All Chapters of The Consigliere Who Chose Everyone but Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I'm a mafia princess with crippling social anxiety. My fiancé, Rocco Falcone, is our family's consigliere. He’s the exact opposite of me—extroverted, effortlessly charming, a master at reading and bending people. He's supposed to be my protector. My only link to the outside world.Tonight was the charity gala for my late mother. I was hiding in the darkest corner, a mask covering my face.Rocco was supposed to give the speech. My speech. He never showed.[Emergency. Sorry. Skip the speech, I know you hate the attention. Driver will take you home after the auction. Don't wait up.]Then I saw Livia’s new post.It was a picture of Rocco, draping his suit jacket over her shoulders. He was looking down at her, his eyes full of a tenderness he never showed me.The caption was a gut punch:[No prom date, so my big bro saved the day! Couldn't have done it without him! ]The cold hit me. Bone deep.He ditched a memorial for my dead mother... to take his stepsister to a university dance?The gu

We landed in Milan late at night. The moment we stepped into the hotel lobby, Rocco’s satellite phone rang.He answered. "Don't cry. Stay put. I'm coming."His face was a grim mask. He told the driver to pull over."It's Livia. She followed us to Italy. She's in Milan, at a casino, and she's found trouble. Our enemies are everywhere here. I can't leave her alone."Before I could say a word, he was in the driver's seat, flooring it back toward the city.The car door slammed shut. And just like that, he was gone.He'd left me. Alone. In a foreign country, with no passport, no money, and not a single word of Italian.The lobby blurred. Voices dropped to whispers. Phones came out, their screens like a thousand hungry eyes. The panic hit me like a physical blow. My throat closed. My heart hammered against my ribs. I couldn't breathe.I had to get out of there. Find somewhere to hide."Aurelia?" A low, calm voice cut through the panic.I turned. A familiar face."Adrian?"Adrian Volkov stood

Rocco’s face went slack with panic. "What are you talking about? Aurelia, are you still mad at me? We're engaged. I would never leave you for someone else."I looked at his frantic expression and felt a wave of calm.Hadn't he left me for Livia a thousand times before?He had to find out about the engagement being off sooner or later. And I didn't want him or Livia ruining the rest of my trip.I took a deep breath. "Rocco, it's over. I'm calling off the engagement."The words hung in the air. The room went dead silent.Rocco looked like he'd been struck by lightning. His face was white."What?""I said, we're calling off the engagement," I repeated, my voice steady."Aurelia, are you crazy?" he said, striding towards me. "You can't say something like that just because you're mad at me!""I'm not mad," I said, shaking my head. "I'm done.""No." His voice cracked. "You don't mean that. This is a threat. You're trying to punish me."Adrian spoke softly from the side. "I'll be on the balco

After I had my mother's ring, I switched rooms immediately.Adrian got me a suite in a separate wing of the hotel, far from where Rocco could find me.I placed the ring carefully in my jewelry box, a wave of relief washing over me. It was the only thing I had left of my mother, a symbol of all her love and hopes for me. I would never let Rocco use it against me again.The next morning, my new phone started buzzing.It was an unknown number, but I knew it was Rocco.[Aurelia, I know you’re seeing these.][I talked to Livia. I’m going to keep my distance.][I can move out of her building. I can stop taking her calls.][Give me a chance. Let me prove I love you.][You can’t just throw away three years!]The missed call log showed 99+.I blocked the number.A few minutes later, another unknown number called.I blocked that one, too.It was like he had an endless supply of burner phones.I blocked a dozen numbers in an hour.Finally, I just turned the phone off.When I went down to meet Adr

After three days in Rome with Adrian, I decided to fly back to New York to handle some things.My father had told me Rocco was busy at the family headquarters, handing over his duties. He said Rocco was rarely at the penthouse we used to share.It was the perfect time to pack. I had to get my mother’s personal effects and some important documents.My flight landed in New York at midnight. I didn't tell anyone I was back, not even my father.At 2 a.m., I used my key to open the door to the penthouse.The living room was dark.I flipped a switch. Soft light flooded the space.And then I saw him.He was a ruin. Slumped on the sofa, surrounded by empty bottles, he was a ghost in the house we once shared.His shirt was open, tie hanging loose, a dark stubble on his jaw."Aurelia?" His voice was a rasp, like he hadn't spoken in days. "You're back?"I froze in the doorway, not expecting him."I thought you were at headquarters.""I've been waiting for you," Rocco said, slowly getting to his f