All Chapters of The Mafia Heir Chose Her, so I Faked My Death: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Leon saw that I wasn't responding and let go of Elena. He tugged at his tie, irritated."I told you, Elena fell apart tonight. I couldn't let something happen to her on Hall territory. We can get the license tomorrow. The county clerk isn't going anywhere."Elena stood up and looked at me, her eyes rimmed red."Nora, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't fought with Damian, Leon wouldn't have stayed with me and made you miss your appointment. Please don't be angry with him. I'll leave right now..."She headed for the door, then made a show of stumbling. Leon caught her at once, his voice soft with concern."You've had so much to drink. Where would you even go? I told you, no one's going to touch you tonight."When he turned to me, his expression went cold."Nora, Elena just got beaten. Do you really have to humiliate her right now?"I said nothing. Five years. I'd heard this kind of thing too many times.On my birthday, Elena had called saying the thunder scared her. He dropp

Chapter 2

The next morning, when I came downstairs, Leon was already sitting at the dining table.A plate of my favorite blueberry pancakes waited on the table. It was his favorite trick: hurt me first, then offer something sweet. When he saw me, he stood and pulled out a chair."Eat while it's hot. After that, I'll take you to try on the wedding dress. The one you've been waiting six months for? It just came in today."He didn't mention the night before at all, as if nothing had happened.I sat down and ate in silence. Seeing that I wasn't making a scene, Leon smiled, satisfied."Let's go. I'm all yours today."When we arrived at the private bridal atelier that handled Hall Family weddings, the manager hurried over to greet us."Mr. Hall, Ms. Bennett. Welcome."I nodded and followed the manager inside. The fitting-room door opened just as we reached it. Elena stepped out in my wedding dress. She gasped when she saw me, her hands flying to her mouth."Nora, what are you doing here?"Leon stopped

Chapter 3

I didn't go back to the estate. Instead, I went to the veterinary clinic beside the Hall Family's private hospital.I picked up my dog, Buck. I'd found him as a stray in an alley behind the docks five years earlier. He was gentle and seemed to understand every word I said.When I brought Buck back to the estate, Elena was sitting on the couch, her calf wrapped in gauze.She shrank back when she saw the dog."Nora, you're back."Leon came out of the kitchen with a glass of water. He frowned at the sight of Buck."Why did you bring that dog back? Elena is staying here for a few days, and she's afraid of dogs. Put him in the backyard. Don't let him scare her."I stopped and looked at him coldly."This is my home. Why can't my dog be here? If she's afraid of dogs, she can go back to her own house."Leon set the glass on the coffee table, barely containing his anger."Nora, do you really have to talk like that?"I didn't bother arguing. I took Buck to the backyard, put out some food for him

Chapter 4

I cremated Buck and placed his ashes in a small urn.Then I went to the Black Kite Hotel, one of the Hall Family's properties.Today was the day Leon had booked out the entire hotel for Elena's birthday.On the massive digital screen mounted on the hotel's exterior, a birthday tribute video for Elena played on loop.I slipped past security and went straight to the rooftop. I sat on the ledge, legs dangling over the edge. Before long, the rooftop door slammed open behind me.Leon came rushing up, out of breath, with Elena and a crowd of bodyguards behind him.When he saw me sitting on the edge, his face went white."Nora, what the hell are you doing? You had to choose Elena's birthday to make another scene? Get down!"I looked at him without a word, holding Buck's urn tight against my chest.Elena peeked out from behind Leon.She caught my gaze, and a glint of triumph flashed in her eyes. She deliberately raised her hand, showing off a pink diamond ring.It was the engagement ring Leon

Chapter 5

Wind screamed past my ears. The free fall stole my breath, but I kept my eyes on Leon's horrified face above me. That look of agony suited him. Then came a muffled thump as I hit the massive rescue cushion waiting below."Quick. We don't have much time."Victor Moreau, who'd been waiting on the second-floor terrace, rushed over and pulled me to my feet.His team deflated and removed the cushion within seconds.Victor splashed a bag of fake blood along the edge of the terrace and had someone drag a streak of it across the ground."The security footage is already on a loop."He draped a black coat over my shoulders and looked at me with concern."Nora, are you sure about this? After tonight, you'll be a dead woman in Leon's world."I held Buck's urn, running my fingers over it gently."If I could, I'd choose never to have met him. Let's go, before he gets suspicious."Victor nodded and led me out through the fire escape.The moment the car pulled away from the hotel, I looked through the

