AUCTIONED TO HER DAD’S MAFIA ENEMIES: A MAFIA AGE-GAP REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (AUCTIONED SERIES Book 4)

UNDONE BY LOVE

The church is half-filled with guests, more on our side than Aemelia’s, but that’s to be expected. Her father’s family isn’t welcome, and her mother’s is small. Most of her friends from Maryland couldn’t make it, except for a select few we offered to fly out for the weekend.

On our side is a mix of beloved family—Rosita and Raphael with baby Mario asleep in her arms, Mama looking happy and proud, cousins, friends, our crew and their wives and children, and further back, our allies, the men who control this underworld most of the time.

I glance past them because their presence isn’t about sentiment, it’s about power, about ensuring that alliances remain intact. The only way to secure a safe future for Aemelia and our family is to keep the right people on our side. There’s no walking away from this life, so we have to play the game.

By my side, Antonio and Alexis stand, dressed in matching tuxedos, hair styled, eyes bright, waiting with the same tension I feel coiled inside me.

I don’t like it when Aemelia is out of our sight. That’s one of the benefits of sharing a woman—three husbands can protect her far better than one.

We’re an anomaly in this world. Men like us don’t share. They hoard, they claim, they devour. But with us, it has always been different. Sharing Aemelia has brought me a peace I never thought possible. While it took time for our mother to understand, Aemelia’s desire to fill our home with children has softened her heart. She just wants to see us happy, and it’s impossible for anyone to deny that we are.

“She’s late,” Alexis hisses, raking a hand through his curls, ruining their styled perfection. He looks more like himself now, a little disheveled, a little reckless.

“It’s a bride’s prerogative,” I remind him.

Carmella Lambretti sits in the front with her sister beside her. Christina is even thinner than when we last saw her, but she’s hanging on, determined to witness her niece’s wedding. Who knows what will happen after? She has already outlived every doctor’s prediction.

I adjust my cuffs, my fingers grazing the links Mario gave me so many years ago. He should have been here today. He was always the one who believed in love, the artist, the poet, the dreamer.

Before grief can weigh me down, music begins to play. Aemelia’s brother, CJ, appears in the doorway. And beside him, our bride.

She’s the picture of elegance, enveloped in cream lace that clings to her curves before spilling out into a fluted skirt. Tight sleeves drape over her hands, modest yet breathtaking. Over her head rests her mother’s veil, a final tether to the past she’s leaving behind. As the congregation turns to watch, she slides her hand into her brother’s arm, her posture regal, her steps measured.

The world slows, each step she takes carving away the years of violence and blood that led us here. The weight of my past, the sins I have worn like armor, seem to splinter as she draws closer. These hands—stained with blood, calloused and unworthy—have taken life without hesitation, but today, they will only hold hers, gentle and reverent. I have known power and commanded fear, but today, for the first time, I’m undone by something greater.

Her.

Nothing has ever unraveled me like the soft, steady way she looks at me now. Like I’m worthy of her love. She was never meant to be mine—never meant to belong to any of us—but fate, who’s been as cruel as she’s been generous, wove our paths together in the kind of story that shouldn’t have a happy ending. And yet, here she is, walking toward us, the only men who have ever been willing to burn the world to keep her safe. My chest tightens, my heart a raw, aching thing in my ribs. I never believed I’d find love and still don’t fully believe I deserve her.

“You ready?” Antonio asks, interrupting my thoughts.

“I was born ready,” I mutter, which earns a chuckle from both my brothers. I’m thirty-nine, and the wait for the perfect woman has been long. Now that she’s ours, I vow to make all the years we’re given together count. No more waiting for life to start.

“Unlike other mafia brides, at least this one has backup husbands,” Alexis chuckles darkly.

“I’m not planning to die any time soon,” I mutter, but he isn’t wrong. There is strength in numbers, and with three of us by her side, she and our children will never be alone.

