Chapter 25: Grant me one wish

"Only my mother and I used to come here, which is why," Santino explained. "Among mafia families, bloodshed and violence are common. It’s part of the world we live in."

Soraya served breakfast, placing a portion in front of Santino before filling her own plate. Once she had settled into her seat, she glanced at him curiously.

"Did you always dream of becoming a mafia king?" she asked, watching him cut his omelette with surprising enthusiasm.

"Yes," Santino replied without hesitation. "You seem to think being a mafia is all about killing people, but that’s not true. I own several legitimate businesses, and I’m an investor with strong connections in the business world. More importantly, protection is a big part of our world. There are situations the police fail to handle, and that’s where people like me step in. Our world isn’t as strange as you imagine, Raya."

As he finished speaking, Santino pushed his plate toward her and took hers instead.

"Eat," he instructed, gesturing toward the plate he had placed in front of her.

Soraya raised an eyebrow at his unexpected gesture but picked up her fork. Santino watched her for a moment before his expression grew more serious.

"I’m telling you all this because I consider you my other half," he said. "Don’t ever try to use this information against me, Raya."

His intimidating tone did little to unsettle her. Instead, she looked at him with mild disbelief, as though she couldn’t decide whether to be offended or amused by his warning.

"So, you’re suspicious of me?" Soraya asked, taking a bite of her omelette with a little sauce. She continued chewing as she watched him, waiting for his answer.

"I’m suspicious of everything and everyone around me," Santino replied, cutting another piece of his omelette. He glanced at Soraya before continuing, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Tell me, what was your childhood like? You spent all those years away from your biological family, so what about the people you considered your parents? How did they treat you?"

"I must say, they weren’t bad people," Soraya answered thoughtfully. "I never felt that they would hurt me or leave me unprotected while I was living with them. But I remember being passed from one home to another until I eventually ended up in an orphanage."

She paused, her brows drawing together as she tried to make sense of those distant memories.

"My biological parents told me that the people who raised me weren’t good people, but I still wonder why they never treated me badly. I can’t remember everything clearly, but I never felt that they wanted to harm me."

Santino stopped eating and focused entirely on her. The more he learned about Soraya’s childhood, the more furious he became at the thought of a little girl being passed from one household to another until she was finally abandoned at an orphanage.

"You met your ex there, didn’t you?" he asked, his expression growing more serious.

"Yeah," Soraya admitted with a small nod. "He always looked after me. We celebrated our birthdays together and spent festivals with each other, too. We shared so many memories that I genuinely believed he would always be there for me."

A faint, wistful smile appeared on her face before fading. "Everything seemed perfect between us until he betrayed me. But despite what he did, I can’t pretend that he was always a bad person. He was a good friend to me before everything fell apart."

Soraya’s gaze met Santino’s, and she immediately noticed the displeasure in his eyes. He clearly didn’t like the way she spoke about Emilio.

"Don’t be jealous of him," she remarked, giving Santino an amused look.

"I feel like..." Santino began, but intentionally stopped himself before finishing the sentence.

He had been about to say something that would only upset her.

The thought of Emilio still having a place in Soraya’s memories irritated him, and for a moment, he had even considered killing the man. However, Soraya already disapproved of his violent ways, and he had no intention of giving her another reason to despise him.

"Why did you stop?" Soraya asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Because I have to," Santino replied, letting out a quiet sigh. He held her gaze for a moment before continuing, his expression turning serious. "If you hadn’t been abducted, I would have been part of your world from the very beginning."

"I would have hated you even then," Soraya declared with a proud smile. "You threatened me into marrying you, remember? Don’t you dare forget that."

Santino fell silent, unable to come up with a suitable response. He knew Soraya well enough to realize that arguing with her would only make her more determined to prove her point. For once, he decided it was better to keep his thoughts to himself.

They finished their breakfast in silence, with Soraya occasionally glancing at him while Santino remained unusually quiet. Once they were done, she began gathering the plates, but he stopped her before she could carry them away.

"Leave the dishes. The staff will come and clean everything," he told her. Getting to his feet, he glanced at her and added, "Go and get ready. Dress warmly because we’re going out to play in the snow."

Soraya looked at him in surprise, momentarily forgetting their earlier disagreement. "Play in the snow?" she repeated, as though she wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly.

"Yes, Raya." Santino gave her a confident smile. "Unless you’re afraid you’ll lose to me."

"Are you challenging me? I won’t lose to you! I’m really good at throwing snowballs," Soraya declared with a confident smile before dashing into the bedroom to get ready.

Amused by her sudden excitement, Santino followed her inside, watching as she hurried toward the wardrobe and began pulling out a warm top and a pullover.

"What if you lose?" he asked, leaning casually against the doorway.

Soraya paused to look at him, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Then I’ll do whatever you want. But if you lose, you’ll have to grant me one wish."

"Deal," Santino agreed without hesitation, a confident smile spreading across his face.

Soraya returned to choosing her winter clothes, already imagining her victory.