All Chapters of The Empire I Claimed: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

19 Chapters

Chapter 11

The entire hall fell into dead silence.Sofia's face turned ghostly pale.My mother's voice trembled slightly with anger."After Maria switched my daughter, she fled North Italya overnight and abandoned her in the most chaotic orphanage in South Italya, leaving her to survive on her own."And her own child stayed by my side, enjoying everything meant for a principessa."She took a deep breath and held my hand."Fortunately, God was kind. My daughter grew up strong and exceptional. She shines like a diamond."As for that criminal, she is already locked in the dungeon, awaiting judgment."Sofia's fingers tightened around her dress, her voice breaking."No… that's impossible… then what… what am I…?"I stepped forward, my gaze icy as I looked straight at her."Sofia, listen carefully. The Costa family has only one daughter."It's you who stole my life."Even after I returned, you could have stayed in the family. After all, you were also a victim of the switch."However, what

Chapter 12

The giant screen flickered to life.The first clip was a clear audio recording. Sofia's voice came through, sharp and full of cruel excitement."Stay close. That's her, the orphan hanging around Vincent.""Get rid of the child in her stomach. Don't kill her. I don't want this to get messy.""Relax. If something happens to someone like her, no one will care."An uproar broke out across the hall.The screen continued.The second clip played. It was the driver's recorded testimony, his voice shaking with fear."Miss Sofia said the woman couldn't die yet. She said to wait until she lost everything before killing her…"Someone shouted from the crowd, "Why should we believe you?"The man yelled back, his voice cracking, "Because I'm her man!""That's a lie! You filthy nobody! He's lying!" Sofia completely lost control, screaming hysterically. She rushed toward Vincent below the stage, grabbing at him like he was her last hope."Vincent, it's all fake! I'm carrying your child. How

Chapter 13

I blinked.Only then did I remember.Tonight was not just about revealing my identity, there was something else just as important.My engagement was going to be announced.The man I was engaged to was Matteo De Luca.He was the Don of the most powerful mafia family in Mavland, a rising force whose speed of expansion and accumulation of wealth had shocked even the old, established families.Over the past two years, every major family had been trying to form an alliance with him. A union between his family and the Costas would be a true merger of power. More importantly, he had agreed that our firstborn son would carry the Costa name.My mother had said that only because he was willing to make that promise, to ensure the continuation of our bloodline, did the family approve that marriage.At the time, I had only one thought.'What does he want?'A man with that level of power and influence would never make such a concession without reason.I assumed it was just a political mar

Chapter 14

(Third-person perspective)In just one night, the Russo family fell from the strongest force in the region into the abyss.After the banquet, the Costa family was the first to cut off all cooperation.Soon after, the other families that had already reached agreements began to withdraw one by one.Rival families moved quickly, severing the Russo family's weapons, drug, and smuggling routes.The core members looked pale, their arguments nearly tearing the room apart."I told you not to offend the Costas!""What's the point of saying that now? Three of our armories have been wiped out. We've lost millions!"Even worse, the family's internal information had somehow been exposed."Don, our legitimate businesses, the restaurants and shipping companies, their stocks are crashing!"Some members even had their identities leaked.Vincent listened to the reports, his voice icy. "Find out who leaked the information."The consigliere wiped sweat from his forehead, his voice shaking. "Th

Chapter 15

Sofia's sobbing stopped abruptly. "What… what do you mean?""That driver," Vincent said slowly, each word deliberate, "he claimed he was your man.""That's a lie. He was framing me."Vincent listened to her excuses and let out a tired sigh.He should have known.She would never admit fault."Enough," he cut her off. "Then why did you send him to hit Isabella?""I didn't want to kill her," Sofia screamed. "I just wanted to scare her. I wanted her to stay away from you."He did not respond.His silence only made her break down further."Vincent, what is this supposed to mean? Are you feeling sorry for her now? Do you regret it? Isn't the one you love supposed to be me?"I'm carrying your child. Your own blood."Vincent closed his eyes."Sofia, I can't help you.""Vincent, you promised you would marry me. You said you would make me your Donna.""That was because you were the Costa family's principessa."His voice finally broke, anger rising to the surface."I humored you,

Chapter 16

I sat in the passenger seat of Matteo's car.The window was half open, and the salty sea breeze rushed in, sweeping away the heavy scent of perfume.I had assumed he would take me somewhere extravagant. A private club. A Michelin-starred restaurant.However, when the car came to a stop, I froze. In front of me was a small seaside restaurant.The wooden sign above the door was weathered by years of wind and salt, with the word "Home" written in Sicelian dialect.Wind chimes hung under the porch, ringing softly in the breeze."Why here…" I murmured, surprised."In this city, it's my favorite place," Matteo said as he opened the door for me. His voice softened in the wind. "It's also where I first saw you.""The first time you saw me?" I frowned, confused.He guided me inside.The place was simple. Wooden tables and chairs. Faded paintings of the sea hung on the walls.Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man with a kind smile. When he saw Matteo, he nodded respectfully.I

Chapter 17

"Step one, cut off their core smuggling route in the north."I want them to have no time to fight back."Three days after the order was given, the Russo family's largest arms shipment was intercepted on the open sea. Cargo worth millions sank straight to the ocean floor.When the news reached headquarters, it was said that Vincent smashed everything in his office that could be broken.However, that was only the beginning.Step two, I paid visits to several senior Dons within the council.A few days later, an official notice was issued.The Russo family was stripped of all speaking and voting rights within the council.That meant they had completely lost the protection of the rules.Enemies who had once held back then rushed in like sharks smelling blood.Vincent was overwhelmed.He tried to secure any alliance he could, but every time a deal seemed close, it collapsed at the last moment.Step three, I severed the final lifeline the Russo family depended on."Turn Carlo."

Chapter 18

Vincent became obsessed with seeing me.He waited outside the Costa family headquarters like a vagrant.Every attempt to contact me failed. His calls were always redirected. The letters he sent were returned unopened.The girl he once summoned and dismissed at will had become a principessa he could no longer even glimpse.He started repeating the same words to everyone around him."It wasn't her. My Bella would never do this."She's soft, she's kind. She wouldn't be this ruthless."It has to be the Costa family pulling the strings. It has to be."The louder he spoke, the emptier his eyes became.In the end, Vincent broke.Under the weight of blow after blow, he finally understood something clearly.The girl he had treated like a possession, someone he thought he could control, had always had the power to destroy him.He began to have nightmares every night.In his dreams, I was still the girl who handed him a can of tomatoes by the sea.When he woke up, all that remained

Chapter 19

In December, the winds of Sicelia cut sharp and cold.The engagement banquet was held at the Costa family's oldest estate.Built along the coastline, the manor overlooked the dark blue Mediterranean through towering floor-to-ceiling windows.Tonight, every light was blazing.Almost every Don, family representative, and council elder in the mafia world had gathered here.I stood on the terrace of the grand hall, looking down at the crowd below.I wore a custom gown, with my mother's emerald shawl draped over my shoulders.Matteo stepped up beside me. Dressed in a deep gray suit, his broad shoulders and commanding presence seemed to quiet the world around him."Nervous?" he asked softly."A little," I admitted.He let out a low laugh and gently placed his warm hand over mine. "Don't be. I'm here."I turned to meet his gaze. There was nothing in his eyes but admiration and love.I smiled. "I know."Below us, the orchestra began to play a slow, elegant melody.Matteo extended

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