All Chapters of From Maid to Madre: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

God had abandoned Gianna on 13th Street. The place was filled with heroin, gunfire, and the rotting stench of sewers. They also called it the slums.After her parents died in a shooting, her grandmother, Rosa Argento, raised her.Matteo was three years older than she was. When they first met, he was a defiant teenager who had escaped from a fighting ring.He became a target for everyone because of his face, too refined and almost sinister in its beauty, combined with his fierce and untamed nature.Rosa was kindhearted. She dragged him back from death's door, though she had her own reasons too.In this godforsaken place where people devoured each other, Gianna needed an older brother to protect her. Hence, they became family, relying on each other to survive.Matteo would grab a rusty pipe and risk his life when street thugs tried to extort Gianna. Even with two broken ribs, he refused to let go. He bit off the other guy's ear.He would also push his only can of corned beef onto

After that argument, Gianna and Matteo fell into a cold war. He stopped visiting, and she refused to reach out first.Lately, in her dreams, she kept seeing a warm family that did not exist—doting parents with relatives gathered around them.This longing was like an addiction. It flared up during rainy nights in the city, gnawing at her bones and piercing her heart. Hence, despite Matteo's strict warnings, she found herself drawn once again to the gates of Orleen Estate.Tall iron railings wrapped in electrified barbed wire loomed above. Armed Soldati stood guard at the entrance."What do you want? Get lost!"They spotted her again.A rifle butt struck Gianna's shoulder. She grunted in pain and collapsed to the ground.Just then, the Don's wife, Isabella Bianchi, stepped outside. Their eyes met.Isabella froze in place. A powerful instinct deep in her blood made her heart race.The pale, delicate face and those features bore a striking resemblance to the Don in his youth. She

When Gianna woke up again, she was already lying on a hospital bed in the city's public hospital with an IV needle in the back of her hand.The nurse said an unknown Good Samaritan had saved her, paid for her emergency treatment, and then left.A red and green Christmas stocking hung at the head of the bed. Its bells jingled in the warm air from the heater.Today happened to be Christmas Eve. It was her birthday—and Lucia's birthday.How ironic!They were born on the same day, yet their fates could not have been more different.In past years, Matteo had always celebrated her birthday with her. Whether he was just a street thug on 13th Street or later the powerful man in the Gray Wolf famiglia, every year on this day, he would cancel all his social obligations, tie on an apron, and cook for her himself.Besides delicious food, he would also make birthday cakes in different styles. Then, he would light the candles and kiss her forehead. "Gigi, whatever you wish for, I'll make it

The afterglow of their revelry faded, but Matteo had no desire to sleep. He leaned against the headboard. An inexplicable tightness filled his chest.Although he was convinced it was just Gianna's ploy for sympathy, for some reason, every time he closed his eyes, he remembered her desperate sobbing.Matteo irritably threw off the covers and got out of bed. After getting dressed, he picked up the velvet gift box on the table. He had originally planned to give it to Lucia, but he changed his mind at the last moment. He would treat it as birthday compensation for Gianna.The car drove into the suburbs and stopped in front of the hillside villa. Matteo got out of the car and looked up at the master bedroom on the second floor.It was pitch black. Usually at this time, no matter how late, there would be a light left on at home.That foolish woman would always curl up on the couch. When she heard the engine, she would wake up startled and rush to the door to wait for his greeting kiss.

The news Marco brought back made Matteo's anxiety increasingly severe."Underboss, we can't find anything."Marco was sweating profusely as he reported nervously. "No exit records, no hotel check-in information. Even the street cameras haven't captured any trace. It's like she vanished into thin air.""Useless! A living person doesn't just disappear. Keep searching! Check her call records and anyone she knew from the slums. She can't have just vanished into thin air!"Matteo breathed heavily and yanked off his tie as he walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.Vanished into thin air? Absolutely impossible! With Gianna's weak personality, how could she possibly have that kind of counter-surveillance ability?That was, unless someone was helping her. However, she had no one to turn to in this city. Besides depending on him, who else could she rely on?"You want to see me lose control? Fine. You win."Matteo looked at his own reflection. He had already lost his reason."Contact th