Library
Search
Home / Mafia / Beyond the Family's Shadow / Chapter 9

Share

Chapter 9

Author: Soda
The award ceremony. Finally, it was time for the announcement.

"Next, we present this year's most prestigious award – the All-American Young Painters' Gold Award!"

The host excitedly opened the envelope, spotlights sweeping across the hall.

The Vane couple and Serena sat in the front, basking in the flashbulbs.

Dante gripped Elara's hand, his voice a low whisper in her ear:

"Remember, thank Serena when you go up. Did you memorize the speech?"

But when the winner was announced, everyone froze.

The host's reading voice faltered, his brow furrowed in confusion, but he quickly regained his professional smile.

"Serena Vane! Has won this year's award for her piece, 'First Light'!"

Applause thundered, cheers erupted.

Amidst the cheers, there were also some discordant murmurs:

"Who's Serena? Some newcomer in the industry?"

"No, wasn't the artist's name different this time?"

Dante stared at Elara, his eyes wide with shock and a flicker of confusion.

"What's going on? I clearly arranged for your name... I had everything set up..." His voice was strained.

Elara looked at her parents in the front row. They were proudly pushing Serena onto the stage, their faces showing no surprise.

So, her parents would go this far for Serena.

They would even erase Elara's name from the winner's list and replace it with Serena's.

Serena walked onto the stage, accepting the heavy trophy, tears welling in her eyes.

"Thank you... This painting was created while I was fighting illness... Every stroke is my love for life..."

Dante turned to look at Elara, his eyes panicked, his words jumbled. A hint of something akin to hurt warred with his confusion.

"Elara, there must be a misunderstanding. I'll investigate, and I'll give you an explanation..."

"No need to investigate."

Elara yanked her hand free, a sharp, decisive movement.

"What are you doing?" Dante felt a bad omen prickle his skin, his heart pounding against his ribs.

Elara ignored him and walked straight onto the stage.

The crowd below erupted in murmurs.

Serena saw Elara, her face turned ashen, her hand holding the trophy trembling.

"S-sister, are you here to congratulate me?"

Elara walked towards the display area.

The painting that rightfully belonged to her was displayed under a spotlight, breathtakingly beautiful.

She grabbed a glass of high-proof vodka from a passing waiter's tray and poured it onto the canvas without hesitation.

"You're crazy!" Serena shrieked, her voice cracking.

Elara took out a lighter she had prepared in her handbag.

Click.

A blue flame shot up, reflecting her ice-cold face.

Whoosh!

The canvas, soaked in alcohol, was instantly engulfed in flames. The oil paint crackled and popped under the intense heat.

Screams echoed through the hall.

Elara stood before the raging fire, microphone in hand.

Below her was everything she couldn't let go of in her past life: her biased parents, her fiancé who only spoke of love.

A laugh escaped her.

She grabbed the long lock of hair she had kept, Dante's favorite, and with the scissors hidden in her palm, she cut it ruthlessly.

That lock of hair, along with the shackles the Vane family had placed on her, was thrown into the inferno, turning to ash.

Finally, she looked at Serena beside her:

"These pieces of trash, they're all yours."

"Dad, Mom, brother, fiancé. I don't want any of them anymore."

Amidst the chaos, Elara kicked off her high heels, turned, and jumped off the stage barefoot, disappearing into the dark side door, running towards her freedom.
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 18

    Serena wasn't dead.Death would have been a mercy.On a moonless midnight, a nondescript black cargo plane took off from New York.Serena, sedated and treated like damaged goods, was tossed into the cargo hold.She was sent to a mental hospital deep in the Siberian wilderness.A place with no windows, no visitors, just endless cold and loneliness.For Serena, who once lived in haute couture and sipped Evian, it was a hell far worse than any abyss.She would spend the rest of her life in endless cold and madness.But that wasn't the end of her reckoning.The day before Dante's funeral, Elara, accompanied by Julian, went to New York State Maximum Security Prison.It was her first, and last, visit to her parents.After they went bankrupt, their enemies moved in for the kill. Soon, they were arrested on various charges.The visiting room had thick bulletproof glass separating them.When Mr. and Mrs. Vane were brought out by the guards, Elara could barely recognize them.Mr. Vane, who once

