All Chapters of Betrayed by the Don, Claimed by the King: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I thought I was the treasured princess of the Gallo and Moretti families. But three months pregnant, I found out my fiancé had already married my father's bastard daughter. It was all a setup, just to make my child a bastard too."Bella, you're so lucky. Mr. Gallo and Lucas treat you like a real princess," a socialite told me, her eyes full of envy.Their gazes swept over my expensive jewelry and dress, proof of how much my father and Lucas supposedly worshipped me.I forced a smile, my face felt stiff.Princess?A princess betrayed by her father and her fiancé, about to become the laughingstock of the city?What a fucking joke.My phone buzzed in my palm. "Lucas" flashed on the screen.I took a deep breath, walked to an empty corner of the church, and answered. I didn't say a word.It wasn't Lucas's voice on the other end, but a roar of rough laughter.It wasn't Lucas's voice on the other end, but a burst of rough laughter."The Don’s got some moves. Bella finally agreed to sign over

Chapter 2

"Don't you worry, Miss Gallo. Your mother's trust is completely separate from the Gallo family estate. It has the highest level of legal protection. In seven days, you will officially inherit everything. Mr. Lorenzo and his… new wife, won't be able to touch a dime."The lawyer's words were the only good news I'd had in days.I hung up and curled up on the sofa. My mind flashed back to when my mother died. I had locked myself in my room for days until Lucas broke through like a ray of light. He talked to me gently, used sex to let me burn off the grief, and when I was so desperate I put a gun to my own head, he lunged and knocked it away.He just smiled through the pain of a gunshot wound in his shoulder. "Protecting you is my mission," he’d said.Looking back now, it was all just a trap.My phone lit up. A message from Sofia.It was a picture of her and Lucas’s marriage certificate. Their smiles were blinding.Next was a video. It was dark and shaky. All I could make out was Lucas, see

Chapter 3

The next day was my birthday. It was also the anniversary of my mother's death.It was a day I did my best to erase from the calendar, but my father threw a party anyway, right under my nose."Everyone, quiet down!"My father’s voice boomed through the speakers, and the music died.He held Carla's hand high in the air, a proud, gloating smile I'd never seen on him before. "I'd like to introduce you all to the new matriarch of the Gallo family—my wife, Carla Gallo."My world went silent.The guests' whispers crawled into my ears like snakes.I looked around the house I grew up in. It was completely different.My mother's favorite paintings were replaced with Carla's tacky self-portraits. The scent of white roses my mother loved was gone, choked out by a thick, cloying perfume.They were erasing every trace of my mother.I started to walk forward, to stop this whole farce, but Lucas grabbed my arm. "Bella, don't. Think about the family. Think about the bigger picture.""The bigger pictur

Chapter 4

"Apologize?"I repeated his word, my voice laced with disbelief. It was the most insane thing I'd ever heard."Why should I apologize?" My voice was quiet, but cold as ice. "For something I never did?"Lucas’s brow furrowed, his anger rising.Before he could speak, Carla rushed forward and dropped to her knees at my father's feet, her sobs wracking her body."Lorenzo! Look at her! She still won't admit it! She can't stand the sight of me and my daughter!"She looked up, her face streaked with tears, and pointed at me. "Do you think this is the first time? It’s not! She’s hated us since her mother died! She once sent men to our apartment to beat us, to warn us to stay away from you!"My father and Lucas stared, stunned."I was too scared to tell you. I didn't want to cause you any trouble…" Carla fumbled in her purse and pulled out a phone, playing a recording. "But I recorded the call she made to me later. Listen!"My own voice, distorted with fury, filled the air: "You and your bastar

