Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

Isabella never expected that Grazia, while watching a variety show, would associate it with Andrew. But what Grazia said was indeed true. Andrew had a high emotional intelligence, was witty and humorous, and everyone who met him instantly liked him. He was such a good person, and his sudden death was undeniably heart-wrenching.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“Grazia, how did you and Andrew meet? Can you tell me?” Isabella inquired.

“We were college classmates and met through a student club activity. At first, I deliberately concealed my identity as the Mafia princess because I knew that once people found out, they’d keep their distance. So, I tried to appear as ordinary as possible,” Grazia explained, her face glowing and her eyes sparkling, making Isabella unable to look away.

“I’m not sure how we grew closer. It was Andrew who initiated conversations, and we started chatting, having meals together, and even going out on weekends. He eventually confessed his feelings, and that’s when we officially started dating.”

It was a particularly sweet college love story, Isabella thought, but no one could have predicted its tragic ending.

“When we first got together, I hadn’t revealed my true identity. After some time, I was afraid that continuing the relationship would put him at risk. That’s when I decided to tell him. Andrew was shocked when he heard my true identity. He asked for some time to think, and as you can see, he chose me in the end.”

With tears in her eyes, Grazia continued, “I thought we’d be happy, but we didn’t even have children, and he’s gone.”

Isabella embraced Grazia and said nothing. Her words felt feeble at this moment. Physical gestures were the only way to console her.

Lilly soon prepared breakfast. “Oh, my two beautiful princesses, come and enjoy your breakfast,” she said.

Isabella immediately said to Grazia, “Let’s go, have some breakfast. Lilly prepared your favorite cake.”

The goal was to shift Grazia’s attention as much as possible. Andrew’s funeral was scheduled for three days later. Due to the current unstable situation and multiple threats, it would be a grand but small-scale event, attended only by their closest confidants.

After Andrew’s burial, Emanuele promptly arranged for Leo and Sophia to leave the country. Since Grazia didn’t wish to go abroad, they settled her into his apartment. He stationed part of their estate’s security guards to protect the apartment. Most of his wealth was now stored there, and more importantly, it was where the two women he needed to protect were residing.

However, the frustrating part was that they couldn’t get any Sicilian to reveal Frederick’s address; they all seemed to be tight-lipped. Their leads had gone cold.

Time was of the essence, and facing Frederick’s provocation, Emanuele felt he had been too passive. He needed to take the initiative.

With that in mind, Emanuele looked down at his phone and decided to make a call.

Isidoro was a bit surprised when he received Emanuele’s call. “Emanuele, what’s going on? Facing an issue that’s hard to solve?”

“We’ve found traces of Frederick in New York, but we’re uncertain about the exact address. Can you help us on your end?” Emanuele asked.

With no leads to follow, the people he had sent to investigate suspicious locations had all returned empty-handed. Their New York network was limited, so he decided to seek Isidoro’s assistance.

“Wait, I will send Frederick’s address to you via text message,” Isidoro said.

“You already have it?” Emanuele was astonished. He hadn’t expected Isidoro to have a lead.

“For people like us, any information is worth its weight in gold. Just wait, Emanuele, and good luck,” Isidoro responded.

Emanuele inquired in a hushed tone, “How much?”

“We’re friends; no need to talk about money,” Isidoro replied.

“Okay, thank you.”

Emanuele was well aware that free things often came with a steep cost. It meant he owed Isidoro a favor, and one day, when Isidoro needed assistance, Emanuele would have to provide it unconditionally.

“Take care of your business, Emanuele. I have a wife too, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. I suppose you feel the same way.”

Isidoro then remembered something, “By the way, didn’t you introduce your wife to Clark back then? How come you changed your mind and decided to marry her after all?”

Emanuele evaded the topic, saying, “It was just a momentary impulse. Send me Frederick’s address; I must act swiftly to eliminate them.”

“No problem.”

The call ended there. Emanuele knew that once Frederick’s address was confirmed, it meant Frederick was as good as dead.

These days, Emanuele was busy preparing for Andrew’s funeral, seeing his parents off to their new country, and arranging for Grazia to move her belongings into his apartment, where she would reside officially.

While driving, Emanuele looked at the passing scenery, which hadn’t changed much. The landscape was still beautiful, and the city remained vibrant. However, that was from an ordinary person’s perspective. For him, Chicago had lost its peace long ago.

He had lost many of his subordinates, and the enemy hadn’t fared much better. Those stubborn Sicilian adversaries seemed like rats emerging from the sewers, and it felt impossible to eliminate them.

He wasn’t sure how many of them had infiltrated the city, but he was determined to make them understand who the real master of this city was.

Late at night, Isabella joined Grazia in bed.

These past few days, Emanuele had been too busy with work and hadn’t returned home. Grazia, overwhelmed with grief, had been having nightmares. Isabella would stay with her as she slept. Sometimes, when Grazia was asleep, Isabella would return to her own room, and sometimes she’d stay with her throughout the night.

Isabella said, “I’m naturally scared, and as you can probably tell, at the beginning, I resisted getting involved with the Mafia. I was pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor, and suddenly, I found myself trapped in this Mafia world. And now, here I am, married to the head of the Mafia. It’s like something out of a movie.”

Grazia, feeling better than before, said, “I lost my husband, which is devastating, but thinking about you, I know you must be scared too. Originally, you should have become an excellent doctor. But because of being forced into the Mafia, you had to put your dreams on hold. Now, you’re constantly living in fear, knowing that you’re being watched, and your life could be in danger at any moment.”

“I’m definitely scared, and, as you can probably tell, I was initially very resistant to getting involved with the Mafia,” Isabella reflected on her initial resistance. “But it’s funny how life takes unexpected turns. I never would have imagined becoming the wife of the head of a Mafia family. It’s the kind of plot you’d think was too far-fetched for a movie.”