Home / My Four Adopted Sons Betrayed My Daughter, I Took Everything Back / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of My Four Adopted Sons Betrayed My Daughter, I Took Everything Back: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

1

Ten minutes after the stream went dark, my eldest, Joseph Bellini, called."Mom, the bet was going just fine. Why'd you cut the stream?"My expression hardened."What bet?"Joseph realized he'd said too much. My second son, Paolo Marchetti, took over. "We were betting on how long it'd take Selena to admit she was wrong."Chloe bet ten minutes. She was just about to win..."Paolo never got to finish. I'd already had my men kick in the factory doors.His phone was still at his ear, and the smile hadn't left his face yet.At my signal, one of my bodyguards rushed over and smashed the butt of his gun into Paolo's face.Paolo went flying and slammed into the wall.Chloe Grant, the girl he'd been shielding, couldn't hold back a scream.One look from me, and she choked the scream back.Joseph stepped in front of her."Boss, Selena started it. She pushed Chloe and wouldn't own up to it."All four of the dog's legs were chained down. It was only meant to scare her. She's making a big deal out o

2

By the time we got her to the hospital, my daughter had lost so much blood she'd slipped into unconsciousness.I gripped the bed rail and stared at her pale face as she lay hooked up to a ventilator.Four years earlier, my daughter had a fever that wouldn't break.My four adopted sons stayed by her bed all night, changing ice packs, giving her medicine, wiping away her sweat. None of them slept.When she woke up at dawn, Joseph, who'd never shed a tear even after taking a bullet, actually cried.He said that if she hadn't woken up, he would have followed her to the grave.Selena's compassion was why I'd pulled all four of them from the rubble in the first place.They knelt before me and swore their lives belonged to her, that she was the only one they'd ever answer to.I believed the love they had for her back then was real.But the way their love had changed was just as real.As I was thinking about it, my daughter slowly opened her eyes.I held a glass of water to her lips."Lena, ge

3

Once Eleanor learned what had really happened, she was so frightened her voice shook.She promised again and again to fix it right away. She even arranged to apologize to my daughter in person.Every record of Chloe at St. Mary's Academy was wiped overnight.Her face was blacked out in photo after photo on the honor wall.Anything bearing her name was reprinted.The whole academy was buzzing with the news: Chloe was a fraud.And those Lorenzi boys who'd snuck her in weren't anywhere close to inheriting a thing.When the phone rang again, the amusement in Paolo's voice was gone. "Boss, do you really have to go this far?"Selena already has everything. It's just a title. What's wrong with letting Chloe have it?"You're bullying a young girl. It isn't right."I held the phone and said nothing.My daughter had carried that girl's bag, poured water for her, and been scalded for her trouble.Where was their sense of right and wrong then?When I didn't answer, Paolo's voice went flat and hard

4

When word came that the shipment was in trouble, I was at the docks, looking things over.Marco spoke in a rush. "Boss, the shipment for the South District is three days late."Our contact at customs says the monthly envelope never arrived, so they're holding the cargo."I went still.The "monthly envelope" was the payoff that kept the police quiet.If the money stopped, nobody protected the cargo.I looked up."Who's running that route?"Marco lowered his voice. "Joseph used to run it. But the money was moved three days ago, and the person who moved it was..."He didn't finish.He handed me the transfer records.The money had left the Lorenzi family account, passed through three intermediary accounts, and ended up in a single bank account.The account belonged to Chloe.But on the authorization line for the final transfer, the signature was Selena's.I knew my daughter's signature well. That wasn't her handwriting.I was so furious I laughed. "Chloe screwed up, so they forged a signat

