جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 9

Lucia's POVThe old Ricci elder, Leonardo Ricci, sat at the long table, his face stern as he struck the floor with his cane. "From the very beginning, I told you that you weren't fit to be our Donna. You forced your way into this position. Lucia Marino, what gives you the courage to give it up now?"Even after I married Pietro Ricci, the Riccis never once accepted me. On the eve of our wedding, Leonardo went behind Pietro's back and forced me to sign a marriage agreement that had to be renewed every year. "You must follow the Ricci Famiglia code to the letter and take good care of the Don. If he shows even the slightest dissatisfaction, your marriage will be terminated at once."I didn't want Pietro to be caught in the middle, so I swallowed my pride and signed the marriage agreement. Even then, I had complete faith in him. I believed he would always be good to me and that our marriage agreement would never be terminated. I never imagined that just five years later, I would

Lucia's POV"Lucia Marino, as the Donna of the Ricci Famiglia, you went as far as to hurt Don Ricci's woman. You've disgraced our Famiglia. According to the seventh rule of our Famiglia code, you are to receive 30 lashes."The iron whip in the disciplinary hall was no ordinary whip. It was as old as the Ricci Famiglia and was used exclusively to punish core members who violated the Famiglia code.A single blow from that iron whip was more than the human body could take. I had heard that some people couldn't even get out of bed for three whole months after being whipped with it. I slowly looked up and saw a black chair right in front of me. I recognized it immediately. Five years ago, I had been strapped to a chair just like that. On that fateful day, Pietro himself had picked up an iron rod and smashed it to pieces, shattering the symbol of the Famiglia's authority. But now, the Ricci Famiglia had made another chair."Pietro wouldn't let you do this to me!" I fought to keep

Third-Person POVPietro ran three red lights and sped back to the estate. His bodyguards were still interrogating the maids when he suddenly returned, startling them.But Pietro ignored them all. He raced upstairs with a grim expression and flung open the door to Lucia's room. It was completely bare, and it looked so spotless that it was as if she had never lived there. Pietro dialed Lucia's number again, but she didn't answer. He only realized that she had blocked him when he tried to message her. He kicked the chair over, seething with rage. "Damn it. How dare Lucia block me!"His voice was dangerously low. "Send everyone we have. I want Lucia found as soon as possible!"Matteo hurried over, slightly breathless. He looked troubled as he said, "Don Ricci, we need the elders' approval to mobilize all our people—""Just do as I say. I'll bear the consequences! Get on with it!" Pietro practically roared. Everyone at the estate could feel his fury.Beneath his rage, he felt a fl

Third-Person POVPietro wasted no time and sped all the way back to his office. By then, Matteo was already waiting for him. He practically held his breath when Pietro walked in, his expression grim. Pietro strode over and grabbed Matteo by the collar, his eyes blazing with fury. "What on earth happened? Why did my Donna leave? Tell me!"As Pietro seized him, Matteo froze before shaking his head fearfully. "Don Ricci, I can't explain it. Once you watch everything, you'll understand."With that, he cautiously opened his laptop and pulled up the archived surveillance footage. The screen lit up, and the first video began playing. The video showed the first time Lucia met Antonia. The latter deliberately raised her hand and flung the wineglass to the floor. The glass shards instantly cut her wrist. But the very next moment, Antonia immediately put on a wronged expression, pinning all the blame on Lucia. Pietro fixed his gaze on the screen and clenched his fists, a cold glint f

Third-Person POVPietro stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Every word Antonia said hit him hard, leaving him deeply unsettled for a long time. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was consumed by regret and helplessness. He turned to Matteo and spoke in a clipped, decisive voice. "Send all our people to Sikimo immediately and track the Donna down. Spare no expense to find her."Over the next few days, Pietro mobilized all his resources to search for Lucia. The reports kept coming in, and one day, they finally tracked her down to Pajelia, Sikimo. …Lucia's POVThe day I arrived in Sikimo, I happened to save Don Stefano Caruso's wife when she suffered a heart attack. The Donna was grateful that I had saved her life. After learning what I had been through, she invited me to stay with the Caruso Famiglia and help her manage the Famiglia business. She even made it publicly known that anyone in Sikimo who dared disrespect me would be making