Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

“Isabella, during the time you’ve been married to Emanuele, have you been okay? He hasn’t mistreated you, has he?”

“I’m alright. It’s just that I feel like I haven’t completely adjusted yet,” Isabella answered honestly. She had thought before that if she were to marry someone from the Mafia, she’d prefer Emanuele. But now that they were married, many of Emanuele’s actions were giving her headaches. They didn’t seem like a couple; it was more like they were at odds with each other. As for Grazia’s mention of mistreatment…

Thinking of Emanuele’s intensity in bed, Isabella’s cheeks felt warm. Could it be considered mistreatment in bed?

“Isabella, no matter what, you must trust Emanuele. He’s a very responsible person, willing to sacrifice himself to protect the people around him. You’re his wife, and he will protect you unconditionally.”

“I believe,” Isabella said. She could see the heavy burdens Emanuele carried, his long hours, and frequent absences. He must be lacking sleep.

With this in mind, Isabella couldn’t help but message Phillip, “Phillip, has Emanuele been resting less lately?”

It was already eleven o’clock in the evening. At this moment, Phillip glanced around the warehouse where he was and noticed the bright overhead lights, making it look as if it were daytime.

Today they had received another shipment of weapons, and they were transporting them to the warehouse. His task was to account for all these weapons.

“All these are the latest handguns and submachine guns. Ensure that my subordinates each have one,” Emanuele instructed Phillip.

Phillip nodded, then said to Emanuele, “Boss, just now, your wife messaged me, asking if you’ve been busy lately and if you have time to rest.”

Emanuele was taken aback for a moment and furrowed his brow. “She asked you? Why didn’t she come and ask me directly?”

For some reason, Phillip felt that Emanuele’s tone held a hint of annoyance when he said this. The air around him seemed to drop several degrees, making Phillip shiver involuntarily.

Phillip didn’t know why his wife messaged him instead of asking the boss directly. “Well, it’s probably because you’re a very busy man. She might have thought that you’re too occupied and didn’t want to disturb you, so she messaged me instead.”

After saying this, Phillip couldn’t help but think that he was quick-witted to consider this angle. Indeed, after hearing Phillip’s explanation, Emanuele’s expression improved significantly.

He then said, “Alright, you can reply to her.”

At this late hour, Isabella’s concern for him was surprising. He knew that if Phillip didn’t respond to her, Isabella probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. That stubborn woman always seemed to want him dead and said she hated him, but she was terrified by the dream of him dying. He knew that deep down, she had feelings for him.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

He loved her just as much, but he couldn’t show it. As the head of the Mafia, he had dealt with countless enemies and understood their methods. If he showed excessive love for her, it would only encourage his enemies to go to great lengths to destroy Isabella. These people knew exactly how to exploit an enemy’s vulnerabilities.

He couldn’t imagine life without Isabella and what he would do without her. Before he met her, not having her was irrelevant. But once he had her, he didn’t want to lose her.

Phillip picked up his phone to reply to Isabella, “Yes, Mrs. Lombardi, it’s true. Lately, the boss hasn’t had much rest. He gets only two to three hours of sleep every day. Why don’t you find an opportunity to persuade him to take a break?”

This was actually Phillip’s own opinion. He knew the pressure was mounting with the Sicilian rivals closing in. But there were many things he believed Emanuele didn’t need to personally manage. Emanuele put immense pressure on himself, wanting to have total control over everything. However, Emanuele was still human, not a machine. How could he possibly oversee everything? Phillip feared that if Emanuele overworked himself, it would jeopardize their Chicago Mafia.

Most importantly, Phillip thought that Emanuele and Isabella had recently tied the knot, which was supposed to be the sweetest time of their marriage. Not having a honeymoon was one thing, but how could Emanuele often not come home? It would strain the relationship between husband and wife.

Isabella frowned as she listened to Phillip. She hadn’t seen Emanuele for the past few days. After hearing Phillip’s words, she got out of bed, walked to the balcony, and called Emanuele.

Emanuele had just finished counting the weapons, instructing his men on the distribution. Suddenly, he received a call from Isabella. He hesitated for a moment, then answered it.

“Emanuele, you need to come back immediately!” Isabella’s voice sounded a bit angry, but it also carried a trace of fear. Her anger was somewhat feeble.

Emanuele was briefly taken aback, then turned to look at Phillip. Phillip innocently shrugged as if to say he knew nothing.

If he genuinely knew nothing, would he be wearing such an expression? Emanuele figured that he had just spoken to Isabella.

But it wasn’t time to deal with him now.

“I’m busy right now. I’ll come back once I’m done,” Emanuele replied.

“I had another nightmare just now. Can you come and sleep with me? I’m scared.”

Hearing Isabella’s gentle, plaintive voice on the other end of the phone and remembering how she had used a similar tone in bed, Emanuele felt like he was losing control. He sensed his body tensing up, warmth gathering below his waist.

Damn, Isabella was truly a little enchantress. Even with just a phone call, she could seduce him.

“Wait for me; I’ll come over in a bit.”

He hung up the phone, his face still cool. He looked at Phillip and asked, “What did you say to her?”

“I just told her you haven’t been resting much lately,” Phillip still maintained his innocent demeanor.

As soon as he finished speaking, Phillip sensed the anger burning in Emanuele’s eyes, fierce like an uncontrolled wildfire. Had he earned the boss’s resentment?

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Sacrificing himself to strengthen the bond between the boss and his wife seemed like an acceptable trade-off. After all, he had made such sacrifices before.

“Phillip, be careful, or one day, when I’m not in a good mood, I might just put a bullet in you,” Emanuele said, then walked away.

Phillip couldn’t help but rub his head. He didn’t believe Emanuele would actually kill him. Emanuele might seem ruthless and unfeeling to the enemy, but Phillip was his subordinate, and after all these years following him, Emanuele had treated him well.

He wouldn’t believe Emanuele would do that.

Emanuele drove back to the apartment. As soon as he entered, he saw a figure sitting on the couch. He switched on the lights and noticed Isabella cuddling a pillow, her head drooping as she had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Was she waiting for him to come back? At this moment, Emanuele’s usually hard and unyielding heart softened.

This kind of warmth in a family was something Emanuele rarely experienced. With these thoughts in mind, he approached her and lifted Isabella in his arms.