Chapter 3

The celebration didn't end until well past midnight.

Early the next morning, the housekeeper knocked on my bedroom door.

She looked deeply uneasy, choosing her words with care.

"Ms. Marchetti, Mrs. Corsetti says she has no appetite. She'll only eat breakfast if you make it yourself."

I could hardly believe my ears. I frowned.

"What did you just say?"

The housekeeper knew Damian and I had lived together for years, that we'd been only a marriage license short of husband and wife.

But Vera was also the woman Damian had publicly acknowledged as his wife.

She couldn't offend either of us.

Her face turned deathly pale.

"It wasn't my idea," she said hurriedly. "Before the Don left this morning, he said Mrs. Corsetti is pregnant. From now on, everyone in the house takes orders from her."

Vera was already pregnant.

No wonder Vincent and Kellen had changed sides so quickly.

I had no intention of making things hard for the housekeeper. Taking a deep breath, I forced down my anger and headed downstairs.

Vera sat in the dining room, the table before her covered with an extravagant breakfast spread.

She didn't spare it a single glance.

She rested a hand on her still-flat stomach and looked at me with open provocation.

"Velia, you're awfully lazy. I'm the Don's wife now. I'm gracious enough to let you stay here, so show some gratitude and take good care of me and my baby."

I walked on without breaking stride, my voice dripping mockery.

"You'd love to throw me out. But would Damian actually listen to you?"

Vera choked on her words, and the smile on her face vanished.

Then she seemed to remember something, and the smile returned.

"True, I can't make you leave. But the Don promised me I'd be the only lady of this house.

"Now, I want your steel-cut oatmeal and a chocolate croissant, made fresh by you."

She crowed in triumph.

"Those are your specialties, aren't they?"

Of course they were.

Those were the dishes I knew best.

Because he was an illegitimate son, Damian had grown up in poverty.

Years of hunger had left him with a fragile stomach.

After we got together, I would soak the oats every night and rise before dawn to simmer them soft, so they'd be gentle on his stomach.

I also baked chocolate croissants from scratch.

Damian used to wrap his arms around my waist, moved beyond words.

"Velia, no one in this world could ever love me more. Thank God He sent you to me."

And now, all the care I'd poured into him had become another woman's weapon to provoke me.

I couldn't stop picturing Damian taking the breakfast I'd made and using it to please Vera.

My stomach churned with disgust.

Vera was still ordering the servants to bring me an apron and cooking utensils.

I'd had enough. I grabbed the dishes from the table and dumped them over her head.

Vera froze for a heartbeat.

Then she let out a piercing shriek.

"You bitch! I'll kill you!"

She lunged at me.

Normally, dodging an attack like that would've been effortless.

But my foot slipped on the spilled soup, and my forehead slammed into the sharp corner of the table.

Warm blood immediately streamed down my face.

Vera's attack missed, and she lost her footing, crashing hard onto the floor.

She clutched her stomach, wailing in pain.

At that exact moment, Damian walked in.

The night before he became the Don, he had gently traced the scars on my body, his heart aching.

"Velia, I will never let you shed another drop of blood or another tear."

But now, though he clearly saw the wound on my forehead, he ran straight to Vera without a second thought.

He scooped Vera up into his arms and turned to me, his eyes cold with disappointment.

"Velia, even if you hate Vera, you had no right to hurt her. She's carrying my child. I never knew you could be so vicious."

With that, he carried Vera away.

The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

In that moment, every last bit of love I had for Damian died.

One of the servants took me to the hospital.

After treatment, the bleeding from my forehead stopped quickly.

But during a full examination, the doctor discovered something none of us expected. I was pregnant.

Elias rushed to the hospital the moment he heard I'd been injured, his expression grim.

"Damian doesn't know how to appreciate what he has. A man like him doesn't deserve to be the father of your child.

"Don't worry. I'll get you away from him. I've already cut off two of his shipments. He needs to negotiate with me soon enough..."

I knew Elias was worried I'd go soft on Damian.

If this had been yesterday, maybe I would have.

But now, there was only one thing I wanted. I wanted Damian to pay for betraying me.

I rested my hand on my belly, my resolve hardening.

"Elias, I'm going to put Damian behind bars, and I'm going to make my child the next Don.

"Help me, and in return, I'll find the traitor who assassinated your brother."

Gathering intelligence had always been my greatest strength.

Elias agreed without hesitation.

But there was a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"Velia, I hope what's between us isn't only business. You know what I mean."

I knew Elias had feelings for me.

But I wasn't ready to begin another relationship.

So I said nothing.