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 17

    The calm days never lasted.Just as Elara and Julian were preparing for their wedding, an urgent call shattered the peace."Boss, we've got a problem. Serena Vane broke out of the max-security facility."Julian's face darkened instantly.That place was a fortress. No way that pampered, spoiled brat Serena could've gotten out without inside help."And," the subordinate's voice trembled on the other end, "she kidnapped Dante Rossi.""We figure she'll be in touch with the Madam soon."Julian frowned, meeting Elara's gaze.Soon, Elara's phone buzzed. It was an encrypted FaceTime call.The video connected. After a moment of shaky footage, a dim background came into view.It was an abandoned church, surrounded by construction debris.Dante was tied to a stone pillar, covered in blood.And the one holding the phone was Serena.She had completely lost it.Serena, once delicate as a porcelain doll, now had messy hair, wore a filthy hospital gown, and clutched a black handgun."Elara… my dear si

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 16

    The private jet landed on a private airfield in Tuscany, Italy.This was the Thorne family's ancestral home.If Julian was the feared godfather in New York, then here, he was the true uncrowned king.The motorcade cut through miles of vineyards and olive groves, finally stopping before a magnificent medieval castle.The castle stood atop a mountain, overlooking the entire golden plain.Hundreds of servants and family members lined up to welcome them. The sheer scale and grandeur of the ceremony far surpassed anything Elara had ever witnessed in New York.Even Elara, who had built up her confidence on Sanctuary Island, felt a dizzy spell now.She looked at the castle that had weathered centuries of storms, at the portraits of past patriarchs hanging on the walls, and a deep sense of inferiority welled up inside her.She was an abandoned child, raised to be a blood bag.Did she truly deserve all this?Dinner was held at the castle's long table. The food was exquisite, but Elara couldn't

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 15

    The storm on Sanctuary Island had just passed, the air thick with the scent of sea salt.Elara sat on the glass terrace by the cliff, sketching.She wore a stylish burgundy velvet dress, its hem rippling gently in the sea breeze, like a blood-red rose blooming on the cliff's edge.Just then, the elevator door dinged open.Dante Rossi stepped out.The moment his gaze fell on Elara, he froze.He had never seen Elara like this before – no longer Serena's meek shadow, but a queen radiating raw power.In comparison, Dante looked utterly disheveled.He had searched for Elara relentlessly for a month. The once imperious scion of New York's social scene was now unshaven, his eyes sunken and bloodshot with anxiety."Elara…"He spoke her name, his voice rough, as if his throat were filled with gravel.He took two steps forward but was coldly stopped by a bodyguard beside her."Sir, you cannot approach."But he seemed not to hear, calling out to the woman he had longed for."Elara, come home with

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 14

    The Vane family's collapse continued.Ever since Dante's meltdown that night, the Vane Enterprises stock had plummeted twice in three days.The Rossi family pulling their investments was the first domino, triggering a chain reaction.Banks started calling in loans, and partners were cutting ties.The Vane couple seemed to have aged ten years overnight.They tried reaching out to Elara, but it was like shouting into the void.And the most panicked person in the mansion was Serena.Her parents and brother had suddenly turned on her, leaving her no choice but to run to Dante."Brother Dante… you don't want me anymore?"Serena stood barefoot at the door of Dante's study, wearing a white silk nightgown, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.She looked so pathetic, just like she had countless times before.But this time, Dante didn't even look up.He was staring at the dense intelligence data on his computer screen, his hand clenched tight around the pink diamond ring

  • Beyond the Family's Shadow   Chapter 13

    Sanctuary Island. Early morning.Elara stood by the huge floor-to-ceiling window, watching Julian practice shooting on the private tarmac.He was shirtless. The muscles in his back tensed and released with each shot, each one sculpted for killing.It was absolute power, something she’d never had.She remembered Dante’s insane bounty posted on the dark web last night.Five hundred million dollars, just for a lead on her whereabouts."What are you thinking about?"Julian was back in the room without her even noticing.He carried the chill of the morning sea breeze and a faint scent of gunpowder. In his hands, two cups of hot coffee."Thinking I might be too expensive."Elara took a coffee, a bitter smile on her face. She met his gaze."Five hundred million. Dante's really throwing down to get me back. Back at the Vanes', I couldn't even get five hundred bucks for spending money without them throwing a fit."Julian let out a low chuckle, stepping closer."Five hundred million? Trying to

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status