Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 592: Chapter 188 Hidden Family Secrets

Lila’s POV

I said goodbye to Jude and MP almost mechanically, my mind consumed by thoughts of another city where Daniel was confronting his past. Since Sybilla had been drinking at the Thorne family gathering, I slid behind the wheel of the armored sedan, forcing myself to focus on the empty streets while my thoughts churned with uncertainty.

”Now that we’re safely back in your fortress and I’m not about to die from your distracted driving, spill it, Lila. What’s eating at you?” Sybilla demanded the moment our penthouse door sealed shut behind us.

”Your brother went to see his ex-wife!” The words exploded from me, heavy with all the frustration I’d been swallowing.

”Sasha, huh?” Sybilla’s expression shifted to something unreadable, her usual playful demeanor replaced by the calculated look that reminded me she was Martinez family blood. ”Let’s change into something comfortable and talk properly. Living room or bedroom?”

”Can we talk in my room? We could chat until we fall asleep,” I suggested, craving the comfort of familiar surroundings.

Sybilla’s nose wrinkled in disgust. ”In the bed you share with my brother? Absolutely not! I know what happens in there between you two. It’s either the surveillance-free couch or my room.”

Despite my dark mood, that made me laugh. ”Fine. I’ll change and meet you in your room. I want to talk lying down.”

When I entered Sybilla’s bedroom, she’d already constructed a fortress of silk pillows against the mahogany headboard. I climbed onto the king-sized bed beside her, settling into the half-sitting position she’d created with the precision of someone raised in luxury.

”Alright, Lila. Open the floodgates,” she encouraged, turning to face me with those sharp Martinez eyes that missed nothing.

”He went after her, Sybilla. They’re divorced, and he still went chasing after that manipulative witch.” The childish whine in my voice wasn’t lost on me, but I couldn’t suppress it.

”What’s with this jealousy storm? My brother is completely devoted to you, and you know it. If he went to see Sasha, there must be a crucial reason. Plus, he didn’t hide it from you.” Her logic was sound, but the knot of anxiety in my stomach remained tight.

”He could have discussed it with me before going,” I muttered, knowing I was grasping at straws. ”And he was strange on the phone. He didn’t even say he loved me.” I recounted our conversation, which prompted Sybilla to burst into genuine laughter.

”Seriously, Lila? This paranoia isn’t like you! If Daniel didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have severed all ties with our parents—”

I bolted upright, adrenaline spiking through my system. ”What did you just say about Daniel and your parents?”

”You don’t know?” Sybilla’s eyes widened in horrified realization. ”Damn it. Daniel’s going to have me disappeared.”

”Not if I disappear him first. Talk, Sybilla. Now.”

”Daniel had a massive confrontation with our parents. Knowing my brother, it was pretty final. He cut them off completely.”

”Why?” I pressed, feeling dread pool in my stomach like ice water.

”Why?” She looked at me as if it were the most obvious thing in our world of power plays and family loyalty. ”You, of course.”

”You’ll need to give me more than that.” When she hesitated, I pulled out my trump card. ”Or I swear I’m calling Xavier right now to tell him who his mysterious assistant really is.”

”Low blow, Lila!” Sybilla groaned, facing me fully with resignation. ”Fine, I’ll tell you, but if Daniel has me exiled from the family for this, you’re taking me in.”

”He wouldn’t do that,” I assured her, though I wasn’t entirely certain.

”It happened while you were still unconscious in the hospital after the Justin situation. Claire approached Daniel with information that our father had contacted her about forming an alliance to break you two up.” The revelation hit me like a physical blow.

”When exactly did this happen?”

”I don’t know all the details. I just know Daniel had already warned our father to back off where you were concerned. When he discovered the alliance with Claire, he completely severed ties with our parents—told them never to contact him again or face the consequences.”

”Your mother too?”

”Lila, in the Martinez family, whatever my father decides, my mother supports without question. It’s how she’s survived being married to a man who controls half the judges in the state.”

”But Claire could be lying,” I reasoned, knowing her capacity for manipulation and deceit.

”I don’t think so. How would she even know our parents wanted to break you up otherwise? She also told Daniel that our father eventually backed down from the plan, though she claimed not to know why. Daniel’s convinced it’s because he discovered you have substantial wealth and are a partner in Thorne Corporation.”

”So purely calculated self-interest,” I said flatly.

”That, and knowing you have independent wealth means you’re not after the Martinez fortune or political connections. I’m sorry, Lila, but my parents have this terrible flaw of assuming everyone’s motivated by greed or power.”

”I understand to some degree,” I admitted. ”Maybe they’re trying to protect their family’s position. I’m sure countless people try to infiltrate your circle for money and influence.”

”Yes, and it’s exhausting, but that doesn’t give them the right to assume everyone’s the same or to interfere in our personal lives. They’re obsessed with maintaining power but blind to genuine character. The man they want me to marry is basically a sophisticated version of that pathetic Justin.”

”You say the strangest things! But Daniel shouldn’t have fought with your parents because of me.”

”He can and he did. He fought to protect you, Lila, because he loves you more than family politics. So stop thinking nonsense. Didn’t you fight with Claire when you thought she was your mother? You had your reasons; Daniel had his. The problem now is my parents are pressuring me to help reconcile them.”

”Your parents aren’t like Claire, right?” I asked cautiously. ”Not abusive—just controlling and politically minded?”

”They’re not cruel like Claire was, no. But they could definitely be better parents. My mother could stop trying to force me into strategic marriages, and my father could not have cut off my trust fund for refusing his political arrangements.”

”I’ll talk to Daniel when he returns,” I decided. ”I don’t like being the reason for this family rift, especially since your father was courteous to me when we met.”

”Lila, don’t stir this up! Daniel will have my head when he finds out I told you.”

”I’m the one who’s going to tear him apart for keeping this from me!”

I was genuinely furious. It felt like Daniel didn’t trust me enough to share something so monumental. Beyond my jealousy about Sasha, I was deeply hurt that he’d fought with his parents over me and never mentioned it. What other crucial information was he withholding from me?