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Chapter 9
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The Heir They Denied Chapter 12
By the time I left the courthouse, night had fallen. The parking lot was nearly empty, lit by a few dim lamps that cast long, eerie shadows. The click of my heels echoed on the pavement.Suddenly, I heard the sound of frantic footsteps rushing out of the darkness."Ava! You bitch!"Harrington, flanked by three large men, lunged from the shadows. His eyes were wild with hatred, a sharp dagger clutched in his hand."You ruined me! I'm going to make you pay!"I took a few steps back, calmly pressing the emergency button on my watch. "Mr. Harrington, killing me won't change the verdict.""I don't care," he roared. "If I'm going to hell, I'm taking you with me."Just then, the screech of tires filled the air as several black SUVs swarmed the parking lot. Doors flew open, and a team of armed men jumped out.Leading them was Matteo.He wore a long black coat, his eyes as cold and sharp as a razor's edge. "Drop your weapons. You're surrounded."Harrington froze for a second, then burst out
The Heir They Denied Chapter 11
[Matteo's POV]At the Gallo Estate."Don Gallo, are you certain you wish to attend the gala tonight?" Antonio asked cautiously.Matteo sat in the chair that had once been his father's, idly turning a silver dagger in his hand. In the past five years, he had crushed all his enemies. Stella and her lover had been executed by his own hand. Every person who had betrayed him had paid in blood.He was now the most powerful Don in New York, but also its most solitary tyrant. No woman ever lasted more than three months by his side."I'm going," he said, his voice flat. "The Russos will be there. I need to see them for myself."He knew, deep down, that wasn't the real reason. He just wanted to see if the woman he searched for was truly gone from that man's side. He couldn't give up on any possibility.Five years. He had never stopped looking for a trace of Ava.Even though everyone said she was dead, even though her death certificate sat in a drawer of his desk, he kept searching, a man dri
The Heir They Denied Chapter 10
[Ava's POV]These past few days, Matteo had men watching me around the clock. I had no way to escape his control. My only thought was to leave.Finally, my chance came. An emergency at the docks required every available man to be dispatched, leaving me unguarded. I slipped out.I didn't go back to the apartment to pack. I was afraid Matteo would find me there, but more than that, I couldn't bear to see the traces of our life together. The photos in their frames, the paintings he'd given me, the furniture we'd chosen. Each object was a screaming reminder of my own foolishness.I made my way to an abandoned pier on the edge of the city. Once a bustling shipping hub, it was now a graveyard of rusted cranes and derelict warehouses. The sea breeze was cold, carrying the salty, fishy smell of the water and making the fresh scars on my soul ache. The moonlight glittered on the black water like shattered glass.From my bag, I took out an old flip phone. Leonardo had given it to me seve
The Heir They Denied Chapter 9
Matteo's fists were clenched so tightly the veins stood out on his arms. "Ava, I..."Before he could finish, Stella let out a bloodcurdling scream. "No! My baby!"A fresh wave of blood gushed from between her legs, pooling on the ground. Matteo's face went chalk-white."Matteo..." Stella's call was faint. "Please... don't let me die here... If I die, the Falcone family will declare war on the Gallos... So many more innocent people will die..."Of course. Stella knew exactly which strings to pull. The greater good. The family's interests.Matteo's hand fell away from mine. But he looked at me, his eyes filled with a desperate resolve."Ava, give me three days. Just three days to end this farce with the Falcone family. I will make this right. I swear it."With that, he ran toward Stella.I stood there, watching his back disappear, the last flicker of hope in my heart dying out.In Matteo's world, the "greater good" would always be more important than me. No matter how many times he sa
The Heir They Denied Chapter 8
The room fell silent.Claire's face drained of all color. She finally understood. "Brother... you mean... the baby Ava was carrying was really...""Yes!" Matteo's voice was a ragged tremor. "He was my son!""The true blood of the Gallo family!"Panic seized Claire as the full weight of her actions crashed down on her. She had personally orchestrated the murder of the Gallo family heir. From the very beginning, Stella had played her like a fiddle.Stella's face changed, too. She realized her scheme was unraveling. "Matteo, let me explain...""Explain?" Matteo turned to her slowly, his eyes as cold and empty as a winter sky. "Explain how you manipulated Claire, how you made her believe Ava was carrying another man's child?""Explain how you had Claire humiliate her, call her baby a bastard?"Stella backed away, her voice trembling. "I didn't... I was just...""Just trying to get rid of my son?" Matteo stalked toward her. "To clear the way for the bastard in your own belly?""No! Matteo
The Heir They Denied Chapter 7
Seeing the terror on his face, a mask of disbelieving despair, a wave of dark satisfaction washed over me."What did I do?""You should ask your sister."I looked at Matteo's ashen face and smiled, my shoulders shaking with a silent, bitter laugh. I couldn't resist twisting the knife."Although, this suits me just fine."I paused, letting the words hang in the air. Then, with a voice filled with all the hatred I could muster, I forced the next words out from between my teeth."This child was a ghost to his own father. So I erased him."Matteo's body shook as if he'd been struck by lightning. The muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably, his eyes wild with horror. His voice was a raw, rasping sound, as if he hadn't spoken in years."No... impossible... How could you...""How could I?" I sneered. "You tell me. What's the point of a child coming into this world when his own father won't even claim him?""To be called a bastard by everyone? To be despised by his own family?""I was on
