The Mafia Principessa’s Nine Knights Chapter 06

The Mafia Principessa’s Nine Knights Chapter 06

Angelica started coming by the estate more and more.

Three times a week.

Sometimes she’d stay the entire weekend.

Around my parents, she was all sweetness and soft smiles.

Complimenting the estate, discussing charity galas with my mom, bringing her little gifts.

My mom’s polite smile stopped looking forced and started looking practiced.

She didn’t exactly like Angelica. But she’d stopped objecting to her.

And my dad had never been the type to get involved in his son’s love life.

“Luca’s business is Luca’s business.”

His words, not mine.

But I was the only one who saw through it.

The way Angelica looked at me whenever Luca wasn’t in the room.

Cold.

Like I was something she wanted to scrape off the bottom of her shoe.

She didn’t touch me again.

But she had other ways.

The first time was in the living room.

Luca stepped out to take a call, and Angelica’s voice suddenly got louder. Loud enough to carry.

“Bella, you don’t like me, do you?”

Dripping with fake hurt.

My mom looked over from the conservatory.

“I don’t…”

“No, no, it’s okay. I get it.” She smiled, voice painfully gentle. “You and Luca are so close. Of course it’s hard when someone new shows up out of nowhere.”

She turned to my mom.

“Mrs. Marino, I don’t think Bella’s very comfortable with me yet. She doesn’t really talk to me

much.”

My mom frowned at me.

“Bella. Angelica is Luca’s girlfriend. Be nice.”

I opened my mouth.

Nothing came out.

Because technically, she wasn’t wrong.

I didn’t want to talk to her.

But the reason why…

I couldn’t say it. Not in front of my mom.

“I know.” I looked down.

That night, I shut my bedroom door.

Pudding jumped into my lap and nudged his head against my hand.

I ran my fingers through his fur and stared at the ceiling.

That was the thing about Angelica. She was smart.

She didn’t hit me anymore. She didn’t need to.

She made everyone look at me like I was the problem. The spoiled kid sister throwing a tantrum,

acting immature.

While she played the victim. The sweet girlfriend who only wanted me to like her.

The second time was at dinner.

She slipped into the chair next to Luca, across from my mom, like she’d always belonged there.

Then she turned to me. “Bella, you have a little sauce on your face.”

She reached over to wipe it off.

It looked caring. Almost sisterly.

I flinched.

“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head. Pure innocence.

My dad set down his fork and gave me a look.

“Come on, Bella. She’s trying to be nice.”

Luca didn’t say anything.

But his knife stopped halfway through the cut.

I wasn’t sure if he’d caught it…

When Angelica wiped my face, her nail dug sharply into my skin.

Fast. No mark.

It hurt.

The third time was worse.

That afternoon, I was upstairs studying for my AP exams.

She let herself into my room without knocking.

“Bella, I brought you cake. Want some?”

A slice of crepe cake.

I didn’t take it.

“No thanks.”

She set the plate on my desk anyway.

Then sat on the edge of my bed.

“Bella, can we talk for a second?”

My pen didn’t stop.

“Are you still upset about the other day?”

My pen stalled on the page.

She sighed, her voice so small you’d think she was the one who’d been hit.

“Honestly… I shouldn’t have done what I did. It’s just… being with Luca, there’s so much pressure. He’s incredible, and everyone around him wants something from him… When I saw how close you two are, I lost control for a second.”

She dropped her gaze.

“Can you forgive me?”