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Chapter 3

Penulis: Ding
It felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart.

I had never imagined that Enzo would mock me with words like that.

Who did he think he was? Who did he think I was?

Also, what did he mean by saying that? Was he breaking up with me?

I stared at him without moving.

He grew uneasy under my gaze and looked away first.

I knew he was recalling all these years we had shared.

We had been together so long and always supported each other. We had never hurt each other.

Something fundamental had changed.

He clearly cared about Lucrezia more than me.

“Lucrezia is reasonable. She wouldn’t take it to heart. Just apologize to her, and we can put this behind us.”

A single sentence had shown me that six years of trust, love, and promises were all gone.

I shook my head. My voice came out soft. “I’d never.”

Enzo’s tone turned cold and sharp. “Amelia, is this really how you want to play it?”

How else was I playing it?

Every word out of his mouth felt more absurd than the last.

Suddenly, I did not want to fight for any of it anymore.

“I’ve always been like this, Enzo. You didn’t meet me yesterday.”

I pushed them out and slammed the door.

I sat back down in the chair and stared at the transfer notice again.

Less than an hour remained.

The transfer would go into effect in the next hour.

I would have to leave this city I had lived in for eleven years and go to Bellarosa for the first time in my life. I did not know a single thing about that place.

Yet I still did not press cancel.

I simply sat there and watched the countdown tick away.

The display eventually switched to “Confirmed.”

I exhaled slowly.

It turned out that leaving Enzo was not that difficult, after all.

In fact, it felt as though something deep inside me had finally let go.

My phone lit up.

Texts from my best friend Layla Pedro came pounding in like bullets.

[Amelia, I just ran into your fiance at the bar!

[Enzo and Lucrezia are here! Your family is all assembled there too!

[They’re insane. They’re cheering him on to do a mouth-to-mouth shot with her! My goodness, that woman is practically glued to him!]

Then, she sent me a video.

The camera shook violently. The lights were low and red.

Enzo was surrounded in a booth, his suit undone and his tie crooked. He had a broad grin on his face.

Lucrezia pressed up next to him with her face against his shoulder. She blushed as the crowd cheered.

Someone shouted, “Don Vitelli, rules are rules! You lost. You have to either do a mouth-to-mouth shot with a lady here, or you call your fiancée Amelia to come get you! Pick one!”

“Yes, yes, call her! Let’s see if Amelia will do you the favor and show up!”

The energy surged to a fever pitch.

Everyone knew we were fighting. They delighted in the drama, egging it on even more.

Lucrezia looked at him with eyes full of hope.

Enzo furrowed his brow, clearly irritated by the noise.

After a few seconds of silence, he pulled out his phone.

Lucrezia’s face went pale instantly.

The call connected.

Enzo’s voice was flat. “Amelia, I got carried away earlier, but I’m calm now. Come over and apologize to Lucrezia in person. We’ll forget what happened before.”

I said nothing.

Enzo’s patience burned out fast. “Say something! Is it that hard for you to swallow your pride and say you’re sorry?”

“Yes, Enzo. I did nothing wrong. You want me to apologize? Over my dead body.”

“Fine! Amelia, you have some nerve!”

He roared with anger, “In that case, listen from the other end while I kiss her in front of everyone!”

I immediately hung up.

Layla’s video came through again.

The footage was chaotic. Enzo had smashed a glass. Liquor was spilled all over the table.

Lucrezia’s voice trembled. There were tears in her eyes. “Don Vitelli, let’s stop the game. Please don’t be mad.”

“Who says we’re stopping?”

Enzo suddenly looked up and stared straight at the camera.

He had known Layla was recording the whole time.

“Don’t bother hiding. Keep filming! Let your best friend watch who I’m kissing right now!”

He grabbed the back of Lucrezia’s neck.

Amid the crowd’s gasps, he kissed her fiercely.

In spite of myself, my heart still ached at the sight of that.

However, the sting came fast and faded just as quickly.

