Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

The third time my fiancé, Rafael, confronted me over a dancer, she was carrying his heir.This time, I buried all my love for him. On what should have been our wedding day, still in my gown, I left him at the altar and walked into the church on the arm of his sworn enemy.Over the phone, the man cursed softly, his tone a mix of frustration and fond exasperation."Principessa, of all the times to finally come around, you pick now? I'm in Sicily. I can't do much from here.""My dear Alessia. You're a shark at the negotiating table. How did you let a rabid dog like Rafael bite you twice? Did you forget every lesson in self-defense your father taught you?"I pressed down hard on the bleeding wound, my voice laced with bitterness."I have a proposition. Control of the Newark Port shipping routes. Is that a big enough stake for you?"The crisp sound of a lighter clicked on the other end. His tone shifted, sharp with interest."Send me the time and place. I'll be there, with my best shooter."

I looked up at him, my gaze as cold as the frozen depths of the sea.The sheer absurdity of the situation washed over me."You want me to apologize? Rafael, have you lost your mind?"The next second, a tearful Nina lunged at me, pretending to grab for my wrist.Her shoulder, however, slammed right into the gash on my side.A searing pain tore through my nerves. I gasped, instinctively shoving her away.I barely used any force, but Nina flew backward into a nearby antique cabinet."What the hell are you doing!"Rage flared in Rafael's eyes. He shoved me violently.My back slammed hard against the wall, and I slid to the floor.The bar cart next to me was completely overturned, sending a bottle of bourbon crashing to the ground.Sharp glass and ice scattered everywhere. A pointed shard dug deep into my calf.Blood gushed out, instantly staining the cashmere rug."I think you're the one who's lost her mind!""Nina already humbled herself before you, and I've explained everything. Get off

I gathered my few belongings and turned to leave the guest room.The door creaked open. Nina stood there, a cloying smile on her face."Miss Alessia? What is it, coming to see your old bedroom? So sorry, the Don says a pregnant woman's needs come first. This room is mine now."She deliberately raised her hand. On her slender ring finger, a dazzling pigeon's blood ruby ring flashed under the light.It was the heirloom passed down to every Mancini Donna.She smirked. "If you're looking for any of your old things, you might want to check the trash. I got rid of all your junk.""Oh, and I'm sorry, but the Don said the ring that symbolizes the family matriarch is mine now."I looked at the ring that had once been custom-sized for me, my heart no longer feeling a single ripple.I lowered my gaze, my voice as calm as a still, dead pool of water."Is that so? Then you'd better hold on to it tight.""What you can steal by scheming today, someone else will steal from you tomorrow.""I can give y

Seeing that he had fallen quiet, the new owner approached cautiously, offering him a glass of water."Mr. Mancini, are you looking for the woman who lived here before? She sold the property through a shell corporation a week ago.""I heard she found a better place for her wedding. Today's the day.""Mr. Mancini, with the big wedding today... Maybe you shouldn't be here."Something in him snapped. Rafael shot to his feet and slammed his fist into the man's face."Get out! You're not worthy of speaking to me!""This apartment is my and Alessia's home. I'll pay you ten times what you paid for it. Now get the hell out!""And if I see your face again, it'll be the last thing you ever see."The new owner collapsed, clutching a bleeding nose and crying out in pain.Rafael ignored him and called his bodyguards to throw the man out.Soon, he was the only one left in the vast apartment.Remembering what his men and the stranger had said, Rafael shakily pulled out his phone, searching for any new

"Did you think you could play me for a fool forever?" Rafael roared, ignoring the terrified screams on the other end of the line.His voice was as cold as the frozen depths of the sea, leaving Nina no chance to spin her tearful lies.Just moments ago, his other encrypted phone had received an investigation report from his most trusted man.The screen displayed the black market transaction for a forged pregnancy report and a full confession from the family's heavily bribed private doctor.The so-called "Mancini heir" had been a meticulously planned scam to trap him.The memory of how he had pushed the woman who truly loved him into a corner for a child that never existed, how he had personally driven her into another man's arms, tore through him with the force of a physical blow."Enough!""You know damn well how you fell that day! Alessia is not that kind of person. She would never lay a hand on you!""If you had truly angered her, do you think a lie about a fake pregnancy would have s