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Todos los capítulos de No More Being the Extra One: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

Chapter 1

By the time I got back to the Carone estate, night had already fallen.The three of them were lounging on the dark leather sofas in the living room, gathered around the fireplace with chilled bourbon in hand and cut cigars resting on the rim of crystal ashtrays. Their eyes were fixed on the screen, where some classic mafia film was playing.Seraphina turned her head at the sound of my footsteps crossing the foyer. A smug grin tugged at her lips as she shot a look at the two men beside her."Told you Leah would find her way back before seven.""You two lost. That means next month's patrol schedule is all mine to call the shots.""Besides, both of you already wrapped up your Sicily and New York reports. A few extra days away from your territories won't kill you."Gabriel shook his head, swirling the ice in his glass. The cubes clinked sharply against the crystal."Leah—you sure you didn't team up with Seraphina behind our backs? Last time in Lower Manhattan, it took you four hours to get

Chapter 2

Gabriel ended up staying behind—Lucas made sure of that.Back in my room, I opened my laptop and submitted the overseas project approval form to the Zurich School of Business contact.Nine days left. That was it.At eight that night, my father came back to the estate. Gabriel knocked on my door and called me down for dinner.He found me staring at the screen and leaned against my desk, rubbing his temple."Leah, you're not still mad at Seraphina, are you? You know how she is—she just likes to mess around."When I was seventeen, my father brought Seraphina into the estate. She was the housekeeper's daughter—her mother had worked for us for years. A scholarship kid, my father called it. He arranged for her to attend the same private school as me, gave her a room in the staff wing, treated it like an investment in loyalty.First exam after she transferred—she, Lucas, and Gabriel swept the top three spots. It sent shockwaves through the whole campus.Some heiress from a rival family—one wh

Chapter 3

I paused mid-motion, then let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.That day on Fifth Avenue, I'd just walked across the street to grab a coffee—ten minutes, tops. By the time I got back to where we'd been, they were gone.So while I was stumbling around like a headless chicken, dodging God knows what kind of deadly trouble, they were busy picking out haute couture with Seraphina.No wonder none of my calls got answered.Gabriel's thumb froze over the screen. It hit him too—I could see it in the flicker of rare awkwardness crossing his face."Oh... I got it wrong. You weren't there."He cleared his throat."I was gonna call you, but that place only sells gowns. You're always mixed up in gang stuff and never wear dresses, so I figured it wasn't worth dragging you in."I said nothing. Just stared at him.He reached over, a little stiffly, to ruffle my hair—I turned my head and let his hand hit empty air."Mad?" He forced a smile, his tone half-soothing, half-dismissive. "I'll take you to

Chapter 4

The head of VIP security on the cruise came over and patted my shoulder."No big deal, girl. I'll call my son right now—he's a Carone family member himself. He'll ride a solo cabin with you."And he actually pulled out his phone.I smiled and shook my head."Thank you, but I actually prefer the quiet. Being alone suits me."After I got off the observation cabin, the three of them were gone again.I didn't go scrambling through the casino like I used to, heart pounding, searching every corner.I walked straight to the cruise terminal, hailed a black stretch Lincoln, and headed back to the Carone estate.My father was in the study, reviewing downtown accounts from his leather chair. He looked up, surprised to see me back so early."Back already, Leah? What do you want for dinner? Where's Gabriel?"I didn't answer his questions.I walked over and sat beside him, resting my head on the old Don's solid shoulder, the way I used to when I was little."Father, I'd like to head to Zurich next w

Chapter 5

On the way to the airport, my father called.His voice came through steady and composed—clearly still in the middle of handling some messy family business."Leah, I can't make it to the airport to see you off. But I've arranged everything for you in Zurich. After one semester, you'll start learning to take over family operations."I nodded. "Got it."A pause on the line. Then my father sighed."Don't let yourself hurt over things that aren't worth it. You're my daughter. You'll always deserve the best."My eyes stung a little. He always knew. Always.I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I understand, Father."He let out another breath. "Send me an encrypted cable when you land in Zurich. Let me know you're safe."The call ended.I opened the group chat and saw that Lucas had just posted a photo in the channel—and tagged me.It was the lavish first-class cabin of their private Gulfstream.They'd taken the prime three-seat leather sofa, the power seat at the center of the plane. Seraphina

