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بيت / Mafia / The Faceless Ballerina / Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

مؤلف: TP
"I need to know." I gave each word deliberate weight.

Lorenzo laughed.

"Isabella, that's you," he said gently. "The cross mark is a natural flaw in the marble. It looks exactly like the injury you had as a child. You may not remember, but I remember it clearly."

His tone was persuasive, almost sincere, but I knew my own body. I had never injured my ankle like that.

He stepped closer and reached for my cheek. I recoiled before I could stop myself.

There was a time when Lorenzo treated me well. We had known each other since childhood. When I hurt myself during training, he oversaw my care and summoned the best doctors. When rumors spread about me, he never asked who started them. He reached for his gun first.

I still could not identify the exact moment he changed.

A bitter ache rose in my throat and pulled me back to the present.

I drew a slow breath.

"If you truly care about me, why not say it plainly?" I asked quietly. "The invitation had no name."

Lorenzo hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"I know how Anna feels," he said softly. "I left your name off because I did not want to wound her pride. She is your sister, after all. I don't want the two of you turning against each other because of me."

His lips curved. "Is that why you refused? Were you jealous?"

We both knew the truth. Anna did not love him the way I once had. She loved the rivalry. As children, she fought me for jewelry, clothes, and our mother's affection. When that no longer satisfied her, she began competing with me for men.

My silence seemed to please him. He turned toward me fully, his gaze warm enough to draw someone in.

He said, "Don't overthink it. The one I have always loved is you. In three days, I'll send a car for you. Do not refuse again. I have waited far too long.

"After we marry, I'll bring you red velvet cake every day. Your favorite. What do you think?"

My heart stumbled.

Red velvet cake?

I forced a smile.

"All right," I said lightly. "I'll come. But there's no need to send a car. If Anna finds out, she'll cause trouble. I'll wear a mask. If someone sees me and tells her, it will create unnecessary drama."

Lorenzo nodded without hesitation.

"As you wish," he said. "As long as you come."

…

When I returned home, Anna and our mother were waiting by the door.

After I told them what had happened, Anna struck me across the face.

"Have you lost your mind?" she demanded. "You're going back to that psychopath? Was having your legs broken not enough for you?"

I pressed a hand to my cheek. For the first time, I did not argue.

I looked at both of them and spoke calmly. "The Don said someone from the Rossi family must attend the ballet."

I let the words settle before I continued.

"But it will not be either of us."
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  • The Faceless Ballerina   Chapter 9

    Lorenzo did not die. That was intentional. Dante and I agreed on that point. Death would have been a mercy.The Capone family assumed control of Lorenzo's territory in Cesielle. A Don who could not move was nothing more than livestock awaiting slaughter.I placed him in a private facility on the edge of a cliff. The view was spectacular.His room was not. Mirrors covered every wall. At the center, directly in front of his wheelchair, stood a statue: a faceless ballerina.Each day, the attendants forced him upright and positioned him before it. He remained there from morning until night. He could not close his eyes. A special adhesive held his eyelids open.If Lorenzo loved to watch, he could watch forever.As for Sophia, when our mother went to retrieve her, she found her crouched beneath a table in Lorenzo's estate, clutching half a slice of red velvet cake.Sophia screamed when she saw us and even tried to bite.But when her gaze fell on Lorenzo, slumped in his wheelchair, dr

  • The Faceless Ballerina   Chapter 8

    A week later, news broke out of Cesielle: the Don, Lorenzo Falcone, had lost control in public.At a major family banquet, Sophia overturned the table in front of everyone and drove a fork through the back of Lorenzo's hand.The girl who had grown up locked in an attic, denied education and refinement, was not the graceful goddess Lorenzo had imagined.She was feral, and she would not be controlled."Lorenzo is in a difficult position," Dante said from across the table.He flicked his lighter open and shut with a soft metallic click. "Members of his own family are questioning his judgment."I cut into my steak without looking up.In my first life, I obsessed over table manners to please Lorenzo. If my fork so much as scraped the plate, he would fix me with a look sharp enough to draw blood.Now I understood. The disgust in his eyes had never been about elegance. It was because I was not Sophia."He won't give up," I said. "Lorenzo is a fanatic. The more flawed something is, th