I turned off the video and went back to clearing my things off the desk.
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  • He Said It Was A Prank   Chapter 10

    As I stepped out of the office, the first pale light of morning filtered through the window at the end of the corridor and fell on the tips of my red high heels.I adjusted my coat and took out my phone to call the Bellarosa branch. I instructed them to cut a fresh sprig from the bougainvillea at the old building and send it over. I wanted to place it in a vase in my office.After hanging up, I turned and walked toward the elevator. I pressed the button for the top-floor conference room.There was a negotiation with other families scheduled for the day. My bodyguards were already waiting downstairs.The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected my face. My makeup was sharp. My eyes were calm without any emotion. I remembered many years ago when I was standing outside Enzo’s office for the first time. I had been clutching the documents he had given me. I had been so nervous that my palms were sweating.Back then, I thought my whole life would revolve around that man. I thought all

  • He Said It Was A Prank   Chapter 9

    I only learned the next day that the call had come from the hospital.His sister, Antonella, had attempted suicide by overdosing herself on pills after being betrayed by her husband. She was rushed to the emergency room.When I heard the news, my first reaction was to grab my car keys and drive straight to the hospital.Antonella and I had grown up together. She was five years younger than me. When we were little, she was always following me around, copying everything I did.I knew her marriage life had not been happy over the years. I had advised her several times to get a divorce, but she always said she would endure it for the sake of the children.When I arrived at the emergency room, Enzo was leaning against the wall, smoking.He did not even notice the ash burning down to his fingers. There were several butts already scattered on the ground.When he saw me, he stubbed out the cigarette. His voice was hoarse. “She’s been in there for hours. The doctors haven’t come out yet.

  • He Said It Was A Prank   Chapter 8

    The fourth year, the Commission called me back to New Avalon headquarters. I was made the family’s Consigliere.It was a position I had never even dreamed of when I left.All those years in Bellarosa, the sun on my back, the blood on my hands, living on the edge, had all worked its way into my bones.By the time I returned, very few in the family dared to call me by my first name.“Ms. Ross,” the younger family members greeted me. Their voices were tense and strained.I smiled.Ms. Ross.I liked that title very much. “Just call me Amelia,” I said calmly.During the meeting, I saw Enzo.He had aged noticeably.He was only thirty-eight, but his temples had gone gray and fine lines had settled around his eyes.His face remained handsome, and he was still capable of making a heartbeat skip.Our eyes met.He froze for a moment, then displayed a look with mixed expressions.After the meeting, he waited at the door of the conference room.“Amelia.” His voice was much deeper t

  • He Said It Was A Prank   Chapter 7

    I did not know when Enzo left.He never came looking for me again.A week later, someone told me that something major had happened back in New Avalon.Several ports controlled by the O’Malley faction had been raided overnight. Seven people were dead. Rumor had it that Enzo had orchestrated it.I said nothing.It was his madness to unleash as he wished.It had nothing to do with me.One year later, I returned to New Avalon at Christmas.I ran into Lucrezia at my doorstep.She had obviously been waiting for me.Our eyes met. The pride she once carried was gone, replaced only by hatred and frustration. “Amelia, you won. Enzo will never let me be near him again.”Her voice trembled as she said through gritted teeth, “Do you know what he was like after you went to Bellarosa? He went mad. Every night he drank himself into oblivion, calling your name. When I brought him late-night food, he smashed the bowl at my feet and told me to get lost. I don’t get it. What do you have that

  • He Said It Was A Prank   Chapter 6

    Life in Bellarosa was better than I had expected.The first week was a little difficult to adjust to, but I quickly fell in love with the slow pace, the sea, and the bougainvillea that grew wildly on the street corners.For many years, my life had revolved around Enzo.He set the direction, and I had executed the orders.At that moment, I was alone.There were no missions, no commands, no emergency calls at three in the morning.I rose early each day to exercise, handled some local small businesses, drank coffee with the old men of Bellarosa, and learned the local dialect.With the pace of life easing, my mind settled as well.However, Enzo found me.His eyes were bloodshot. His face was haggard. He had not shaved in days.Gone was the confident, powerful Don of before. He blocked my path. His voice was hoarse like sandpaper. “Amelia.”I sighed and tried to go around him.He grabbed my arm hard as if he wanted to crush my bone. “Why?”“Why what?” “You’re doing this to

  • He Said It Was A Prank   Chapter 5

    At seven the next morning, I stood by the window and watched the two of them downstairs in front of my building. They were ready to depart for the trip.Enzo called me.I hung up.He called again.I hung up again.Finally, his voice carried up from the street below, loud enough to reach me through two floors.“Amelia, do you have to be so unreasonable? Fine. If this is how you want to play it, you can forget about ever going anywhere with me for the rest of your life!”After that shout, he revved the engine and drove off with Lucrezia.All weekend, my social media feed was flooded with their hunting photos.[Taking my beautiful assistant out to practice her shooting today.][The girl complained about hunting the rabbits, saying they were too cute.][Lucrezia was so delicate. She was struggling to keep up, so I had no choice but to carry her the entire time.]Under each post were likes and pointed comments from family members.[Oh? Why are you going with Lucrezia this time?

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