Share

Chapter 3

Author: Bagel
For seven straight days, Julian never returned to the estate.

I didn't bother tracking his whereabouts either. I went through the motions, gave the divorce papers to my lawyer, and began packing what was mine.

But my lawyer told me that to expedite the process, I had to submit the original marriage certificate we signed in that little chapel in the South Side years ago.

That document was locked away in the old apartment we used to live in, which had been empty for years.

I decided to go get it myself and take care of selling the apartment while I was at it.

I brought the building manager upstairs, but when we reached the door, I realized it was slightly ajar.

A woman's muffled moans and a man's heavy panting drifted from inside.

Through the dim lighting, I could see Mia's cheap lace slip tossed casually onto the dusty floor. Julian had her pinned against the peeling wall, his dress pants dropped to his knees as he drove into her.

Our wedding band was still on his ring finger as he gripped her waist.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle a sound, then turned and fled.

I looked back at the building manager. "Today isn't a good time. Let's come back another day."

The manager was a young woman, and she had clearly heard the noises inside too.

She looked at me with an unspeakable pity in her eyes. "Mrs. Marchetti... do you need me to make a record of this?"

I shook my head slightly. "It's a private matter. Please don't get involved."

What would pushing that door open change?

Throw a massive fit like a vulgar shrew, or act like a desperate, bitter wife crying over the hard days we survived together on the streets?

None of it meant anything anymore.

When a man's heart is gone, fighting to keep him only gets you an empty shell.

I hurried downstairs, only to be grabbed by Julian, who had chased after me.

He was still panting. His shirt collar was undone, and a bright red mark stained his collarbone.

"Why are you here? Just now... did you see everything?"

I pulled my hand away, my tone composed. "I was just passing by to pick up a few old things. I realized I didn't bring the key, so I was leaving."

He audibly sighed in relief, assuming I simply couldn't bear to think further about it.

"The docks have been under tight scrutiny this week, and I just managed to slip away. Mia said there were rivals staking out her neighborhood, so I brought her here to lay low... Don't overthink it."

I didn't even have the energy to call him on such a pathetic lie. I just turned and continued walking away.

Just then, the deafening sound of shattering glass erupted from the apartment, and bright orange flames spewed from the window frames.

Julian's face turned pale. He violently spun around, seized my jaw, and a raw fury burned in his eyes.

"Did you set this fire?! Serafina, I thought you were just throwing a fit, but I never imagined you'd work with our rivals to pull a deadly stunt like this!"

"Let me tell you, I was the one who let Mia stay here! If anything happens to her, you'll answer to me!"

He shoved me away fiercely, turned, and charged into the fire.

I wanted to just leave, but I suddenly remembered that the original marriage certificate urgently needed for the divorce, along with some of my parents' belongings, were all locked in the bedroom safe.

I turned back and rushed in against the scorching heat wave.

Thick smoke billowed through the apartment as Julian came rushing out, carrying a half-conscious Mia.

When he saw me, his eyes instantly turned cold. "What are you doing back here?! Get out!"

I ignored him and ran straight toward the bedroom.

The flames were already licking at the curtains. The safe sat right at the foot of the burning wardrobe.

"Serafina! Are you out of your fucking mind?! Get out here!" Julian roared from the doorway.

I dropped to the scorching floor and rapidly spun the dial on the safe.

The instant I yanked the heavy metal door of the safe open, the old chandelier on the ceiling came crashing down!

Julian instinctively pinned Mia under him, rolling backward rapidly to avoid the crash.

I was thrown back by the massive shockwave of the blast. Sharp wooden splinters and shattered glass instantly pierced my back, and blood quickly stained my coat.

I gritted my teeth and clutched the folder containing the keepsakes and the original certificate tightly to my chest.

Thick smoke flooded my lungs as my vision darkened inch by inch.

Before I blacked out, the last thing I heard was Julian carrying Mia to safety, and the distant wail of approaching sirens.
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • Too Late, My Capo, Your Love Means Nothing   Chapter 13

    Three years passed in the blink of an eye. I became the youngest member of the Family Commission and the only female Chief Consigliere in the history of the Five Families.At the solemn annual high-level summit, in front of all the Capos, Vittorio personally bowed his head to me.Thunderous applause erupted from both sides of the long table as all the mob bosses raised their glasses in submission.It was already evening by the time the summit dispersed.A fine, steady drizzle fell outside, blanketing the cobblestone streets of the old city.I drove alone to the Family cemetery on the outskirts of the city. The gold iris pin on my lapel glinted faintly in the rainy light.I laid a bouquet of white roses in front of my parents' grave."Papa, Mamma," I knelt down, my voice soft. "I brought back the Family's honor and rules.""From now on, I will guard the rules of this coast for you."The cold rain drifted down, and the ivy on the walls rustled in the wind, as if in silent reply.As I ope

