Stuck in a Mafia Romance

NO ONE’S POV

The moment Lucian and Dante left for their private meeting, Lily knew she had a small window of opportunity. She silently slipped away from the main hall, her movements entirely light, intending to sneak into Lucian’s study to search for the missing bracelet.

However, just as she was about to turn the corner toward the study, Viella appeared out of nowhere.

"Lily!" Viella gasped, grabbing her arm tightly and dragging her away down the hallway before Lily could even explain herself.

Twenty minutes later, the situation inside one of the luxury guest bedrooms was completely different.

Viella was proudly looking at her own reflection in the large vanity mirror, wearing a soft, comfortable robe and a thick red face mask spread across her skin. Sitting right beside her was Lily, wearing the exact same red face mask, looking entirely miserable and stiff.

"Why exactly am I wearing this, My Lady?" Lily asked, her voice completely flat under the cooling mask.

"It is because you desperately need it!" Viella declared, waving a slender hand in the air. "Look at your skin, Lily! It looks like a dry desert! Give it some proper moisturizer and care for once!"

Lily let out a quiet sigh, having no choice but to follow her lady around the room like that.

A few minutes later, Viella began to feel sleepy. As she walked toward the soft couch, her foot caught on the edge of her long silk robe. Her balance instantly gave out, and she began to fall backward.

Lily reacted on pure instinct, stepping forward and reaching out her hand to catch her lady before she hit the floor. But just as her fingers were about to grab Viella’s sleeve, a loud chuckle suddenly cut through the quiet room.

The unexpected sound startled Lily, causing her hand to freeze in mid-air. As a result, Viella fell right onto the plush rug with a soft thud.

Standing in the open doorway were Dante and Lucian.

Lucian stood there, staring into the room, unable to believe his own eyes. Lily’s face was covered in the bright red mask, making her look like a ripe red tomato beneath the clay. A wide, mocking smirk broke across his face, and he kept chuckling loudly at the sight of the serious, cold iceberg looking so completely ridiculous.

Viella’s face flushed red with pure embarrassment. She scrambled up from the floor, grabbed Lily by the hand, and instantly dragged her out of the room to escape their mocking gazes.

Lily, still slightly dazed by the sudden interruption, stumbled along behind her. She raised a hand to touch the cooling clay on her cheek, her dark eyes narrowing in irritation.

"The Young Master’s smile is really bothersome," Lily muttered under her breath, her voice filled with deep annoyance.

Later that night, Lily made her way down the quiet, dimly lit hallway toward the main living room. Her main goal was simple: locate her young lady, wake her up gently, and take her back home to their own mansion before the night grew any older.

However, as she reached the wide doorway, the soft sound of her footsteps naturally slowed down.

Inside the room, the lamps were turned down low. Viella was lying fast asleep on the long couch, resting her head comfortably against a soft pillow. Standing right beside the couch was Lucian. His tall frame was bent over slightly as he carefully pulled a warm blanket over his sleeping sister’s shoulders.

The moment Lucian noticed Lily’s silent presence standing near the doorway, his hands froze completely mid-motion.

A sudden, stiff silence fell over the room.

Lucian quickly cleared his throat, letting out a small, awkward cough to break the stillness. He immediately let go of the fabric, tossing the edge of the blanket back onto the couch as if he had never been holding it in the first place, and abruptly stood up straight.

"You..." Lucian muttered, adjusting his suit and refusing to make direct eye contact with her. "I simply do not want to hear her loud, annoying voice complaining about a cold tomorrow morning, so just let her sleep here for the night. You do not need to drag her back home now."

He paused, glancing away toward the dark window. "You can go upstairs and sleep in the guest room on the second floor."

With those quick words, he turned and walked right past her, his steps fading down the corridor.

Lily stood alone in the quiet room, staring at the empty doorway. She found his reaction quite strange. Lucian’s mansion had an entire wing dedicated to basic servant quarters on the lower floor, yet he had specifically directed her to stay in one of the luxury guest bedrooms upstairs.

Lily remained silent, keeping her thoughts entirely to herself, and simply gave a slight nod to the empty air. In the end, his sudden decision was nothing less than a perfect opportunity for her. Staying upstairs put her much closer to the wing where his private study was located.

As the night became deep and the whole estate fell into a dead silence, the time to move finally arrived.

At around three in the morning, Lily opened her eyes. She moved out of the guest room, slipping down the quiet hallway until she reached the wooden door of Lucian’s private study. The lock on the door was simple enough for her skills, and within seconds, she slipped inside and closed the door softly behind her.

