Semua Bab From Stand-In to Queen: Bab 1 - Bab 10

The hospital room was cold and silent, a single-occupancy ward stripped down to the bare minimum.When the door was kicked open, I was forcing myself to endure the tearing pain in my abdomen while rocking my newborn daughter, Luna Vaughn, to sleep."How is your recovery, Miss Lang?" Her tone was deliberately restrained, yet nothing could conceal the innate elegance she carried.The moment I saw her face clearly, I froze.So this was Serena Vale, the national darling who had recently been appearing everywhere at Lucas Vaughn's side.My fingers trembled as I instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around myself.Before I could think further, she bent down toward the swaddled baby, handling her casually. Her sharp, manicured nails scraped across my daughter's cheek, leaving a red mark behind."So it's a girl?" she said lightly. "Lucas needs an heir who can inherit the family. Your womb is really disappointing."Her mockery hit me like a blade.I shook my head frantically.That

By nightfall that same day, I was escorted back to Fog Harbor Estate.There was no stretch limousine waiting at the gates or butler bowing in greeting.I was not taken back to the top-floor master bedroom. Instead, the Soldati shoved me into a confinement room. The space was bare, with only a narrow iron window letting in a draft."The Don ordered you to reflect in here. Do not disturb the little Principessa."After that, the man turned and left.I braced myself against the wall and sank to the floor. The memories I had sealed away came rushing back, sharp with irony.Two years ago, Lucas had pulled me out of the ruins of St. Laurent. He told me that since the world had no place for me, Fog Harbor Estate would be my sanctuary.Back then, Lucas would finish handling the gang's blood-soaked business, wash away the stench of gunpowder, and drive across half the city late at night just to buy me a slice of cake I had casually mentioned.He would tirelessly read bedtime stories to m

When I woke up, the dull, crushing pain in my organs was still tearing through my nerves.Lucas still had not come to see me. Of course, he had not. He was probably busy preparing for his wedding.Suddenly, chaotic footsteps echoed down the hallway. I braced myself against the wall and staggered toward the door, catching fragments of hushed voices drifting through the air: "kidnapping", "Naples syndicate", "hostage exchange". Each word sent a chill down my spine.The door was kicked open.Lucas stood at the boundary between light and shadow. Beneath his black trench coat, the outline of a holster was visible. The man who always controlled the board with cold precision now carried a restlessness he could not fully conceal.At the same moment, Serena's shrill, unhinged scream burst from the phone in his hand."Lucas! Save me! These lunatics grabbed the wrong person! They want to kill the last of the Lang family. I’m innocent! That illegitimate child isn’t mine either! They made a m

Tonight, at Fogport Manor, Don Vaughn was hosting a birthday banquet for Serena.Two years had passed. They were still not married, yet his indulgence toward his fiancee had never waned.The entire manor was alive with voices. Nearly half of Europe’s mafia elite had gathered under this roof.Serena wore a champagne-colored gown custom-made by a top Milan designer. Her arm was looped through Lucas’s as she accepted flattery from all sides, triumph gleaming uncontrollably in her eyes and brows.That was when I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall.Hellish training and high-pressure treatment had long since stripped away my timidity and softness.I had chopped my hair short. Wrapped in a dark trench coat, I stepped before the crowd like a sharpened blade, slicing into false splendor and hollow luxury."Who is that? Never seen her before.""Don’t recognize her. She looks… familiar."…The smile on Serena’s face froze instantly. The wineglass in her hand nearly slipped as she

The rainy season was long and cold.In just a few short months, the once century-old Vaughn family collapsed like a towering tree hollowed out by termites, crashing down completely.I united the former factions that he had once slaughtered. I cut off his maritime smuggling routes, handed airtight evidence of his money laundering to Interpol, and turned the Consigliere he trusted most.By the time the Vaughns' stock became worthless paper, his allies defected one after another, and his territory was carved up clean, he finally asked to see me.His cheeks were sunken, his body frighteningly thin, like there was nothing left beneath the skin but bone. A single gust and he would fall over."Zoe." He lowered his head, defeated. "Stop. If this continues, the entire underground order of Sicily will collapse. The Vaughns and the Langs were allies for a hundred years. Why push things this far?"I toyed with the handgun in my palm and laughed softly. "Don Vaughn, are you confused about som