Chapter 5

No shot was fired.Arthur Russo didn’t even have to pull the trigger. The sight of him alone was enough to make the street punks scatter like rats.He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over my trembling shoulders. Its warmth enveloped me. I looked up at him. This was the man from the stories, the ruthless killer. But there wasn't a trace of that coldness in his eyes now. There was only… a softness that didn’t fit.“You’re safe,” he said, his voice low and deep, and it soothed the ragged edge in my chest. “It’s over.”He took me back to his villa in New York, a fortress-like estate. A doctor arrived within minutes to treat my wounds, confirming the baby was unharmed.I was settled into the most comfortable guest room when Arthur brought me a glass of warm milk himself.“Why?” The question finally tumbled out. I didn’t get it. We were strangers. Why would he do this?“A man helps a woman for one reason.” Arthur sat on the sofa by the bed, his posture elegant. “You already agreed

Chapter 6

Today was the auction for the most important pier in New York’s East District. It was a critical move for the Gallo and Moretti families to expand their power.I knew my father and Lucas would be there.“Well, well, if it isn’t the little princess of the Gallo family. Done playing runaway?”Carla’s shrill, sharp voice cut through the air.I looked up to see my father, Lorenzo, with his new wife, Carla, and her daughter, Sofia.My father’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. “Bella! What are you doing here? Where have you been? Lucas and I were sick with worry…”I gave him a cold smile. “Worried? You got my shares. I’m useless to you now. You can drop the concerned father act. Father.”He stiffened for a second, then sighed. “Bella, it’s not what you think. I just don’t want you to burn yourself out for the family like your mother did.”It was so ridiculous I could have laughed out loud. My face remained like ice.Sofia put on a gentle act, steadying my father’s arm before looking

Chapter 7

“Fifty million!”My father’s voice rang out, with a desperate edge to it.Arthur didn’t even look up. He lazily lifted his paddle, and his assistant called out, “Sixty million.”“Seventy million!” Lucas practically screamed the number. His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on Arthur and me. He wasn’t bidding on a pier; he was fighting for what he thought was his property.Arthur let out a small chuckle. He picked up his coffee, took a slow, deliberate sip, and then nodded to his assistant.“One hundred million,” the assistant said, his voice perfectly calm.The price was already far beyond what the pier was worth.I could feel my father and Lucas breathing heavily, enraged by Arthur’s casual dismissal. To them, this wasn’t just business. That's exactly what it was: a pissing contest.“One hundred and fifty million!” my father yelled, throwing it all in. He was holding up documents. “We’ll mortgage thirty percent of the Gallo Group!”Lucas immediately followed suit, slamming the Moretti family

Chapter 8

After the auction that rocked New York society, my life changed completely.With Arthur's swift and decisive actions, all the assets Lorenzo and Lucas had stolen were returned to my name in record time.The Gallo family board was completely overhauled.I moved into Arthur’s estate.A team of top-tier nutritionists, obstetricians, and security guards were on call 24/7. Every bite of food, every drop of water was rigorously tested.Arthur cleared his schedule of all but the most essential business to spend time with me.He would pick out the freshest fruit for me himself, walk with me patiently in the garden, and when my pregnancy hormones made me emotional, he would just hold me quietly, his warmth a steady anchor.He treated me like a queen, giving me a safe haven.Public opinion had flipped entirely.The scandal of Sofia’s setup, Lucas’s affair, and Lorenzo abandoning his daughter for his mistress was all over the East Coast. I also cleared my name of the old bullying rumors, leaving

Chapter 9

Lucas returned to the empty Moretti estate, a hollow man.It was all that was left of his family's fortune. He’d avoided prison, but he was no longer the powerful Don who once commanded respect in New York’s underworld.Bella’s words and Arthur’s kiss replayed in his mind.He had to do something, anything, to earn her forgiveness.“Find out everything Sofia has done,” he ordered his men.It was no surprise. They found evidence that Sofia had hired the punks to attack Bella.When Lucas watched the security footage—saw Bella being scorned by strangers, then cornered in that alley, her face a mask of terror and despair—he nearly crushed the glass in his hand.“Lucas, you’re back?” Sofia’s voice, trying to sound pleasant, came from the doorway.After being thrown out of the Gallo home, she’d been taken in by the Morettis, for the sake of the baby.Lucas turned, his eyes like chips of ice. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time, haven’t you?”Sofia’s smile froze. “What… what are you talki

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