Southford was located in the southern part of Bloomsdale City.
It was known as one of the most dangerous places in the country.
It was Mafia territory.
Four organized crime groups controlled Southford: the Costales Clan, the Gotti Family, the Escobar Brothers, and the De Silva Clan.
Among them, the De Silva Clan stood above the rest.
Although each organization had its own boss, they all answered to one man.
Luciano De Silva.
Two years ago, the other groups formally pledged their loyalty to him, strengthening the De Silva Clan’s influence throughout the city.
Luciano was fifty years old and married to Leonor Gotti, the only daughter of Anton Gotti.
Together, they had two sons.
His eldest son had been groomed as the future Mafia Boss.
However, three years ago, the young man was murdered.
His youngest son was only seven years old at the time.
With no suitable heir remaining, Luciano was forced to make a difficult decision.
Aciel Vance De Silva.
His illegitimate son.
Aciel was born from Luciano’s brief but unforgettable relationship with Princess Beatrice Montreal of Vostrea.
Beatrice was the only daughter of King Magnus III and the future ruler of her country.
She had been the love of Luciano’s life.
A woman he could never truly have.
When she entrusted Aciel to him years ago, Luciano made a promise.
He would protect their son.
And he would never force him into the Mafia.
But fate had other plans.
After the death of his eldest son, pressure from the other clans grew stronger.
The position of successor became a target.
A prize.
A source of conflict.
In the end, Luciano had no choice.
Following the advice of his younger brother—the man who had helped raise Aciel—he named him the next Mafia Boss.
To everyone’s surprise, Aciel accepted.
Yet instead of becoming obedient, he grew even more rebellious.
He challenged authority.
Ignored orders.
And refused to bow to anyone.
Even Luciano himself.
That was how he earned the title:
The Black Prince of the De Silva Clan.
Now, with Luciano battling cancer, Aciel had been forced to step into a leadership role sooner than expected.
He attended meetings.
Negotiated alliances.
Strengthened ties with the other clans.
And as the future Mafia Boss, there was one final responsibility he couldn’t avoid.
Marriage.
His future wife needed to come from a powerful family.
A family worthy of standing beside the De Silva Clan.
Martin, the clan’s Consigliere, carefully prepared a list of suitable candidates.
But neither Martin nor Luciano anticipated one thing.
Xylia Lovelle Antonov.
The only heiress of the wealthiest family in Bloomsdale City.
A woman who should never have caught Aciel’s attention.
A woman who was strictly forbidden to him for reasons he only recently learned.
He had tried to obey the clan’s rules.
He really had.
But every time he saw Xylia, his resolve weakened.
And when Ivan Harlow entered the picture, Aciel realized he couldn’t stand the thought of another man claiming her.
At first, he had intended to use her feelings for his own benefit. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
But Xylia’s love was genuine.
Pure.
And for the first time in his life, Aciel found himself unable to take advantage of someone.
When she came to him asking for help, he knew he had lost the battle.
He couldn’t turn his back on her.
So he offered her a deal.
And to his surprise, she accepted.
Now, they stood in front of the De Silva Mansion.
Together.
Ready to tell Luciano De Silva about their relationship.
The moment Xylia stepped out of the car, her knees nearly gave out.
She had never met Luciano De Silva personally.
But everyone in Bloomsdale knew his name.
Politicians respected him.
Business tycoons feared him.
And criminals worshipped him.
She nervously glanced toward Aciel.
He was speaking to a middle-aged man who had rushed out to greet them.
The man briefly looked her over before turning back to Aciel.
After receiving a short instruction, he nodded and hurried back inside the mansion.
Xylia swallowed hard.
Her hands were trembling again.
Aciel noticed immediately.
He had been watching her take deep breaths the entire ride from Bloomsdale.
“Ready?” he asked.
Even though he already knew the answer.
Xylia bit her lip.
Then she nodded.
Aciel squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“Good.”
Without giving her time to overthink, he led her toward the mansion.
The moment they stepped inside—
“Aciel!”
A small voice echoed through the grand entrance hall.
Both of them turned around.
A little boy was running toward them.
He looked about seven or eight years old and shared a striking resemblance to Aciel.
The same dark hair.
The same sharp features.
Only his eyes were brighter.
More innocent.
Aciel’s face instantly softened.
A genuine smile appeared on his lips.
“Hey, troublemaker.”
The boy grinned.
“You’re finally here!”
He stopped in front of Aciel and crossed his arms.
“You visited last week without telling me.”
Aciel laughed.
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be!”
The boy pouted dramatically.
“I wanted to play with you.”
Aciel ruffled his hair.
Xylia stared at the interaction in shock.
She had never seen this side of Aciel before.
There was no arrogance.
No coldness.
No darkness.
Just genuine affection.
For a moment, he looked like a normal older brother.
The little boy finally noticed her.
His eyes widened.
Then his gaze dropped to their joined hands.
A mischievous smile appeared on his face.
“Ooooh.”
Aciel immediately groaned.
“Don’t start.”
The boy ignored him.
“Who’s she?” His grin widened.
“Your girlfriend?”
Xylia’s cheeks instantly turned red.
Aciel rolled his eyes.
“Be quiet.” Then he looked at Xylia.
“This is Luca. My little brother.”
Luca immediately walked over to her.
Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Xylia blinked in surprise.
“You smell nice.” He looked up at her and smiled.
“I like you already.”
Aciel immediately grabbed the back of Luca’s shirt and pulled him away.
“Hey.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“She’s mine.”
Luca burst into laughter.
“So she is your girlfriend!”
“Go upstairs.”
“Yes, sir!”
The little boy saluted dramatically before running toward the staircase.
Halfway up, he began shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Aciel brought a girl home!”
“Aciel has a girlfriend!”
“Everybody come downstairs!”
His voice echoed throughout the mansion.
Xylia covered her face in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Aciel simply sighed.
“He gets that from our father.”
Despite her nervousness, Xylia found herself laughing.
As she looked around the mansion, another realization slowly settled in.
This wasn’t what she expected at all.
She had imagined armed guards standing in every corner.
Cold hallways.
Dangerous men carrying weapons.
Instead, the mansion felt warm.
Lived in.
Comfortable.
Like a real family home.
And for the first time since entering Southford, Xylia felt a little less afraid.
Maybe because Aciel was beside her.
Or maybe because she was finally seeing the person behind the title of Black Prince.
And she was beginning to understand him more than ever before.