Seducing The Devil Mafia Lord

Cattleya's POV.

ROME, ITALY.

I couldn't help but wipe my tears with my bare hand.

Then my driver slid open the van's door and said, "My condolences, Ms. Cattleya."

I bit my lower lip and walked down the aisle with a heavy heart, and as I looked around, everyone was dressed in black; I couldn't believe that it was really my twin sister's funeral.

But being here with relatives I barely know makes me feel suffocated.

Whispers and forced sympathies fill the air, and each person gets on my nerves that I want them to be kicked away from my twin sister’s funeral, so they can have a place for their gossip.

I stare at Ariella’s smiling photos in the center and then I glance down at the closed casket, a heavy oak barrier that will separate me from my sister forever.

“Ariella…” I said trying to stop myself from breaking down.

“Catt…” My mom walked towards me and I hugged her tightly, bursting into tears. She sobbed softly, "It was all my fault."

"Mom, it's not your fault." I said, and asked, "Where's Dad?"

"He's not here." she said while wiping her tears, "He's blaming himself for what happened to Ariella."

"Oh..." that's all I can say while heavily crying.

As the ceremony winds down, several of my twin sister's relatives and friends offer their condolences, but their questions about her cause of death remain unanswered.

Some people even said, "She was shot in the chest."

"What? Someone killed her on purpose?"

"I'm not sure, it might have been." the other lady said.

"Yes, three bullets were found in her room," the other person said.

My cousin, who was dressed in red, smirked happily in the corner. She said, "I bet Ariella did something really crazy to get away. I heard her relationship was crumbling. No wonder she wanted to die and now, she's dead. A pity."

I walked towards my cousin and glared at her angrily. "What the hell did you just say? You can’t talk about my sister like that! She’s dead, and you’re disrespecting her!"

Analia rolled her eyes and put down her glass of wine. "Well, I don’t care if she's dead. She’s still the woman who tried to seduce my husband! No, scratch that; she was his mistress! I saw them together!"

I scoffed in disbelief. "Shut up, Analia! How can you say such things here? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?"

Everyone in the ceremony was watching us.

Analia laughed loudly. "I don’t care about her! I don’t care anymore! My husband left me, I’m alone now. Well, good thing Ariella’s death makes me feel like a winner!"

I slapped her face in front of everyone and splashed the glass of wine on her. "Get out of here! You have no proof of my sister’s affair with your husband! Leave, or do you want me to drag you out?!"

Analia scoffed, "Really? How can you act sane when your sister is the drama queen in this family?"

I slapped her again, and just as she was about to slap me back, I grabbed her hand and glared at her, saying, "If you don't know anything about her life, please stop talking. Can you just please shut your mouth?"

She sneered, "Or what? You're going to call the police to arrest me?"

"No, but you won't be happy with the consequences," I said with a smile. "How about taking everything that belongs to you? That would be enough to silence your mouth, yeah?"

She pursed her lips and screamed at me, "This isn't over yet!"

The guards came and dragged Analia out, still arguing. My anger was building.

My mother was crying in the corner, unable to bear the humiliation.

Then I walked outside and saw my driver waiting for me, “Take me to Ariella’s condo.”

****

As I stepped into Ariella's condo, I was immediately struck by the chaos that seemed to echo my twin sister's personality.

Her clothes were strewn across the floor, tissues littered every surface, and her desk was a jumble of papers and a coffee mug that still held a half-drunk cup of coffee.

Everything felt so sad that I couldn't even look at our lovely photos beside her side table.

I softly sighed and closed my eyes, "What happened to you?"

While opening her drawer, I found a nightclub flier featuring a skull and a graphic depicting blood.

I let out a gasp when I read the club's name and slowly dropped it on the floor.

The worn paragraph of her with all her friends caught my eye, but I was anxious since behind them was a man whose face I didn't recognize.

He has sharp features, and a cold glint in his eyes that exudes danger. I want to know him, maybe he was one of my sister’s boyfriends or a fling. I need to find this man.

With a sense of urgency, I unlocked my phone and dialed my personal assistant.

"I need a private investigator, now!"

"Right now, Ms. Cattleya?" she asked with some doubt.

"Yes," I said, ending the call as I looked at the picture.

Then I sat down at my desk to look up the nightclub name on my twin sister's laptop, but I couldn't find it.

Right after that, my assistant texted me the private investigator's address.

My chauffeur took me to the private detective's workplace.

The moment I walked up to his door, he said gruffly, "Come in."

"I have a job for you," I said, staring him directly in the eyes.

“I’m Lew Maxwell. Nice to meet you—”

Then I opened my purse, took the worn out photograph and put it on his desk saying, “I want you to find this man.”

“Ms. Sullivan, you've come to the right place." He stood up with a smile on his face, then clicked his tongue as he added, "But some stories are better left buried."

"What did you just say to me?”

He picked up the photograph and stared at it for a minute, then said, “Jaxon Moretti.”

“You knew him?” My heart throbbed in surprise as I looked at him in confusion.

He nods his head, “I do. But Jaxon Moretti is no ordinary man, Ms. Sullivan.”

