Chapter 3

Lorenzo's POV

Tucked away beneath the streets of Manhattan was the Marino family's most exclusive cigar club.

The light was dim, the music low and deep.

I swirled a glass of Louis XIII, but my eyes were fixated on the silent phone on the table, willing it to light up.

The tension around me was palpable, as heavy as the air before a storm.

"Go easy on that. You have a video conference with the Sicilians tomorrow."

A hand with vivid red nails reached out, pressing down on mine as I reached for the bottle.

Victoria had changed into a low-cut, tight red dress. She pressed against my arm, her cloying perfume hanging in the air.

She had been my secretary for years and knew how to handle me, or so she thought, especially when I was drinking.

I ignored her, took the bottle myself, and poured another glass.

A triumphant gleam lit her eyes. She began, deliberately testing the waters, "Don, that interview this afternoon... I saw it."

"Everything was perfect, until that last question... Your answer, while honest, was a little too blunt, wasn't it?"

I scoffed, swirling the liquor in my glass, the ice clinking sharply against the crystal.

"Then what should I have said? That she married me for love? That we aren't just two people calculating shares and inheritance?"

Victoria feigned a look of concern.

"That's not what I meant, of course. It's just... some things are private. Airing private matters in public is bad for the family's image. You're the Don of the Marino family now. A lot of eyes are on you."

She paused, then added, "And the Donna? What will she think?"

I drained my glass, my tone dismissive. "Let her think what she wants. She got the title and the money she schemed for. That should be enough."

Victoria studied my coldness, then changed her approach.

"So, has she reacted at all?"

I set down my glass, sank back into the sofa, a muscle in my jaw jumping as I gritted my teeth.

"She wants a divorce."

"A divorce?" Victoria feigned a look of exaggerated shock. "How could she possibly want to divorce you? Everyone knows she..."

She paused, then shook her head.

"Then again, today's interview did cause quite a stir. If the media caught the Donna leaving the Marino estate now, who knows what ugly stories those reporters would cook up."

I loosened my tie further, my tone certain.

"She won't leave. She spent years playing the obedient orphan to get her hands on the Marino fortune. She wouldn't last a day on her own."

A sharp glint entered Victoria's eyes as she offered a seemingly gentle warning. "Don, if you'll forgive me for saying so, I don't think you know the Donna very well."

"What do you mean?"

"They say it takes a woman to know a woman. Don, have you ever considered why she chose today, of all days, to ask for a divorce? Have you considered that she might be plotting against the family behind your back?"

I adjusted my cuffs, my tone still cool. "I know her."

"Don, regardless, this press is already hurting the family. And while I'm sure this is only a passing whim from the Donna… you mustn't forget, she still holds the 15% stake in the port operations that the old Don left her..."

At the mention of the port operations, my gaze darkened instantly, my fingers tightening slightly on my glass.

Two years ago, when the old Don was on his deathbed, he had all but forced me to propose to Seraphina in front of the family.

At the same time, my grandfather had transferred his personal 15% stake in the port operations to Seraphina.

Victoria scrutinized my expression carefully, then feigned shock. "Don't tell me Donna hasn't even discussed the shares with you?"

My eyes darkened further. "No. I've brought it up a few times, but she always avoids the topic."

"Exactly," Victoria said, feigning an expression of sudden understanding.

"Don, think about it. An orphan who grew up in the Marino family couldn't be completely ignorant of the family business. She avoids the topic because she knows its value, not because she's clueless."

My expression grew stormier.

Victoria pressed her advantage.

"If Seraphina truly loved you, if she truly saw herself as part of the Marino family, she would have voluntarily returned that 15% to you long ago. But she hasn't. What does that tell you?"

"Don, and now she brings up divorce... The timing is so convenient, don't you find it suspicious? Is she trying to force your hand?"

"If it were up to me, I'd say divorce her. Use whatever means necessary to get that 15% stake back. I can handle the fallout..."

"Shut up!"

I swept the glass from the table. It shattered against the floor, my voice turning to ice, cutting her off instantly.

"Who gave you permission to make decisions for me?"

The amber liquid splashed all over Victoria. I, who had been lazily reclining on the sofa, shot upright.

My eyes, moments ago hazy with drink, were now terrifyingly clear.

"Who gave you the nerve to comment on my marriage?"

It wasn't her place.

The color drained from Victoria's face. "Don... I, I was only..."

"Get out."

The single word was a shard of ice in the air.

"Don't make me say it again."

"And another thing. Remember this. Seraphina and I are not getting a divorce. Ever."

She took one look at my murderous eyes and fled the room in terror, not even bothering to wipe the liquor stains from her dress.

The door slammed shut behind her.

I sank back into the sofa, rubbing my temples in frustration.

Divorce? How dare Seraphina ask for a divorce?

Two years ago, she played the old Don like a fiddle, all to become my wife, the Donna of the Marino family.

Now that she has what she wanted, with 15% of the family's port operations in hand, why would she ever let go?

This has to be her latest ploy. Another trick to get my attention.

I sneered, my eyes filled with certainty.

"Seraphina," I murmured her name in the darkness. "You'd better not overplay your hand."

Since you married me, you are my Donna forever. No one can change that.