Semua Bab BETROTHED TO THE CRAZY DON: Bab 41 - Bab 50

The Last Secret The library was quiet. Too quiet. Valentina sat alone beside the dying fire, the old photograph resting between her fingers. She had been staring at it for so long that the edges had begun to blur. Her mother's face. Young. Beautiful. Alive. And on the back, written in faded ink: She survived. We failed. Valentina swallowed hard. Her thumb traced the words. “Survived what?” The question disappeared into the empty room. The door opened behind her. She didn't turn. She knew the footsteps. Alessandro stopped when he saw the photograph. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Valentina asked quietly, “You knew about this?” His silence answered before he did. “Yes.” She closed her eyes. The hurt came first. Then anger. “You knew.” “I found it among my father's things.” “And you never told me.” “I didn't know what it meant.” “You could have told me that.” Alessandro stepped farther into the room. “I was afraid.” Valentina finally turned. “Of what

The Enemy's FaceThe gunshot shattered the night.Valentina screamed.Alessandro moved instantly.His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her down as another shot ripped through the window.Glass exploded across the room.“Down!”They hit the floor behind the heavy wooden table.Valentina's heart slammed against her ribs.For one terrifying second, she couldn't hear anything except the ringing in her ears.Then came Another shot.The wall above them splintered.Alessandro pushed Valentina farther beneath the table.“Stay down.”“Alessandro....”“Don't move.”His voice was calm.Too calm.She looked at him.There was no panic in his face now.Only calculation.His eyes moved toward the windows.Then the hallway.Then the front door.Counting.Listening.Waiting.The older man who had brought them the envelope stood several feet away.He hadn't even ducked.Valentina noticed.He was staring toward the entrance.Not frightened.Expecting.Her stomach tightened.“You knew this was comin

Blood TiesHer father had regained consciousness several days earlier.The doctors had finally allowed him to leave the hospital, and he had been taken home to recover.Valentina had wanted to see him.But everything that had happened the kidnapping, the Ravens, the revelations about her mother had made it difficult to think about anything else.Then, that morning, a message arrived.We heard what happened. We're coming to see you.No explanation.No warning.Just those words.By afternoon, Valentina stood in the library, staring through the window as a familiar car rolled through the gates.Her chest tightened.She hadn't seen her father since he'd been taken home.And now, after everything she'd discovered, she didn't know what kind of conversation waited for her.The car stopped.The door opened.Marco stepped out first.He looked older somehow.Tired.His usual confidence was gone.Then the rear door opened.Vittorio slowly stepped out.He leaned heavily on a cane.Valentina's br

The ChoiceThe library door closed behind Marco.Valentina remained beside the desk, her mother's letter trembling between her fingers.She read the final sentence again.Don't trust the man who tells you he loves you.Her chest tightened.Slowly, she lifted her eyes toward Alessandro.He stood near the window, staring out at the fading light.“Did you know?”His shoulders stiffened.“Know what?”“That my mother was alive.”Alessandro turned.“I knew there was a possibility.”Valentina stared at him.“A possibility?”“I didn't know where she was. I didn't know if she was alive.”“But you knew something.”“Yes.”The honesty hurt.She looked away, pressing the letter against her chest.“You could have told me.”“I should have.”Her eyes snapped back to his.That wasn't the answer she'd expected.“You're not going to defend yourself?”“No.”“Why?”“Because you'd be right.”Silence settled between them.Valentina swallowed hard.“You always say you're protecting me.”“I was.”“And you don

The Truth About the ContractMarco stared at the photograph.His mother's face stared back at him from the old hospital corridor.Alive.The thought refused to settle in his mind.For twenty-four years, the Russo family had believed she was gone.Now he had proof that someone had walked her through those hospital doors.And someone had erased every record afterward.His phone vibrated.A message appeared.You want the truth about your sister? Ask about the contract.Marco's brow furrowed.The contract.Valentina's marriage contract.The one everyone had always believed was the reason she had been forced into Alessandro's world.He immediately called Valentina.She answered after several rings.“Marco?”“Where are you?”“At the estate.”His voice lowered.“Don't discuss this over the phone.”A pause.“What happened?”“I found something.”“What?”“I think the marriage contract isn't what we thought it was.”---Hours later, Marco stood across from Alessandro in the library.Valentina st