"What kind of a man is he, detective?"

"He's the devil himself..."

Cattleya’s POV.

"What do you mean? What about this club? Do you know this club?" I showed him the flyer.

He sighed and said, "Yes, Jaxon Moretti owns this nightclub. It's a nightclub catering to the most exclusive clientele, and when I say elite, what I mean are affluent, well-connected people."

I gasped softly and sat in the chair while thinking about what just happened to my sweet twin sister. “Do you think Ariella….”

“Yes,” he said.

"Then how come the authorities didn't dig deeper into my sister's death?! They need to do their job! They need to look into this guy, the club, and everyone else!" I yelled, trying to hide my tears.

"It's because Jaxon Moretti is the boss of a powerful mafia family known for being cruel and strict. Getting close to Moretti is an act of pure risk-taking. People have gone missing, received harsh sentences, and even faced death."

My heart skipped a beat, and the picture of that handsome man in the picture broke in my mind. Then fear prickled my skin as I thought about my poor sister’s tragic death.

"If Ariella was involved with someone like him, I don't understand why you can't just bring him in for questioning if you know his identity!"

He shrugged and replied, "We don't have enough evidence yet and that's how justice works, Ms. Sullivan."

I scoffed softly, rising to my feet, “I don’t care how dangerous he is. I need to get close to him. He’s the only one who can answer my question.”

Lew's eyes suddenly widened, “Ms. Sullivan, you are only putting yourself in danger.”

“I am looking for justice for my sister’s death, Mr. Maxwell and I think you’d do the same if you lost someone you love.” I declared, stepping out of his office without looking back.

****

INFERNO’S NIGHTCLUB.

One week later, Though a week has gone by, everything that happened surrounding Ariella's death remains vivid in my thoughts. Even our wealth can't help us solve our own problems.

My mom isolated herself in her room, and my dad has been devastated for days now that he can't even manage to go to work and lead meetings with his clients. He only gave it all to his secretary to do it all while he was there alone in the dark, crying every day.

While I wait for Jaxon Moretti to show up, I'm drinking a glass of red wine here at Inferno's Nightclub. The air smells strongly of cigarettes, and people nearby laugh and clink their drinks.

Looking up, I saw a woman dancing on stage and showing off her dirty moves.

And when I looked around, I hadn't seen him until I made a mistake.

I ran into him in strange ways that I didn't expect.

The sight of the scarlet wine stains on his white tuxedo made my mouth drop.

“Oh, s-sorry…” I said.

Everyone paused as they all stared at me with curiosity.

My heart began to shake as the man in front of me stared at me in the eyes like he wanted to devour me like a lion who wanted to break his prey.

And I gasped as his blue eyes softened and he said in his deep, husky, manly voice, “It’s okay.”

He was about to leave, but desperation clawed at me.

Did I look crazy? Probably.

I needed his attention, and if seduction was the key, then so be it.

It was a risk I had to take.

"Wait!" I stammered.

He turned, his gaze sharp. One of his men eyed me suspiciously, but Jaxon waved them on.

He approached me, his voice low. "What do you want, Miss?"

"Let me..." I fumbled, then blurted, "Let me compensate for ruining your suit. Anything you name." Determination fueled my voice.

I couldn't let him walk away. This was my only chance to talk to him.

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, then a dangerous smirk played on his lips. "Very well," he said, his voice a husky rumble. "Then come with me."

“H-Huh?” I was a little hesitant, so I stepped back but this man held my wrist and took me out of the crowd.

He showed me to his VIP room, where we could be alone. I don't know what to do. Maybe I just want to get away from him and take back what I said?

Oh, sh*t. Here I am, there’s no turning back anymore.

I smiled at him and pretended to be flirtatious so that I might pull more information out of him.

"Hi, My name is Cattleya Sullivan."

He took off his coat and put it on the chair. "You got my attention, Cattleya," he said, his hand in his pocket. "What's next?"

“Huh?”

I finally got a good look at his chiseled, gorgeous face as he lurched forward, but his eyes were a whirlwind of icy blue mixed with amusement and steely gray.

With a touch of wave in his slightly unruly dark hair, he framed a face that could make any woman bow down to him.

Since I knew I was dealing with the devil, I leaned back sharply when he got closer. I can't let myself get caught so easily.

"My name is Jaxon," he said, sending a shiver down my spine.

I faked a flirty smile and sat down on the table, slowly taking off my black coat to show the soft skin of my shoulder.

His eyes went over every shape of my body, and I knew right then that I had his full attention.

The intensity of his gaze both thrilled and unnerved me.

If attracting his attention was this simple, I worried about the depth of his interest.

“So, tell me about yourself.” he said, watching my every move.

I took out my business card from my pocket and handed it to him, "I'm an art collector from London. I just moved here a week ago and found this crazy nightclub that I wanted to check out." Then gesturing to the club interior with a playful touch to his chest, smiling sweetly, to tell a joke, "Looks like I wanted to steal some of your dark and seductive decor."

He put my business card in his pocket with a smirk of danger on his lips, “Or maybe you are here to collect me?”