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All Chapters of He Left Me to Die, So I Made His Rival the Don: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

12 Chapters

Chapter 1

The agony of losing my unborn child on the basement floor still tore through me when the familiar list of nine names appeared before my eyes.I drew a sharp breath and found myself sitting in my father Vittorio's study, exactly where I had been five years earlier."Alexandra?" My father frowned when he noticed my expression. "The nine candidates' files are here. You will choose one of them at the succession banquet in three days. He will become your husband, join the family council after the wedding, and help you lead the Romano family."Luca De Santis stood at the top of the list. In my previous life, I had given him authority over port security, our armed men, and several council votes. After Bianca's death, he turned all of that power against me. He ordered the Romano guards to lock me in the basement and keep everyone away until I lost our child and bled to death.I picked up my pen and crossed out his name.My father's expression changed. "Did you make a mistake?""I did not make

Chapter 2

The estate guards flooded the hall and restrained both attackers. Matteo released me only after confirming that I had not been shot. He handed his weapon to the security chief, then faced Luca, who was still crouched beside Bianca."You abandoned the person you were assigned to protect."Luca glanced at the wounded gunmen. "Alexandra carries a weapon, and she was not injured.""She survived because she shot one attacker and I stopped the other. Your performance had nothing to do with it."Embarrassment flickered across Luca's face. "Bianca was hurt. I could not leave her there.""She was behind a reinforced wall with two guards nearby. Alexandra was their target. You left even though you knew a second gunman was still missing."Luca's patience vanished. "Nothing happened in the end. Bianca was cut because Alexandra pushed her toward the broken glass. I had every right to help her.""Alexandra pushed her there to save her."Matteo punched him. Luca stumbled into a table, wiped the blood

Chapter 3

Two days before the succession banquet, my father's designer delivered the gowns. I selected a black velvet dress with a restrained silhouette and the Romano crest embroidered at the waist in dark red thread. The gown had been made specifically for the banquet, and the crest marked it as belonging to the Romano heir. I would also wear my grandmother's ruby brooch.The designer was checking the fit when Luca entered the dressing room with Bianca leaning on his arm. Gauze covered her calf, and she walked with exaggerated care. Her eyes brightened when she saw my gown."It is beautiful. Is this the dress the Milanese designer made for the banquet?"When the designer confirmed it, Bianca lowered her gaze. "I have never worn anything like it. Luca plans to take me to the banquet, but the other families may mock him if I look too ordinary."Luca wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "No one would dare mock you.""I only wish I could wear a dress like this once," she said, looking at mine aga

Chapter 4

The day before the banquet, my father summoned all nine candidates to the council chamber."Tomorrow night, Alexandra will choose one of you as her fiancé. The chosen man will join the family council and serve as the Don after the wedding."The other seven candidates immediately congratulated Luca. They warned him to place my safety above everything else once he entered the council. Luca accepted their good wishes, though his attention kept drifting toward the door because Bianca had missed dinner.Matteo sat alone in the corner with a glass of whiskey. He drained it when the congratulations began and never looked at me. My father gave me a knowing glance, but did not correct anyone. His silence made them even more certain that Luca would win.After dinner, I returned to my suite. I was preparing for bed when Luca used security access that had not yet been revoked and barged inside. He carried Bianca's phone and a handwritten note."Tell me where she went.""You need to tell me who you

Chapter 5

One hour before the succession banquet, I finished preparing in a dark red gown with my grandmother's ruby brooch pinned over my heart. Two female guards waited outside, and every weapon in the room had been registered.Bianca entered after the stylist left. She wore the black dress she had taken from my wardrobe. The removed crest had left a faint line of stitches at the waist.She closed the door. Her usual timidity disappeared. "Why should you have everything?""What are you talking about?""You were born with the Romano name while I survived on your family's charity. I understand Luca better than you do, and I need him more. He only has to marry you because you are Vittorio's daughter.""No one is forcing him to marry me.""He will lose the council seat, the ports, and control of the armed division if he refuses you. You can pretend that he has a choice because you already possess everything.""My family paid for your education and gave you a home and a career after your father die