5

Every eye in the room was on me.They were waiting for my next move.The name "the Reaper" had been written in blood.It had been a long time since anyone called me that.Hearing it again didn't feel half bad.I narrowed my eyes at Leo. "Where are the others?"The Gallo family, the Santoro family, the Giordano family...My eyes swept over them one by one.They'd already gotten out of their cars and lined up in neat rows with their men.The men at the front came up to me, took off their hats, and bowed their heads.Franco Gallo's eyes were red."Reaper, you've finally come back."Sergio Santoro's voice was steady. "Reaper, we've been waiting for you for ten years."And now, finally, you're here."Watching all this, Joseph finally snapped out of it.He let out a dry laugh. "Mr. Morelli, Mr. Gallo... could there be some kind of mistake?"How could Boss be the Reaper?"After my daughter was born, I'd hidden the bloody side of myself away.To Joseph and the others, the woman who had hidden

6

Gino shot Christian one last furious glare and turned away in disgust.The other leaders looked at my four adopted sons like they were already dead.I understood why they were so angry.The moment my daughter was born, she won every one of their hearts.These men, whose names alone could scare outsiders half to death, were afraid to even hold her in case they bruised her soft skin.My daughter was a princess to all of us.I'd been the one who insisted on keeping her out of all this.Otherwise, they would have given everything they had to make her my successor.Joseph and the other three were chosen for their skills, but also because they were the most loyal to my daughter.And now the very people chosen to protect her had hurt her the most.How could Gino and the rest not feel regret? How could they not be furious?By then, my daughter had been helped into the car. The dust had been wiped from her hair, and she'd changed into clean clothes.Her wounds had been quickly patched up. The p

7

"From now on, you answer only when I ask a question."Tell me one lie, and I'll cripple that hand."Chloe still thought my daughter was the same little tagalong she could push around, and she didn't take her seriously at all."Selena, who do you think you are? Touch me, and I'll make sure they never call you their sister again!"At the mention of her brothers, my daughter flinched.She was probably remembering the four brothers who would cross the whole city at her slightest request, the brothers who used to see to her every need.But a few seconds later, her eyes went cold again."Chloe, get something straight."I'm the one who doesn't want them."I didn't ask a question, and you answered anyway. You broke the rules. Now you pay for it."Bang! The gun went off, and Chloe let out a bloodcurdling scream.Her screams echoed through the empty factory. Jamie looked ready to kill. "Let her go!"I didn't say anything. I just turned the gun over in my hand.Jamie shut his mouth at once, thoug

8

Chloe flinched.But my daughter didn't give her time to catch her breath. The questioning went on."That's the right answer. Keep it up."Next question. You said I bullied you at St. Mary's Academy. Is that true?"Chloe bit her lip, hesitating.But the moment my daughter flexed her wrist, Chloe was scared out of her wits."Don't shoot! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"You never hurt me. I framed you for all of it."I was jealous of your status and of how many people loved you. I just wanted to take your place for a while. Selena, please forgive me. I really didn't mean it..."Paolo had been pinned down by the bodyguards.When he heard that, he nearly tore free despite the gun pressed to his head."Chloe, you're joking, right?!"Don't be afraid of Selena. If she's wronged you, say so. We'll make it right!"But before he could finish, I'd already set the files down in front of him."Take a good look. This is the sweet little girl you've been protecting."Paolo stared at the evidence

9

Christian and Jamie's retaliation came fast and brutal.I'd placed three rings of hidden lookouts around the docks, but Christian still found an opening.The day my daughter inspected the docks, Christian burst out of the crane control room and clamped an arm around her.By the time I got there, he had a bomb strapped to his waist and my daughter in a chokehold.He stared at me with dark, vicious eyes."Boss, if you want someone to blame, blame yourself for being so ruthless."You've cut off every way out. If we're going down, your daughter's coming with us."His arm was clamped around her throat, and her face had turned bright red.Tears streamed down her face and splashed onto the back of his hand.Christian's grip loosened for a second.I saw my daughter give me the slightest wink.That steadied me a little. I took a step back and asked him, "What do you want?"You didn't detonate the bomb immediately; you insisted on seeing me. So you must already know exactly what you want."Chris

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