- “It’s a setup,” Dante’s voice crackled through the phone. “Someone’s been feeding information to both sides. They know about every move before we make it.”
- Stephan’s jaw tightened as he processed the implications, still acutely aware of Celeste’s proximity in the narrow doorway. Her breath ghosted against his neck as she tried to listen in.
- “How deep?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
- “Deep enough to know about tonight. The safe house location, the escape routes—all of it.” Dante paused. “And Stephan? The intel’s coming from someone high up. Someone with access to both families’ operations.”
- The pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity. Catherine’s threats echoed in his mind:
- Your empire or your ex little slut. Choose wisely.
- “Keep digging,” Stephan ordered. “But quietly. Trust no one outside our immediate circle.” He ended the call, meeting Celeste’s questioning gaze.
- “What is it?” She hadn’t moved away, and in the confined space, every breath brought them closer together.
- Stephan studied her face in the dim light, weighing his next words carefully.
- The smart move would be to tell her everything—about Catherine’s threats, about his suspicions. But that would make her a target, more than she already was.
- “We need to separate,” he said finally. “Someone’s been playing both sides, and staying together makes us an easier target.”
- Celeste’s eyes narrowed. “You know something.”
- “I have suspicions.” He shifted, placing more distance between them despite the cramped space. “I need time to confirm them. Until then, we can’t be seen together.”
- “You’re asking me to trust you.” It wasn’t quite a question.
- “I’m asking you to stay alive.”
- A shadow of something—hurt or anger—flickered across her face before her expression smoothed into careful neutrality.
- “And how will I know when it’s safe to contact you?”
- “I’ll find you.” His hand moved of its own accord, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The touch lingered longer than necessary. “Just… watch your back.”
- “I always do.” She caught his wrist, her grip firm but not painful. “Don’t make me regret trusting you again.”
- The weight of their history hung heavy between them.
- Stephan wanted to tell her more—about Catherine’s involvement, about the trap he planned to set. But the less she knew, the safer she’d be.
- “Be careful,” was all he said instead.
- She released his wrist and stepped away, the loss of her warmth immediate in the cool night air. “You too.”
- Then she was gone, melting into the shadows like she’d never been there at all.
- Stephan waited until her footsteps faded before pulling out his phone again. He dialed a number he rarely used.
- “It’s me,” he said when the line connected. “I need everything you can find on the Durand family. Every deal, every connection, every skeleton they’ve tried to bury. And I need it quietly.”
- He ended the call and started walking, his mind already plotting his next moves. To catch a snake, you had to think like one.
- * * *
- The Beneventi mansion’s study was dark save for a single lamp, casting long shadows across generations of power captured in oil paintings. Celeste stood before her father’s desk, her posture rigid as she finished explaining the situation.
- Salvatore Beneventi’s face remained impassive, but his eyes—the same sharp green as his daughter’s—burned with carefully controlled fury.
- “The Durands,” he said finally, rolling the name like poison on his tongue. “They’ve always been ambitious, but this…” He shook his head. “To target both our families so openly—they must be desperate.”
- “Or confident.” Celeste began pacing, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. “They have resources we haven’t identified yet. Political connections, maybe.”
- “No one has that much reach without leaving traces.” Salvatore pressed a button on his desk phone. “Angelo, get me everything we have on Durand operations from the last five years at least. And contact our friends in law enforcement—it’s time to call in some favors.”
- Celeste watched her father work, grateful not for the first time for his ruthless efficiency. “There’s something else,” she added quietly. “Stephan—”
- “Is playing his own game.” His voice held no judgment, only understanding. “The question is, whose side is he really on?”
- “He saved my life tonight.”
- “And tomorrow? When his fiancée holds a gun to his empire?” Her father’s expression softened slightly. “Be careful, piccola. The heart can blind us to dangers the mind sees clearly.”
- Before she could respond, Angelo entered with a stack of files. The next hours dissolved into careful analysis, building a web of connections and possible pressure points.
- * * *
- Catherine was waiting when Stephan finally returned home, perched on the edge of their bed like a queen on her throne. Her silk robe did little to hide the tension in her frame.
- “Long night?” she asked, her voice carefully neutral.
- Stephan moved to the bar cart, pouring himself two fingers of whiskey. “Business complications. Nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart.”
- “Business.” She stood, moving behind him to wrap her arms around his waist. Her touch felt like chains now. “With her?”
- “No.” The lie came easily. “That’s done.”
- Catherine’s grip tightened fractionally. “Promise me.”
- He turned in her arms, studying her face. She was beautiful, he had to admit—all classic features and careful calculation. But where he had once seen strength, he now saw only manipulation.
- “You’re the only woman in my life,” he said, touching her cheek with calculated tenderness. “The only one who matters.”
- Her smile was triumphant as she pulled him down for a kiss. Stephan returned it mechanically, his mind already spinning with plans within plans.
- Later, after Catherine had fallen asleep, he sat in his office reviewing the first reports from his investigators.
- The Durand family’s empire was built on more than just political connections—it was a house of cards held together by blackmail and buried bodies.
- All he needed was one weak point, one pressure point to make it all collapse.
- His phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:
- “First piece of leverage acquired. Waiting for instructions.”
- Stephan deleted the message immediately, a cold smile playing at his lips. Catherine had forced his hand, thinking she held all the cards.
- She’d forgotten the first rule of their world: never threaten someone with more to lose than you.
The Betrayed Mafia’s Heir Chapter 17
The Betrayed Mafia’s Heir Chapter 17
Posted by , ? Views, Released on May 2, 2025
The Betrayed Mafia’s Heir English Novel
Status: Completed Native Language: English