  • Too Late, My Capo, Your Love Means Nothing   Chapter 12

    When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a plush velvet bed back at the San Celano estate.Outside the window was the familiar olive grove, the morning light creeping inch by inch up the walls.Vittorio sat in the old leather chair by the bed. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink all night, the bags under his eyes were a bruised, sickly gray."You're awake?" His voice held a rare tremor. "You stubborn girl... You're just as reckless with your life as your father was."I opened my mouth, but my throat burned fiercely. I couldn't make a sound."Don't speak." He leaned forward and tucked the blanket around me. "The bullet grazed your collarbone. The doctor said you were lucky. It was a miracle."He paused."The treaty got through. The next morning, the Commission unanimously voted to approve it. The northern smuggling routes are secure for the next ten years."He pulled a narrow, dark green velvet box from his suit's inner pocket and slowly opened it.Resting inside the box was a soli

  • Too Late, My Capo, Your Love Means Nothing   Chapter 11

    The negotiation in Blacksand was far more perilous than anticipated.In that abandoned port warehouse, I spent six grueling days in a standoff with Salazar and his dozen gunmen.On several occasions, I had gun barrels pointed directly at my forehead.Finally, just as I used my final piece of leverage to force his signature, rival gangs in the town turned on each other, and a fierce firefight erupted.The bodyguards who came with me fell one by one, covering my retreat. I hid behind a solid concrete barrier. Flying shrapnel sliced open my arm, the blood quickly staining my trench coat crimson.Leaning against the freezing wall, I booted my encrypted device, took a photo of the signed treaty, and sent it to San Celano.As the progress bar crept forward, bullets rattled fiercely against the tin roof, and muzzle flashes flickered violently through the bullet holes.In that moment, a flood of memories surged over me.The hallway light in the orphanage that was never fixed on cold winter nig

  • Too Late, My Capo, Your Love Means Nothing   Chapter 10

    Another three months passed. Vittorio invited me into his private study."There's a job. It's dirty, and it's highly dangerous." The old man pushed a locked black leather folder toward me, the key resting beside it. "But it's more important to the Family than anything we've dealt with in decades. You can refuse, Serafina. No one will blame you."I opened the folder: Southern Border, Blacksand.A smuggling route spanning three countries had recently been choked off by a smuggling boss named Salazar.His men had already butchered two batches of negotiators sent by San Celano, dumping their bodies in the desert. They didn't even send the heads back.The Family needed someone to go there in person, bearing leverage, to get a ceasefire agreement signed."I'll go.""Think it through." Vittorio's gaze was heavy. "Those outlaws don't play by the rules. Going there is a death sentence.""I have," I said. "My father didn't calculate the odds when he went. If he could do it, I have no reason to

  • Too Late, My Capo, Your Love Means Nothing   Chapter 9

    It took Julian six months to track me down to San Celano.That day, I was in the estate's underground negotiating room, reviewing a money laundering operation with three old vineyard owners from Naples. My deputy pushed the door open and lowered his voice:"Miss Vitale, there is a gentleman from Porthaven waiting for you in VIP Room 3 at the club. He claims to be your... husband."I set my fountain pen down, my finger resting on the corner of the document for a brief second."Tell him I am occupied tonight.""He said he's been waiting for three days. It's about the divorce papers."I stayed silent for a few seconds. "Have Enzo get the car."I closed the folder and raised my hands to button my coat. "To the club."When the bodyguard pushed open the heavy, soundproof door to the VIP room, Julian was standing with his back to the door, facing the dim floor-to-ceiling windows.Outside was the night view of old San Celano, the sharp steeples of the cathedral outlined by the warm glow of the

  • Too Late, My Capo, Your Love Means Nothing   Chapter 8

    My life in San Celano was a fresh start.I buried my past and entered the Family's inner circle. I started by auditing money laundering ledgers and handling business disputes between gangs.No one here knew about my life in Porthaven, or the grief over losing my child that nearly killed me.The men of this old city saw me only as a young widow from the north, a quiet woman with eyes as cold as ice.During the day, I sat in the study, flipping through ledgers, cross-referencing every transaction from the Family's vineyards, casinos, and shipping docks.At night, I read in Vittorio's underground library, studying the bloodlines of the Five Families and thirty years of their debts. On weekends, I locked myself in the windowless underground archives, staying there all day long.Vittorio became my strictest mentor."Your father could spot cooked books in three minutes," he would say. "You will be no less."Three months later, two hot-headed Capos drew their guns on each other at the negotia

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status