man standing outside my door was huge. He was built like a damn mountain. He had broad shoulders, thick arms, and an expression that looked like he hadn't smiled in years.
An eye patch covered his left eye, making him look even more intimidating.
I stared at him. Why was he standing outside my door? “Who the hell are you?”
He smiled, but on his face, it looked more like a grimace. “Lorenzo. Your new bodyguard.”
I laughed. “What?”
His face didn’t change. He was still wearing a grimace. “I’m your new bodyguard.”
My laughter faded. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
I turned and walked off. I didn’t hear him move, but I felt him behind me.
I sighed, spinning back around. I knew who I had to blame for this new menace in my life. “Where’s Luca?”
Lorenzo didn’t hesitate. “Having breakfast.”
Of course, this was Luca’s doing. There was no point arguing. The guy wouldn’t leave unless Luca told him to.
I sighed and walked toward the dining room, already preparing for another early morning argument.
The second I stepped inside, I stopped and stared with my jaw hanging open.
Valerie was seated at the table, her face pale, dark circles under her eyes. But that wasn’t what stopped me.
Luca was holding Maya gently, her head against his shoulder.
And the toddler had a small blade in her hand. Why was she holding a knife for goodness sake?
Luca barely glanced at me as he adjusted the child on his lap. She was babbling words at him, smiling when he kissed her forehead.
I pointed at the knife. “Take it away from her.”
Luca shrugged, and tried to take the knife from Maya. The second his fingers touched the knife, Maya's face scrunched up and she started wailing.
Luca muttered something under his breath, then handed it right back to her. “There,” he soothed. “Happy now?”
The little girl sniffled, clutching the knife like a stuffed toy, and rested her head back on his chest. Luca looked up at me and shrugged again.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Luca? Holding a baby? Talking to her softly? Giving in to her demands?
Since when did The Monster even know how to hold a baby?
My shoulders sagged, and just like that, I forgot about Lorenzo. I’d deal with the bodyguard later. Right now, I needed to focus. Luca had Maya covered so I turned to Valerie.
In that light of day, I could see that she had the prettiest green eyes, long blonde hair and full lips. She was definitely the Valerie I remembered. But did she remember me?
I couldn't ask her yet though, there was still a lot going on.
I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Valerie, how are you feeling?”
Valerie didn’t look at me. She looked at her daughter. Her lips started shaking.
“I feel dead inside,” she whispered. “What if they kill my son?”
I took her shaking fingers. “They won’t kill your son.”
She didn’t look convinced.
I kept glancing at the knife in Maya’s tiny hands, my stomach twisting. It wasn’t a toy.
She could hurt herself, even if Luca was being careful. He kept batting her hands away gently whenever she got too close to the sharp side, but it still made me anxious.
“He’s Riot’s son,” I told Valerie. “That has to count for something.”
Valerie shook her head, a bitter smile on her lips. “It doesn’t.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The family doesn’t care,” she said, voice flat. “They don’t care about me, and they don’t care about my kids.”
Luca leaned back in his chair, still cradling Maya, his fingers absently running over her arm. The action made my heart melt a bit. “We have Riot,” he said. “We’ll use him to bargain.”
Valerie laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. “Riot will rather die than do anything that makes me happy.”
I studied her, trying to piece together what had led to all of this.
Luca, still watching Maya looked away for a moment at Valerie. “Why does he hate you so much?”
Valerie dropped her fork and her eyes looked faraway for a second like she was remembering something. “Because he thinks I ruined his life.”
I sat up straighter. “How?”
Valerie sighed. “I was already married when I met Riot. My husband was abusive. Riot said he would marry me to protect me from him.”
Luca frowned. “You were married?”
She nodded. “I met Riot at a club I was dancing at. He promised me a better life. Said he’d take care of me. And for a while, he did.”
I could already tell this wasn’t a happy ending. “What happened?”
Valerie leaned back, her eyes dark with tears. “A few months in, things changed. He became controlling. His family didn’t like me, and that only made it worse.”
Luca scoffed. “Of course they didn’t.”
Valerie smiled at him tiredly. “I know what they think of women like me.”
I ignored that, my focus on her. “How did he control you?”
She sighed. “Through money. I had nothing. Every dollar was his. At first, he gave me whatever I needed, but then he started using it against me. If I wanted something, I had to ask him for it.”
I gritted my teeth. “And you let him?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” she said simply.
Luca’s jaw tightened. “So, what changed?”
Valerie looked at him. “I went back to dancing.”
Luca nodded like that made sense.
It didn't make any sense to me. I blinked. “You went back?”
She nodded. “I had to. I saw what he was doing. He wanted me dependent on him. But I wasn’t going to beg for money like some child.”
Luca’s fingers on the knife in Maya's hand tightened. I remembered suddenly where I had seen that knife before. He had taken it from his waist the day I went to propose to him.
Luca nodded. “And he hated that.”
“Oh, he hated it,” Valerie said, laughing darkly. “He told me to quit. I said no. He threatened me. I still said no. Then he started making my life hell.”
I watched her carefully. “What did he do?”
Her smile was razor sharp. “You already know, don’t you?”
I didn’t answer. Luca did. “He beat you.”
Valerie shrugged like it was nothing. “Not at first. First, he took away my cards, froze the accounts. When that didn’t work, he locked me inside the house. Took away my phone.”
Luca’s face was blank, but I knew him well enough to see the rage boiling just under the surface.
I shook my head. “How did you get out?”
She exhaled. “I broke a window. Took the kids and ran.”
I stared. “And he let you go?”
She laughed. “No. He hunted me down. Beat me so badly I thought I was going to die.”
Luca’s hands clenched into fists.
Valerie tilted her head. “You don’t like that, do you?”
His voice was low, dangerous. “No.”
Valerie looked down at the table and a tear fell onto it. I could tell her eyes were filled with them. “Well, Riot enjoyed it.”
I swallowed. “What happened after that?”
She sighed. “I left again. Took the kids. Hid for a while. But he found me. Again. So I went back.”
Luca looked at her sharply. “You went back?”
She nodded. “It was either that or I keep running for the rest of my life. I had no money. Nowhere to go. And Riot’s family? They didn’t give a damn.”
I gritted my teeth. “So, why did he keep you? If he hated you so much?”
She looked at me. “Because I was his. His wife. His property. And Riot doesn’t let go of things that belong to him.” Valerie exhaled, looking down at her lap. “I need to find my son. I have to.” She started sobbing hard again, her shoulders shaking.
Her voice was tight, filled with a desperate plea. I watched her carefully, my stomach feeling like I'd throw up any second now.
Luca spoke first. “We will.”
She shook her head. “No. I need to find him now.”
I frowned. “Why are you so worried? They won’t kill him…”
Valerie’s head snapped up, and for the first time, there was real fear in her eyes. “Because he’s not Riot’s.”
We were all too stunned to say anything.
The words sank in, heavy and cold. I stared at her. “What?”
Valerie swallowed hard. “He’s not Riot’s son.”