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Chapter 4

Autor: Liora Z
Before I could finish, Cecilia’s voice cut in from his end of the line, a sultry purr.

“Matteo, how much longer are you going to be? The plane’s about to take off.”

Matteo’s voice dropped, sounding rushed.

“Natalia, what did you just say? I didn’t catch that.”

“There’s an urgent matter I need to handle in Las Vegas. Everything else can wait until I get back.”

I stared at the black screen and let out a cold laugh.

I was going to give him a clean break, but he couldn’t even give me that.

In the days that followed, I finished all power transfers and asset withdrawals.

I moved my things back to the Rossi family estate.

My father’s study was exactly as he’d left it.

“Welcome home, Miss,” our butler, Antonio, said respectfully. “Your room has been prepared.”

In the days that followed, Matteo sent me messages every day.

A castle hotel on the shores of Lake Como.

A Victorian chapel.

A three-million-dollar custom wedding gown.

Every picture came with the same text: For you.

It looked like he was finally trying.

But at the same time, Cecilia was posting daily videos to her private social media.

Her and Matteo, popping champagne in the presidential suite at Caesars Palace.

Her, walking through casinos in a million-dollar Hermès couture gown.

Her, filming from Matteo’s private jet, showing off a new Cartier bracelet on her wrist.

Every video was a declaration to the world: she was the woman Matteo adored.

The day before Matteo’s promised wedding, Tony came to me in a hurry.

“Miss, you need to see this.”

He handed me a tablet.

The video showed the VIP lounge of the Bellagio. And there was Matteo, down on one knee in front of Cecilia.

He was holding a box. Inside was a massive pink diamond ring.

“Cecilia, marry me.”

The Matteo in the video had eyes full of love, his voice so tender I almost didn’t recognize it.

The crowd around them erupted in cheers.

Cecilia cried as she nodded. Matteo slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her deeply.

I recognized the ring instantly. The five-million-dollar pink diamond he had promised me.

“Should I take care of this video?” Tony asked.

“Wipe the source. Blacklist anyone associated with it,” I said calmly. “Don’t let anyone see it again.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After Tony left, my phone rang.

It was Matteo, his voice buzzing with excitement. “Natalia! Great news! I’m coming back to Chicago tomorrow. We can finally have our wedding!”

“A Victorian chapel, the best florist in Chicago. I swear, there will be no more surprises this time.”

The next day, I didn’t go to the chapel. I went back to the estate where he and I had lived for five years.

It was completely silent.

Noon came and went. No call from Matteo, asking where his bride was.

He didn’t stumble in until 9 p.m., reeking of booze.

He saw me sitting on the sofa, his eyes flashing with guilt.

“Natalia…” he swayed into the living room. “I’m sorry. The wedding… it had to be…”

“Had to be what?” I asked from the couch, my voice flat.

“Cecilia… she had a bad night at the tables. Lost everything. She was a mess. I couldn’t leave her like that.” He collapsed into the chair opposite me. “But next time. I swear, next time…”

Hearing it, I felt nothing.

Sure enough, for the ninety-nine time, he stood me up.

I just watched him, then slid the notarized divorce agreement across the table.

“There won’t be a next time,” I said, “Our alliance and our marriage — both end here..”
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  • The Don's Secret Wife No More   Chapter 10

    “Matteo Falcone is done,” James’s voice sounded weary over the phone.I put down the financial report and leaned back in my chair.“What do you mean?”“His empire has collapsed.”James paused, as if gathering his thoughts.“Less than two months after you left, the Falcone family’s cash flow started to dry up.”That wasn’t a surprise.The legitimate businesses I managed for Matteo had supplied his criminal network with over a billion dollars in cash flow annually.Without that, his empire was a corpse without blood.“And then?”“He became paranoid. He didn’t trust anyone. He even purged lieutenants who had been with him for a decade.” James’s voice held a note of fear. “He started making insane decisions.”I pictured Matteo, alone in the Falcone estate, slowly going mad.“The fatal blow was the firefight last summer,” James continued. “The Russians on the East Side wanted to take over his docks. Normally, that’s a minor friction you handle through negotiation.”“But?”“But Matteo chose

  • The Don's Secret Wife No More   Chapter 9

    The night the decree was signed, Matteo showed up at the gates of the Rossi estate.He was driving his signature black Cadillac. Alone.The estate guards tensed, their hands dropping to their holsters.“Let him in,” I said from the second-floor balcony. “But him alone.”Matteo walked slowly toward the main door. Under the moonlight, his face was as pale as a corpse.“Natalia.” He looked up at me on the balcony. “I have a proposal.”“Speak.”“I will give you half of the Falcone family’s assets in exchange for you coming back to me.”His voice was unnervingly clear in the night air.“The docks, the casinos, the real estate firms… I’ll give you everything. Just come back.”I looked at him, a flicker of scorn rising in me.Now he wants to give me things?That’s not what he said when he married me five years ago.“Matteo,” my voice was soft, but loud enough for him to hear. “What makes you think I need you to give me anything?”He froze.“I don’t need you to give me anything, Matteo. I just

  • The Don's Secret Wife No More   Chapter 8

    Chicago Chamber of Commerce, 27th floor.At 9:55 a.m., Matteo appeared at the conference room door.It was the first time he hadn’t been late.Inside, the elders of both families were already seated.The five Rossi elders sat on one side of the long table, the four Falcone elders on the other.I sat in my father’s old seat, flipping through documents with a blank expression.When Matteo walked in, all eyes turned to him.He looked like hell.He hadn’t shaved in three days, his eyes were ringed with black, and his suit was wrinkled. The once-dapper Mafia Don now looked like a lost, broken man.“Natalia,” he rasped, his voice barely audible.I glanced up at him, then went back to my papers.“Please sit, Don Falcone,” Giuseppe, the Rossi elder, said, gesturing to the chair opposite him.Matteo didn’t sit. He walked straight to me.“Natalia, I need to talk to you. Alone.”“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, my voice as calm as still water. “Please sit. Let’s begin.”“Wait.” Matteo sud

  • The Don's Secret Wife No More   Chapter 7

    The front-page story in the Chicago Tribune shook the city the next morning.MAFIA DON’S SECRET MARRIAGE AND BETRAYALIt ran with a high-res photo of Matteo proposing to Cecilia in Las Vegas.It detailed how Matteo had hidden his marriage for five years, flaunted his mistress in front of his wife, and repeatedly broke his promises about their wedding to keep his mistress happy.The most damning part was the audio recording.Cecilia’s voice from the private club was crystal clear: “That stupid woman actually thinks Matteo loves her. She was just a pawn in our bet.”The reaction from the Five Families was immediate.The Martino family was the first to act, announcing a suspension of all cooperation with the Falcone family.The D’Alessio family followed suit, withdrawing their support for the North Side docks.Even the usually neutral Vitale family issued a statement questioning Matteo’s leadership.Worst of all, the Russians were starting to stir.They smelled blood in the water.In the

  • The Don's Secret Wife No More   Chapter 6

    Matteo tried to say something, but I had already turned and walked to the door.“Natalia!” he roared behind me. “You can’t do this to me!”I didn’t look back.“Three days. Ten a.m. Chicago Chamber of Commerce.” My voice was ice. “The elders from both families will be present, and we will officially dissolve our alliance.”“Don’t be late.”The door closed behind me, shutting out Matteo’s furious shouts.Tony was already waiting in the car.“Back to the Rossi estate,” I said.“Yes, Miss.”As the car pulled away from the Falcone estate, I watched the house—my former home—shrink in the rearview mirror.Five years of marriage, over just like that.At the Rossi estate, the family council was waiting.Five old men sat at my father’s round table. Their faces were grim.“Natalia,” the lead elder, Giuseppe, stood up. “Are you certain about this?”“I’m certain.” I took my father’s seat. “Matteo Falcone can no longer be trusted.”“But…” the second elder, Antonio, frowned. “This means war.”“Then i

  • The Don's Secret Wife No More   Chapter 5

    Matteo stared at the papers on the table. His face went slack with disbelief.I had forgiven him for running out on me ninety-eight times before. Maybe in his eyes, that meant I would forgive him forever.“You’re joking,” he stammered，“If you’re still jealous because Cecilia has my favor, there’s no need at all. I’ve said it before—she and I are just a casual fling. You will always be the woman I love most.”“Do I look like I’m joking?” I met his gaze, my face a perfect mask of calm.“Matteo, you even married me with ulterior motives. Isn’t it ridiculous to beg me to stay now?”He dropped to his knees at my feet, scrambling for my hands.“Natalia, I fucked up.” His voice cracked with a panic I’d never heard. “I never should have let you suffer. I never should have let Cecilia walk all over you.”“I swear, I’ll never touch her again. I’ll make her disappear. For good.”Tears welled in Matteo’s eyes. The ruthless Don, now a pathetic, pleading child.“You’re everything, Natalia. Without y

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