All Chapters of The Don’s Blind Indulgence: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

It was dark by the time Vittoria drove away from the lake. I sat in the front passenger seat, phone off in my hand. The dark mobile screen lay like a piece of lifeless rock against the palm of my skin. Lemon trees blurred past the window as the lights of the lake shrank into a hazy speck behind us.“Alessia.” Vittoria held the wheel, her eyes fixated on the road. “Are you sure about this? Juliana is not going to take the public humiliation lying down. “The only thing I regret is not fighting back sooner in my past life.” My voice was barely a whisper as I looked out the car window. Thinking I was speaking out of frustration, Vittoria simply sighed. “She’s the type to push harder the more you give in. I have put up with her for three years, and she has only gotten worse. She sent Luca away on a shopping errand when our child ran up a temperature. I spent more than an hour at the hospital with our child, and when the nurse asked me where the father was, I didn’t know what to s

The next day, I showed up outside Filippo’s office at three o’clock on the dot. Filippo’s office wasn’t at the estate. Instead, it was tucked away in a gray block near the harbor. Several trucks were parked downstairs, with workers unloading cargo. The air was thick with the smell of the sea and diesel. Filippo, about 11 inches shorter than Matteo, was a stout man. He wore a deep blue polo shirt with sleeves rolled to his elbows. He shared some resemblance to Matteo, but their personalities were worlds apart. Matteo was a blade drawn from its sheath, all edge and menace, while Filippo was a rock—solid, heavy, with unreadable depth. “Alessia.” He stood up and shook my hand. “Vittoria mentioned that you’d like to see me, and I thought she was kidding.” “I wasn’t.” I took a seat and placed a file on the desk. “I want to talk shop.” Despite being aware of the folder, Filippo didn’t open it. Sinking his back into his chair, he folded his arms. “What’s the deal?” “Your shippi

Cassandra brought the news that Giovanni would like to see me. That afternoon, I was sorting out papers in the apartment when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Cassandra there. “Don Colombo is asking for you,” she said, her voice calm as if she were talking about the weather. “Immediately. The car is right outside the building.” I grabbed my bag and went with her, no questions asked. My ride was a black Maybach. Taking her seat next to me, Cassandra simply said three things during the drive over. “Don’t be nervous. Tell the truth. Just be honest when he asks.” The forty-minute drive took us out of the city and into woodland in the suburbs. The road thinned out between the heavy trees until the car pulled to a stop in front of an iron gate. With the gate swinging open, we rolled slowly onto the grounds. The estate beyond was bigger and older than Matteo’s.Giovanni didn’t see me in his study. The place of our meeting was in the garden. He lounged on a rat

Matteo came to see me three days after the council meeting. That afternoon, I was finalizing the distribution of assets with Joshua in the apartment. Then came the doorbell. I opened the door to find Matteo there. He wore an unbuttoned gray jacket, his shirt wrinkling with an open collar. “Alessia, I need a moment with you.” Joshua glanced at me, then at Matteo, before taking the hint and getting up. “I should head back, Signora. I’ll be back to go through the last of the details tomorrow.” I gave a nod. Joshua took his briefcase and paused briefly when passing Matteo. In the end, he took off without saying anything. Matteo walked in and stood in the middle of the living room, looking rather lost. “Sit,” I said, my voice flat. He settled onto the couch, his hands resting on his lap with his fingers wringing restlessly. Silence filled the room for a while. “Alessia, I’ve been removed,” he uttered at last, his voice raspy. “Filippo is taking over me. Don Colombo

A month later, news came from Naples. Juliana set up a small consulting agency in Naples, offering business advisory services to small businesses. It was essentially a front—brokering “connections” for shady businessmen and skimming protection money.Carlo had eyes on her the whole time. By all accounts, Juliana is struggling. Her business is failing, and her rented apartment is tiny, a far cry from her life in the estate. “She’s gone to Marco several times, trying to get back in through him,” Carlo said on the phone. “Marco didn’t give her the time of day.” “Marco is smarter than I thought.” “He knows better. As part of Filippo’s crew, he knew that association with Juliana would get him killed.” After the call, I stood on the balcony and stared at the street down below. Juliana was in Naples, Matteo was in Sicily, while I was in the city. Three people in three cities were living three different lives. Yet, I was the one who took this path by choice. That afternoon