Chapter 1

As the flames engulfed my body in the underground warehouse, I used the last of my strength to call my brother, the new Don of the Moretti family.Just as I was about to draw my last breath, Lorenzo finally answered, his voice as cold as the Sicilian winter wind."Isabella, what the hell are you up to now?""Brother, save me…"My voice was barely a whisper, but he cut me off without a hint of mercy."Can't you go one day without causing trouble?""Liliana's debutante dinner is next week. If you don't show up, I'll drag you back here myself."He hung up without a second thought, completely oblivious to the desperation in my voice.Despair mingled with the searing agony that wracked my body as the flames danced higher, and I couldn't hold on any longer. As I closed my eyes, tears still trickled from their corners.You won't have to drag me back, my brother. I'm never coming back....After I died, my consciousness didn't fade. Instead, it was trapped in a dark space.A sudden flood of l

Chapter 2

"My little angel, what is it? Do you miss me?"I heard a sweet voice from the other end. I didn't need to guess to know it was Liliana."I'm fine, just haven't been sleeping well. The family's dealing with some trouble. Don't worry about it."At the sound of her concerned voice, Lorenzo's shoulders visibly relaxed."My angel, you just wait for me at home. I'll be back to see you as soon as I've cleaned up this mess… Yes, I know. I'll be careful."Lorenzo cooed at Liliana, but then his tone suddenly changed in response to something she said. "Don't you worry, I'll make Isabella admit, in her own words, that she plagiarized your work for that design degree. If she won't, I'll make her admit it on her knees.""I'll make her apologize for her insolence.""Alright, baby, don't be sad. Wait for me at the estate. It's not safe on the streets right now. If you go out, remember to take a bodyguard and let me know."Listening to my brother's deep, magnetic voice comforting her, I felt a pain li

Chapter 3

Two days later, there was still no progress on the case.The old guard of the family began to whisper behind Lorenzo's back, questioning the new Don's competence."The new Don can't even find one killer. Makes you wonder if he's fit for the job.""All of Chicago is laughing at us!"A murder this brutal on Moretti turf, with the killer still at large, was a direct challenge to Lorenzo's authority as the new Don.Silvio, looking completely distracted, walked up to Lorenzo with a worried expression."Don, I still feel like something is wrong. It's not normal for Isabella to be out of touch for so many days."Lorenzo, already at his wit's end over the lack of a breakthrough in the case, grew even more disgusted at the mention of my name.He took all his frustration out on me."Silvio, I told you, she's fine! How am I supposed to find time to deal with that traitor?""You should be spending your energy on the burned body in the morgue.""I'm busy. I need to help Liliana with her dinner prep

Chapter 4

The phone slipped from Lorenzo's hand, hitting the floor with a sickening crack."What the fuck are you talking about? What is Isabella's phone doing at a crime scene?""Don, we found the main scene. It's in the ruins of a burned-out warehouse at the port. You'd better come see for yourself."The words on the other end of the line struck Lorenzo like a bolt of lightning. His face went ashen, and he staggered.Silvio grabbed Lorenzo's shoulder. "Don't just fucking stand there, let's go!"Liliana, tears streaming down her face, reached for him, but her hand grasped only empty air.It was the first time I had ever seen Lorenzo choose me over his precious Liliana.In that instant, it was as if the Lorenzo who had once been willing to burn down the entire underworld for me had returned.Arriving at the abandoned warehouse, one of his men handed him my slightly charred phone."Don, we found this in the wreckage. The case is melted, but by some miracle, it still turns on.""The whole warehous

Chapter 5

When Lorenzo returned to the family headquarters from the scene, he was like a walking corpse."Get out! Everybody get the fuck out!"His men could feel the lethal chill radiating from their Don.Silvio, holding a sealed file, approached him with a grave expression. "Lorenzo, this is the preliminary report from the family's doctor."Lorenzo took the report, his hand trembling. Every word on the page was a bullet piercing his heart.[Victim: Isabella MorettiAge: 22Cause of Death: Excessive blood loss, severe burns, numerous stab wounds and abrasions.Distinguishing Marks: Healed fracture, left little finger, resulting in a slight bend.]He stared at the report, shaking his head in a frenzy."Impossible... How could she be dead? How can she be dead?"He shot to his feet and sprinted to the morgue, where my broken, ravaged corpse lay.Through the ring, I watched my brother collapse to his knees, his trembling hand reaching out to touch my face, which was now a bloody, unrecognizable rui

Chapter 6

Lorenzo glanced at Silvio, his voice remaining as calm as ever. "I'm fine."Liliana didn't detect anything unusual, her voice a practiced, pitiful whine. "Brother, the killer is still out there. I'm so scared. Can you come back and stay with me tonight? I can't sleep alone."It was a trick that had never failed her. Until now.At a curt nod from Silvio, Lorenzo agreed. "Okay, I'll be right back."Through the ring, I saw the warmth drain from his eyes.After hanging up, Silvio immediately began to make preparations."It's a trap," Silvio said in a low voice as he fitted Lorenzo with a bug."But it's also our only chance."He then assembled the family's most elite hitters, stationing them in key positions around the estate."Lorenzo, stay sharp. Radio in the second anything feels off," Silvio instructed grimly.Lorenzo nodded, checking the pistol at his waist. "Give me thirty minutes."When Lorenzo arrived back at the estate, the entire mansion was eerily silent.Even the usual guards a

Chapter 7

"Don't die! You can't die!" Lorenzo cradled Silvio, who was covered in blood, his voice bordering on despair.Silvio's eyes fluttered open, blood trickling from his lips. "Don... go after them... Don't let Isabella's death be for nothing...""Don't talk! Just hold on!" Lorenzo frantically pressed on the wound in Silvio's chest. "Medic! Get a medic!"The family's soldiers quickly moved Silvio onto a stretcher.Lorenzo looked around at his most elite men, lying in pools of their own blood.The gunfire echoed in the abandoned church like a death knell.He wiped the blood from his hands, a murderous resolve hardening his eyes. "How far did Jason and Liliana get?""Don, they fled north toward the abandoned factory. Our men are in pursuit," a subordinate reported.Lorenzo grabbed a submachine gun from the ground. "Find them. I don't care if they're breathing."In the end, under the overwhelming firepower of the family's elite force, Lorenzo put a single shot through Jason's head. His brains

All Chapters of The Burned Moretti Princess: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7