All Chapters of The Calculated Love Was Gone: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Seraphina's POVMy breath caught in my throat. The color drained from my face.A dead silence fell over the ballroom, followed by a rising tide of whispers from the members of the various families."Calculated scheme... Hah, Don Marino sees right through her.""So she really was just a gold digger targeting the old Don's legacy.""I told you so. How could an orphan ever be worthy of the Marino lion? What does she have besides that face?"Humiliation and the sting of vicious speculation washed over me.Lily's face changed. As the family's Madre, she valued propriety above all else.She quickly shielded me from the prying eyes and gave a nod to the bodyguards."Take Donna back," she ordered in a low voice, then turned to me, her tone softening slightly. "Seraphina, don't lose your composure here. Lorenzo's been drinking. Men say foolish things in situations like this."She had long known of Lorenzo's indifference toward me, but she never expected him to say something so hurtful in front

Seraphina's POVI stared at the disconnected call and smiled bleakly.After two years, I still foolishly hoped to find a spark of warmth in that eternally frozen iceberg.I could have sworn he smiled at me once, a real smile, but now that memory felt like an illusion.My gaze fell on the large wedding photo on the headboard.In the picture, I wore a white wedding gown, my smile brilliant and happy as I leaned against Lorenzo, who was dressed in a black tuxedo.Looking at it now, I could see that while Lorenzo was smiling, the smile never reached his eyes.If you looked closely, you could even see a subtle, almost imperceptible tension in his posture.I picked up the frame and placed it face down on the table, burying those two years of self-deception along with it.I walked to the hidden safe and entered the code.My eyes swept over the priceless jewels inside, finally settling on a velvet pouch in the far corner. From it, I tipped out a single brass key.It was an ornate key, with a s

Lorenzo's POVThe iron door to the basement was thrown open.Two black-clad bodyguards roughly shoved Victoria inside. She stumbled, nearly falling onto the damp concrete floor.She seemed oblivious to the gravity of her predicament.Seeing me descend the stairs in a flawless suit, she was still trying to smooth her silk dress, an act that did little but reveal the pale skin exposed by the struggle."Don…" Her eyes welled with tears, her voice a syrupy whisper. "There must be some misunderstanding. Those brutes, they hurt me."She crawled forward a few steps, trying to cling to my leg."Get away from me."My boot connected sharply with her shoulder. I didn't hold back.Victoria cried out and fell backward, looking in disbelief at the man who had once permitted her to get close. "Lorenzo? It's me, Victoria. I've been with you for five years...""Five years, and you still don't know your place."I looked down at her. If I didn't get rid of her, and soon, I felt the woman would pollute th

Lorenzo's POVIt began in a magnificent Mafia estate, with a young woman trapped inside, gazing out a window...My movements slowed.A chilling familiarity washed over me.I quickly skimmed through the descriptions of life in Paris until my eyes locked on page 158.[It was our second wedding anniversary gala. He stood in the spotlight, wearing that custom-made Italian black tuxedo, like a lofty god.Facing the reporter's question, a mocking curve played on his lips. His voice cut through the speakers, and it cut through my heart."Do you really think a calculated scheme to seize power could ever be described as love?"]The whiskey glass slipped from my grasp, shattering on the floor as ice and amber liquid bled onto the expensive Persian carpet.Lily jumped. "Lorenzo? What's wrong?"I didn't answer. My hand was shaking violently, as if I'd been struck by lightning."Impossible," I muttered, reading on. Every detail was a fresh twist of the knife in my gut.The cold-hearted Don, the wif

Seraphina's POVFor a full week, I waited for the Marino family's thunderous response.I hired the best security firm in Paris and consulted with top-tier international lawyers.I even hid a can of pepper spray under my pillow.I expected Lorenzo to do what he had always done: surround my apartment with helicopters or use aggressive legal tactics to take Leo.But nothing happened.No black SUVs, no threatening letters, no legal summons.Just a dead silence.This abnormal quiet made me even more anxious.Then, on the seventh night.A storm broke over Paris, thunder rattling the windows.I went to the balcony to close them and my gaze inadvertently fell on the street below.In the dim yellow halo of a streetlamp stood a lone figure.He had no umbrella, and there was no one with him.He just stood there, a rigid silhouette in the downpour, head tilted up, staring at my window like a penitent statue.My heart clenched.Was he insane?That was Lorenzo Marino, the most powerful man in the wo