Stuck in a Mafia Romance

Chapter 192: Strange Man

NO ONE’S POV

As the man tried to come a bit closer to Lily, a strong hand suddenly came between them, blocking his path. Lucian stepped in, his tall body completely crowding the man’s space. He leaned in, his voice dangerously low. "Do you have actual work to discuss with her?"

The man blinked, looking a bit shocked by the sudden interruption. He looked past Lucian’s shoulder at Lily. "Do you know him?"

Lily looked at Lucian. He was staring at her intensely. She stared at him for a second, then she looked back at the stranger and calmly shook her head.

"No," Lily said in a completely flat voice. "He just has a huge crush on me and keeps following me everywhere. He is basically a stalker."

"You- !" Lucian’s jaw dropped. He was about to burst with absolute rage right then and there. His fists clenched at his sides, but he forced himself to stay calm, knowing the dangerous situation they were currently in.

The stranger looked at Lucian with deep disgust and stepped back. "Wow. You should be really careful around such dudes, beautiful," the guy said to Lily, shaking his head.

"My girlfriend is just very mad at me right now, don’t worry about that," Lucian said through a fake strained smile. Before the man could say another word, Lucian firmly grabbed Lily’s arm and dragged her away with him. "Excuse us."

Lily quietly followed behind him, her face completely expressionless as he pulled her through the crowd.

As soon as they reached a safe, empty balcony away from the party guests, Lucian let go of her arm. He turned around, his entire face bright red, literally fuming with anger.

"Are you completely insane?!" Lucian hissed, his voice trembling with rage. "A stalker? You called me a stalker in front of a rival family member?"

"I was only repeating your own words, Young Master," Lily replied, her voice calm and steady. "You told Dante I was a stalker. I thought it was a useful family strategy."

"That was completely different! I was trying to save your useless life from getting shot!" Lucian yelled in a harsh whisper, throwing his hands up in the air. "And you don’t just go around telling people I have a... a crush on you!"

"Why not?" Lily asked, tilting her head slightly with a genuinely blank expression. "My lady explained the definition to me today. She said a crush means you think about someone all day and your heart beats fast. You wanna follow them around. Since you keep following me around the mansion and tracking my cars, the description fits you perfectly."

"I am tracking you because you are a dangerous variable to my father’s business, not because my heart is beating fast!" Lucian practically choked on his own breath, his face turning an even darker shade of red. He stepped closer, trying to look intimidating. "Listen to me carefully, robot. I do not like you. I will never like you. You are an annoying, cold-blooded servant."

"Good," Lily said flatly, her dark eyes staring directly into his furious ones. "Then stop acting like a flustered teenager every time I use the word. It makes you look very guilty."

"I am not flustered!" Lucian shouted quietly, his ears burning hot under his dark hair. He felt like he was losing his mind. Every time he tried to make her feel small, she just threw a calm sentence that made him fume even more. "You are the most frustrating human being on this entire planet!"

"Thank you, Young Master," Lily said, giving a small, polite nod. "Now, if you are done throwing your tantrum, our target just entered the VIP lounge. Should we go, or do you need more time to clear your blushing face?"

Lucian stared at her, his teeth gritting so hard his jaw ached. He let out a loud, frustrated groan, turned around, and walked toward the lounge, muttering curses under his breath while Lily walked silently right behind him, feeling highly satisfied.

Lucian was about to turn but he suddenly stopped. Before Lily could take another step, he reached out, grabbed her hand firmly, and pulled her back into the dark corner. He pressed her up against the cold wall, his tall body completely covering hers as he stared closely into her eyes.

This unexpected action caught Lily completely off guard. Her breath hitched slightly, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Lucian quickly raised his hand and shushed her.

"Shhh..." he whispered right next to her ear, his hand gently covering her lips. He pointed his finger toward the dimly lit hallway just ahead of them.

Lily stopped moving and followed his gaze. Through the shadows, she saw a suspicious figure dressed in a dark cloak, looking around before slipping quietly into the target’s private room.

Lily’s eyebrows came together in a small frown. According to the original intel her team had gathered, the corrupt politician was not supposed to be meeting anyone else in his lounge today. So who exactly was this mysterious person meeting him in secret?

"Seems like their plan has completely changed," Lucian murmured, his face still very close to hers as his eyes tracked the closed door.

Lily nodded slowly, her professional instincts

instantly taking over. The playful bickering from before vanished completely. "We have to use the backup plan now," she said smoothly.

