Abandoned by My Husband, I Chose To Become the Don

Before the day when Lorenzo officially ascends as the Don, as his lawful wife, I must undergo the baptism of family glory at this sacred moment.Sophia, my stepsister—the "Principessa" adopted by my father—insisted on personally tattooing the "Angel's Eye," the symbol of supreme family authority, onto my back.The buzzing of the tattoo gun stopped. I looked into the floor-to-ceiling mirror, and my blood instantly froze.The "Angel's Eye," which should have been looking down upon the masses, was inverted.In the Code of Omertà, an inverted totem has only one meaning—a police informant, a rat.Seeing the color drain from my face, Sophia peeled off her rubber gloves and blew the ink off the nozzle with a look of utter innocence."It's called deconstructionist art, Elena. Don't tell me you have zero taste?"I grabbed the whiskey bottle from the table and smashed it at her.The glass shattered against the wall, shards grazing Sophia's cheek.In the next second, Lorenzo's powerful hand clamp

I tossed the antique revolver onto the ammo crate.For a traitor, a bullet was too merciful.I took a sharp Sicilian stiletto off the torture rack. The blade reflected a cold gleam in the dim light.That flash of cold metal caught my eye, and for a split second, I saw eighteen-year-old Lorenzo.Back then, he was just an Associate not yet recognized by the family, wearing an ill-fitting cheap suit, standing in the rainy street.As an outcast pushed aside by the family, he didn't even have a decent weapon.Once, trying to reclaim a smuggled shipment for the family, he got two ribs broken and collapsed in an alley like a stray dog.That was the first time I disobeyed my father's orders and used the family doctor to save him.I shoved a stack of cash and a Browning engraved with the family crest into his hand.But he stubbornly pushed the money back, his wolf-like eyes staring dead at me: "Miss Corleone, please leave me some dignity."Since then, I just "happened" to provide him with intel

The whir of the helicopter rotors faded completely into the night sky.The vast Corleone estate was now as silent as a tomb.To ensure Sophia's absolute safety during the transport, Lorenzo hadn't just taken the "Shadow Guard"; he had even pulled every single Soldato from the estate.All he left me were a few elderly servants and a mansion so empty it was unnerving.Clutching the hastily bandaged gauze on my forehead, I sat in the old leather chair my father had left behind, staring at the pitch-black night outside. The instinct of prey being stalked sent a chill down my spine.News traveled too fast.The Don had left New York, taking his elite forces with him, leaving a wounded Mama to guard an empty fortress.For the rival families who had been lying in wait, this was an invitation to a feeding frenzy.*Boom!*A deafening blast shattered the bulletproof glass of the French windows. A heatwave carrying shards of glass rushed into the living room.It was the smell of C4.The estate's w

"There's one more thing besides freezing the assets."My gaze locked onto Sophia's snowy white neck.Hanging there was a dazzling ruby necklace. It was blood-red—pigeon's blood rubies from the oldest mines in Sicily.Sophia subconsciously covered her neck and shrank back into Lorenzo's arms."That necklace is an heirloom from my mother—the previous *Mama* of the Corleone family."I stepped closer, the sharp click of my heels sounding like a death knell against the floor."It symbolizes the matriarch of the Corleone family. Only a legitimate *Mama* has the right to wear it.""Sophia, you're just a bastard adopted out of pity. Even if you climbed into Lorenzo's bed, you aren't worthy of wearing it."I raised my hand. Two burly knightages immediately stepped forward."Take it off her.""And that priceless Parisian couture gown."I swept a cold glance over her lace dress, my tone dripping with disdain, as if discussing trash."The books show Lorenzo bought it with embezzled family funds."

Lorenzo’s voice sounded like a dying beast, screaming my name through the torrential rain.He refused to leave.He stubbornly believed that if he knelt in the rain long enough, just like he did years ago, my heart would soften. He thought I would come out holding an umbrella and bring him home, just like I did when I was eighteen.Unfortunately, the Elena who loved him died the night he abandoned her."Make him shut up."I set down my glass of red wine, draped a black cashmere coat over my shoulders, and walked out of the main building.Outside the iron gates, Lorenzo was gripping the bars tightly. Seeing my silhouette emerge through the curtain of rain, his dim eyes instantly lit up with a shocking intensity."Elena! I knew it... I knew you couldn't let me go!""Sophia tricked me! That bitch miscarried! She was using me the whole time! I have nothing left now. I only have you!"He reached out, trying to touch me through the bars, a pathetic, ingratiating smile on his face. He looked a