Free From the Mafia King, Claimed by My Lost Love

As the sole heir to a powerful mafia family, Julian Vance cared about his reputation more than anything else.

He could sleep around with as many women as he wanted, but he would never let his wife spend her nights alone.

So, every time he brought home a new mistress, he would throw a handsome young man at me.

The first time it happened, I went completely wild, smashing everything in the house to pieces. Julian just lounged on the velvet sofa, slowly and meticulously cleaning his gun.

Only when I collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted, did he wrap his arm around his new girl and head to the bedroom, leaving me alone in the middle of the wreckage.

Then came the second time, the third time... countless times. I went from screaming in despair to being completely numb.

Eventually, I could calmly unlock the handcuffs of those young men, write them a fat check, and send them on their way. "Don't waste your energy," I’d tell them. "I'm not like Julian." "I have no interest in making myself dirty." Until he brought home someone different.

She was a sweet, fragile young girl. She hid behind Julian, looking at me with terrified, deerlike eyes. Julian smirked, his tone dripping with mockery. "Summer is pregnant.

She’ll be staying here to rest. Take good care of her." "Oh, and I’ve already prepared your reward. An Ivy League graduate.

He’s more than qualified to keep you company." I nodded blankly, pulling out a preprepared bank card, ready to dismiss the guy just like I always did.

But the moment I looked up, I froze. Because the man standing in front of me was my exboyfriend, Levi Sterling. He had been missing for ten whole years.

In an instant, my heart hammered violently against my ribs. Time seemed to have frozen on his face.

He looked exactly the same as he did ten years ago when he left, only a bit more mature, yet with a lingering boyishness. I wanted to ask him why he was here.

I wanted to ask him why he had vanished without a single word, leaving me for an entire decade. But as the words reached my lips, they died.

All I could hear was the frantic, deafening thud of my own heartbeat. It was the first time Julian had ever seen me lose my composure.

He narrowed his dark eyes, shifting his gaze between Levi and me, before letting out a cold sneer. "Wow, Clara.

I didn’t know you liked this type." To Julian, Levi looked ridiculously poor and out of place.

He wore a faded, slightly yellowed white buttondown shirt and a pair of wornout jeans. His hair was long enough to cover his eyes.

He stared at me with dark, intense pupils, radiating a gloomy, melancholic vibe. Julian couldn't comprehend why I would be staring at someone like him.

He tipped his chin toward Levi, commanding him in a condescending tone: "Go on. Make your boss happy." Levi didn't budge.

He pressed his lips into a tight line, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white, as if he were enduring a massive humiliation. I stared at him, dazed.

The Levi I knew had a terrible temper. If anyone crossed him, he’d strike back immediately. He would never endure this silently. Was this really him?

But could two people in this world look so identical? While I was lost in my confusion, Julian lost his patience.

He walked up to Levi, raised his gun, and pressed the cold muzzle right against Levi's forehead. "What are you waiting for?" The next second, he kicked Levi hard in the waist.

Levi stumbled forward, almost crashing to the floor. Instinctively, I rushed over and caught him.

He fell directly into my arms, burying his face in my shoulder, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. No, I thought. This isn't Levi. Levi was proud.

He would never show such vulnerability. The wild hope in my chest instantly cooled down. I pulled out my credit card again and handed it to him.

Before the man could say a word, Julian laughed mockingly. "Cut the act, Clara.

Why are you pretending to be so innocent?" "Did you forget how desperately you crawled into my bed back then?" I was long used to Julian's venomous words.

Without even looking at him, I calmly told the man who looked just like my lost love, "There’s fifty thousand dollars on this card.

Take it and leave." The man's eyelashes fluttered. He reached out with his long, slender fingers and gently touched the card. My pupils shrank in shock!

On the side of his index finger, there was a tiny, faded scar. It was identical to Levi's. It was him! It was Levi! My heart violently surged, and my fingertips began to tremble.

I was terrified that he would actually take the card and walk out of my life forever. But at the same time, I wanted him to take the money and leave.

He must have hit rock bottom to end up in Julian’s house under this disguise. Taking the money and leaving was the best option. It would save him from Julian's humiliation.

But Levi did neither. His fingers slid from the card to the back of my hand. Finally, he wrapped his fingers around my wrist, pulling me gently toward him.

Unprepared, I stumbled forward, my forehead bumping against his chest. Levi's low, raspy voice whispered in my ear, "I don't want the money.

Let me stay with you, please?" My heart pounded frantically. He wasn't the first person to say something like this.

