Todos los capítulos de Betting Over My Grief: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 9

Antonio's POV"Why?"I forced the word past the knot in my throat and held down everything clawing at my chest.Elena frowned. There wasn't a trace left of the tenderness she used to show me."Antonio, when are you going to grow up? You're the illegitimate son nobody's supposed to talk about. Why do you keep trying to take the succession from Luca?"My father ground his cigar out on the burial-at-sea contract lying across my desk, burning a black hole through the paper.Not one of them noticed what the contract was.Not one of them noticed the urn sitting beside it."These five years were meant to grind that temper out of you," Dad said. "To teach you your place. Luca is the legitimate heir to the Leo family. That seat was never yours to fight for."Be smart about it. From now on you're Luca's cleaner, and you're done scheming."Scheming?My mouth twisted into something that almost resembled a smile.My heart felt as if someone had fired a bullet straight through it."I've

I beat on the door until both palms were slick with blood.Nobody answered.But I couldn't die yet.I still had one encrypted flash drive on me, and it had to go out to the place I'd arranged months ago.I don't know how long I kept at it.Eventually the steel door opened.Elena stood in the doorway.The moment she saw me curled on the floor, something like panic went through her eyes. She crouched and put a hand to my forehead.The heat startled her badly enough that she snatched it back."You're burning up. How did it get this bad?""Medicine," I managed. "Coat pocket."Elena went straight for my coat, dug out the bottle I used for the gunshot wounds, poured water, and helped me sit up."Take it. It'll stop the pain."I'd just swallowed the pills when Luca walked in.He looked at the bottle and frowned, all exaggerated disappointment."Tony, why would you lie to us? Those aren't painkillers. Those are the stimulants you took off that rival crew last time. You've been f

Third-Person POVThree days after Antonio went into the river, the study at the Leo estate was thick with smoke.Don Salvatore Leo sat behind the mahogany desk with a Cuban cigar clamped in his teeth, rapping his knuckles against the wood as he gave the order."Turn this city upside down and find that ungrateful son of mine. He threw in with the Costas. When you bring him back, I'll deal with him myself."Gianna sat nearby, cleaning Luca's custom handgun."Three days in the basement cell first," she said coldly. "Then we'll see if he ever runs again."Luca sprawled across the leather sofa, turning the emerald ring around one finger, playing peacemaker."Papa, Mama, don't work yourselves up. Maybe Tony just lost his head for a while. He'll come home once he's thought it through."Not one of them thought he was dead.They just thought he'd run because he was guilty. Sooner or later, once things quieted down, he'd come crawling back to ask forgiveness.Elena stood at the window

The Leo family's quarterly dinner was already at its height, the crystal chandeliers bright enough to hurt, every cousin and elder and inner-circle man in the room.Don Salvatore Leo stood at the head table with a champagne flute in his hand. He cleared his throat and smiled at his younger son."I want to take this occasion to announce something. My son, Luca Leo, will be formally installed as the future Don of the Leo family. From tonight, every part of this family's business answers to him."Luca, in a custom black suit, raised his glass to the room and let the congratulations wash over him.Gianna watched him with open pride.Then the ballroom doors banged open.Elena walked in soaked through, black coat clinging to her, her face like ice.She carried a silver tray with a tablet on it. The sound of her heels on the marble silenced the room table by table."Elena, what is this?" Gianna said, frowning. "Come here. The announcement is nearly finished."Luca went to meet her, s

In the end Luca did exactly what anyone should have expected.While Salvatore slept one afternoon, Luca went into his study and took his signet and the deed to the east-side docks.He ran into Gianna in the hallway.She opened her mouth. For a moment it looked as though she might stop him.Then she saw his bloodshot eyes, and once again she chose to say nothing and let him go.Luca took the deed to the underground casino the Costas ran. He put the east-side docks and the old Leo house up as collateral and walked away with ten million dollars in chips.Sitting at the table, he told himself he could take it all back in one night. He'd have the succession again. He'd rebuild everything. Elena would come back on her own.By morning it was all gone.Marco Testa, who ran the floor, slapped the collateral agreement against Luca's chest."Under the contract, Mr. Leo, the east docks and the Leo house belong to the Costa family as of today. You also owe us three million private, and the