Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 433: Chapter 29 You Belong to Me

Daniel’s POV

After an extended conversation with the head of the Sullivan family, I found myself genuinely impressed by Lila’s father. The man commanded one of the most sophisticated money laundering operations on the East Coast, yet he spoke of his daughter with the tender devotion of any loving parent. His legitimate real estate empire and art galleries provided perfect cover for moving dirty money, but when it came to Lila, there was nothing calculated about his affection. This stood in stark contrast to his wife Claire’s manipulative coldness. When the call ended, Lila appeared composed despite the evidence of recent tears still visible on her face. I gently pulled her onto my lap, my fingers tracing the damp trails on her cheeks.

”Now, beautiful girl,” I said softly, ”tell me who this Beckett person is.”

Her response was unexpected laughter. ”Anyone would think you’re jealous.”

”But I really am,” I admitted without hesitation. It was the unvarnished truth. In my world, jealousy could be deadly, but with Lila, I felt safe enough to be vulnerable. She studied my face carefully, as if searching for any hint of insincerity.

”Beckett is my older brother,” she explained. ”He’s wonderful and always protected me from my mother’s schemes. He’s from my father’s first marriage. His mother died giving birth to their second child, who also didn’t survive.” She paused briefly, and I could see the weight of family tragedy in her eyes. ”Shortly after, my parents married and had me. Justin is my younger brother and my mother’s golden child. We don’t get along well.”

”I see.” Based on what her father had mentioned about family dynamics, I ventured, ”Your mother has always treated you this way?” In our circles, stepmothers often saw stepchildren as threats to their own children’s inheritance, but Claire’s behavior seemed particularly vicious.

”Always,” Lila sighed heavily. ”It’s like she despises my very existence.”

Curiosity drove my next question, along with my protective instincts. ”And how does she treat Beckett?” I wondered if the current acting head of the Sullivan family received similar treatment from his stepmother.

”She doesn’t dare mess with Beckett. She’s always ignored him, treating him like an unwanted guest in our family estate,” Lila explained with sadness coloring her voice. ”My brother is such a good person. He suffered terribly losing his mother when he was just a child. My father thought Claire would eventually accept him as her son, but that never happened. Beckett learned to navigate the family business early to protect himself.”

”And it’s different with Justin?”

”Justin receives all her love and devotion. He’s a spoiled, entitled person who thinks the world owes him everything. He treats everyone beneath his social status like dirt. He and Beckett despise each other, and he and I constantly clash. When we were children, he used to hurt me and then play innocent when adults came around. Beckett left the main family compound when he turned eighteen to run the West Coast operations, and I followed his example by using college and this job at Thorne as my escape route.” The profound sadness in her voice touched something deep inside me.

”What about your father?” I asked gently, though I already suspected the answer.

”My father is loving, kind, and surprisingly principled for someone in his position. He’s truly a good man who treats his associates and employees with respect and fairness. He always tried to compensate for the affection my mother withheld from me, protecting me whenever he could without undermining family hierarchy.” Her face brightened slightly. ”You’ll like him. And I think he was genuinely impressed by you.” She offered me a weak smile, which I returned.

”Tiny one,” I assured her, stroking her hair, ”you have your father, your older brother, and now you have me to care for and protect you.” I wanted her to understand that she wasn’t defenseless anymore, not with the Martinez family resources behind her.

”Daniel, you didn’t need to tell my father you’re my boyfriend,” Lila said, avoiding eye contact.

I found her comment perplexing. ”Oh no? Did you want me to lie and say we’re friends?” Lila was typically straightforward and honest, especially for someone raised in our world of constant deception.

”No, because we’re not just friends. But we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend either.”

”What did you say, Lila?” Her eyes widened at my use of her full name – the first time I hadn’t called her by a nickname – and my displeasure was evident. In my line of work, precision in relationships mattered. ”What do you think we are?”

”I don’t know, but you hadn’t explicitly said we were dating, so I...” I interrupted before she could finish.

”Oh, I needed to announce it formally?” My irritation was growing, though I was beginning to understand her perspective. In families like ours, nothing was assumed – everything had to be declared and acknowledged.

”It’s just...” Her face flushed crimson. I watched her silently, encouraging her to continue. ”It’s just that I’ve never been in a relationship before or anything like that. Growing up in our world, you learn not to trust anyone’s intentions. So I don’t know if you needed to make some kind of official declaration, but I also don’t know if you actually want to be my boyfriend and...” Her reminder of her inexperience with genuine relationships immediately dissolved my frustration.

”Tiny one, don’t overthink this,” I said more gently, pulling her closer. ”I forgot that with your background, I need to be completely explicit about my intentions. Look, we’re together. ’Girlfriend’ is too small a word to explain what you mean to me, but it’s a term that works so people understand that you’re with me, that you’re under my protection. And I hope that’s clear enough for you to understand that you belong to me and aren’t available to anyone else.”

”So you’re officially my boyfriend?” I nodded firmly. ”And you’re exclusively mine?”

”Only yours, my little one. Completely yours!” The smile that spread across her lips was irresistible, and I leaned in to kiss her thoroughly. ”Before I start removing your clothes and forget about everything else, I have something for you.”

She gave me a suspicious look as I retrieved the bag from the electronics store and placed it in her lap. She stared at me questioningly before opening the bag and extracting the phone box.

”A secure phone?” she asked, confused but already understanding the implications.

”Yes. I don’t want to be unable to reach you or have you unreachable because you need to avoid your mother’s surveillance.” I explained my idea of having a second device that Claire couldn’t monitor or trace, and Lila immediately grasped the strategic advantage.

”Thank you. That was brilliant thinking.” Everything was remarkably uncomplicated with Lila – easy, comfortable, and peaceful despite the chaos of our respective family obligations.

”Now,” I said, my voice dropping to a suggestive tone, ”I’m going to take your clothes off and forget about the rest of the world.” Her eyes lit up with anticipation at my words.

And that’s precisely what I did. I lost myself in her body until we were both thoroughly exhausted, and she fell asleep on my chest, our breathing synchronized in perfect harmony, the weight of family expectations temporarily forgotten in our private sanctuary.