Chapter 6

"Though the underground trading day in Zurich falls right around now—not exactly safe."Sofia took a sip of her coffee and glanced at me."We can wait until the day after tomorrow. The Mediterranean weather should be perfect by then. I can fly you over for a trip."I looked up, eyes brightening."Really? Thank you, Sofia."Sofia's family controlled several core underground sea routes around Sicily and the Mediterranean—islands everywhere.I figured someone who'd grown up surrounded by ocean must be long sick of the view. If not for me, she wouldn't have bothered making that trip at all.Sofia shrugged, a hint of amusement tugging at her lips."Relax. It's not entirely for you. I've got an old score to settle over there too."When she caught my surprised expression, she laughed out loud."You didn't think every kid from a Sicilian family wakes up to ocean views and yachts, did you?""Our place is wedged between the valley armory and the black market. Besides—watching the sea with someon

Chapter 7

Sofia kept her word. She actually took me to her family's territory in the Mediterranean.On the way there, she drove while pointing out black market outposts and landmark buildings along the route, explaining everything as we went.On the return trip, she shut off my navigation terminal."Now—you're getting us back to the European underground rail station."I took three wrong turns into black market tunnels and accidentally wandered into a rival faction's警戒 perimeter once. But in the end, we made it to the rail station in one piece."Not bad, girl. You're way sharper than I expected!"Sofia clapped me on the shoulder."The first time I ran the escape route for my brother, I messed up five times. He was so pissed he drew his gun on the spot!"Back at my independent apartment in Zurich, I did some light editing on the photos I'd taken by the sea.With Sofia's permission, I posted them on my Instagram and tagged the Mediterranean location.Lucas didn't find out until a week later.A youn

Chapter 8

That evening, my father called."An old Italian mafia family—Gabriel's birth mother's side—reached out to the Carones recently. Back when his father died in the internal power struggle, his mother abandoned him in Lower Manhattan to escape the fallout.""Now that family's finished their internal reshuffle. They want to bring Gabriel back to Europe to inherit part of the estate and assets."The old Don paused, his deep eyes fixed on me through the line."But this move of yours—going to Zurich alone—why didn't you run it by Gabriel and Lucas beforehand? Gabriel actually called me today, specifically to confirm your whereabouts."I smoothed the documents in my hand, my tone perfectly flat."Father, I did mention it. They just forgot."As early as the third quarter last year, I'd been privately studying for the European advanced financial anti-money laundering and family trust exams.Once, Gabriel walked in on me reviewing and asked offhandedly—since I'd already mastered New York's account

Chapter 9

"Honestly, I don't make a habit of talking behind people's backs."Sofia waved a hand and shrugged."But you're my chosen partner, Leah, so I need to be straight with you.""If she really saw you as family, she wouldn't be playing two men against each other while icing you out.""Of course, you're probably thinking—maybe Seraphina just doesn't realize those two have feelings for her. Maybe she genuinely sees them as battle buddies."I choked.That was exactly what I'd been thinking.Sofia shot me a look of pure exasperation."Those little 'which shell should I pick' posts on social media? That's her flexing power over you in a pretty package.""Chances are, she's been stringing those two idiots along because she hasn't found a bigger fish to hook yet—someone with more pull in the underworld."She gave my shoulder a firm pat, leaning against the table."Don't brush this off. My father's second wife used the exact same playbook on my brother—had him wrapped around her finger. With women

Chapter 10

Even after I'd walked a good distance with Sofia, Lucas was still standing there on the Zurich street, head down, lost in his own head.Sofia elbowed me with a grin."Leah, you've been holding out on me. You never mentioned this tall, rich, handsome childhood friend with a marriage pact attached."I shook my head."Because he drew that line himself—a long time ago. Never seemed worth bringing up."The year we graduated, we had a get-together at a top-tier downtown club.Gabriel and I drew the short straw to go grab chilled champagne from the back.When we got back to the VIP room, Seraphina had her hand out against Lucas's chest, keeping a deliberate distance, laughing:"Lucas, watch yourself. You're Leah's future fiancé, remember? I have standards. I don't touch my sister's man."Lucas let out a scoff on the spot, brushing it off:"What? That was just the old Dons talking drunk.""Leah's mother's been gone for years. Who actually takes that marriage pact seriously anymore?"To avoid l

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