All Chapters of The Don’s Veiled Rose: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

The day the Thorne family announced our engagement, the New York underworld let out a collective sigh of relief.Because I was set to marry Daemon, the most straitlaced Don in the city, which meant I could no longer be the wild rose who tore up the racetrack.But I resisted with every fiber of my being, finding creative ways to test his limits.During his ten-million-dollar card game with a rival family's Capo, my hand "slipped" and sent a bottle of 1945 Romanee-Conti spilling across the ancient map that outlined their territories, sabotaging the entire negotiation.Daemon, however, just slowly and deliberately wiped the wine from the back of his hand. He didn't even frown as he cleaned up my mess.Then I "accidentally" let my spirited Arabian stallion loose in his immaculately manicured courtyard. The beast went wild, trampling his prize-winning rose garden into mud.But he arrived with his private doctor in tow, crouching before me as his long fingers gently traced the scratch on my

Chapter 2

After hanging up, I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and watched the scene below.A black, armored car drifted around the street corner.The shriek of its tires on the pavement was piercing even through the double-paned glass.Even I, a professional racer, couldn't match that kind of speed. It was clear how much a single tear from Gianna meant to him.I let out a bitter laugh, too drained to even cry.I met up with a few girlfriends for shopping, manicures, and finally, a trip to Manhattan's most exclusive underground jazz club.Dim lights, a sultry saxophone, and a glass of potent bourbon in my hand.My friend fidgeted beside me, nervously glancing toward the door."Scarlett, are you insane? The Don explicitly forbade you from coming here. If the Thorne family finds out..."I tilted my head back and downed the amber liquid in one go.The burn of it seared a path down my throat and into my stomach, but it couldn't warm a heart that was already frozen solid."It doesn't matter." I s

Chapter 3

My voice trembled."It doesn't matter," he cut me off. "Scarlett, you need to remember that you are a Thorne. You must obey the rules here.""You are my wife, the Donna. For my sake, you need to learn."My mind went blank.The phone slipped from my palm and clattered onto the cold marble floor.So all my pain meant less to him than the Thorne family rules and Gianna.It meant less than a single complaint from his mother.The violent struggle had exhausted me. The chapel's damp coldness seeped into my bones.Worse, the dragging pain in my lower abdomen grew more intense, like a rusty knife was twisting inside me.Darkness swallowed me.When I woke up, I was lying in the lavish but cold master bed of the Thorne estate.The door was ajar, and Gianna's tearful voice drifted in from the hallway."Daemon, it's all my fault. If I hadn't called you away yesterday, Scarlett wouldn't have been punished by your mother."Then, Daemon's voice followed.It was a tone I had never heard from him befor

Chapter 4

"You pushed Gianna. Scarlett, this is a blood debt. You will repay it.""Don't be afraid, it's just a little blood. As long as you cooperate, I promise nothing will happen to you."It seemed that even my life was a chip he was willing to sacrifice for that woman at any moment.I couldn't take this humiliation anymore. I screamed, "I won't do it! Why should my blood be used to save her!"But Daemon wasn't listening. He dragged me and forced me onto a gurney."Let go of me!"I shrieked, struggling with all my might. My nails dug deep into the back of his hand, leaving several bloody scratches.But he didn't even flinch, personally strapping my wrists and ankles to the rails with thick leather restraints.A nurse approached with a thick needle, its tip glinting with a cold light that stole my breath.Fear consumed me. My body began to shake uncontrollably."Daemon! You can't do this to me! Please!""I'm... I'm pregnant with your child! Are you trying to kill him?!"Daemon paused.For a sp

