Page 55 of Broken Mafia Prince (His to Break #1)

GIULIA

M y gaze is drawn to the plain black titanium ring sitting on my finger for the hundredth time in the space of a few minutes. Raffaele managed to find the ring in his junk box and slipped it onto my finger about an hour before I left his place.

It’s a tad oversized, but it’s only meant to serve as a placeholder until he gets me something else.

I tried to tell him there was no need for something large and elaborate, but the glare he shot me told me loud and clear that he’s going to try to outdo Alessandro’s ridiculous ring. I almost suggested that he should whip his dick out so I could measure and compare it with my ex-fiancé’s. Almost.

The thought makes me smirk as I swirl the deep red wine in my glass, my fingers lightly tracing the rim.

The bar is dimly lit, the scent of whiskey and cigar smoke thick in the air.

I shift in my seat, fingers curled around the stem of my glass as I wait for Isa to arrive.

My heart pounds, a mixture of excitement and nerves thrumming through me.

This isn’t just any bar.

This is Raffaele’s.

A place where power shifts with a glance, where words are weapons, and where men like him don’t just own real estate—they own people.

Isa is already late. She won’t take the news well—hell, I can barely believe it myself. But what I feel for Raffaele is undeniable, and I’m not about to let anything or anyone stand in the way of my decision.

The door creaks open, and I look up just as Isa steps inside. Her dark eyes scan the bar before landing on me, her expression a mix of curiosity and apprehension. I smile, waving her over. I hurry toward her, and as soon as I’m close, she wraps me in a tight hug.

“Thank god you’re okay.”

“Of course I’m okay,” I say with a smile.

Isabella hesitates, her eyes scanning the room again. I can see the conflict in her expression—the pull of curiosity battling against the sharp edge of fear. She knows exactly where we are.

“Giulia, have you lost your mind?” Her voice is low but urgent. “What if someone sees us? What if word gets out? We’ll be in serious trouble.”

The weight of her words hangs between us, pressing against the tension already thick in the air.

I understand her fear. This place practically breathes danger, filled with Raffaele’s men—silent, watchful, ready. There’s an unspoken rule here: You don’t ask questions, and you don’t make mistakes. Even the walls seem to carry the weight of the name that owns them.

“Relax! There’s nothing to worry about. Raffaele is looking after us, and more than that, I wanted to see this place for myself. He’s proud of it, of what he’s built, and a part of me has always been curious. Raffaele would never let anything happen to me.”

“Of course you think that.”

“Well, it’s true.”

“What was the surprise you were telling me about over the phone?”

I raise my hand and wave at her, showing my titanium band. “Surprise.”

“Oh god. What is that? This is crazy. Tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”

Taking a deep breath, I brace myself. “It’s an engagement ring. If saying yes to marrying Raffaele and running off to start a whole new life with him is crazy, then yes.”

Her eyes widen in horror. “Tell me that’s just a hypothetical situation you suddenly came up with right now. Please, for the love of god, tell me you aren’t actually planning to marry him!”

“This is exactly what I intend to do, and nothing is going to change my mind.”

Isa opens her mouth to respond, but at that moment, her gaze shifts over my shoulder, and she hesitates. Picking up on her unease, I glance behind me, but there’s no one there.

“What’s crazy about it?” I sigh, exasperated.

“You don’t even know him.”

“I know eno?—”

She cuts me off before I can finish. “And we all know that there’s no such thing as starting a new life. It’s just a freaking myth. Especially for someone like him.”

“No, it’s not a myth,” I retort. This entire argument is the reason I didn’t want to see Isa in the first place, but I don’t want to run off like I did before.

I’m not doing anything wrong, and I want to make it doubly clear to her that this decision is fully mine, and I’m not changing my mind about it.

I don’t necessarily need her approval, but she’s my best friend and cousin, and having some kind of support from her would make me feel better. With or without that support, though, I’m still going ahead with this.

“You really think a man like Raffaele will be okay with living a normal life?” She snorts.

“He’s constantly going to be drawn back to that danger.

What do you think will happen? That he’s suddenly going to want to be a lowly office clerk or something?

Have you actually pictured what this new life with him will look like, or are you just too drunk on lust or whatever else to think about it for longer than ten seconds? ”

“Christ, Isa.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me exactly what you’re thinking?”

“I’m going to lose my cousin. We’ll never have our girls’ nights at my house again—no more sleepless hours talking about men or any concerns I have.”

