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Home / Not His Donna, Not His Anything / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Not His Donna, Not His Anything: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

14 Kabanata

Chapter 1

My husband, Lucien Moretti, had some last-minute trouble at the docks to deal with, so I had to attend the underground auction alone.I walked into the hall in a simple black dress, no adornments.Someone recognized me, and a low laugh cut through the air."Isn't that the DeLacroix heiress?"Before I could react, more laughter rolled in from every direction."Made quite the scene breaking off that engagement back then, didn't she? Look at her now.""Heard Damon's become the Don, so she's crawling back to suck up to him?""Give me a break. He's already found his own Donna."I followed their gazes.Damon Vesper sat in the front row, his black formalwear immaculate.That face was still as sharp as ever—straight nose, thin lips pressed into a nearly invisible line.Damon spotted me too.But he only paused for half a second before looking away, as if I were just another guest who didn't matter.I watched his cold profile.And I had to admit—I really did love him once.Seventeen, the first t

Chapter 2

"Asset verification's fine. But this is your Vesper auction, and I don't trust your people."I pulled the Donna Moretti badge from my bag and pinned it to my chest, my voice cold. "I'm requesting a neutral notary on-site."Before the words even settled, Damon's scoff reached my ears."Can't keep up the act anymore, so now you're making excuses?"I didn't want to bother with him.But looking at that insufferable face of his, the fire in my chest started burning, slow and steady."Look closely. This is the unlimited black card."I held it up, my tone flat. "Cut the crap. Either get a neutral notary here, or we keep bidding."A flicker of mockery crossed Damon's eyes."Don Moretti would waste his time on someone like you?"Someone nearby chimed in with a laugh:"Probably bought it off some knockoff site. Slap it on and suddenly she thinks she's a real Donna Moretti.""She wasn't this good at spinning stories when she ran off five years ago.""Bet she couldn't make it overseas. Crawling ba

Chapter 3

The slap landed. The auction hall went dead silent for a solid few seconds.Damon's head was turned to the side, his jaw locked tight.Serena shrieked. "Eileen! You actually dared to hit Damon?! Security—take her to the underground interrogation room!"Two guards rushed forward and grabbed my arms from both sides.I struggled. "Let go of me! You have no right to detain me!"Serena laughed coldly. "This is the Vesper family's auction house. Of course I have the right.""I'm warning you," I said, my voice ice-cold. "Don't make me call Lucien to come down here—"Damon cut me off with a raised hand. "Enough. Apologize, and you can leave."I locked my eyes on him. "Damon, I'm walking out of here with that brooch today. Tell them to let go."Damon's gaze swept over the guards' hands on my arms, his brow twitching slightly."Eileen, I don't want to make things difficult for you. But you disrupted the auction first, and then you impersonated a Moretti Donna. You need to apologize.""Don't beli

Chapter 4

A swarm of black-suited bodyguards filed in, flanking Lucien on both sides.The man with the knife snapped it shut, staring at Lucien with a mix of shock and uncertainty. "Who the hell are you?"Lucien didn't answer.He drew a silver-gray pistol from his waistband—smooth, elegant, like he was plucking a glass of wine at a banquet.The next second, the barrel tilted up.Bang!The bullet shattered the man's kneecap.He collapsed with a scream, the folding knife clattering out of his grip and skidding across the floor.Lucien adjusted his cuffs, glancing down, his voice flat—almost detached. "Quiet."The man was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, still whimpering uncontrollably.Lucien lifted his eyes. "Make another sound, and I'll make you quiet permanently."The man bit down hard on the back of his own hand, muffling his cries.Only then did Lucien stride over to me.He undid my restraints and pulled me into his arms.His familiar scent wrapped around me instantly.The tension I'd be

Chapter 5

Damon's POVDamon stepped forward, his eyes locked on Eileen.But Lucien didn't slow down. If anything, he pulled the woman in his arms even tighter.Eileen had her arms around his neck, her voice hoarse. "Take me to a doctor."Lucien lowered his head, his face full of tenderness, and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Of course. Already arranged."His thumb brushed gently across her cheek. "Once they clean up the wounds, you'll get some rest and feel better."Eileen buried her face in his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt.That easy intimacy—so natural, so familiar—made something dark settle in Damon's eyes."Don Moretti!"Damon finally caught up to the doorway, his voice sharper than before. "This isn't what you think."Lucien didn't break stride. His voice came out dry and cold."You get one chance to explain. Don't waste it. Figure out what you want to say, then come find me at the Moretti estate."With that, he carried Eileen out of the interrogation room.From start to finish, Eile