Julian had told every man he brought to me that if they managed to get me to sleep with them, they would get a million dollars, with no cap.

So those men had tried every trick in the book. Shameless seduction, subtle flirting, sweet talk, playing hard to get—they did it all.

But none of those tricks could compare to a single word from Levi. With one sentence, he completely disarmed me.

By the time I snapped out of it, I had already whispered: "Okay." Before Levi could even react, the smirk wiped clean off Julian's face.

His eyes turned incredibly dark, his thin lips pressed into a hard line.

He didn't seem to realize his own reaction until Summer spoke up, her eyes red with tears. "Julian, you're hurting me..." Only then did he realize he was gripping her arm so hard it was already bruising.

In an instant, his composure returned. The darkness in his eyes melted into his usual mocking smirk. He sneered at me: "Ah, Clara.

You finally dropped your little act." I didn't even bother to glance at him. I took Levi by the hand and walked straight out the door. First, I took him to the hospital.

I was terrified that Julian's kick had caused internal injuries. Once the doctor cleared him, I took him straight to the mall. Levi had extremely sensitive skin.

If the fabric of his clothes was cheap, he’d break out in hives. After shopping for hours, we finally returned home with arms full of bags.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Summer sitting on my couch, wearing one of my silk robes.

The moment she saw me, her eyes pooled with tears, and she stood up timidly. "I'm so sorry, Clara.

I didn't mean to wear your clothes." "I was clumsy and broke the vase in the living room. It spilled water all over me.

Julian insisted I wear this..." I looked over at the shelf in the living room.

Whether it was a deliberate provocation or they just forgot to clean up, the shattered vase was still there.

Shards of porcelain were scattered everywhere, looking just like my broken heart. I supposed I should have been devastated. Julian had bought me that vase for our first anniversary.

He had bid thirtysix million dollars for it at an auction.

When reporters asked him why he spent such an astronomical sum on an antique, Julian had smiled warmly at the camera: "It's for my wife.

She loves arranging flowers." From that day on, everyone knew how deeply Julian Vance loved his wife. But now, I couldn't find the energy to care.

I looked at Summer and said calmly: "It's just a vase.

If it's broken, it's broken." The moment the words left my mouth, the sound of a phone clattering onto the hardwood floor echoed from the stairs.

I looked up and saw Julian standing there.

His handsome brow was furrowed, his eyes blazing with fury. He immediately snapped at me: "Clara! Summer just wore your robe.

Why do you have to be so difficult and cruel to her?" How pathetic. I actually thought he was angry because I didn't care about the vase.

After all, back when we fought the hardest and I smashed the entire house to pieces, I hadn't dared to touch that single vase.

I let out a soft sigh and told him: "I'm not being difficult. My closet is open to her anytime. She can take whatever she likes." Julian's face darkened further.

He clenched his jaw, stormed down the stairs, and grabbed Summer’s hand. He glared at me. "You think anyone wants your trash, Clara? Summer is carrying my child.

I will give her the absolute best!" With that, he ordered his driver to bring the car around and immediately called the personal shoppers at several luxury boutiques.

I wasn't surprised at all. Having been married to him for so long, we did share some similarities. For instance, we both loved dressing up the people we loved.

In the past, we used to dress each other up. Now, I was dressing up Levi, and he was dressing up Summer. Seeing that I remained entirely unmoved, Julian grew even more furious.

He dragged Summer out, completely ignoring the fact that she couldn't keep up with his long strides and was stumbling behind him. I didn't care to watch his drama.

I turned around, took Levi's hand, and asked: "Are you hungry?" Levi shook his head. I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing.

I had so many questions, but I didn't know how to start. I was afraid of triggering painful memories, and afraid that he wouldn't want to tell me anything.

Perhaps everyone becomes this fragile and anxious in front of the person they love.

As if sensing my inner turmoil, Levi, who had been silently trailing behind me all day, finally spoke. "Clara," he whispered, his voice raspy. "I'm thirsty." Levi was younger than me, but only by fifteen days.

We grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and he had never called me by that nickname in such a soft, intimate tone before. My heart skipped a beat, and my face flushed.

Forgetting all my questions, I practically bolted. "II'll get you some water." I hid in the kitchen for a while to calm down, slapping my cheeks before pouring a glass of water and walking back to him.

He took the glass in both hands, lowering his head to drink. His long eyelashes cast soft shadows on his cheeks, making him look incredibly sweet and innocent.

I asked the housekeeper to prepare a separate dinner just for him. Levi seemed to have something on his mind and barely ate.

