جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

My phone lit up.An encrypted text from the Family."Private jet is ready. Bringing you home in three days."Looking at that text, my disgust just melted away.I was leaving for good. I couldn't even be bothered to fight him one last time.I let go of the zipper, turned around, and met his defensive, aggressive glare.He probably had a whole speech of venom ready to spit.He was waiting for me to act like a bitter housewife, screaming about marriage and why that ruby ring was in Bianca's size.He'd be disappointed."You're right, Jax," I said, dead calm. "I overreacted. It won't happen again."Never again.Jax froze.His jaw clenched, a flash of pure confusion in his eyes.After a few seconds of silence, as if covering up his guilt, he muttered, "Whatever," and slammed the door behind him.He didn't come home that night.Next morning, I walked into Apex Holdings like usual.This was the empire I built with my bare hands.Not a single dime from the Valeriano Family. No Mafia connections

Faced with betrayal, I killed whatever mercy I had left.At the board meeting that afternoon.I plugged a flash drive into the computer and cast it onto the huge screen.Every executive in the room gasped.It wasn’t a business plan. It was Jax’s personal bank statements."Three months ago. Presidential Suite at the Peninsula. Fifty-eight grand.""Two months ago. Private jet rental to Miami. A hundred and two grand.""Last week. Custom Patek Philippe. A hundred and twenty-six grand."I tapped the glaring numbers on the screen and shot an icy look at Jax at the head of the table."Jax, you can use company funds for your little plaything." I looked around the room. "But you better get your facts straight on who's lying to who."Whispers erupted around the table.The room looked at the two of them with utter contempt.Jax turned pale, then green. The vein in his forehead throbbed.I ignored him and barked at the logistics guys, "Put my office back exactly how it was. If a single piece of p

Jax frowned hard.He stared at me, looking for any sign of a bluff. But my unwavering eyes made a flash of panic strike his heart.He knew me too well. I never lose when I make up my mind.That hidden fear made him change tactics. He walked around the desk to my side, his voice softening, trying his usual manipulation."Alessia, please stop this." Jax sighed, reaching out for my shoulder. "Our ten-year anniversary is in a few days. I'll arrange the engagement party. After this quarter, I'll make time to go to Sicily with you, okay?"Back to Sicily.My nose stung as memories flooded in.Back in the day, in the crappiest apartment in this city. I huddled on a broken sofa, leaning in Jax's arms, sharing my wildest ambitions.I told him how I was killing myself to build a clean fortune, so one day I could rebuild the old district where my family started in Sicily.I wanted to turn that blood-soaked land into a thriving commercial hub. I wanted to wash the Valeriano family clean and bring b

The jet landed smoothly on a private tarmac in Sicily.The cabin doors opened, and the blazing Mediterranean sun poured in, instantly chasing away the last shadows of Chicago.Waiting at the bottom of the stairs was my father—Don Marco, the most feared Godfather in Sicily.Beside him stood a man who commanded the space around him.My rumored arranged fiancé. The youngest reigning Don of the North American Five Families—Dante.He wore a perfectly tailored midnight-black custom suit, one hand tucked into his pocket. His power wasn't forced like Jax's. It was deep. Dangerous. An elegance that was bone-deep."Welcome home, my girl." My father stepped forward and hugged me tight.Then, Dante closed the distance with long strides.He didn't look at me with the arrogant eyes of a man sizing up a trophy. Instead, his gaze was full of predatory appreciation, like he was admiring a priceless masterpiece."The Queen of Wall Street. I've heard a lot about you." Dante reached out his hand, his voic

When he saw me, pure, unhidden ecstasy exploded in Jax's dead eyes.He thought I went soft. He thought the high-and-mighty Queen of Wall Street still couldn't let go of a ten-year romance.I turned around blankly and led him into an empty private lounge in the hotel. The door shut, cutting off the noise outside.Jax stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his hands."Alessia..." He looked at me carefully, his voice shaking. "Do you... do you still hate me?"I walked to the bar and poured myself a glass of ice water."When I first saw the photos of you and Bianca hooking up on that yacht, yes, I hated you." I held my glass, completely calm. "Now? I don't. To hate you, I'd have to feel something for you first. And I feel nothing."At those words, the light in Jax's eyes died, inch by inch.He closed his eyes in agony. His tall frame slumped onto the sofa like all his strength had been drained."I deserve this..." He covered his face bitterly, finally ripping off the vain mask