Lily began searching through the room, her eyes darting over the bookshelves, the side tables, and the large desk.

Suddenly, something on the bottom shelf of a display cabinet caught her eyes. It was a jewelry box.

Lily reached out her hand, fully expecting to find Viella’s missing diamond bracelet inside. But as she moved a few papers aside to grab the box, her fingers brushed against something soft made of cloth. Curiously, she pulled the item out into the dim moonlight.

It was an old sports jersey.

Lily froze, staring at the fabric in her hands.

She recognized it instantly. It was the exact same jersey she had borrowed from Lucian years ago during a sudden downpour when she was still a new servant.

Didn’t the Young Master throw this away years ago? Lily thought, her brow furrowing slightly.

Why is it still sitting here in his private study?

She clearly remembered him making a grand show of trying to toss it into the trash bin back then because he hated the idea of keeping anything that someone else had worn. She had not paid attention to whether he actually threw it away or not. Besides, Lucian was well known for being extremely particular; he never kept items that had been touched or used by others, especially a maid.

Before she could process the strange discovery any further, a sudden breath of cold air brushed against the back of her neck.

Click.

The familiar sound of a weapon being readied echoed softly in the silent room, and the freezing cold barrel of a gun was pressed firmly against the back of her head.

"What exactly are you doing in here?" Lucian’s cold voice came from right behind her.

Lily did not panic. She slowly turned her body around to face him. As she moved, the cold steel of the gun slid across her skin, pressing firmly against her jawline. Lucian stood over her, his dark eyes fixed on her face with deep suspicion.

"Speak," he commanded, his voice dropping into a low growl.

"Did my father send you back here to steal my private business documents?"

Lily stared up at him without a single trace of fear in her dark eyes. She had no idea what secret documents he was even talking about. "I no longer work for your father, Young Master," she stated smoothly.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed into a dangerous line. "And why in the world should I believe a single word coming out of your mouth?"

"Whether you choose to believe me or not is entirely up to you," Lily replied in a calm tone.

Lucian’s jaw tightened, and he pressed the barrel of the gun just a little harder against her skin, demanding a real answer.

Instead of ducking or raising her hands in surrender, Lily silently stared back into his eyes. Slowly, she lifted her arm and pushed the old jersey forward, holding the folded fabric right up between them.

"If you truly hate me as much as you claim, Young Master..." Lily spoke softly, her voice cutting through the tension. "Why do you still have this here? Shouldn’t you have burned it years ago?"

The moment her words registered, Lucian’s entire hand stiffened. The cold expression on his face cracked for a split second, replaced by a wave of pure shock and deep embarrassment.

He quickly lowered the gun, his cheeks flushing slightly in the dark, and aggressively snatched the uniform right out of her hands.

"I... I had no idea this useless thing was even sitting in this room!" Lucian snapped defensively, his voice rising in irritation. "Why would I care about a filthy thing like this?"

To prove his point, he turned around, marched straight over to the open window, and threw the jersey out into the dark night, watching it fall onto the garden lawn below.

He huffed loudly, turning back to face her with his arms crossed. "There. Now it is gone forever. Now explain why you are sneaking around my desk in the middle of the night!"

Lily casually bent down near the edge of the large wooden desk, reaching her hand out toward the floor. When she stood back up, she held out a small, sparkling object between her fingers.

"My lady lost her earring in this area earlier today, so I came here to pick it up for her," Lily explained smoothly.

Lucian stared at the earring, then let out a harsh, mocking scoff. "Picking up a lost earring in the middle of the night? Even a five-year-old child would not believe such a pathetic lie!"

"Since it is what my lady requested, I cannot simply deny her orders even if she asks for it at three in the morning," Lily replied without blinking, her face remaining entirely stoic. "You know that very well, Young Master."

Lucian opened his mouth to argue, but the logical excuse completely cut him off. He stayed entirely silent, his eyes glaring down at her while he struggled to find a comeback.

"Well then, I shall take my leave now," Lily said politely. She bowed her head slightly, turned around, and walked out of the study without waiting for his permission.

As she walked down the dark, empty corridor toward her room, Lily looked down at the earring resting safely in her palm. A faint smirk finally played across her lips.

She had intentionally taken that specific earring from Viella’s room earlier in the evening and dropped it on the study floor before Lucian ever walked in- just in case she got caught searching the room. Her backup plan had worked out perfectly, keeping her true motives completely hidden in the shadows.

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TO BE CONTINUED