“You know, Isa,” I say softly, “you can always talk to me about anything.”

She offers me a strained smile. “How do you plan on being here for me from all the way across the world or whatever place you’re going to?”

I flinch. “I’m not just going to disappear from your life. We’ll call and text and keep in touch.”

“Or you’ll get so caught up with him that you’ll forget anything else exists.” Before I can argue, she continues, “I’m not saying it’ll happen on purpose, but let’s be honest with ourselves—things will definitely change when you’re gone.”

There’s silence between us for a while. In the quiet, my head roars with a million thoughts.

She’s right, though, about things changing when I’m no longer close.

And she’s also right about me getting caught up in Raffaele.

It’s already happening now—the way my mind goes blank of everything else when I’m around him.

“You’ll watch over Father for me, right?” I ask in a small voice.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving him. What happened to him being the only family you had left? Two years ago, you abandoned Raffaele for your father, and now it’s the other way around.”

I let out a humorless bark of laughter. “Well, that was before I realized how little my father cares about me or considers me as a person. If he was so eager and thoughtless to try to sell me into a marriage, then I’m not going to worry about him at all.

I won’t stay here and wait for him to find someone new he can auction me off to.

“For once in my life, though, I don’t want to think about someone else. I don’t want to think about duty or about making my mother and sister proud from the grave. I want to selfishly take and do what I want. I want to go away with Raffaele and live a life that will please me and me alone.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Isa murmurs.

“I won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I don’t.” I shrug. “True. But Raffaele loves me. He really does.”

Her eyes widen. “H-he said that?”

I nod excitedly. “Yes. Just before he asked me to marry him. Did I tell you about the proposal? It was the sweetest thing.”

She looks baffled. “Wait, we are talking about the same Raffaele, right? Raffaele Gagliardi? Tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed, badass mafioso?”

I throw my head back, laughing, and she slaps a hand over her mouth, muffling her giggles. Our eyes meet, mirth shining in them. The truth is, I’ll miss my life here too, but I know that staying isn’t an option for me anymore.

“When do you leave?”

“I don’t know yet. Raffaele needs to prepare a few things, but most likely, it will be in the next couple of weeks.”

“I’ll miss you,” she says softly. “I think the main reason I’ve been so bothered about this whole thing is that I’m terrified to lose you to him. It’s always been you and me, and well, I think I’ve gotten so used to it that I thought that’s the way it would always be.”

I step forward and wrap my arms around her. “You’re going to make me cry, and my mascara isn’t waterproof.”

“I’ve been telling you to buy a waterproof one,” she chastises.

I laugh. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“I love you, Giulia. Promise me that at the first sign of trouble, you won’t hesitate to reach out.

I know you like to act tough and take care of everything by yourself, but I want to remind you that you have me.

Yeah, I may not be able to shoot from thirty yards away or drop-kick someone, but I have more money than I know what to do with, and if I can’t get you out of trouble with all that money, then what use is it? ”

I sigh into the crook of her neck. “I love you, too, Isa. Don’t worry about me. Raffaele promised me?—”

A deep voice cuts through the tension. “Talking about me, ladies?”

Isa and I turn in unison as Raffaele approaches the table. My heart flutters at the sight of him—tall, dark-haired, effortlessly composed. The way he carries himself with quiet dominance sends a thrill through me.

I can’t help but smile as he steps closer, my body instinctively leaning toward him. His presence is intoxicating, and as he reaches for me, pulling me gently into his embrace, the rest of the world fades away.

I barely notice Isa stiffening in her seat as Raffaele’s hand settles against the small of my back, his fingers pressing possessively against my skin. He leans in, his lips brushing against my temple as he murmurs something just for me.

For the briefest moment, Isa’s expression changes—something flickers across her face, too quick for me to name. She quickly looks away and reaches for her coat.

“I should go,” she mutters.

I turn to her, my brows knitting together. “You just got here.”

“I have things to do,” she says quickly, avoiding Raffaele’s gaze. “And you have a lot to think about.”

I open my mouth to stop her, but before I can, she’s already pushing away from the table and making her way toward the exit.

I frown, my stomach twisting with unease as I watch her go. A weight settles in my chest, heavier than before.

She doesn’t believe this is real. She doesn’t believe in us.

And worse? A small, ugly part of me wonders if she might be right.

Raffaele’s arms tighten around me, his lips brushing against my ear. “Let her go,” he murmurs. “She’ll come around.”

I sigh, resting my head against his chest. Maybe Isa just needs time.