LOGINOur wedding celebrations lasted six months, filled with the traditions and grandeur our two families expected.I officially became the Donna of the Vaccaro family, and my father passed the symbol of the Amatos' leadership to me. The marriage united our families and bound Mario and me to each other for life.After the wedding, we returned to the harbor to leave for our honeymoon on our private island.Mario wanted to shut the island down for good rather than risk bringing back painful memories, but I talked him out of it. It was his engagement gift to me. We shouldn't have to give it up because of what other people did. Those people were behind us. We still had our whole lives ahead of us.The Vaccaro family's business left us no time for a trip around the world, but I didn't care where we went as long as we were together.Mario kept an arm around me as we walked toward the luxury yacht. Since our engagement, he barely let me out of his sight. The ruthless Don of the Vaccaro
Fear seemed to give Anna a sudden burst of strength. She broke free of the guards and lunged toward Mario, falling at his feet and reaching for his shoe.Mario barely had time to frown before a guard dragged her away. Her desperation earned her no sympathy.Minutes ago, she flaunted her status in front of me. Now, her hair and clothes were a mess, and the fiancé she was so proud of could only stand there and watch.Tears streaked her makeup, but she glared at me with open hatred. "Mr. Vaccaro, you can't marry her! She loves someone else. She'll cheat on you! Let me go, and I'll do anything for you! Anything!"Her offer was unmistakable.I clenched my jaw. Leonardo was a childhood friend, nothing more. But I chose Mario because I wanted to marry him, and I wasn't about to share him with anyone.Mario glanced dismissively at Anna and tightened his arm around me, pulling me close enough to feel his muscles through his clothes."Only an idiot would choose you over Julia. Get out
Leonardo's eyes widened.The guests knew little about the Vaccaro family's mystery bride, but word was that the Don himself visited her family to arrange the engagement. He even wrote the invitations by hand and sent them to every mafia family in Belloria.That alone made it clear how much he and his family valued his future wife.Mario's personal bodyguard brought over a pair of warm, comfortable shoes. Mario crouched in front of me and gently brushed the dust and blood from my feet with his large, dry hands before slipping the shoes on.Everyone in Belloria looked up to this man, and here he was, kneeling at my feet."You put your hands on my future wife," he said. "You'll pay a hundred times over for what you did to her today."With Mario's help, I stood up to face the crowd. Leonardo stared at me, trembling, as though he still couldn't believe what he was seeing."No. That's impossible! A few months ago, you were going to marry me. Now you're marrying the Don of the Vaccar
The burly bodyguard hit the floor, clutching his knee and trembling with pain.Guests stifled their screams when they recognized the man coming down the stairs, pressing their hands over their mouths."Who the hell shoots a Rossi bodyguard? You wanna die?" Leonardo shouted, furious that anyone would challenge him. He didn't even look to see who fired.A cold gun barrel pressed against his forehead."You come into my hotel and pull this?" the man said coldly. "Nobody disrespects the Vaccaros."He spoke as if Leonardo's fate was already decided. Sweat broke out across Leonardo's face.I lay sprawled on the floor. A pair of custom-made black leather shoes stopped in front of me.Leonardo rushed over, too shaken to wipe his brow. "Mr. Vaccaro, this was a private matter. We never meant to disrupt your engagement party. I'll have her taken out right away."Anna stood frozen beside him. Then she took a closer look at the legendary Mario Vaccaro, his handsome face and the authority h
Anna signaled to the two bodyguards behind me. They each grabbed a shoulder, holding me in place.I struggled against them. "Leonardo, Anna, you can't do this!"Leonardo looked down at me coldly. "I warned you, Julia. I love Anna. You let your jealousy get the better of you, and now look at you. You just don't know when to stop."The guards held me down in the middle of the lobby and wrenched the ring off my right middle finger. Pain burned through it.Leonardo glanced at the ring in disgust. "Throw it away.""Yes, sir!" The guard tossed it, sending the silvery band flying out of sight.I lunged after it, desperate to see where it landed, just as the designer arrived with my dress."Ms. Amato... My God! What's going on?"The Vaccaro family's personal designer saw me struggling in the guards' grip. Horrified, he dropped the dress and rushed over to push them away. He knew that if my fiance found out, everyone here would end up in the ocean as shark bait.Then Anna gasped.
Anna held up her right hand, her eyes shining with pride. "But Leonardo designed this ring just for our wedding. There are only two in the world! Didn't the Amatos sell a few hotels recently, though? Your family isn't going broke, is it?"She covered her mouth, but the malice in her eyes was unmistakable. "Sorry, Julia. I didn't mean to hit a nerve. I'd just hate for you to embarrass your family because money's tight."I nearly laughed. We simply sold a few underperforming properties. Once I married the Don of the Vaccaro family, we planned to move our main business operations here.I gave Leonardo a cold look. "Did you really design that ring, Leonardo?"He looked away.I designed that ring when I was 16, along with my engagement dress. Leonardo was visiting with his family at the time. He pestered me to show him my sketches and even slipped into my room when I wasn't home. Then he grinned and promised to hire the best artisans to make the ring and dress for me. I told







