جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

The door then slammed shut.I sat alone on the couch, clutching my still-aching, wounded abdomen.Luca never asked a single question about my injury from the moment he stepped in through the front door. All he cared about was whether I'd lied to him or caused him any trouble.The fire in the fireplace went out, leaving only a few glowing embers behind.I subconsciously touched my empty neck, where the necklace symbolizing my future Donna status once hung. Now, there was only a red mark from when it had been yanked off.I got up and pulled out the dusty suitcase from the deepest part of the closet.I had so few belongings that it was almost laughable. All I had was just a few changes of clothes and an old photo album that my parents left for me.A black Ruisse bank card lay in the farthest corner of the bedside drawer. It contained the compensation money that the Famiglia had given me after my father, Alfonso Pasquini, took a bullet for Luca's father, Don Claudio Gambino, saving

There was a pregnant silence on the phone this time.A long while later, Luca said, "Are you serious right now, Elena?""Yes.""Just because I saved Carmela first the other day?"I didn't respond.However, my silence seemed to ignite his fury as he roared, "How many times do I have to explain things to you? She is just the core of the intelligence team! The entire operation would be paralyzed if anything happened to her, so her situation was far more urgent than yours!"Besides, you're my fiancee! I couldn't prioritize saving you first before anyone else. What would the others think of me if they found out? How did you think I was supposed to maintain my authority next time?""Then, what do you take me for?" I retorted."What?""You'd rather have everyone think you were a selfless hero than care about me dying in the alley."I sighed and continued, "Luca, who am I in your heart? Am I just a burden you can sacrifice and replace at any time for the greater good? Or, am I your p

Luca froze on the spot.Carmela gently patted him and whispered, "Luca, there are still urgent matters back at the headquarters that need your attention. Why don't we go back first and let Elena calm down in the meantime?"Luca glared at me for a long while. Some time later, he gritted through his teeth, "Fine."He cast me a final glance and said, "You're emotionally unstable right now, so I won't hold it against you. I'll return in a few days to bring you back."Just as the door closed, I saw Carmela turning around and giving me a challenging, contemptuous grin.Later that night, a glaring rumor began spreading wildly through the secret communication network within the Gambino Famiglia.The anonymous post said, "The orphan of a former elder threw a tantrum and deliberately faked their SOS location after the attack in an attempt to blackmail the future Don and nearly caused the entire operations team to be attacked in the West District."The post even included photos of the team

A deathly silence fell over the house.Ultimately, Luca turned and left without another word. The heavy sound of his leather shoes faded into the dark until it was completely gone.I leaned against the door, feeling utterly exhausted as the wound in my abdomen throbbed painfully."Come in and have a seat, Signore Zani," I said, mustering a smile at Antonio. He nodded and followed me in.I poured him a glass of water and sat down on the old couch opposite him."Bianca has already filled me in on most of the situation," Antonio said, pulling out a thick sheaf of papers from his bag. "I have solidified all the technical evidence regarding the malicious tampering of the location signal."That also includes the Gambino Famiglia system's internal logs, the IP addresses used to send the modified commands, and the timeline comparisons. The chain of evidence is complete."Carmela might have been a professional at covering her tracks, but she can't hide every single trace."Antonio flipp

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Famiglia court soon held its first public trial.Carmela stood in the dock, staring out blankly, dressed in a plain and loose-fitting shirt. Her once elegant long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she looked utterly dejected and miserable.The defense lawyer beside her was an elderly man. His expression was extremely solemn.Meanwhile, Luca sat in the first row of the audience, his face grim, with Rosa seated next to him. When Rosa, who usually acted haughty with me, saw me enter the court, her lips trembled slightly, but she never uttered a word.The judge's gavel slammed on the wooden table, and the presiding judge solemnly announced the start of the trial.Antonio rose to his feet and began methodically recounting the entire sequence of events—from the moment I sent out my SOS coordinates on the night of the attack, to Carmela's abuse of her administrative account to tamper with the data, to the operations team wasting four pr