Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 528

Chapter 528: Chapter 124 Family Lines Drawn

Lila’s POV

The minutes crawled by as I sat on the leather chair in the private wing of the hospital that served the city’s elite families. Daniel remained silent beside me, his jaw clenched as he stared at the woman lying in the bed across from us. His father Martinez had been uncharacteristically attentive since we arrived, even making a trip to the hospital’s executive lounge, returning with expensive imported coffee and gourmet sandwiches from the facility that catered exclusively to the families who controlled this city’s underground empire. His sudden kindness made me reflect on how differently people treated me now that they knew I was Sullivan family blood, compared to when they thought I was just another scholarship student trying to escape the streets. It was becoming clearer by the second that power changed people’s perceptions, and this realization made me want that inheritance less and less.

"Mmm... oh... Daniel..." Sasha stirred in her hospital bed, her performance as transparent as glass.

Daniel glanced at me with the wariness of a man walking through enemy territory. I gave him a small nod, granting him permission to approach her. He released my hand reluctantly and moved toward the bed, keeping his distance like she might contaminate him.

"I’m here, Sasha," he said, his voice carrying the authority of a man who commanded both badge and respect in the underworld.

"You came." Even from where I sat, I could see her calculating smile and her manicured hand reaching out for his.

"I came because you left me no choice," he replied, his tone cutting through her act like a blade.

"Darling, don’t be so harsh. I’m fragile right now. Hold my hand, take care of me like you used to when we were married by family contract." Sasha’s manipulation was pathetic. The private physician who owed favors to the Martinez family had already confirmed that the amount of medication she’d taken wasn’t nearly enough to be dangerous, which only proved my suspicion that this was just another power play in the endless game of family politics.

"Sasha, you used our marriage to trap me before, and I was fool enough to honor it. Not this time. I’m only here because leaving someone from our circle alone in a crisis would reflect poorly on the Martinez name. But once the Mendez family arrives, I’m done with this charade." Daniel’s words carried the weight of a man who’d learned to navigate between law enforcement and family loyalty.

"Daniel, you can’t abandon your responsibilities to me as your wife." Right on cue, tears started streaming down her perfectly made-up face.

"Sasha, our marriage ended when you chose to betray family trust, and it was the best thing that could have happened. I found Lila, and I’m with her now. That’s not changing because she’s the woman I’ve chosen to stand beside me in this life. You’re being desperate and manipulative."

"If you don’t honor your obligations to me, I’ll destroy myself," Sasha wailed, as if she was suffering unbearable torment instead of nursing wounded pride.

I sat quietly, observing this theater while Martinez watched with visible disapproval. The irony wasn’t lost on me that he was the one who had originally supported this woman’s return to his son’s life. Suddenly, the door burst open as an elegant couple swept into the room with the entitlement of old money and political connections.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT, DANIEL! YOUR FAULT!" The woman, unmistakably Sasha’s mother, shrieked like a harpy.

"Lower your voice. This is a medical facility," Daniel snapped, his inspector’s authority cutting through her hysteria.

"Mother, he’s responsible for this! He told me to end my life when I begged him to honor his commitments as my husband." Sasha sobbed dramatically from her bed while Daniel stood there, visibly stunned by the audacity of her lie.

"You ungrateful bastard! What did you do to my daughter?" The man who’d entered with the woman advanced toward Daniel while the mother rushed to her daughter’s bedside.

"What did I do? What about what your daughter did to me and my family?" Daniel’s voice rose with barely contained fury. "This spoiled, manipulative woman inserted herself back into my life just to cause chaos and try to reclaim a position she forfeited through her own choices."

"Enough, Daniel!" The mother abandoned her daughter’s side to confront him. "You have obligations toward Sasha as her husband that transcend your current... diversions. Whatever little affair you’re having, end it now and return to honor the marriage vows made between our families."

My heart pounded as I watched this grotesque display of old-world entitlement. I’d never imagined such despicable people existed, even within the circles I was slowly learning to navigate. Daniel looked ready to explode while his father remained calm beside me, watching the scene unfold with calculating eyes.

"Wife? Please!" Daniel laughed bitterly. "You’re all just parasites feeding off family names. I haven’t had any responsibilities toward your daughter in years, because she chose to void those marriage contracts herself."

"Listen here, you arrogant prick, you won’t discard my daughter like she’s disposable." Sasha’s father moved closer to Daniel, both men clearly ready for a confrontation that could escalate beyond words.

"That’s rich! Wake up, Mendez. Your daughter is running a con. She never intended serious harm to herself. This is all an elaborate scheme to manipulate me back into our marriage, but it won’t work this time." Daniel’s voice carried the steel of a man who’d seen through every lie.

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