Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

Emanuele remained silent, motionless, and even the sound within his phone had long ceased. However, he didn’t put the phone down. At this moment, he resembled a human sculpture-icy, rigid, devoid of any movement.

Yet, Isabella could still sense the immense sorrow emanating from Emanuele. The pain radiating from his eyes seemed as if it could engulf him. Isabella embraced Emanuele tightly, “Emanuele, what happened?”

She didn’t know what was said over the phone, but knowing it was Leo calling Emanuele, something must have gone wrong. Otherwise, Emanuele wouldn’t react like this. Considering her own disastrous encounter today, Isabella’s sense of foreboding intensified.

Could it be…

Could it be…

“Did something happen to my parents?” Isabella spoke with a trembling voice. At this moment, she felt her breath tightening, a suffocating sensation creeping over her. Isabella thought she had completely overcome her claustrophobia, but now, under extreme fear, those symptoms resurfaced, not as intense, but enough to make her uncomfortable.

Emanuele gradually snapped out of it. Looking at Isabella, visibly nervous, she appeared as fragile as a porcelain doll. Emanuele wanted to comfort her, but he, too, was engulfed in profound sadness.

In the end, Emanuele reached out, stroking Isabella’s hair, “This is the worst news, Isabella. You have to be strong.”

“No!” Isabella’s tears immediately welled up in her eyes, as if a faucet had been turned on. Tears streamed down, an overwhelming cascade. Emanuele held Isabella tightly, feeling the immense grief within her. And he, too, was grieving.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

This steel-like man, unflinching in the face of danger, who never cried even with the gravest injuries, now had a tear rolling down his cheek. However, he quickly held back because he knew he had more things to deal with. He had no time for mourning, no time for tears.

He had to take down those bastards, impose the harshest punishment, make Frederick regret his existence!

Isabella cried for a long time. Despite the reduced contact with her mother since her remarriage, Sophia was still connected by blood. They had lived together since her father’s death. In Isabella’s heart, Sophia was the most significant person in her life before Emanuele appeared.

But now, she was gone.

Killed by enemies!

Isabella found it impossible to accept. Her perfectly fine mother, how could she suddenly be gone? She wailed in Emanuele’s arms until she cried herself out.

Emanuele held onto Isabella. By now, his emotions had calmed, though he carried profound sorrow. Emanuele knew he couldn’t show it. He was the head of the Mafia, and even in the face of such a serious blow, he had to remain strong.

The enemy aimed to make him panic. The more he panicked, the more vulnerable he became, and they could defeat him when he was at his weakest.

He didn’t have time to mourn now.

“Isabella, we have to be strong. You’ve seen how ruthless the enemy is. The slightest weakness, and they’ll exploit it.”

Isabella looked at Emanuele. Her eyes were red from crying, but her expression had gradually calmed down. Emanuele’s reasoning made sense to her, but these were her parents. Faced with the crisis involving her own parents, she couldn’t help but cry and feel on the verge of breaking down.

However, she noticed that Emanuele was different. Despite initially being engulfed in profound grief, he had now returned to his usual calm demeanor, as if this were a minor issue. Is this what being the head of the Mafia is like? Isabella thought. Indeed, those who could become leaders were not simple people. They had experienced too much and could always adjust their emotions promptly.

Even when facing the death of his biological father, he could remain composed. Isabella suddenly wondered if, in a similar situation like today, but without the fortune of escaping, Emanuele would quickly forget her and find another woman. It seemed like something Emanuele would do. If he died, he would never allow her to be with another man, but if she were in trouble, Emanuele would probably find a new woman immediately. Those who could sit in the position of the Mafia head were not simple; they were undoubtedly ruthless.

Isabella wiped away her tears and said to Emanuele, “I understand.”

“Your mother is in heaven, watching over you,” Emanuele said, once again embracing Isabella.

He felt self-blame too. If he had prevented Sophia from marrying into this, she might not have been in trouble now. But Emanuele had no regrets because, due to this, he had the chance to meet and get close to Isabella.

She was the woman he loved most in his life, the one he would strive to protect with his life. Emanuele knew that if given another chance, he would still hope for Sophia to marry Leo, so he could meet Isabella.

No one would wish for such an accident. What he could do now was bring them back, give them a proper burial, and make those who killed them pay the price.

Emanuele immediately spoke to Phillip, “Arrange for people to go to Turkey and bring my father and stepmother back. Find the killers who harmed my father and stepmother; they must pay the price.”

“Yes, boss,” Phillip responded.

He knew the situation was even more critical now. They had to find Frederick’s whereabouts immediately; otherwise, he might cause even more harm.

Soon, Emanuele’s phone rang again.

On the other end, Grazia’s crying voice came through, “Emanuele, what’s going on? I heard Dad’s gone?”

Emanuele felt heavy-hearted. Indeed, Grazia had received the news, even though she was far away in Italy. With Rocco’s intelligence network, knowing about this wasn’t surprising.

“I’m sorry, Grazia. I couldn’t protect them.”

He did feel some self-blame, thinking they would be safe traveling abroad. He underestimated the enemy; if they wanted to, even across borders, they would find them.

Emanuele’s eyes flashed with a hint of grief. The four guards who died were also longtime brothers.

“Emanuele, how could this happen?” Grazia cried, “Why did things turn out like this? Andrew’s gone, Dad’s gone, and now Stepmother too.”

After crying for a while, Grazia asked, “What about Isabella? Is she okay?”

She was already devastated, wondering if Isabella knew about this, how sad she would be. Isabella had been dependent on her mother from childhood, and suddenly losing her mother, would she go mad with grief?

After a moment’s thought, Emanuele handed the phone to Isabella to talk to Grazia.