Thinking he was just exhausted, I escorted him to the guest room so he could get some rest. But just as I turned to leave, Levi caught my fingers.

His dark, bottomless eyes stared straight into mine. "Clara, stay with me." As he spoke, he gently nuzzled his head against the back of my hand. I couldn't resist him.

I stayed by his side until he fell asleep, then quietly slipped out. Instead of returning to my own room, I headed back to the kitchen. Levi had barely eaten anything at dinner.

I was worried he'd wake up hungry in the middle of the night, so I decided to whip up a latenight snack for him.

Just as I finished cooking and was about to plate the food, I turned around and gasped. Julian was standing just outside the kitchen, watching me.

I had no idea how long he had been standing there.

Startled, I blurted out: "When did you get back?" Julian sneered. "Why? Worried I'd ruin your little rendezvous with your new boy toy?" I didn't know how to answer that.

Sometimes, Julian found staying at home too boring, so he would take his girls to hotels or penthouses and not return for days. I had assumed tonight would be the same.

Fortunately, Julian didn't press further. Instead, his eyes locked onto the tray in my hands.

Suddenly, he said: "Clara, I don't think you've ever cooked a meal for me." I instinctively pulled the tray closer to my chest.

Sensing my reluctance, Julian took a deliberate step forward and snatched the tray right out of my hands.

He sat down elegantly at the dining table and began to eat, slowly and deliberately.

Frustration flared in my chest, and I finally snapped: "Julian, that wasn't made for you." Julian ignored me entirely.

Once he finished every last bite, he picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

His red lips parted to spit out a single word: "Terrible." Looking at the completely empty plate, I almost laughed out of sheer anger.

I threw back: "If it's so terrible, go ask Summer to cook for you." With that, I turned on my heel and walked toward my bedroom. But before I could close the door, Julian caught up.

He slammed me against the wall, his hands slipping beneath the hem of my shirt.

His voice was thick and raspy. "Clara, give me a child." Instantly, goosebumps erupted all over my skin. It wasn't out of desire; it was pure, unadulterated terror.

Ever since that incident on our first anniversary, Julian had never touched me. He claimed I was dirty.

Back then, I had desperately tried to seduce him a few times out of sheer denial. The first time, he recorded me and sent it to his circle's Snapchat group.

Everyone saw my desperate, pathetic state. For a long time, I was too ashamed to even step outside.

The last time, he dragged me to a highend club and told me that if I was so desperate for a man, I should start working there.

I fell to my knees, sobbing and begging for mercy, before he finally let me go. Since then, I never dared to cross the line again.

So when Julian pressed against me, my first instinct was that he had found a new way to torture me. I desperately tried to push him away.

Irritated, Julian forced himself on me, planting a harsh kiss on my lips. The bitter smell of alcohol invaded my senses. Only then did I realize he was drunk.

Julian had a ridiculously low tolerance. A single glass of strong liquor could knock him out.

In all the years we had been together, he had only gotten drunk once—on our wedding night. It seemed he truly adored Summer.

He had let his guard down so completely around her that he allowed himself to get this wasted.

A bitter ache swelled in my chest, but I kept my voice soft and placating, trying to soothe him: "Julian, you're hurting me. Let me go." Julian tilted his head.

When he was drunk, he was usually easier to handle. He slowly released his grip on my wrists.

Before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, Julian wrapped his arm around my waist, lifted me effortlessly off my feet, and kicked the bedroom door wide open.

He chuckled darkly. "Clara, I know you put that boy in the guest room. You didn't sleep with him.

You only kept him around to make me jealous, didn't you?" "No, I kept him because—" Before I could finish my sentence, Julian's suffocating kisses rained down on me, stealing my breath away.

Terrified, I thrashed wildly against him, my hand accidentally hitting the light switch on the wall. The pitchblack bedroom was instantly flooded with bright, blinding light.

I winced, and as my eyes adjusted, my entire body went rigid. Levi was sitting quietly at the head of my bed, clutching a pillow.

His long hair veiled his dark, stormy eyes, making it impossible to read his expression. And resting on his lap was Summer, sleeping peacefully!

I had no idea how Levi and Summer had ended up in the same room, but my survival instinct kicked in. I immediately reached out to cover Julian's eyes.

He loved Summer so much; I was terrified of what he would do to Levi if he saw this. But I had underestimated his strength. Julian grabbed my wrist and easily pushed my hand away.

The sudden shock seemed to sober him up instantly. The mocking warmth in his eyes completely vanished, replaced by a deadly chill.

He stared at Levi, his voice like ice. "Who the hell are you?"