My gaze locks on Aemelia, tracing the slow sway of her hips and the proud lift of her chin. She has always carried herself with a quiet grace, but now, she walks like a queen.

Aemelia Venturi. It has a much better ring to it than Lambretti. I can’t say I’m sorry to see Carlo’s name go.

When she reaches the altar, she waits for her brother to lift her veil. Since his time in rehab, his hands have been steady, his eyes clear. There’s no going back for him. He understands what will happen to him if he does.

Aemelia’s eyes shine, her skin glows, and her full lips curve into a soft, eager smile. We’ve all been waiting for this day, but Aemelia especially. It’s important to her that everyone sees that she’s not just our captive anymore. She’s our love, and now our wife.

I reach out for her hand, drawing her gently toward me. Once, I had to stoop to hold her hand. Not anymore. She meets my gaze, her own intensity like an open palm against my chest.

“You kept us waiting,” I whisper, and she gives me a cheeky smile.

“Was I worth the wait?”

I brush my thumb over the back of her hand. “I waited thirty-nine years for you, Aemelia. What’s a few more minutes?”

Her blush is sweet, her surprised expression enough to warm my heart. Antonio and Alexis gather closer as the priest begins the service.

His words wash over me like a dream because all I can think about is our life beginning today. From the moment Mario was murdered, our lives were knocked off course—grief, anger, and vengeance consumed us, driving away any hope of happiness. But now, we’re putting that chapter to rest.

When the priest instructs us to repeat after him, my throat tightens. Aemelia’s voice is soft but steady, unwavering as she commits herself to me, to us. The emptiness I have carried for so long is filled by her promises. I turn to my brothers, seeing the same devotion in their eyes.

The service ends, and I’m told to kiss my bride. My hands tremble as I cup her face, drawing her close. The first brush of our lips as husband and wife is unlike any kiss before—it’s the beginning of something new, something sacred. The first words inked in a book.

Once upon a time…

…a girl was rescued by three brothers to live happily ever after.

It’s a shortened version of the truth. The path was rocky, but we got there.

And we’ll love her, and she’ll love us.

Aemelia is breathless when I finally release her to the shouts and cheers of our friends, loved ones, and tentative allies. I take her hand and pass her to Antonio, who wraps his arms around her and kisses her like a man starving for her touch. More whoops and cheers erupt, though the priest has already withdrawn—displeased perhaps but content with the generous donation we made to the church.

Money is power, after all.

Alexis is last and, of course, always the showman, dipping her low with his usual flair, pressing a kiss to her lips like something out of a black-and-white film. When he pulls her upright, she’s flushed and radiant, glowing with happiness. So perfect that my throat burns with unshed emotion.

I swallow it down. No one will ever see this mob boss cry.

Except maybe Aemelia, later, when we’re alone, and I show her how much it means that she has chosen to walk beside us, to lay by our sides, to be ours in every way that matters.

***

The ballroom is as breathtaking as it was for Rosita’s wedding, with chandeliers casting golden light over the polished marble floor, flowers tumbling over crystal vases, and candles flickering romantically. Except, rather than my sister gliding around the dance floor in the arms of her husband, it’s Aemelia dancing with Alexis, her hair spilled loose and lightly curled down her back, the sleeves of her dress removed to reveal thin straps that show off her radiant olive skin.

Her face is alight with happiness, her body moving seductively, and Alexis is enraptured as he guides her, taking his turn for a first dance. The band plays a soft, romantic melody meant to slow the heart and heighten the moment. Alexis twirls her, dipping her low before drawing her back against his chest, his lips grazing her temple in a gesture that’s both possessive and reverent. She laughs, like the soft chime of silver, her eyes glimmering in the golden glow.noveldrama

I sip from a tumbler of aged whiskey, letting the burn settle deep in my chest as I watch my wife move between my brothers, my heart clenched in something primal and reverent. Aemelia Venturi. She’s no longer our captive. She’s no longer a pawn. She is our queen, our most treasured possession, mine to protect until my dying breath.

