THE BILLIONAIRES BROKEN HEIRESS
She was supposed to be dead. Seven years ago, Aria Moretti vanished the night her entire mafia family was slaughtered in a coordinated massacre that shook New York to its core. The world mourned the loss of the Moretti empire. Her enemies celebrated. Everyone assumed the sheltered nineteen year old princess had burned with the rest of them.
They were wrong.
Aria survived pregnant, alone, and running for her life. She fled to Lagos, gave birth in hiding, and spent seven years becoming someone her father never allowed her to be: dangerous.
Now she’s back. Not for closure. Not for peace.
For revenge.
But the moment she steps foot in Manhattan, she collides with the one man she never expected to see again Dante Russo, the soldier she loved and was forced to betray to survive.
He’s no longer the loyal soldier from her father’s organization. He’s a self-made billionaire by day and the city’s most powerful crime lord by night. Ruthless. Untouchable. Still devastatingly attractive.
He demands she marry him.
Not for love for survival. Dante needs a wife to legitimize his expansion into international markets. Aria needs his protection and access to his network to hunt her family’s killer.
Six months. One contract. No feelings. No lies.
Except Aria is hiding the biggest lie of all.
قراءة
Chapter: THE PRICE OF DEFIANCEThe drive back to the penthouse was quiet.Not the uncomfortable silence of strangers, but something heavier. Dante sat beside me in the back of the SUV, his hand resting near mine on the leather seat. Not quite touching. Close enough to feel the warmth.He hadn't asked about my conversation with Gianna. Hadn't questioned why I disappeared for those few minutes or what we discussed in that corner of the lounge. But I could feel his curiosity. His concern.The questions he was holding back."You were incredible tonight," he said finally as we merged onto the bridge back to Manhattan. The city lights reflected off the dark water below, turning everything golden. "The way you handled Angelo's testing. The unions discussion. That question about the massacre that was bold.""Too bold?""No. Strategic. You made them think. Made them see you as someone with actual insight instead of just a name atta
آخر تحديث: 2026-01-26
Chapter: THE DINNER DANCEDinner was a carefully choreographed performance where every word mattered. It reminded me of the ones my family organized.The first course arrived some kind of artfully arranged appetizer that probably cost more than a week's groceries. I picked at it with my fork, hyperaware of every pair of eyes at the table. Every pause in conversation. Every glance exchanged between the Brooklyn families.They were reading me. Looking for weaknesses. Deciding if I was worth their respect or just another pretender trading on a dead man's name."So, Mrs. Russo," Angelo Ricci said, his voice carrying that particular tone of false friendliness that barely concealed calculation. "Seven years is a long time to be away. What brought you back to New York now?"The table quieted. Waiting as if the whole world had freezed just to hear my response.It was a trap disguised as small talk. Because any answer I gave would reveal something. About my resources, my intentions, my vulnerability.I took a breath. R
آخر تحديث: 2026-01-26
Chapter: PREPARATIONS AND POISONThe day of the meeting arrived too quickly.I woke before dawn, my body refusing sleep despite exhaustion. The bedroom was still dark, city lights glowing softly through the bulletproof windows. Somewhere in the building, security teams were already moving, preparing for tonight.Preparing to keep us safe.If only they knew the real threat was inside. Someone they trusted and someone who knew their plans. Someone who would be at the meeting tonight.Someone I was planning to meet alone at 8:47 PM.I reached for my phone out of habit, then remembered I have to leave it behind tonight. The traitor had been specific about that. They will know if I brought it.Which meant they could be close enough to watch. To verify if i followed instructions.My stomach twisted from anxiety, i wondered who it was.I forced myself out of bed, into the shower, trying to wash away the anxiety that clung to my skin like oil. The water was scalding hot enough to hurt, the steam was active, but I welcomed th
آخر تحديث: 2026-01-23
Chapter: MORNING MASKI spent the rest of the morning pretending everything was fine.Playing dinosaurs with Luca. Smiling at Maria's comments about what to make for lunch. Acting like my phone wasn't a ticking bomb in my pocket. Like I wasn't counting down the hours until tomorrow's meeting where I will either walk into a trap or miss my only chance at real answers.Thirty-four hours and thirteen minutes.Not that I was counting.By noon, Luca was getting restless. Six-year-olds weren't meant to be cooped up in penthouses, no matter how luxurious. He needed to run, to play, to burn off the endless energy that came with childhood."Mama, can we go outside?" he asked for the third time. "Just to the park? Please?""Not today, baby.""But why? We always go to the park."Because there are men with guns watching this building. Because someone wants to hurt you to get to me. Because your father is hunting a traitor and the last thing we need is to be exposed in an open space where anyone could take a shot."Bec
آخر تحديث: 2026-01-23
Chapter: DANGEROUS GAMESThe penthouse felt too quiet after the chaos of the day.Luca had fallen asleep almost instantly, exhausted from meeting his father, moving to a new home, and processing more change physically and emotionally in twelve hours than most six-year-olds experienced in a year. I'd tucked him into his new bed the one with dinosaur sheets that someone had thoughtfully prepared and watched him sleep for longer than necessary.Memorizing his face. The way his hair fell across his forehead. The slight flutter of his eyelashes. The gentle rise and fall of his chest.Safe. For now. But for how long? Hopefully forever.Ghost stood outside Luca's door, armed and alert despite the late hour. He nodded as I passed, his expression unreadable but his presence reassuring. He would die before letting anyone touch my son. I knew that with absolute certainty. I trusted him.It was everyone else I wasn't sure about.The penthouse was dimly lit, most of Dante's staff having retired for the night. But I could
آخر تحديث: 2026-01-23
Chapter: THE BOYThe car ride to New Jersey felt like drowning in slow motion.Dante had sent three SUVs. Bulletproof. Tinted windows. The kind of security detail that announced don't even think about it to anyone watching. I sat in the middle vehicle, surrounded by men in dark suits who didn't speak, didn't smile, just radiated the kind of controlled violence that came from years of training.Dante was in the car behind me. Close enough to respond if something went wrong. Far enough that I couldn't read his expression in the rearview mirror.I kept checking my phone. No messages from Ghost. That was good. That meant no one had breached the safehouse yet. That meant Luca was still safe.For now."ETA seven minutes," the driver said. First words he had spoken since we left Manhattan.Seven minutes until I had to explain to my six-year-old son that his entire life was about to change. That we were moving. That the father he had asked about for years the father I had told him was "away" was waiting to me
آخر تحديث: 2026-01-23
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