Semua Bab Stepsister Stole My Life I Took Her World: Bab 1 - Bab 9

My father was stunned when I agreed to take my stepsister’s place.“Odessa, do you have any idea what kind of monster Jude Moretti is? They call him the Butcher of New York's underworld. They say when he loses it, he skins traitors with his own hands. You think you’ll come back in one piece?”Before I could answer, my stepmother cut in, her eyes darting nervously.“If Odessa doesn’t go, Sandra dies. Our Sandra, who already sacrificed her reputation by marrying Marco just to escape that monster. The Morettis are savages, but even savages have rules. They won’t touch a married woman…”Conflict flickered in my father's eyes. He slowly let go of my hand and slumped back into his chair.My heart turned to ice.This house stopped being a home the day my mother died.Sandra stole my father's love. She stole my designs. Now she wanted me to jump into this man-eating pit for her.And my right hand… useless. All because they stuck me with some quack doctor after the accident.And now, to prote

The agony from his shoe nearly snapped the last thread of my sanity.But I didn’t beg.I just stared at him, my mind flashing back to two years ago.It was an assassination attempt on the Bianchi family.He was kidnapped, badly wounded. It took me seven days, crawling through nearly every sewer in New York, to find him.He was passed out in an abandoned warehouse. The bomb the kidnappers set was about to go off.I dragged him with all my strength, and just as the blast wave threw us through the air, I shielded his head with my right hand.A sharp piece of glass pierced my wrist, severing the nerves.With his last bit of consciousness, Marco looked at me, his eyes red. He said he loved me. He said he would marry me.And what happened next?The Family rushed me to Switzerland for treatment. The best doctors, but also the highest costs and the most painful recovery.I didn’t want him to worry, so I downplayed how bad it was.But all the messages I sent him, his replies went from “Get well

The Moretti estate was quiet that night. No rowdy guests. Just black-suited guards everywhere… and the man kneeling outside the main gate.Marco had been there for five hours.The downpour whipped his body like a lash, but he didn't move.The estate's security monitor showed it all. His pale face. His broken ribs—a parting gift from the guards who’d tried to remove him."Still won't leave?"Jude's voice came from behind me.I turned.He was fresh from the shower, a black silk robe tied loosely around his waist. It revealed a carved chest, his hair still dripping onto his shoulders.The air smelled of cedarwood, dangerous and intoxicating."He's waiting for me to forgive him," I said, my eyes on the monitor."And you?" Jude stepped in front of me, his tall frame casting a shadow that swallowed me whole. "On our wedding night, my wife is thinking about another man?"His fingers gently tilted my chin up. His ice-blue eyes churned with something deep and unreadable.Was that… jealousy?"T

Marco didn't die.He spent half a month in the ICU and, miraculously, woke up.But he didn't disappear like I thought he would. He got crazier. More obsessed.Since his little self-pity act didn't work, he tried a new tactic.He used what was left of the Bianchi family's resources to stage "chance encounters."Art exhibits, auctions, business dinners—anywhere the Moretti family showed up, you could be sure to find him in his wheelchair.He didn't scream anymore. He just watched me. A snake in the grass.Until tonight.A charity auction to celebrate me officially taking over the Moretti jewelry business.I had just finished making the rounds and was looking for Jude when a waiter ran up to me, panicked."Mrs. Moretti! There's a problem! The Don… he's in the upstairs lounge. He looks… unwell. And he's with a woman…"The waiter trailed off, but his eyes said it all.My stomach dropped.I knew Jude's tolerance for alcohol. Someone must have drugged him.I hiked up my dress and ran.At the

Marco's trembling hand grabbed the paper. He stared at the gestational age."A child… I have a child?"He mumbled to himself, a flicker of dazed joy in his eyes. For a man who'd been told his car accident might leave him unable to have children, this was a shocking miracle.Seeing her chance, Sandra immediately put on her pitiful act, collapsing at his knees in tears."Yes, Marco! It's a gift from God! You can't kill our child for that bitch Odessa!"SLAP!The sound was sharp and clear.It wasn't Marco who hit her.It was Jude.He pulled his hand back, wiping it on his trouser leg as if he'd touched something utterly contaminated."Watch your mouth," Jude's eyes were dark. "You insult my wife again, I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs."Then, he pulled another document from his coat and tossed it lightly onto Marco's lap."Since everyone likes to throw around evidence, I might as well join the fun."It was a paternity test.And a few photos of Sandra sneaking out of nightc