Chapter 6

The flight to Paris cut through the night sky.I sat in first class, watching the clouds drift past the window, saying goodbye to the last five years for good.Back in the States, Leon had gone completely unhinged. Victor stayed behind to handle the aftermath. Leon used every Hall Family connection to hunt for me, then stormed back to the estate we'd shared. The moment he opened the door, he froze.The living room was spotless. No white rose wreath. No wedding favor boxes.No slippers of mine in the shoe rack. No clothes of mine in the closet. No toothbrush of mine by the sink.The crew I'd hired had erased every trace of my five years in that house.As if I had never lived there at all.Leon called my number over and over. Each time, a recording told him it had been disconnected.Elena didn't limp into the estate until the next morning."Leon, please stop this. Nora probably just went into hiding. She's just trying to get a reaction out of you..."Elena walked to the couch and tried t

Chapter 7

Two years later, New York's most exclusive high-jewelry gala was underway.I entered in a custom red gown, my arm linked through Victor's.In those two years, I'd built a name in Paris jewelry circles under the identity Victor created for me.Now the world knew me as Nina Laurent, an internationally celebrated jewelry designer. Camera flashes burst across the ballroom when I entered. I faced them with an easy smile, poised and certain of myself.I was no longer the woman who followed Leon and swallowed every humiliation.Halfway through the gala, I took my champagne out to the terrace for some air. Footsteps came up behind me."Nora?"The voice was barely a rasp, trembling with disbelief.I turned around and met Leon's eyes, wide with shock and wild with hope.Two years had taken their toll. He was noticeably thinner. When I turned, the champagne glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.He stared at me, his eyes going red in an instant, tears falling without warning."N

Chapter 8

After the gala, Leon lost what was left of his sanity. He bought the entire building across from my studio.Every morning when I stepped outside, fresh red roses flown in overnight covered my car.Every day at lunch, he reserved the entire restaurant and stood in a corner watching me eat.He was trying to prove how much he loved me. How pathetic. When I'd begged him for a glance, he found me annoying. Now that I was done with him, he clung to me like a shadow I couldn't shake.One afternoon, I'd just stepped out of my studio when the sky opened up in a downpour.Leon was there with an umbrella, stubbornly holding it over my head. Most of his own body was exposed to the rain, completely drenched."Nina, the rain is too heavy. Let me drive you home. Please?"I stopped and looked at him coldly."Mr. Hall, this is harassment. My lawyer has already filed a police report."The light in Leon's eyes dimmed, but he kept holding the umbrella."Then have me arrested. If it makes you feel better,

Chapter 9

Elena was cornered. Leon unleashed all his rage on her.He cut off every partnership tied to Damian Russo's casinos and handed the business to a rival family.Damian went bankrupt and lost his territory.Damian took all his rage out on Elena, beating her nearly to death day after day.Elena finally broke and blamed me for everything. One afternoon, I finished an important jewelry showcase while Victor went to the parking garage for the car. As I waited at the curb, a battered van came barreling straight at me.Behind the wheel, Elena's face was twisted with rage."Nora, go to hell! If you won't let me live, then we're going down together!"The van was moving too fast. I had no time to dodge. At the last possible second, a dark figure lunged from the side.He shoved me clear, but the van struck him full-on and hurled him through the air.The impact threw Leon more than forty feet. He hit the pavement hard, and blood spread beneath him.The van crashed into a fire hydrant. Elena was pinn

Chapter 10

One month later. Leon checked himself out of the hospital, still far from healed.His first act after leaving the hospital was to show up outside my studio and stand there all day.He leaned on a cane, his spine no longer carrying the posture it once had. Today was the day Victor was going to propose. That evening, rose petals blanketed the ground outside the studio.Victor went down on one knee before me in a white suit, holding up a pink diamond ring."Nora, I know how deeply you've been hurt. I promise you will never have to wonder where you stand with me. I will love you, protect you, and honor every choice you make. Will you marry me?"My coworkers applauded. I met Victor's sincere gaze and nodded, smiling."Yes."Victor slid the ring onto my finger, stood, and pulled me into a tight embrace.Just then, a thud came from outside. I turned and saw Leon standing beyond the glass door.His cane had fallen. He'd crumpled onto the carpet of rose petals.He stared at the ring on my hand.

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