"Huh?" Lucian pulled back slightly, looking at her completely dumbfounded. His jaw dropped a little. "We actually had a backup plan? Since when did we make a backup plan for this?"

Lily didn’t answer. She just gave him one of her signature flat, judging glances, as if she couldn’t believe he hadn’t prepared for a sudden change in the mission. Without saying a single word, she pushed past his arm and calmly walked out of the dark corner, blending right back into the the hallway.

Lucian stood there for a second, letting out a frustrated sigh at her silent insult before rushing to keep up with her steady pace.

No sooner had they positioned themselves at opposite sides of the heavy VIP doors than a sudden, loud buzz echoed through the grand hotel building. In the next instant, every single light in the ballroom and the private corridors went completely off. The entire floor was plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness, causing the wealthy guests down the hall to gasp and chatter in confusion.

Lily had successfully cut the main power lines.

Hearing the sudden silence and darkness cover the area, Lucian reached into his sleek suit jacket and smoothly took out his suppressed gun.

The time for talking was officially over. It was time for the mission.With the hotel lights completely out, Lucian and Lily moved. They pushed the doors open and struck directly into the private VIP hall. The pitch-black room was dead silent, but their eyes quickly adjusted to the dark.

Lily scanned the area immediately. The suspicious man in the dark cloak who had entered just a minute ago was now nowhere to be found. He had completely vanished into the shadows of the large room.

They did not have time to hunt for him. Lucian and Lily looked around the space, then walked straight for the corrupt politician they had originally come for. The older man was hiding under a large desk, shivering with fear. Lucian stepped forward, raised his suppressed weapon, and pointed the gun directly toward him.

"Please! No! Spare me!" the politician begged for mercy, his voice cracking as he held his hands up in the air. "I will give you whatever you want! Just do not shoot!"

Just then, the double doors of the lounge burst open violently. A large group of armed bodyguards rushed inside, attracting Lily and Lucian’s attention.

"Intruders! Get them!" a voice shouted.

Instantly, gunshots fired and echoed loudly in the dark place. Muzzle flashes lit up the room.

Lucian moved quickly, diving behind a couch and firing back at the oncoming men. Lily moved dodging the bullets by rolling across the floor, her movements completely silent.

Taking advantage of the sudden chaos, the corrupt politician scrambled out from under his desk. He was about to run toward a secret exit door in the back of the room to save his life.

Lily noticed his movement out of the corner of her eye. She did not hesitate. She reached down to her thigh, pulled out a sharp silver dagger, and aimed it. With a swift snap of her wrist, she threw the blade directly at his neck. The dagger flew true, striking its target. The politician let out a choked gasp and fell heavily to the floor, motionless.

The main target was officially down.

As Lily was about to turn around to go help Lucian finish off the remaining bodyguards, she felt a sudden rush of wind from behind her.

Without any warning, a tall, dark figure launched out of the shadows at her.

The impact forced her against a pillar. Lily quickly recovered and began fighting him hand-to-hand. This attacker was different from the normal bodyguards; his movements were incredibly fast. As they traded heavy blows in the dark, Lily realized he was not trying to kill her. Instead, he kept reaching up, trying to pull her disguise mask off her face.

She blocked his hand, throwing a punch at his chest. He dodged it smoothly, his fingers brushing against the edge of her mask once again.

Suddenly, a bit of light from the hallway outside fell onto their faces, illuminating them for a split second. Through the small gap in the darkness, Lily could see his clear jawline and dark hair. He was also wearing a black mask that covered his eyes. But as his right hand reached forward again to grab her mask, the dim light hit the back of his skin.

Lily froze for a fraction of a second. She noticed a very specific, unique mark burned into his hand- it was a scar exactly like the one she had on her own hand. It was the mark left by her family.

Before she could process the shock, the man lunged again. Lily reacted on pure instinct, bringing her knee up and kicking him off her with massive force.

He stumbled back into the shadows. She was about to chase after him to catch him and see his face, but another bodyguard suddenly came from the side, swinging a metal pipe at her head.

"Get away from him!" the guard yelled.

Lily ducked under the swing, grabbed the man’s arm, and twisted it until it snapped. She quickly took care of him and the remaining few guards, clearing the room alongside Lucian.

After a bit, a loud click echoed through the building, and the bright hotel lights finally came back on, blinding them for a moment. Lily instantly whipped her head around, searching the room for the mysterious attacker with the matching scar.

But the room was empty of threats. The man was no longer there. He had completely vanished into the night, leaving Lily standing in the middle of the room with a racing mind.

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TO BE CONTINUED