  • The Faceless Ballerina   Chapter 7

    "Because she is that ballerina's daughter. Her name is Sophia. She and Lorenzo share the same mother."The moment I spoke, our mother covered her face and broke down.Dante stared at the photograph in stunned silence.I kept my voice steady and exposed the rot at the center of our family. "The dancer first attached herself to the old Don and gave birth to Lorenzo. Later, she met our father. He fell for her beauty, betrayed our mother, and fathered Sophia."The dancer died after Sophia was born. Our father had no choice but to bring the baby home. But our mother agreed to one condition: Sophia would never be acknowledged as a Rossi daughter."Our mother's sobs grew louder. Anna crossed the room and wrapped an arm around her shoulders."So Sophia grew up in the attic," I continued. "She did not eat at our table. She did not appear at public events. To the outside world, she was a stain we pretended did not exist."Dante's jaw tightened."But she carries Rossi blood," he said."Y

  • The Faceless Ballerina   Chapter 6

    Neapolis felt different from Cesielle. The sunlight held a lazy warmth, softer and less harsh.The Capone family owned a seaside villa there, with mountains guarding three sides and open water stretching wide before it.Vito arranged the guards himself. Armed men rotated in shifts along the perimeter.For the first time in days, I slept through the night without jolting awake at every faint sound.The next morning, Dante arrived. He was younger than I had expected, perhaps 25. Dark brown hair framed unusual gray-green eyes. Where Lorenzo's handsomeness carried a shadow, Dante's features were clean and direct."Isabella." He inclined his head with measured politeness. "My father asked me to bring you the latest updates."I invited him to sit.Anna and our mother joined us at the table. Dante opened his briefcase and spread several photographs before us."After what happened at the theater last night, the Don made no unusual public moves," he said. "He returned to the main estate

  • The Faceless Ballerina   Chapter 5

    My car headed north toward Port Cesielle, where a representative of the Capone family waited.A broad-shouldered, middle-aged man stood by the dock: Vito Capone.Our mother and Anna arrived shortly after I did.Vito gave us a curt nod. "The boat is ready."Our mother urged us forward at a brisk pace. The wind off the water cut through my collar, heavy with salt and rot.I glanced back at Cesielle Island. Scattered lights shimmered across its surface. In the distance, the curve of the theater dome rose faintly against the night sky.By now, the masked figure should have reached the entrance. Lorenzo would greet her himself, and when he removed the mask, what would his expression reveal?A quiet laugh escaped me."Let's go," I told Anna.She did not move. She stood still and looked at me with an expression I could not read."Isabella, I suddenly regret it," she said softly."Regret what?""Regret fighting you all these years." She lowered her gaze. "If we had worked together

  • The Faceless Ballerina   Chapter 4

    Anna froze."So what are you saying?" she asked, unease sharpening her voice. "We send a maid in your place?"I shook my head. "If we send just anyone, Lorenzo will know immediately. It has to be the person he truly loves."Anna sagged back, frustration flashing across her face. "Only God knows who that is. Besides us and the maids, who else could he possibly love in this house?"My mother spoke at once. "Could it be…"Her voice faltered. The color drained from her face.In the same instant, the answer settled in my mind.I met her gaze. "Mom, I think I know who Lorenzo loves."At first, I had no idea. Lorenzo had acted so devoted that part of me still questioned whether any of it had been real.But he slipped in the gallery.It was the red velvet cake. I despised red velvet cake. Only one person in this house loved it obsessively. Only one person here bore a cross-shaped scar on her ankle.Once I noticed it, everything fell into place. Rather than prolong a bloody standoff

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