جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

I had just put the spare phone and gift list back where I found them when Enzo Valenti came home.The faint smell of whiskey followed him as he sat down beside me and reached for me."Are you still mad at me? Where have you been these past few days? I thought you were really going to leave me, but here you are. You couldn't stay away from me, could you?"He nearly said the rest out loud—that I had come back because I wanted more money from him.Maybe that's all I'd ever been to him. I was just a gold digger after the Valenti family fortune.I didn't react. I just shifted away from his arm.Enzo paused. He glanced at his arm, then at me. He assumed I was avoiding him because he reeked of alcohol."You're impossible. I had a few drinks, and now I'm thirsty. Get me some water."He was always like this. He never seemed to realize how much he carried himself like a future Don.I remembered how he'd put on a terrible act and pretend to be some street punk barely scraping by when he

I picked up the suitcase I'd packed hours earlier and glanced at Vivian. A mocking smile tugged at my lips.I said, "Ms. Moroni, if you're going to live with Enzo, make sure you pay your share of the rent on time. If you don't, you'll be a gold digger too."I had barely taken a step when someone yanked my wrist violently.The playful look on Enzo's face was gone. In its place was reprimanding anger."Are you seriously doing this? Vivian and I were just messing with you. Think about what you're doing. If you leave, you'll be out on the street. If something happens to you then, there won't be anyone there to help you."I stared into his eyes. The whole thing felt absurd.I'd been wrong. I was so incredibly wrong.I shouldn't have let his sweet words talk me out of leaving the moment I found out he was the sole heir to a mafia family.I especially shouldn't have believed him when he said, "What we have is real. Loving each other as equals is what makes it genuine," even after he r

No matter how long Enzo and I had been together, none of it could outweigh what had happened over the past two days.I finally saw the man behind the mask, and what I found was ugly.More and more coworkers gathered around us. At first, they only whispered among themselves.Enzo didn't stop them. Soon, their voices grew louder."Don Valenti kept his identity from her because he was afraid she'd feel inferior. He even made us keep it from her all these years. How could anyone say his feelings weren't genuine?""She eats his food, lives in his apartment, and still has the nerve to throw a fit at him. He's the only heir to the family. He could marry the daughter of any mafia family in this country if he wanted. The fact that he chose her proves that he doesn't care about money.""She should know her place. Without Don Valenti, who is she?"The crowd around me kept growing. Faces that had been laughing with me just days ago were now whispering about me.Enzo struggled to hide the s

Before meeting with Erin, I wanted to get the complete medical records to add to the evidence.When the nurse at the clinic recognized me, her expression changed. "People from the Valenti family came here a few days ago. The Don himself ordered that all the paper records for you and the baby be destroyed. They even wiped the records from the system."A chill ran through me.Why would Enzo go so far as to erase the baby's medical records?Was he afraid that I would keep trying to get money from him? Or was his pathetic need for control so strong that he had to cover up even something like this?With that cold dread settling in my chest, and any last hope I had for him gone, I walked into Erin's office.She had spread everything across the desk. There were copies of the records I'd kept while working overtime, my promotion request that my manager had buried, and the emails restricting my access to my accounts.Erin slid a power of attorney across the desk. "We have enough evidence

I shook my head and smiled helplessly as I looked at the dress that Leone had sent me.I changed into a simple white silk gown and fastened the Heart of the Ocean around my neck.I'd turned down Leone's offer to pick me up because I wanted to surprise him by showing up to the party on my own.While I was on the road, several men in black suits suddenly blocked my way.Enzo stepped out of an armored SUV.He'd lost a lot of weight, and his eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed my wrist.I yanked my hand free and took two steps back. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?""I used every connection I had to find you," he rasped. "Please forgive me. Come back with me. I know I messed up. Vivian was the one who kept turning us against each other. I'll never have anything to do with her again!""Enough." I cut him off coldly. "We ended things a long time ago. You don't get to come here and tell me what to do."Enzo pulled a jewelry box from inside his jacket and opened it.Inside