Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 447: Chapter 43 Protective Fury

Lila’s POV

The piercing sound of my encrypted phone dragged me from sleep. I hadn’t silenced it the night before, and my blood ran cold as I recognized the caller ID. Only one person had the audacity to contact me through our family’s secure line at this ungodly hour.

”Hello, Claire,” I answered, using her first name deliberately, my voice thick with exhaustion.

”What kind of greeting is that?” she snapped through the encrypted connection. ”This early hour and you’re still lounging in bed? What other disgraceful habits have you developed in that cesspool that I’ll need to purge when I bring you back to the estate?”

I sighed deeply, pushing myself up against the headboard of Daniel’s king-sized bed. The reinforced windows of his penthouse apartment reflected the early morning skyline of our territory. ”Claire, my work at Thorne Group doesn’t begin until later in the morning, and I’m staying within our allied boundaries. There’s no reason for me to rise before dawn.”

”Excuses!” Her voice climbed to that familiar pitch that once terrorized me as a child. ”I raised you according to Sullivan family traditions—a proper mafia wife rises before dawn every morning to ensure her husband’s coffee is ready the moment he opens his eyes.”

”Claire...”

”Don’t you dare use that tone with me, Lila!” she interrupted, her fury crackling through the secure line. ”I’ve already informed you that you’re returning to the compound, and your engagement to Connor’s heir has been finalized through the proper channels.”

My patience shattered completely. ”You’d better cancel whatever backroom deal you’ve struck. I’m not returning to your compound, and I absolutely refuse to marry into the Connor syndicate. We’ve discussed this exhaustively.”

”You will obey family law, young lady.” Her certainty was as suffocating as it was infuriating, but I was no longer the compliant daughter who once cowered under her authority.

”What do you really want, Claire? Besides these empty threats about some arranged alliance?” I kept my voice steady, determined to maintain control despite the tremor in my hands.

”These aren’t threats, Lila. You will be wed according to Sullivan family protocol, and soon. I should have enforced this arrangement long ago—especially after discovering you were operating within our territory without reporting to the family council.”

”I’ve been staying with Beckett at his secured residence,” I defended myself. ”And I avoided the main compound because reliable sources informed me you’d prepared a containment room specifically to imprison me.” From my peripheral vision, I noticed Daniel had awakened, his dark eyes burning with escalating rage as he listened to our exchange.

”And I will utilize every resource at my disposal,” she replied with chilling satisfaction. ”Either you return to the compound willingly and submit to family decree, or I’ll deploy our private security forces to retrieve you and keep you confined until the wedding ceremony. And I’ll ensure your future husband understands the importance of maintaining strict control over his wife afterward.”

Tears began streaming down my face as the familiar suffocation of her control threatened to drag me back into that nightmare. ”Claire, you cannot imprison me or force a marriage contract—”

The phone was suddenly lifted from my trembling hand. Daniel sat up fully, his jaw clenched with deadly intent as he activated the speaker function.

”Good morning, Mrs. Sullivan. This is Inspector Daniel Martinez, Lila’s boyfriend.” His deep voice carried that deceptively calm tone I’d heard him use during interrogations.

”Of course this shameless girl has spread her legs for some opportunistic outsider,” Claire spat through the encrypted line. ”Behaving like a common street whore instead of respecting Sullivan family honor—”

”You are profoundly mistaken,” Daniel cut through her venom with arctic precision. ”Think whatever poisonous thoughts you wish, but understand this clearly—my patience with your harassment is reaching its limit. Lila is under my protection now. She will not be marrying Connor’s son or anyone else because you demand it. And I strongly advise against attempting to physically coerce her into compliance.”

”Who the hell do you think you are, you parasitic outsider?” she shrieked, her composure finally cracking. ”Don’t interfere in Sullivan family business! I will drag this rebellious girl back to our compound, and I’d like to see you try to prevent it.”

Daniel’s voice dropped to a whisper so dangerous it made my blood freeze. ”I suggest you research the Martinez family name before making such threats, Mrs. Sullivan. You’ll discover it’s remarkably unwise to have someone like me as an enemy. I’ve made my position crystal clear—I will not permit you to harm Lila in any capacity.”

I listened to their verbal warfare with mounting horror. Claire possessed the resources and connections to make good on her threats. She controlled legitimate businesses that could serve as cover for kidnapping operations. And now that she knew I was intimate with a man outside her chosen alliance, her wrath would be absolutely devastating.

”You have no comprehension of what the Sullivan family is capable of, boy!” she threatened, pure hatred vibrating through every word.

”I am not some naive boy,” Daniel replied with lethal composure. ”And I seriously question whether you could be more dangerous than someone with my particular skill set and connections. But if you’re determined to test those limits, don’t complain about the inevitable consequences.”

The line went dead as Claire terminated the call abruptly. I sat there with tears flowing freely down my cheeks, my entire body shaking from the confrontation. Daniel discarded his phone and pulled me directly onto his lap, his powerful arms encircling me protectively.

”Tiny one, please don’t cry,” he murmured against my hair, his large hand stroking gently down my back.

”She despises me, Daniel,” I sobbed into the warmth of his chest. ”And now that she knows about us, she’s going to unleash hell and try to destroy everything we have.”

”Lila,” he said with absolute conviction, his voice rumbling through his chest, ”I will never stand idle while your mother terrorizes you or attempts to force you into some political marriage. You belong to me now, little one, and you’ll only leave if that’s genuinely what you choose. As long as you want to remain by my side, I won’t allow anyone—not family, not allies, not enemies—to separate us.”

I clung desperately to his neck as he held me, his steady presence gradually calming my storm of tears and terror.

”Promise me that no one will tear us apart?” I whispered against his throat, needing that guarantee more than oxygen.

His intense gaze locked with mine, those dark eyes burning with fierce determination. ”Lila, I’m prepared to wage war against every family in this city to keep you with me. But what about you? Are you willing to face whatever comes to stay with me?” Little did I realize then that Claire would prove to be merely the first of many obstacles we would face together.

”I’m willing to do anything for you, Daniel. I...” I wanted to give him the complete assurance he deserved, almost confessing those three words that would surrender my heart entirely to him. But I hesitated, terrified he might not feel the same intensity and worried that my desperation might drive him away. ”I’m absolutely certain that I want to build a life with you.”

”That’s exactly what I needed to hear, little one.” His arms tightened around me possessively, as if he could shield me from the entire world through sheer force of will. ”I don’t want to release you, but duty calls at the precinct.”

”I don’t know if I have the strength to let you go right now,” I admitted softly, drawing a low chuckle from him.

”Really now? Planning to stay wrapped around me all day?”

”All day and all night,” I confirmed without hesitation, making him laugh again despite the gravity of our situation.

”I could call Adler and arrange extended leave. Can you do the same with your position at the firm?” His voice had turned playfully conspiratorial, lighter than the deadly tone he’d used with Claire.

I pouted dramatically, despite my lingering fears. ”Damn corporate obligations!”

He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead, still chuckling, and I reluctantly extracted myself from his protective embrace, already mourning the loss of his warmth as we prepared to face whatever retribution Claire might unleash upon us.