Claimed by the Mafia Don-Chapter 53: Still Going Through With The Revenge

ZOE DEAN’S POV

"Zoe!"

I barely had time to turn before Emily crashed into me. One second I was standing by the entrance, and the next her arms were thrown around my neck, holding on so tightly it felt like she feared I might vanish if she loosened her grip even a little.

The breath rushed out of me in a soft gasp — but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt... good. Familiar. Like something inside me finally unhooked.

I smiled the second my arms wrapped around her. God, I’d missed her. More than I let myself admit while I was away.

"I missed you," I murmured against her shoulder, my laugh small and breathless from the sheer force of her hug. I could practically feel her happiness vibrating through her — warm, trembling, almost overwhelming. And strangely, it made something in me warm too. Emily wasn’t just a friend anymore; she was the one woman in Nero’s world who made me feel like I wasn’t alone. After everything we’d seen together, that bond had rooted itself deep.

"I—I knew you’d come back," she whispered as she pulled back just enough for me to see her face. Tears clung to her lashes, sparkling, but her smile was impossibly wide. "I missed you. Every single day."

My chest tightened, the ache sudden and soft. She really was one of the sweetest souls I’d ever met.

"I missed you more," I said, really looking at her now. She’d filled out — soft cheeks, glowing skin, the tiniest bump pressing against the fabric of her tight black mini dress. She looked... healthy. Happy. Beautiful.

Her lip wobbled again, this time with something like mock frustration, and she hit my arm lightly. "You were gone forever, Zoe. Were you thinking of never returning?"

"It wasn’t forever," I laughed, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "I just had a lot to deal with." I added a small wink, and she didn’t need more explanation. She already knew what "a lot" meant.

Emily chuckled and tugged me back into her arms, the second hug somehow softer but tighter at the same time. I let myself sink into it, grounding myself with her warmth.

I felt Nero’s gaze on me, sharp and unmistakable — but I didn’t look back. Honestly? He could watch all he wanted. The reason I’d been away from her was his fault, and if he felt even a little left out now... well, he could deal with it.

When I eased out of Emily’s arms again, I noticed Benny standing beside Nero. Both of them were watching us like they weren’t sure if they were allowed to interrupt.

I grinned. "You’ve added weight, babe."

Her whole face lit up instantly, cheeks pink. "Really? I told Benny but he kept saying I was imagining things. He said I still look as sexy as when he married me."

A laugh slipped out of me. That was such a Benny thing to say — partly because he meant it, partly because he valued his life too much to ever argue with a pregnant woman.

"It suits you," I said gently. "Pregnancy looks good on you."

She blushed harder. "Awwn, thank you. It just hasn’t been easy without my baby’s godmother, you know."

That softened me in a way I didn’t expect. I squeezed her hand, and she instantly laced her fingers through mine.

"Come," she said, tugging me toward the mansion entrance with sudden excitement. "You need to tell me everything. And I mean everything."

I laughed as she practically dragged me across the threshold, her enthusiasm contagious.

********

STEFANO RUSSO’S (NERO’S) POV

I stayed outside even after Zoe and Emily disappeared through the doorway. For a moment, the house felt... different. Lighter somehow. Zoe had that effect — she walked into a room and it was like tension folded in on itself, softened just by her being there.

She didn’t even try. It was just who she was. Soft where the world had been hard to her. Warm where I’d only ever learned to be cold.

"They’ve gone in. You can stop staring now," Benny murmured beside me, amusement dripping from his voice.

I didn’t bother looking at him. If I did, I’d see that stupid grin he put on whenever he wanted to poke at me. And I wasn’t in the mood. Not today. Not after everything that happened. If he said one wrong thing, I might actually knock his teeth out — pregnant wife or not.

Silence settled between us. Then he clapped a hand on my shoulder in that careless, familiar way of his.

"I’m glad you chose forgiveness over revenge," he said quietly. "I’m glad she’s back."

The words hung in the air, gnawing at me.

Forgiveness.

I rolled the word around in my mind, slow, deliberate. It tasted foreign.

I finally turned my head slightly. "What do you mean ’chose forgiveness over revenge’?"

Benny blinked like he thought the meaning should’ve been obvious. "I mean... Zoe’s back. So you must’ve let it go. The anger. The plans. All of it."

My jaw tightened.

"And who told you I chose forgiveness?" I asked, my voice flat, razor-edged.

He stared at me, really stared, searching my face for something — softness, reassurance, logic. He wasn’t going to find any.

A small crease formed between his brows. His voice dropped to almost a whisper, like he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer. "Nero... you’re still going through with the revenge? Seriously?"

The aura radiating from me felt colder suddenly. Or maybe that was just the cold air.

My expression must’ve told him everything he needed to know, because his shoulders sagged and he looked away like he needed a second to process the disappointment or shock — whatever it was.

"What about Zoe?" he asked after a long moment. "What are you going to tell her?"

For a heartbeat, something in me stalled. Zoe’s smile. Her arms around Emily. The softness she carried like it belonged to her alone.

Then the moment passed.

I straightened, my voice controlled, firm. "Let me handle Zoe," I said. "And wait for my next order."

Benny exhaled slowly, like he already knew that meant trouble. But he didn’t argue.

He never argued when my voice sounded like that.