Every Mafia's Favorite Girl novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164: "What Do You Even Know About True Love?"

The rows of chairs outside the surgical wing were more crowded than they had ever been on an ordinary day.

Men from both House Sartori and House Lombardi had been sent there, surrounding Aren with a heavy security detail, while Jordan remained inside undergoing emergency surgery.

Aren sat beside Leo, but she could barely stay still.

Every few minutes, she abruptly rose from her chair, startling the men nearby, and hurried toward the doors leading to the operating suite.

She could see nothing beyond the corridor outside, but that did little to quiet the anxiety twisting inside her.

After a few moments, she would return to her seat, only to repeat the same restless routine minutes later.

When Leo saw her settle back down again, he felt compelled to offer whatever reassurance he could.

"The bullet struck Mister Jordan in the shoulder, not the spine or the skull. I’m not entirely sure why he lost consciousness from a shoulder wound, but I’m fairly certain it isn’t life-threatening and shouldn’t leave any lasting consequences."

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"You shouldn’t worry too much, my lady. The young man should be fine."

Aren sighed, grateful for his attempt, though the knot in her chest remained.

"Thank you, Leo... but I can’t help it," she murmured. "Jordan must have lost half his blood before they even got him onto the operating table. The bullet may have clipped one of the major arteries beneath his shoulder."

Her voice lowered with concern as her gaze returned to the surgical doors.

"Patching something like that requires real expertise."

That effectively exhausted Leo’s supply of reassurance. His expression tightened, and he lowered his gaze without offering another empty promise.

The heavy silence between them returned once more, until echoes of footsteps suddenly sounded from farther down the corridor.

Leo looked up and immediately recognized the group coming down the hall.

Giovanni Porto was walking toward them with several of his men, and beside him was Natalia — the very person responsible for turning what should have been a celebration into the current crisis.

Alarm flashed across Leo’s face. He shot to his feet and immediately waved toward the guards.

"Attention. It’s the Porto heiress! Gather around! Protect Lady Ariana!"

The surrounding men reacted instantly.

Chairs scraped against the floor as they rose, weapons ready, before they formed a protective wall around Aren.

Giovanni, meanwhile, had finished enjoying his cigar and returned to his usual cheerful, easygoing demeanor.

Carefully arranging an expression of regret, he signaled for his men to stop and raised both hands toward the guards.

"No, no, no," he said quickly. "This is a terrible misunderstanding. I’ve come in peace. May I have a word with Lady Ariana personally?"

Leo stepped forward, speaking on behalf of the men.

"With all due respect, Don Giovanni, we’ve been ordered by our boss not to let Lady Natalia anywhere near Lady Ariana under any circumstances."

Aren, however, had no intention of remaining hidden behind the men.

She moved around them and cautiously poked her head past the edge of the protective formation.

"Oh, it’s Don Giovanni..." she said quietly.

Her expression cooled the moment her eyes settled on Natalia.

"Excuse me, but why is she here? I don’t wish to see her anywhere near Jordan right now."

Natalia returned the look with an equally cold glare.

For an instant, the murderous hostility that had filled her eyes in the warehouse returned in full force.

Giovanni immediately stepped between the two women before the tension could escalate.

"Oh, dear! Lady Ariana, there you are. We’ve come looking for you regarding a very important matter."

He turned toward Natalia, and his expression hardened at once.

"What are you waiting for? Go ahead and redeem yourself."

Natalia’s expression changed immediately.

Hatred still lingered plainly across her features, but she forced it down and took a reluctant step forward.

"Would you mind if we had a private conversation, Lady Ariana?" she asked, attempting to sound casual. "There’s a waiting room down that way. I... I’ve got..."

Something caught in her throat, and she had to force the next words out.

"...I’ve got an apology to make."

The Lombardi and Sartori guards exchanged confused glances. Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Natalia, then turned toward Aren.

"My lady, I strongly advise against it. Even if you wish to speak with her, we should send some of our men along with you."

Giovanni readily agreed.

"Of course!" He clapped his hands together. "All of you may come along and stand guard outside. I assure you, we’ve only come to apologize to Lady Ariana personally. Nothing more."

Aren fell silent as she considered the sudden invitation. Her gaze swept over Natalia carefully, searching for any concealed weapon.

The purse Natalia had carried earlier was gone, and Aren could see no obvious firearm or blade on her.

’I should be able to take her out on my own if anything goes wrong.’

’Besides, I want a word with her myself.’

With that decision made, Aren finally stepped away from the protective wall of men. She turned toward the corridor Natalia had indicated and gestured for her to lead the way.

"Lady Natalia, shall we?"

─ •✧• ─ ✿ ─ •✧• ─

The waiting room was small and enclosed, with Aren’s army of guards now stationed outside the door.

A single sofa occupied one side of the room, but neither Aren nor Natalia showed any interest in sitting. They stood several paces apart instead, arms folded as they regarded each other in silence.

Whatever courtesy they might once have maintained between them had disappeared. After what had happened in the warehouse, there was no longer any reason to pretend they were anything but enemies.

Natalia was the first to speak.

"How’s Jordan’s condition?"

"I can’t tell yet," Aren replied flatly. "He lost a lot of blood. Fatal shock at worst. Several months of recovery at best."

Something lurched painfully inside Natalia’s chest.

’Fucking morons.’

’I didn’t tell them to do any of that.’

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