All Chapters of Fake Diamonds, Real Betrayal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Elena's POVPaolo Moretti, Stefano Conti's Consigliere, spotted me in the doorway. All at once, his face lit up. "Elena, look on the bright side. You gave Don Conti two whole days of peace."Martina Rizzo looked over with a knowing smile."Elena, you really need to learn your place. You're nothing but a pet the Don keeps around. What makes you think you can pick a fight with him? You'd be better off keeping him happy."I walked over, dumped everything from the box onto the table, and said, "Every gift you've given me over the past seven years is right here. Who knew the great Don Conti had a thing for giving people knockoffs?"Martina winced when she saw the bluefin tuna buried beneath the pile. "Elena! How could you dump all this junk all over our dinner?" she snapped. " Aren't you afraid the Don's going to chew you out?"Just then, my boyfriend, Stefano, glanced up. A faint smile played at the corner of his mouth as he asked, "Feeling brave, are we? You're really going to bre

Chapter 2

Elena's POVTears streamed down my face as I wandered the streets, feeling like a shell of myself. Memories of the past seven years came flooding back. The 29th time Stefano and I fought, I sat by the side of the road and cried all night. By morning, he'd finally found me, a diamond hair clip in his hand. He tucked it into my hair and gazed at me with tenderness. "Elena, come on. Don't be mad at me. Let's go home," he'd said. The 39th time we fought, I packed a suitcase and spent the night away, planning to catch a flight out the next morning. Stefano had a whole lineup of designer bags brought to the airport and intercepted me outside the terminal. "Come home."I'd always thought he only picked fights with me because he had a bad temper. Even so, he'd always find some way to make it up to me. I'd convinced myself that he still loved me. Why else would he go to such lengths to get me these things whenever we fought?I never imagined those gifts were knockoffs he'd had

Chapter 3

Elena's POVMartina stood behind Stefano, holding up the bracelet as she taunted me. "So, this is the Santoros' family heirloom, huh? Now that I'm wearing it, does that make me their Principessa?"She burst out laughing, and Stefano joined in. "Just admit it, Elena. You have nothing left."I let out a long sigh. There really was nothing left for me here. Seven years earlier, my Padre found out that I planned to leave him to be with Stefano. We had a huge fight. Papa had yelled, "I don't approve of you being with him! How could a small family like the Contis ever be good enough for you? "If you insist on being with him, don't blame us for cutting you off! From now on, you're on your own. You can come back when you finally come to your senses."Still, I chose Stefano and never went back to my family.After I got together with him, I helped turn the Contis into one of the most powerful families in the underworld. Two years ago, a rival crew came after us, and I was caught o

Chapter 4

Elena's POVLater, I checked into a small motel and booked the earliest flight out. I curled up on the bed, waiting until it was time to leave for the airport.Suddenly, my phone rang. "Hi, I'm calling about the flowers you ordered. They'll be delivered around noon today. And you still want the ring placed inside the card, right?"That was when it hit me. It was Valentine's Day. I'd ordered the flowers in advance, hoping that today would finally be the day Stefano proposed. I kept picturing the look on his face when he discovered the ring tucked among the flowers. Then, I'd look at him in surprise and ask, "Stefano, is this the ring you got for me? Do you want me to be your Donna?"He hadn't brought up marriage much in the past few years. So, this time, I decided to make the first move. I'd arranged everything and wondered how Stefano would react. Would he be surprised? Would he be touched?Now, it seemed I was nothing more than a joke to him. "Never mind. Throw the flower

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVWhen Stefano woke that morning, a strange emptiness settled over him. He reached across the bed and found it empty. He figured Elena must have been worried that the drinks he'd had the night before would upset his stomach, so she'd gotten up early to make him something light. She loved him too much to let him suffer. Hadn't she always been like that all these years?Even when Elena was angry with him, all he ever had to do was coax her a little and pull her close. Eventually, she'd throw her arms around him, crying. "I knew you still loved me."Stefano opened the bedroom door, but the hallway was silent.A sudden unease gripped him, and he hurried to the kitchen. The breakfast he'd been expecting wasn't there, and neither was Elena. Then, he opened the refrigerator. It was usually stocked with everything they needed, but now the shelves were completely bare. Stefano slowly sank to the floor. Suddenly, the house felt empty, and it left him deeply unsettled.

Chapter 6

Elena's POVSummer always seemed to fall into darkness a little earlier at my famiglia's place. As soon as I returned home, Papa found the best specialist for me, and I started treatment for my injured ear. The treatment was a long process. The doctor said I might have recovered faster if I'd started sooner. But I wasn't recovering my hearing so I could go back to managing Stefano's operations. My famiglia needed me too. From now on, I would live my life on my terms. …When Stefano's messages came through, I had just closed a major deal. One of them read, "Where are you, Elena? Paolo says he can't find you.""Do you have enough money? I can send you some."In another, he wrote, "I've kicked Martina out. If you want, you can take over all my businesses." I stared at his messages, and for a moment, my mind went blank. Then, I blocked his number and deleted them all. Stefano immediately switched to another number and kept texting me. "Elena, please just answer me.""I

Chapter 7

Elena's POVPanic was written all over Stefano's face. "Elena, I didn't—""Didn't what?"I gently touched the bandage around my ear and continued, "You didn't send someone after me? You didn't deliberately keep the doctors from treating my ear? Or lie to me like I was an idiot, give me knockoffs, and strip me of my power?"Stefano stopped adjusting the bed at once. He rushed to my bedside, clutched my hand, and explained, "I did it because I loved you. I was afraid you'd grow stronger, gain more influence, and eventually stop needing me… I was afraid you'd leave me."I leaned back against the headboard. As the anesthesia wore off, the pain began to throb in my ear. Dark circles shadowed Stefano's eyes, and he gazed at me with such devotion. He looked as though he were completely consumed by his love for me. To him, everything he'd done to destroy me had only been an expression of love. How absurd. He'd ruined my ear, stripped me of my power, and tried to keep me trapped and

Chapter 8

Elena's POVTwo months later, my ear had healed remarkably well. It was almost as good as it had been before the injury. Still, the doctor warned me to protect my hearing. It was fine now, but I was still far more likely than most people to suffer another injury. I still needed to stay away from extremely loud noises, like gunshots. So, I stayed home and took it easy, keeping out of the family business altogether. …Papa assigned his most trusted man, Gabriele Fontana, to stay by my side and keep me safe. He had a great sense of humor and was always making me laugh. One day, Gabriele helped me move. We went back and forth down the hall, carrying boxes and bags. While we worked, we talked about life, what was happening now, and what the future might hold. We had a great time. That evening, we were on our way to Papa's place for dinner when we ran into Stefano outside my apartment building. He was holding an unlit cigar. He leaned against the wall, standing in the shadow

Chapter 9

Elena's POVSix months later, my hearing had improved even more. The doctor said I could pretty much live like anyone else now. I no longer had to go out of my way to avoid loud noises. Only then did Papa feel comfortable putting me in charge of the family business.I got back in touch with the old clients I'd dealt with back when I was with Stefano. They were all surprised that I'd suddenly switched sides. I smiled. "This was always where I belonged. I just took a wrong turn."Later, I had my people look into the men who had attacked me. But I learned that every one of them had either been crippled or taken out of action. Once I took Stefano's clients away from him, his business went downhill fast. Even then, he didn't seem to care and just kept sending more business my way. So, I took every last deal. "You really have it all. You're the Santoros' Principessa and the Donna of the Conti family," my clients said. "I'm not the Conti family's Donna.""But Stefano has already

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