Chapter 6

Damon's POVDamon's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"But Serena clamped her mouth shut, like she'd let something slip. She shook her head frantically."Nothing. Really. It's nothing."The more she did that, the more certain Damon became that something was off.He'd heard the rumors about Eileen.Before she left the East Coast five years ago, she'd been dragged to an abandoned warehouse. Some said the people who took her set the place on fire—wanted her dead in there.But back then, Serena had told him it was just another lie Eileen made up to play the victim.And Damon had believed her.Because at the time, he convinced himself Eileen was just lashing out—getting back at him for choosing Serena."Did you know something?"His voice dropped, his eyes fixed on her.Serena's face went even paler. "I don't know what you're talking about...""The kidnapping five years ago. Did you have anything to do with it?""No!" Serena nearly shrieked. "I didn't do anything! Damon, you can't start susp

Chapter 7

The butler announced Damon's arrival just as I finished getting my face treated.Beside me, Lucien let out a cold laugh. "He sure came fast."I looked up. "Let them in."Before long, Damon pushed through the door.He was dressed in a sharp, dark suit, his brow creased with something heavy he couldn't shake.Serena trailed behind him, eyes swollen, clutching a velvet box in her hands."Eileen." Damon stopped in front of me, his voice low. "I brought Serena here to apologize."Serena bit her lip and stepped forward slowly."I'm sorry, Eileen."She spoke slowly, but the tears came fast."It was all my fault. I shouldn't have laid a hand on you at the auction. And I definitely shouldn't have taken your badge."I watched her. Waited a beat. Then let out a short laugh."And?" I asked.Serena's fingertips trembled.I locked eyes with her, each word deliberate:"Five years ago, I was tied up in a warehouse and almost burned alive. Did you have anything to do with it?"Her face went pale for a

Chapter 8

After Damon and Serena left, the side hall door had barely clicked shut when Lucien pressed up behind me.One hand curled around my waist, the other landed on my shoulder, his breath heavy against my ear."Don't see him again."I looked down at the emerald brooch in my hands and asked, deliberately: "Who?"Lucien's fingers gave a light squeeze at my waist. "Damon."I couldn't help but smile."He did bring the brooch back, at least. And he's willing to look into what happened back then.""So?" His tone dropped lower. "The brooch was always yours. That's worth you defending him?"I turned around, looping my arms around his neck."I'm not defending him.""You looked at him longer than you looked at me.""That's because you've been right beside me the whole time. I can look at you whenever I want."That clearly didn't soothe him.Lucien kept his eyes lowered, his expression still dark, like I'd committed some unforgivable sin."You smiled at him, too.""I smile at the butler.""That's diff

Chapter 9

Damon didn't answer right away.Raindrops tapped against the window, one after another, like they were counting the seconds for us."No."Finally, he spoke. His voice was hollow—sad, like the echo in an empty room."I never loved Serena."I looked at him and said nothing.He seemed afraid I wouldn't believe him, his tone turning urgent:"Eileen, all I had for her was obligation."His eyes fixed on my face. "The person I love—even now, even this second—has always been you."Damon stared at me, the last layer of restraint in his eyes finally cracking open.The words he'd held back for five years came rushing out of his throat, desperate to be heard."After Serena found out I was going to marry you, she fell into a deep depression.""I couldn't let her go to prison—she would've died in there. And I'd sworn to protect her.""That was the last time I indulged her. But I never thought you'd leave."My hand didn't move around the glass.Damon tugged at the corner of his mouth, bitter."These

Chapter 10

I stared at Damon, my fingers tightening unconsciously.How did he find out about the contract between Lucien and me?Before I could even ask, footsteps sounded from the stairs—slow, unhurried.Lucien came down, pulled me into his arms without a word, and fixed Damon with a cold stare."How did you find out?"Damon's gaze stayed on me, a flicker of coldness passing through his eyes."I found your prenuptial agreement—the lawyer who handled it is a friend of mine."Lucien's expression darkened.Damon continued:"The only reason you married Eileen was to secure your position as heir.""You agreed to a three-year marriage. After that, you'd divorce, and you'd pay her a fortune as compensation."Damon looked straight at me, his tone certain. "Am I wrong?"I felt Lucien's heartbeat beneath his shirt—strong, steady—and for a moment, I drifted.My thoughts slipped back five years.Back then, I'd arrived in Sicily with nothing but a few maxed-out credit cards.To survive, I took a job as an ac

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