جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

My mafia husband, the heir Marcello, just asked for a divorce. I said yes immediately.Marcello froze for a second. Then his face darkened."I'm not joking.""Me neither."I looked up at him. I didn't blink.He looked annoyed for a moment, as if I shouldn't be so calm.He slammed the papers on the coffee table and listed my "sins": too stubborn, not submissive enough, hanging around a biker shop and shaming the family.I just found it ridiculous.When he pushed Chloe away back then, wasn't her submissive elegance exactly what he hated most?There is no right or wrong here.I knew from the start. Forced love never lasts.Three years ago, Marcello used me as an excuse to fight his family. He ruined the peace I had finally found.Back then, I had just been brought to the Russo estate from the Detroit slums.Life was quiet.We kept our boundaries and stayed out of each other's way.She had lost her adoptive parents. My parents asked if I was willing to formally accept her as the eldest dau

When I got back to the estate that day, the living room was a war zone.Father was arguing loudly with Mother. My oldest brother sat nearby, smoking. Chloe was curled up in the corner of the couch, eyes swollen from crying.The second I walked in, all eyes shot to me."Aurora!" Father bolted up. "What the hell kind of spell did you put on that Vitiello boy?"I frowned. "What do you mean?""We just called Don Vitiello to call off this marriage." Mother's voice shook. "And that bastard Marcello threatened that if he doesn't marry you, he'll rip up the peace treaty and start a war!"My heart sank."Don Vitiello was so mad he snapped a golf club in half!" Father's face was beet red. "He said Marcello must have lost his mind over you!""I didn't—""Enough!" Chloe suddenly stood up, tears in her eyes. "Aurora, how long are you going to keep acting?"I turned to her. It was the first time she yelled at me directly."You said you wouldn't fight for anything. Said we'd stay out of each other's

On the morning of the third day, I heard the familiar click of heels.Mother appeared outside the iron door. She looked worn out, dark circles under her eyes."Aurora," her voice was soft. "Let's talk."I didn't get up. I just leaned against the wall. "Talk about what?""About your marriage." She paused. "We've picked a suitable match for you. Julian, your brother's law school classmate. He's poor, but he's got a good character and a bright future."I sneered. "Suitable? Suitable for who?""Aurora, we're not playing favorites." Her voice held a hint of pleading. "Julian is a good man. Better than a ruthless mobster like Marcello. You'll be happy with him.""Not playing favorites?" I stood up abruptly, a massive wave of hate welling up inside. "Then let Chloe marry him. If she's willing to marry this broke lawyer, then I'll believe you're not playing favorites."Mother's face changed instantly. "Aurora! What are you saying? How could Chloe...""How could she what?" I cut her off. "How c

Three years passed. I ditched those priceless haute couture gowns for a leather jacket and combat boots.Being the young Mrs. Vitiello was my perfect cover."Donna Aurora is here for the books." The crowd parted with sheer respect the moment I stepped into the underground money-laundering casino. Nobody dared question my authority. My Detroit slum street-smarts paired with the cold-blooded tactics I learned in the mafia world became my best weapons. It didn't take long to tame the outlaws running the auto-smuggling rings. They didn't give a damn about some mafia prince. They only answered to me. Aurora. And Marcello was totally clueless. "Donna, this shipment can go straight to Chicago," my right-hand man Rico reported. "Completely bypassing the old routes."I nodded, marking the ledger. Marcello always looked down on this gritty, ground-level dirty work. He was too busy rubbing elbows at high-society charity galas, keeping up his pristine facade. While I was quietly eating a

Word travels fast in the underworld. Aurora didn't walk away with nothing. I carved a massive chunk of flesh right off the Vitiello family's bones. Soon after, Marcello threw a high-profile wedding for Chloe, who had just divorced Julian. Ironically, the golden girl I supposedly stole from him was back in his arms. "Boss, you have guests."I was in my new Detroit office, tallying the spoils of my takeover. The man who walked in was my oldest brother, whom I hadn't seen in ages. Along with my biological mother. Three years apart, and they had aged terribly. The scar on my brother’s forehead—where I smashed him—was still visible. My mother’s hair was half gray. "Aurora." My brother’s voice was hoarse. "How have you been?"I didn't look up, just kept flipping through the files. "Spit it out."They sat on the couch. My brother pulled a land deed from his briefcase. "This is a prime plot at the Chicago docks. Worth a fortune," he said cautiously. "Consider it compensation from the