Chapter 5

In that moment, the strength vanished from Daemon's body. He staggered, nearly collapsing."Impossible!" His eyes were blood-red as he lunged forward, grabbing the doctor by the collar. The barrel of his Beretta pressed hard against the man's jaw."Scarlett is the wildest daredevil on the track. Death itself can't catch her. There's no way she could have just... died.""You're lying to me. Did she put you up to this? Is this because I forced her to give blood?"The doctor raised his hands, his eyes full of pity, but he didn't dare speak.Daemon shoved him away and stumbled into the ICU.The sight of the lifeless figure on the hospital bed sent a wave of panic crashing over him.He didn't believe it.He refused to believe that the woman who burned like a wildfire, the woman who had dared to drive into oncoming traffic just to provoke him, could now be just a cold corpse."Scarlett, stop playing games.""I was wrong. I shouldn't have made you give blood. Wake up. I'll give you anything y

Chapter 6

A month of recovery on a private Caribbean island was enough for my physical wounds to heal.On the day I was discharged, my father greeted me with a huge bouquet of my favorite red roses. A brand-new Bugatti Veyron was parked behind him."Principessa, I know those old Thorne fossils forbade you from racing, but I give you my permission.""Go on. Go get back the speed and passion you lost. My daughter was born for the racetrack, not for some godforsaken cage."Sitting in the familiar driver's seat, I finally felt like the real Scarlett was back.At the same time, news about Daemon arrived from my father's informant at the hospital.A suffocating silence filled the morgue of the Thorne-controlled private hospital.Daemon stood like a stone statue, stubbornly guarding the corpse, refusing to let anyone near.He would wash his "Scarlett's" body himself, dress her in her favorite red racing suit, and take her home.It was the freedom she had always wanted, and the only amends he could make

Chapter 7

With Scarlett "dead," Gianna finally dropped her mask of fragile innocence.She didn't know the truth of what had happened in the morgue that night; she simply believed that the wildcat who had always overshadowed her was truly gone.In the Thorne estate, there was no one left to make her feel insecure.She started showing up at Daemon's headquarters every other day, carrying herself like the future Donna and hinting that she was about to become the new Don's wife.In her social circle, she put on airs, acting like the one and only Principessa.When a clueless new socialite accidentally stepped on the hem of her gown at a charity gala, Gianna threw a glass of red wine in her face before she could even apologize."Watch where you're going, you idiot. Do you have any idea whose dress this is?"Afterward, Gianna whispered in the right ears and used the family's influence to bankrupt the socialite's father overnight, having the entire family exiled from New York.Her brazen behavior soon r

Chapter 8

It was a long time before I saw Daemon again.At an F1 charity gala in Monaco, he was so gaunt he was a shadow of his former self, all the swagger of the Thorne Don gone.His eyes were sunken, as if he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in ages.When his gaze cut through the crowd and locked onto me, the light that flared in his long-dead eyes was startling.He pushed away the prince he was talking to and stumbled toward me, even knocking over a waiter's tray in his haste."Scarlett..."His voice trembled as he reached out, wanting to touch me.I sidestepped him, raised my champagne flute, and curved my lips into a polite, impenetrable smile."Don Thorne. It's been a while.""I trust you received the annulment from the Vatican?"His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the light in his eyes instantly dimmed.I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist."Scarlett, can we talk? Please."I coolly shook him off. "I have nothing to say to you, sir."Under the lights, I caught a glimpse of

Chapter 9

I let out a soft laugh."What are you laughing at?"Daemon's deep, dark eyes were filled with confusion."Daemon." My lips tightened, and my eyes felt as if they were coated in frost."Your idea of 'protection' just painted a bigger target on my back, making me a shield to draw enemy fire.""And now you regret it? You don't just want my forgiveness, you think you can buy back my heart with empty promises?""Mr. Thorne, even now, you're still trying to insult me."My voice was barely a whisper, but my gaze was bone-chillingly cold.Daemon's lips trembled, his eyes red, as he tried to explain."No... Scarlett, you were tricked by Gianna.""I never wanted to kill our child. I didn't even know you were pregnant...""For you, I can..."I raised a hand, cutting him off.Everything was over. Dredging up the past now would only be sickening.Gianna had certainly hurt me, but her actions paled in comparison to the direct pain Daemon had inflicted.I looked out at the vast, pale expanse of snow.

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP