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Todos os capítulos de The Mafia Don's Secret Fiancée: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

1

"Who were you talking to?"I'd just ended the call when Luciano knocked and walked in, his eyes fixed on my phone.His perfectly tailored suit made him look even taller and more striking. The warmth and gentleness in his eyes softened his chiseled features, almost making me forget that the man before me controlled New York's entire criminal underworld.I pretended nothing was wrong and forced a smile."It was nothing. I was just asking the maid to set up a spa day for me."He didn't seem to care. As if by magic, he produced a fruit tart from behind his back."Darling, I made this myself. Try it."On any other day, my heart would have melted.But the strawberries and mango on the tart reminded me that just an hour earlier, Luciano had shared the exact same dessert with Eileen. Her caption read:"My favorite. It took him dozens of tries to get this fruit tart right."I didn't take it. "I'm allergic to mango."Luciano smacked his forehead when he realized his mistake. "Sorry, darling, I f

2

She hesitated for a second, then agreed.Luciano had eyes everywhere. If I was going to leave, I couldn't leave any trace behind. Chinatown, a world unto itself within the city, was the safest place to make the arrangements.By the time he appeared at my door again, the maid had just finished helping me get ready and had left.We went to the bridal shop together.As soon as the attendant led me into the fitting room, I froze. This wasn't my wedding dress!The attendant cautiously explained, "Ms. Ashford, Mr. Marino instructed us to give your original gown to another bride."The one he saved for you is beautiful too, and it's already been altered to your size. Would you like to try it on?"My heart sank. I rushed out of the fitting room and stared at Luciano."Where's my dress?"He knew how much that dress meant to me.It was a fitted gown with a long train and a layer of handmade lace in my favorite rose pattern. The skirt was made of off-white matte silk satin and studded with tiny di

3

The flames kept spreading.Gritting my teeth, I grabbed a shard from the broken mirror, hacked off the skirt, kicked off my heels, and stumbled out.My calves were red and swollen from the burns, my hands and feet were bleeding, and I looked like I'd been living on the streets.The pain drained every bit of strength I had, and I collapsed on the ground.Not far away, Eileen was wrapped in Luciano's jacket. Other than her slightly messy hair, she looked completely fine. Even her wedding dress was as white as ever.Even so, Luciano anxiously asked if she was hurt. Only after confirming that she was fine did he notice me lying on the ground, barely conscious, and hurry over.The ambulance arrived, and the paramedics wheeled out a stretcher."There's only room for one patient at a time. Who goes first?"Luciano already had his hand under my back, ready to lift me, when Eileen suddenly cried out in pain.He stopped. "What's wrong?""My foot really hurts. I think I twisted it." Eileen bent d

4

The air froze. Every gun in the room turned toward me. I held my breath, terrified."Put them down," Luciano ordered."Luciano, who is she?" The older woman set down her glass, looking displeased.He paused, then said calmly, "A friend."I couldn't believe my ears.When we were alone, he always said I was the most important woman in his life.He'd built an estate for me.When some punk harassed me in the slums, he'd crippled both of the guy's hands.An enemy had even stabbed him in the lung while he was saving me, and he'd nearly died.But now, in front of his family, I was just "a friend."A bitter laugh escaped me. "Then what did our five years together mean?"The older woman frowned and looked at Luciano, demanding an answer.His expression didn't change at all."Mom, this is a misunderstanding. I'll explain later."Then he stood and walked toward me."You shouldn't have come looking for me without asking. Go home first. We'll talk about this later, okay?"This time, I didn't give i

5

The cathedral was filled with flowers and packed with distinguished guests.Every eye in the cathedral, including the stunning bride's, was fixed on the groom at the altar, Luciano Marino.Used to high-stakes situations, he looked perfectly composed.Only the butler, who knew him well, noticed the brief flash of panic in his eyes when he heard the words "Ms. Ashford is gone." He also saw Luciano's hand clench involuntarily at his side.But Luciano quickly regained his composure.Eleanor had always been gentle, and because she loved him so much, she did whatever he said. She must be sulking again. That was all.Once this was over, he'd go back, say a few sweet things, and give her a present. Then she'd come around.A confident smile curved Luciano's lips."I do."Eileen, the bride, beamed.With the priest and all the guests watching, the two of them completed the ceremony.Immediately afterward, he made up an excuse and drove straight to where Eleanor was supposed to be.It was a tiny,

6

Luciano sat alone at his desk, his expression grim.Freshly printed photos and documents lay scattered before him. Together, they spelled out the truth in black and white:Eileen had used illegal tracking tools to find out that Eleanor had been checking her Instagram. After that, she'd deliberately begun posting photos in real time to flaunt her relationship with Luciano.The fire at the bridal shop had been deliberately set by an employee Eileen had bribed.That same employee had picked up the necklace Eleanor dropped in the chaos and passed it on to Eileen.Eileen had taken Eleanor's necklace and then posted a photo with a location tag to lure Eleanor to their family dinner, as though Eleanor were an animal she could toy with.At the time, he'd believed Eileen without question and dismissed everything as a coincidence. He had ignored Eleanor's pain over having something precious stolen from her. Worse, he'd ignored her humiliation at being treated like an intruder in front of his ent

7

Eileen didn't notice his anger. In fact, she was secretly pleased with herself.But the next moment, Luciano raised his paddle to bid.Before he could even call out a number, someone who looked like an assistant hurried onto the stage and whispered in the auctioneer's ear.The auctioneer looked stunned, then announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've just been informed that a gentleman who wishes to remain anonymous has purchased every item in tonight's blind auction!"Luciano froze. A vein bulged on his forehead.No one had ever dared to take something from him so openly.He turned to his assistant and asked in a low voice, "Who bought it?"The assistant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied cautiously, "Don, he's the charity's principal sponsor. All we know is that he has connections in Europe. We can't find anything else."At the sight, jealousy and resentment surged through Eileen."Why are you so fixated on that necklace? Is it because you still can't forget that woman?

8

Raynefield Manor, near Oundle, Northamptonshire.Back at the home where I'd grown up, the air smelled of earth and freshly cut grass. It was both familiar and faintly strange after so long.The table was covered with all my favorite foods.My mother brought over a steaming plate of scrambled eggs with white truffle butter."I made these myself. They're your favorite, so go on, try them. Oh, and I've arranged a proper welcome-home dinner for the day after tomorrow. Alistair will be there too."Alistair Vance was the man I was supposed to marry.My family was part of the old aristocracy but kept a low profile, and my parents had always doted on me. They sent me to the finest private schools and expected me to study business when I turned 18 so that I could one day inherit the family fortune and take over its businesses.But I refused to follow the path they'd laid out for me.Instead, I followed my own interests. I secretly applied to an American university and chose wildlife conservatio

9

My mind went blank as the lack of oxygen left me struggling to breathe.Then Alistair realized something was wrong. Without a word, he pulled off his own oxygen mask and put it over my face!As the air flowed in, I could breathe again.But the lack of oxygen quickly drained the color from his face, and his chest began to heave. Even as he gasped for air, he kept the mask firmly over my face. His expression was resolute yet relieved.The plane kept plunging through the storm. The flight attendants did their best to keep order, but the whole cabin had already descended into chaos.After another violent jolt, the plane finally broke out of the storm and leveled off.After a moment of silence, the cabin erupted in applause and cheers. "We made it!"I burst into tears and hugged Alistair tightly, pouring all my lingering fear and gratitude into the embrace. The words came out before I could stop them. "Let's get married."Alistair froze, his whole body going stiff. Then he held me just as t

10

Alistair immediately stepped in front of me, but Luciano roughly shoved him aside."Eleanor is my fiancée! She doesn't remember agreeing to marry me. This man is taking advantage of her memory loss. This wedding can't go ahead!"An uproar swept through the chapel.I gently squeezed Alistair's hand."I'll handle this myself."He nodded and stepped aside without hesitation, then stopped a few paces behind me.I walked up to Luciano.I hadn't seen him in a while. He seemed thinner, and the old spark had vanished from his eyes, replaced by the desperate urgency of a man with nothing left to lose.I frowned in distaste and looked at him coldly."Mr. Marino, I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't know you, and I don't want to. This wedding has nothing to do with you."Pain filled his eyes."That's all right. You don't have to remember right away. You can get to know me all over again."Please, Eleanor. Don't marry someone else. Please?"I looked at him in silence, then shook my head firmly.

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