“She’s beautiful,” Mama murmurs beside me, placing a weathered hand on my forearm. I glance at her, noting the soft smile on her lips and the approval in her deep-set eyes. I place my hand over hers, engulfing it.

“She is,” I agree, my voice thick with pride.

“And she’s yours,” she adds, squeezing my arm gently. “This responsibility you’ve taken is not just a game, Luca. She’s your family now. Our family. She carries the Venturi name. She will birth the Venturi legacy.”

I catch sight of Mama’s wedding band, which is still wedged tightly onto her finger. Her marriage was the catalyst for our existence, and now, our marriage will bring more children to the bloodline—the never-ending cycle of life. “I know, Mama. She’s safe with us.”

“It is not just about safety,” she says, her gaze sharp, knowing. “A woman like that needs more than protection. She needs devotion. She needs a home. You have given her your name, but now you must give her a life. A future.”

A future. I sip my drink, letting the weight of her words settle over me. My world has revolved around vengeance, blood, and duty for so long. But now, I have something beyond that. Aemelia is my future, our future. She is the reason I will wake up every morning with a purpose beyond the family business.

“You’re taking her away?” she asks, though she already knows the answer.

“Tonight. We leave for the Maldives after the reception. I want her to have the honeymoon she deserves.”

My mother smiles approvingly, lifting her glass to her lips. “Good. A woman should know luxury. She should know what it means to be adored.”

Adored. The word perfectly fits with how I feel about Aemelia.

I turn my attention back to my wife just in time to see Antonio take her from Alexis, his hand settling on the small of her back as he leads her into a slower dance. He presses his forehead to hers, whispering something that makes her blush and smile, her fingers curling into the lapel of his tuxedo.

A flicker of possessiveness rolls through me, but it is quickly replaced by satisfaction. We’re not like other men in our world. We don’t fight over our woman. We share, we protect, and we love. Together.

The night continues in a blur of laughter, wine, and celebration. Aemelia never leaves my sight, moving between me and my brothers and greeting our guests with the grace of a queen. When the time comes to cut the cake, she looks up at me with eyes so full of light that I think I could drown in them.

“You ready to leave after this?” I murmur against her ear as we make the final rounds of the evening.

She nods, her fingers tightening around mine. “Yes. Take me away from here, Luca.”

Minutes later, we slip out, escorted by our men through the back entrance of the grand estate. A sleek black car waits for us, its driver already at attention. Antonio and Alexis climb in behind us, their hands resting protectively on Aemelia’s knees as she leans into me, exhaustion and excitement warring in her eyes.

The drive to the private airstrip is silent, filled only with the quiet hum of the engine and the sound of our kisses as we pass Aemelia between us, hungry for our wife. Our private jet is waiting when we arrive, and the crew is already prepared for takeoff.

Aemelia’s breath catches as she steps onto the plane, taking in the plush leather seats, the dim golden lighting, and the bottles of champagne chilling in a crystal bucket. “This is… incredible.”

Alexis grins, pulling her onto his lap as he pours a glass. “Only the best for our wife.”

Antonio sits across from them, his gaze softening as he watches her. “We want you to have everything you never had before, Aemelia.”

I sit beside her, tilting her chin toward me so she has no choice but to meet my gaze. “From now on, you’ll never want for anything again, mi amore. The world is yours.”

She swallows hard, her fingers tightening around my wrist. “I already have everything I need. I have you.”

I grip her jaw in my hand, staring into the eyes of the woman who’s found her way into my heart. “You were never meant for this life., but you were meant for us. You’ll wear our name before the world, Aemelia Venturi. And in private, you’ll wear nothing but our marks.”

Her smile illuminates the universe.

The engines roar to life, and as the plane ascends into the night, carrying us toward the sun-soaked paradise of the Maldives, I know with certainty that the war we have fought, the blood we have spilled, was all worth it because it has led to this.

To her.

To us.

Forever.