"The Mafia Boss’s Secret Cameras" Chapter 3 — The Woman in the Photograph
Sadie found the second photograph by accident.
At least she told herself it was an accident.
Julian had asked her to inventory several boxes from Evelyn Corsini's old study before they were moved into storage.
Sadie was halfway through a stack of books when something slipped from an old copy of The Great Gatsby.
A photograph.
Half of one.
The right side had been torn away.
Three people remained.
Julian.
Daniel.
And a beautiful dark-haired woman with Julian's eyes.
On the back, someone had written:
Revere Beach — August 14, 2003.
Sadie heard footsteps.
Julian entered.
He saw the photograph.
And stopped.
For the first time since Sadie had met him, Julian Corsini looked genuinely shaken.
"Who's the woman?"
He didn't answer.
"Julian."
"My sister."
Sadie looked down again.
"Claire?"
"Claire Bennett now."
Sadie knew the name.
Claire Bennett chaired charity boards, appeared in society photographs, and lived in a Beacon Hill townhouse worth more than Sadie's lifetime earnings.
"What was she doing with Daniel?"
Julian took the photograph.
His thumb covered Daniel's face.
"They knew each other."
Sadie laughed once.
"That's becoming your favorite useless answer."
"Sadie."
"No. My uncle disappears, your family keeps souvenirs connected to him for twenty-three years, your sister is in secret photographs with him, and somebody is breaking into rooms to steal them. I think we're past 'they knew each other.'"
Julian looked at her.
"They were in love."
Sadie stopped breathing for a second.
"What?"
"Claire was twenty. Daniel was twenty-four."
"And you?"
"Twenty-three."
"Did you know?"
"Eventually."
"And you hated it."
Julian didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Sadie's stomach tightened.
"Did you threaten him?"
"Yes."
The honesty caught her off guard.
"Did you hurt him?"
Julian's face hardened.
"Once."
"What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what you think."
Sadie backed away.
Julian watched her do it.
Something in his expression changed.
Not anger.
Regret.
Before either spoke again, Maggie called from downstairs.
Lunch was ready.
Sadie didn't eat.
For the rest of the afternoon, she couldn't stop thinking about Daniel.
Not Daniel the irresponsible uncle.
Daniel in love.
Daniel working for the Corsinis.
Daniel being threatened by Julian.
That evening she returned to her apartment above the garage.
The door was locked.
Nothing looked wrong.
Sadie stepped inside.
Then stopped.
Her bedroom light was on.
She was certain she'd turned it off.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Her pulse accelerated.
She grabbed the nearest weapon available.
A ceramic umbrella stand.
It was absurdly heavy.
She carried it down the short hallway.
Nobody.
The bedroom was empty.
Then she saw the bed.
An old train ticket lay in the center of the comforter.
Boston to Providence.
August 16, 2003.
The missing ticket.
Underneath it was a folded sheet of paper.
Sadie opened it.
Three words.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
The umbrella stand slipped from her fingers and crashed onto the floor.
Within ninety seconds, Julian was inside the apartment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Martin arrived behind him with two security officers.
Julian took one look at Sadie's face.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Did you touch anything?"
"The note."
"Anything else?"
"No."
Julian's attention moved to the ticket.
His expression became frighteningly calm.
"Martin."
"I'm on it."
"Lock the estate down."
Sadie turned.
"Absolutely not."
Julian looked at her.
"What?"
"You're not locking me inside a mafia mansion with whoever broke into my bedroom."
"I'm not locking you in. I'm locking everyone else out."
"That distinction is not comforting."
"You'll sleep in the main house."
"No."
"Sadie."
"I have a lock."
"Someone opened it."
"I'll get another lock."
"They'll open that one too."
She glared at him.
He stepped closer.
His voice dropped.
"Someone entered your home because of something that happened to your uncle twenty-three years ago. You are not sleeping here tonight."
She hated that he was right.
She hated even more that part of her felt safer when he said it.
Sadie folded her arms.
"Fine. One night."
Julian glanced at Martin.