Chapter 6

Matteo stood at the back of the candidates and stared at me as if he could not trust what he had heard. I extended my hand. After a moment, he walked onto the stage.Luca remained motionless. For the first time, certainty deserted his face. "That is impossible."The council members rose and toasted Matteo and me. Luca pushed past a guard and approached the stage."You are punishing me, Alexandra. You chose Matteo because I protected Bianca and set conditions for our marriage. You only want to provoke me."Matteo moved in front of me. "She has made her choice. You have no right to question her."Luca ignored him. "Do not gamble with your marriage out of anger. Everyone knows that you love me. Withdraw your decision, and I will pretend this never happened."I stepped out from behind Matteo. "I am not angry.""Then why did you choose him?""I need a partner who respects me, remains loyal to my family, and does not abandon me in danger."Color drained from Luca's face. "You cannot change y

Chapter 7

Matteo held my hand during the drive back to the estate. City lights passed over his face before he finally spoke."I have wanted to ask you something. You loved Luca for years. Why did you cross out his name so quickly this time?"The question returned me to my childhood. A fire broke out in an old wing of the Romano estate when I was ten. I had inhaled so much smoke by the time I was rescued that I barely remained conscious.When I woke, Luca sat beside my bed with a bandaged arm and soot on his face. Everyone told me that he had entered the burning building and carried me out through a window. I believed that I owed him my life.My mother died when I was young, and my father spent most of his time managing the family. Once Luca became a candidate, he often stayed at the estate.He taught me to shoot, escorted me to family events, and waited outside my room after nightmares. He treated me well, and I assumed that we would naturally marry when we grew older.Everything changed after B

Chapter 8

After the succession banquet, my father revoked Luca's access to the estate and the armed division. Luca's car appeared across the road for several days, but he never tried to cross the security line. He watched from a distance whenever Matteo and I left together.My father also ordered an investigation into Bianca. Laundry room footage showed that she had entered the restricted cleaning area without instructions and deliberately soaked her hands in a solution containing bleach. Cameras near the docks proved that her supposed attempt to jump into the Hudson had been staged. She had disabled her location to lure Luca there, but never approached the water. Electronic records from my safe also showed that she had copied Luca's access credentials, entered my dressing room, and stolen the pistol used to wound her shoulder.The foundation suspended her, but she disappeared before security could bring her in for questioning.One afternoon, Luca stopped my car outside the estate as I prepared

Chapter 9

Luca stopped appearing after that day. Matteo and I began managing Romano affairs together, and he formally assumed control of port security and the armed division.We once argued late into the night about the rotation of guards at the port. Matteo followed my decision the next morning, but added a separate emergency unit. That unit later prevented a shipment from being stolen. He did not use the outcome to prove me wrong. Instead, he placed a revised plan on my desk."Your judgment was sound. My security plan lacked a sufficient contingency."With Luca, I had believed that love required endless surrender. I had accepted his suspicion, tolerated his favoritism, and constantly proved to Bianca that I was not abusing my position to separate them. Matteo showed me that a healthy bond did not require either person to diminish herself. We could disagree and retain our own judgment without allowing a third person to stand above my dignity or safety.On Matteo's birthday, I booked a private r

Chapter 10

I woke tied to a metal chair inside an abandoned Santoro freight terminal. Water struck the docks beyond a rusted rolling door. Several men stood nearby, led by Victor Santoro, the head of a rival family that had spent years trying to seize control of the Romano ports.Bianca’s heels clicked across the concrete. She had lost weight, but excitement burned in her eyes.Bianca's heels clicked across the concrete. She had lost weight, but excitement burned in her eyes."You sent the false alert," I said."Luca never guarded his credentials from me. Copying his code was easy." She crouched in front of me. "I could not understand why everything changed in this life. You stopped fighting me for Luca and refused to choose him. Then I realized that you came back too.""You gave the Santoros our yacht route."She smiled. "I only told them the Romano heir would be at sea. Victor promised to take you away. Once you disappeared, Luca would inherit the family and eventually marry me. The explosives

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