Semua Bab Dumped by the Don, Crowned by the Mob: Bab 1 - Bab 8

This was the 17th wedding with my fiance, Rafael Holloway. For every one of the previous 16, he'd left me standing alone at the altar for his fragile sworn sister, Natalia Sullivan.I walked down the aisle holding his arm when the baby in my womb gave a sharp kick."Our baby's been waiting for this day, too," he whispered and squeezed my hand with a smile. When the priest began the vows, all eyes in the chapel turned toward us. That was when his phone rang with a call. It was from Natalia again.Rafael's expression went stone-cold, and his grip tightened subconsciously."Don't answer it, Rafael." My eyes were locked on him.A torn look swirled in his eyes as his thumb hovered over the decline button. Then, the call ended on its own.I was about to breathe out in relief when the second call arrived."Gianna, maybe it's an emergency. She never calls this much," he muttered, trying to free his hand from my grasp.But I held on and reminded him. "Our baby is waiting to hear his f

As the morning sunlight spilled into the kitchen, I hummed an old Northern tune, frying bacon and a sunny side up egg at my own pace.This was a farewell feast I'd gotten myself.I pulled out a chair and sat down. Just as my fork touched the soft yolk, the door opened with a soft click.Rafael walked in, reeking of Natalia's perfume and holding a huge bouquet of flamboyant strelitzia. It was a kaleidoscopic mix of bright orange and gold with stiff stems sticking out from the sides.I hated those flowers and always thought they looked cheap and forced, like a dressed-up turkey ready to be served. But Natalia loved them. She said they were hardy like the version of herself she longed to be."Morning, Gianna." His voice was rough from a night up, but he seemed in good spirits. He dumped the tacky bouquet on the far end of the table and dropped into the seat across from me.Then, he said, his tone jokingly unhappy, "Natalia was a handful last night and kept whining that the new paink

In Montrava, the grand ballroom of the Rossetti estate was ablaze with lights.Northern elders had gathered in force to welcome my return."Gianna," Father called out to me in a commanding voice as he first raised his glass. "Welcome home."I lifted my crystal glass and swept my gaze over the crowd. Some of them were Father's loyalists, some new-blood upstarts, and others who once scoffed at me, the Rossetti Principessa who'd "betrayed" the North and run off to the South.As I smiled, my voice was calm and rang out clearly. "Thank you, everyone. I've learned a lot these years in the South.""Oh, for instance?" Some leaned forward, amused.I set my glass down and began to say, "For example, their port runs on bribes to marine customs officers, and I have that list now."Their arm deals hinge on three key brokers, one of whom now works for me."Two-thirds of their casino cash flow was never declared. By tomorrow morning, the tax office will deliver a friendly tax audit notice rig

The commotion had drawn every eye in the ballroom.Rafael's face was deathly pale while his lips parted to find a way to save himself.Before he could speak, Natalia stumbled forward with one hand clutching her pregnant belly and the other locking desperately around his arm. "Rafael, did you just tell her you'd like to start over? If you want her child, what about our baby?"A shocked hush spread through the guests as I watched it all with a cold, amused smile curled up on my lips.Rafael's face went from gray to ashen as he tried to pull free. "Natalia, let go! I was just—""Just what? I'm carrying your baby, a Holloway!" she sobbed. Tears smeared her makeup all over her face and exposed her haggard features.She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her stomach before raising her tear-streaked face. "You promised my father you'd take care of me forever and swore you'd give us a family! And now, you stand here with the audacity to beg for another chance from the woman you abandon