"Prepare the east guest room."
"I'm not a hostage."
"No."
"Because this is starting to feel very—"
"You talk too much to be a hostage."
Sadie's mouth fell open.
Martin suddenly became extremely interested in the wall.
Hours later, Sadie couldn't sleep.
She wandered downstairs.
A record sat beside the turntable.
Different from the one she'd played before.
Her favorite Etta James album.
Sadie stared at it.
Julian appeared behind her.
"You left this here."
"Maybe."
"Why?"
He poured himself a drink.
"I've discovered the security footage is less tedious than expected."
She stared at him.
"That was almost a joke."
"Don't tell anyone."
Despite herself, she laughed.
For one strange second, the house didn't feel dangerous.
Then Martin entered carrying a tablet.
His face erased the moment.
"We found something."
He showed them a fragment of recovered video from the night the recipe card disappeared.
2:13 a.m.
A woman emerged from Evelyn's room.
Dark hair.
Elegant posture.
Sadie recognized her immediately from the photograph.
Claire Corsini Bennett.
Julian's sister.
ADVERTISEMENT
You May Also Like
-
CompletedChapter 25
The Alpha’s Nanny, His Lost Mate
Betrayed by her fiancé and her best friend, Nora Ellis escapes into a stranger’s hotel room—and finds shelter in the arms of a powerful Alpha. One unforgettable night leaves her carrying his child. But the enemies hunting her want more than her inheritance. Her blood can unlock her family’s hidden sanctuary, and they will stop at nothing to possess it. Forced to flee a hospital after giving birth, Nora returns to find her newborn daughter gone. For four years, she searches. A new lead brings her to the Silvermoon Pack, where she becomes nanny to Alpha Ronan Vale’s little girl. Maisie adores her, her sleeping wolf stirs whenever Ronan draws close, and the house begins to feel dangerously like home. Nora doesn’t know that the child curling up in her lap is the daughter she lost—or that her father is the man she has never forgotten.Billionaire|Dark Secrets|Werewolves|Glow-Up|Sweet Romance|Second Chance25.5k words5 0 -
CompletedChapter 11
His Guard Dog Chose Me
Clara Bennett arrives at the Castellano estate expecting another nursing shift. Instead, she finds an unconscious man bleeding on the marble—and a massive guard dog refusing to let anyone touch him. Everyone sees a threat. Clara sees an injured animal terrified of losing his person. Earning Titan’s trust helps her save Adrian Castellano, one of Chicago’s most dangerous men. But when Adrian wakes, he wants to meet the stranger his dog chose. A temporary nursing contract becomes shared dinners, unexpected tenderness, and kisses Clara can’t stop thinking about. Then someone inside Adrian’s world tries to hurt him again. Clara knows how to care for a wounded man. Loving one who’s used to giving orders will ask something very different of her.Mafia|Age Gap|Dark Secrets|Arranged Marriage11.7k words5 1 -
CompletedChapter 12
I Was Hired to Care for Him—Not Fall for Him
I took a job caring for Nico Alfieri because my little brother needed heart surgery. Falling for my patient was never part of the arrangement. Eight months after a devastating crash, Chicago’s most feared Mafia heir is surrounded by people who speak for him, make his decisions, and call it care. Then his fiancée slaps him in front of thirty guests. Nobody moves. Until I catch her wrist before the second blow. She threatens my job—and my brother’s treatment. Nico ends their engagement. But defending him has made me dangerous to his family. Because I’ve found something wrong with his medication, and someone in that house desperately wants me quiet. As Nico fights to reclaim his life, I begin to see the man beneath the orders and the anger. I was hired to care for him. Now I need to decide whether I’m brave enough to love him.Billionaire|Mafia|Age Gap|Dark Secrets10.4k words5 0 -
CompletedChapter 18
My Cold CEO Can Feel Everything I Do to His Pen
