Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs의 모든 챕터: 챕터 11 - 챕터 17

Seraphina's POVVegas. A city of sin and dazzling lights.The Commission meeting was held in a Vegas penthouse.For the past two weeks, my brother had choked off the Volkov family’s most vital arms-dealing port.To cover the massive losses, Maxim had no choice but to attend.He was desperate for new money to prop up his crumbling empire.I sat in the back of the limo, playing with the ruby falcon bracelet on my wrist.The symbol of the Romano family’s Donna.Dante sat beside me.He straightened the folds of my dress and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.“Ready to take your throne, my queen?” His voice was low and lazy.I met his eyes. “I’m more interested in watching certain people meet their end.”The car stopped.Guards lined the entrance.I stepped onto the red carpet in four-inch stilettos.I wore a custom-made, deep-V red gown that clung to every curve.The Seraphina who wore plain linen dresses and kept her eyes down was gone. Burned away in that fire.Tonight, the Ricci fam

Seraphina's POV“It’s pouring! He’s been kneeling out there all night! At least give him an umbrella!”A commotion from the main hall.I opened the double doors.Maxim’s personal bodyguard was being held down on the carpet by Ricci guards.He was soaked to the bone, screaming at me in desperation.“Miss Seraphina! Please, just go see him! His leg is destroyed, the knife wound is infected, he has a fever! He’ll die if he keeps this up!”I stood on the top step, looking down at him.“Then throw his body in Lake Michigan when he’s dead,” I said, my voice flat.The bodyguard’s eyes widened in horror.The butler came forward, holding a waterproof document pouch.“Ma’am, the twelfth batch of transfer agreements from the Volkov family.”I took the file and turned back into the warm living room.The bodyguard’s pleas were shut out.A fire crackled in the hearth.I walked to the sofa and settled into Dante’s arms.He’d just showered and smelled of cedarwood.His long fingers ran through my hair

Seraphina's POVThree days until my wedding to Dante.I stood before a massive mirror in the VIP fitting room of a top Milan bridal shop.The dress was custom-made for me by a premier Parisian designer.Pure white silk clung to my body, the skirt glittering with thousands of tiny diamonds.I looked at my reflection.Not a trace of the weak, timid woman I once was.Only the pride and cold beauty of the matriarch of the Ricci and Romano families.Suddenly, a dull crash echoed from outside.Then, two short gunshots and the sound of shattering glass.I didn’t turn around. I didn’t even raise an eyebrow.The heavy wooden doors were thrown open with brutal force.The thick smell of blood flooded the room.Maxim stood in the doorway.He had only two loyal, wounded men left with him. He could barely stand.His designer suit was shredded, soaked in blood and mud.The old knife wound on his shoulder had clearly festered, dark blood dripping down the tattered cloth.He was once the uncrowned king

Seraphina's POVThree years later.New York.Backstage at the National Architecture & Design Awards.I stood before a full-length mirror, adjusting the skirt of my deep blue velvet gown.As the matriarch of the Ricci and Romano families, I controlled the underworld.But tonight, under my own name, Seraphina, I had reached the pinnacle of the architectural world.The door to my dressing room opened.Matteo handed me an encrypted tablet.“Ma’am, the final case report from the slums.”I took it.The screen was split into two live feeds.On the left was a filthy alley in the slums.Isla lay in a pile of garbage and sewage.Three years ago, I’d had her vocal cords cut and her tendons severed.The pretty face she used as a mask had long been destroyed by the homeless men who used her.In the feed, she was convulsing in a dark corner.The wounds on her legs were infected, festering down to the bone.Pus oozed from the torn flesh.No one would help her.She twitched a few more times in the mud