THE MAFIA QUEEN

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The past few days had been hell for Luna Salvador. Her smile, so carefully painted for cameras, had begun to feel like a mask nailed into her skin. Investors called at ungodly hours, demanding reassurance she barely had the energy to give. Her empire, her pride, demanded constant defense. Each hour was spent sharpening the façade, proving again and again that she was untouchable, unbreakable, the kind of woman who could hold the weight of kingdoms on her slender shoulders and still look flawless while doing it.

But inside, she was tired. Exhausted to her very bones. Because behind every email, every meeting, every carefully controlled smile, was the unhealed wound of her brother’s death, of betrayal, of vengeance left incomplete. Keifer’s shadow lurked in every dark corner of her mind, taunting her, poisoning her peace.

This morning was no different. She parked her sleek car in front of her office building, movements mechanical, heels clicking against the pavement with practiced grace. Her chin was high, her sunglasses hid her eyes, and her designer coat flared behind her like the cape of a queen marching to battle. She was a fortress wrapped in silk.

And then—he appeared.

A face she could never forget.

Mark Keifer Watson.

The sight of him made her blood boil instantly. It wasn’t just anger—it was fury, hatred, grief, heartbreak, all colliding in her veins like fire. Her nails dug into her palms so hard she nearly drew blood. For a moment, her body screamed at her to run, but her pride anchored her to the ground. No, she would never give him that satisfaction.

Keifer stepped forward, directly into her path, blocking her way. His face was gaunt, exhaustion etched into the lines around his mouth and eyes. His usual arrogance was absent, replaced with something heavier. His eyes searched hers, as though begging for something he couldn’t even name.

“Luna,” he breathed, her name falling from his lips like a prayer.

"Don't" she hissed.

Her jaw tightened, her teeth grinding as she spat the words back at him.

“Don’t you dare say my name with that filthy mouth of yours. That mouth knows nothing but how to spill lies—lies that destroy lives.”

“Luna—”

“No!” she snapped, her voice sharp as a blade. “Mark Keifer Watson, you will not speak. You don’t get the right to speak. Not after you turned my entire world upside down. You should be grateful I even allow you to breathe after what you did—after exposing my darkest secret to the world. After killing my brother.”

Her words struck him like stones. Keifer’s chest rose and fell heavily, his breath uneven. His voice was quiet, hoarse, almost pleading. “You really do need to listen to me, Luna.”

Her lips curled into a wicked smile. “Listen? To you? You expect me to listen?”

Before he could react, she bent slightly, her fingers slipping into her stiletto shoe. When she straightened again, there was steel glinting in her hand—a hidden shard, sharp and deadly. Without hesitation, she lunged, the weapon aimed for his chest.

Keifer’s instincts kicked in. He dodged the first strike, the air whistling with the force of her attack. She spun, swift and relentless, and came at him again. This time, he caught her wrists, forcing them together, twisting her arms until the shard pointed harmlessly toward the ground. His chest pressed against her back as he restrained her, his breath hot against her ear.

She struggled in his grip, snarling, but his strength overpowered her.

“Stop it!” he hissed. “Luna, listen to me! I didn’t kill Liam. And it wasn’t me who uploaded those papers and all that shit on Twitter. My phone was hacked—damn it!”