Jamie Parker has one rule for surviving his job: never argue with Alexander Sterling, the coldest, strictest CEO in Manhattan. Unfortunately, Jamie breaks that rule almost every day. When he finds an expensive black-and-gold fountain pen, he has no idea it's mysteriously connected to his terrifying boss's most sensitive sensations. One innocent bite during a board meeting sends Alexander into a panic. One careless touch makes the untouchable CEO lose his composure. And when Jamie finally discovers the truth? His workplace nightmare becomes dangerously entertaining. But beneath Alexander's icy exterior lies a man who has never learned how to love, while Jamie's playful defiance begins turning into something neither of them expected. Between hilarious office battles, forbidden attraction, stolen kisses, and a corporate conspiracy threatening to tear them apart, one question remains: **Can the man who controls everything survive falling in love with the one employee he can't control?** A hilarious, steamy, slow-burn M/M office romance filled with irresistible chemistry, unexpected tenderness, and a happily-ever-after.BL|Billionaire|Dark Humor|Healing Romance|Mutual Pining|Possessive Love|Sweet Romance|HE21.6k words5 0 -
CompletedChapter 10
The Maid Who Made the Mafia Boss Stay
Bennett Hale can make an entire city lower its voice. But when his dying mother needs him, he sends doctors—and stays away. Then he comes home early and finds Clara Reed, a young housekeeper, crying as she gently shaves his mother’s head. His mother is laughing for the first time in months. Clara knows the woman behind the medical reports. She also carries a grievance Bennett knows nothing about: eight years ago, his family promised her mother money that never arrived. As the truth draws them closer, Bennett begins looking for Clara every time he comes home. But she needs to know whether he wants her out of guilt—or because he’s falling in love.Maid/Nanny|Billionaire|Mafia|Sweet Romance|Second Chance6.5k words5 7 -
CompletedChapter 10
The Little Girl Who Promised the Mafia Boss He Would Walk Again
Everyone in Manhattan knew better than to touch Charles Whitmore without permission. Four-year-old Lyla straightened his tie and promised to make him walk. When a wealthy guest demanded that the barefoot child be thrown out, the feared Mafia boss sent the woman home instead. He expected Lyla to ask for money. She wanted a cookie. Then a gold watch slipped from her pocket. Charles recognized it immediately. He had given it to his younger sister before she disappeared twenty years ago. Now a little girl was standing in front of him with his sister’s watch—and a letter from her mother.Billionaire|Dark Secrets9.9k words5 4 -
SerialChapter 8
We Were Never Supposed to Fall in Love
Peter Hayes thought Graham Schroeder was the perfect roommate: immaculate suits, sharp wit, expensive taste—and absolutely no romantic potential. They were both bottoms. They had decided that made them safe. For three years, they shared coffee, borrowed clothes, and dismissed every almost-kiss as a joke. Then an ill-advised confession changed everything. Now Graham wants Peter close, but refuses to call it love. He offers tenderness in private, then takes it back by morning. And when Peter discovers a side of Graham reserved for another man, their carefully maintained arrangement begins to unravel. Peter wants more than stolen moments. Graham would rather lose control of anything than admit who already has his heart. They built a home around the promise that they would never fall in love. Neither knows what to do now that the promise is broken.BL|Billionaire|Dark Secrets|Possessive Love|Fake Relationship|BE8.4k words5 250 -
CompletedChapter 10
My Rival Makes a Terrible Fake Husband
Jamie Bennett had a perfectly good plan: embarrass himself at the engagement party, let his childhood rival reject him, and escape their families’ matchmaking. Adrian Hayes agreed. Then he stood up, applauded, and announced he’d fallen in love. Now Jamie is married to the most infuriating man he knows, with a two-year agreement and one very clear warning: don’t expect love. Fine. Jamie can handle that. What he can’t explain is why his supposedly indifferent husband remembers his favorite dessert, finds increasingly flimsy reasons to linger beside him, and arrives at a party he claimed he was too busy to attend. Then a handsome young musician takes an interest in Jamie. And Adrian’s performance as a husband who doesn’t care begins falling spectacularly apart.BL|Billionaire|Love After Marriage|Sweet Romance|HE9.2k words5 35