Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Said It Was A Prank: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Someone knocked on the door.Lucrezia Calderon stood there with that cloying smile of hers.“Amelia.”Her voice was neither too soft nor too loud, but it was just enough for the servants in the hall to hear. “I just finished briefing Don Vitelli on some family business. He seemed a little off and said he wanted to go to the bar for a drink. I was wondering if it was all right for me to go with him?”Her words were polite, yet the trace of smugness in the corner of her eyes could not be hidden.For the past six months, she had always been like that in front of me.She played sweet, acted soft, yet she was unable to completely suppress that little self-satisfied glow.When had Enzo started to change?At first, he clearly disliked Lucrezia. He said she was incompetent and her ambitions ran too wild. He was going to get rid of her.He even complained to me that she was always hanging around him. It greatly annoyed him.Then there was also that negotiation with the Eastern Bloc cr

Enzo and I stopped speaking entirely.To be precise, I had stopped speaking to him entirely. His last text before the silent treatment was this.[Did you cancel the transfer?][That’s none of your concern.][You’ll cancel it. We’ve been together six years. You can’t leave me, Amelia. You must apologize to Lucrezia. Until you do that, I’m not saying another word to you.]I blocked him and blacklisted him.Three days before I was to leave for Bellarosa, one of Enzo’s associates came looking for me.“Ms. Ross, Don Vitelli is hosting a victory celebration party tomorrow night. He insists that you attend.”I could not get out of it. So I went.When I walked into the banquet hall, I understood exactly why they had made me come.Lucrezia was standing by the entrance in a strapless lace dress. She was beaming like a flower in full bloom.When she saw me, she glided over all warm and sweet. “Amelia, there you are! Come in! I’m co-hosting this party with Don Vitelli.”Her tone was

Life in Bellarosa was better than I had expected.The first week was a little difficult to adjust to, but I quickly fell in love with the slow pace, the sea, and the bougainvillea that grew wildly on the street corners.For many years, my life had revolved around Enzo.He set the direction, and I had executed the orders.At that moment, I was alone.There were no missions, no commands, no emergency calls at three in the morning.I rose early each day to exercise, handled some local small businesses, drank coffee with the old men of Bellarosa, and learned the local dialect.With the pace of life easing, my mind settled as well.However, Enzo found me.His eyes were bloodshot. His face was haggard. He had not shaved in days.Gone was the confident, powerful Don of before. He blocked my path. His voice was hoarse like sandpaper. “Amelia.”I sighed and tried to go around him.He grabbed my arm hard as if he wanted to crush my bone. “Why?”“Why what?” “You’re doing this to

The fourth year, the Commission called me back to New Avalon headquarters. I was made the family’s Consigliere.It was a position I had never even dreamed of when I left.All those years in Bellarosa, the sun on my back, the blood on my hands, living on the edge, had all worked its way into my bones.By the time I returned, very few in the family dared to call me by my first name.“Ms. Ross,” the younger family members greeted me. Their voices were tense and strained.I smiled.Ms. Ross.I liked that title very much. “Just call me Amelia,” I said calmly.During the meeting, I saw Enzo.He had aged noticeably.He was only thirty-eight, but his temples had gone gray and fine lines had settled around his eyes.His face remained handsome, and he was still capable of making a heartbeat skip.Our eyes met.He froze for a moment, then displayed a look with mixed expressions.After the meeting, he waited at the door of the conference room.“Amelia.” His voice was much deeper t

As I stepped out of the office, the first pale light of morning filtered through the window at the end of the corridor and fell on the tips of my red high heels.I adjusted my coat and took out my phone to call the Bellarosa branch. I instructed them to cut a fresh sprig from the bougainvillea at the old building and send it over. I wanted to place it in a vase in my office.After hanging up, I turned and walked toward the elevator. I pressed the button for the top-floor conference room.There was a negotiation with other families scheduled for the day. My bodyguards were already waiting downstairs.The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected my face. My makeup was sharp. My eyes were calm without any emotion. I remembered many years ago when I was standing outside Enzo’s office for the first time. I had been clutching the documents he had given me. I had been so nervous that my palms were sweating.Back then, I thought my whole life would revolve around that man. I thought all