Início / I Left the Mafia Don Who Made Me His Stand-In / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Todos os capítulos de I Left the Mafia Don Who Made Me His Stand-In: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

Chapter 1

"Well, well, Don Amato's leaving? He's not even taking you with him?"As soon as the private dining room door closed, someone laughed.I stood there holding my phone.Ten minutes ago, Victor had been sitting beside me.The waiter brought out the cake I'd ordered ahead of time, with "Happy birthday, Ivy" written in the frosting.But before the candles were even lit, he took a call.I couldn't hear what the caller said, but his expression changed instantly."Diana's having stomach pains. I'm going to pick her up."Without thinking, I caught the cuff of his tailored suit."But you promised you'd spend tonight with me."Victor looked down at my hand and frowned."Ivy, don't be difficult at a time like this."Then he left, surrounded by his bodyguards.Without a moment's hesitation.Now every rich kid and socialite at the table was looking at me.A woman in heavy makeup laughed. "Diana? You mean Don Amato's first love? I heard she just got back from Europe."Angela, who was sitting across f

Chapter 2

The next morning, Victor sent over a diamond necklace.Paolo, his second-in-command, stood at the door with a polite smile."Ms. Rowan, the Don says this is to make up for leaving so suddenly last night."I opened the box and looked inside.The center stone was a large blue diamond.The auction house conservatively valued it at $8 million.Just enough to fill the orphanage's emergency medical fund for the next ten years.I closed the box."Thank him for me."A strange look crossed Paolo's face.In all his years with the Sicilian family, he'd probably never seen a Donna get abandoned in public, then accept jewelry the next day without a word of complaint.But I wasn't the Donna.I was an employee paid by the month.My boss stood me up, then volunteered $8 million to make up for it.An employer like that was one in a million.At noon, I called the auction house and arranged to sell the necklace.I'd just hung up when a sports car roared up outside the estate.Diana walked in wearing a lo

Chapter 3

The day after Diana moved in, the estate changed.She didn't like the dark curtains, so Hughes had them replaced with off-white ones overnight.She didn't like the look of the lawn, so she had the gardener tear it all out and plant imported roses instead.That patch of lawn was where I'd grown tomatoes when I first moved in.Victor had laughed at me for being such a country bumpkin.But he still had a heated greenhouse built next to it, saying I could grow them in winter too.Later, I gave him my first crop of tomatoes.He took one bite, said it was too sour, and tossed it in the trash.I was miserable all night.Now, watching the gardener pull up the last tomato vine, I felt surprisingly calm.Diana stood on the steps and asked me with a smile, "Ivy, you're not going to miss it, are you?""No."I was leaving anyway.Whether they planted roses here or dug graves, it had nothing to do with me.That afternoon, Sister Mary called.The money for the medical trust had arrived.She was sobbi

Chapter 4

When I got back to the estate, it was already midnight.Victor wasn't back yet.I took off the soaked gown and dropped it by the bed.I didn't send it to be cleaned.And I didn't carefully hang it in a garment bag like I used to.When you don't plan to keep something anymore, there's no need to take care of it.I opened the wardrobe and stuffed the last of my clothes into my suitcase.Five years of life, and it only filled half a suitcase.The bags, jewelry, and sports cars Victor gave me had long since become a clinic, the orphanage, and health insurance.The only thing I hadn't sold was a cheap silver cuff link.I'd bought it for him at a flea market after my first paycheck.It cost $25.When Victor got it, his face soured."Ivy, you're giving me junk like this?"Later, I found it in the trash can in his study.That night, I crouched on the floor and polished it for a long time.And the whole time, I lied to myself.He just doesn't know how to show it.Deep down, he does have some fe

Chapter 5

It was already ten in the morning when Victor got back to the estate.Diana's fever had broken, and she'd tugged at his sleeve, insisting on coming back with him."I just want to apologize to Ivy in person."You stayed with me last night. She must have gotten the wrong idea."Victor didn't say anything.On the way, he'd called me seven times.Every call went straight to voicemail.He felt restless for reasons he couldn't explain.On the phone last night, I'd been far too calm.No questions, no tears, not even a reminder to be careful like before.Victor strode in and tossed his gun to Hughes."Where's Ivy?"Hughes paused."Ms. Rowan hasn't come down yet.""Still asleep at this hour?"His frown deepened, and he strode upstairs.Diana followed him and said softly, "Ivy's probably just in a bad mood. Don't be hard on her."Victor ignored her.He pushed open the door to the guest room.It was empty.The bed was neatly made, without a single wrinkle. The wardrobe doors stood open, with only

Chapter 6

At last, I arrived in Southside.The Greyhound bus stopped at the snowy crossroads in town.The white-bearded driver handed down my canvas bag, leaned out, and whistled."Hey, that old bell tower at St. Mary's looks great now!"I smiled and nodded."It sure does."The trip from downtown Boston used to mean four hours of bouncing over icy roads.When winter storms cut off the heat at the orphanage, all the kids had to crowd into one room around the fireplace to stay warm.The year I turned 18 and left for the state college, Sister Mary pushed a rusty wheelbarrow against the cold wind and walked me five whole miles.She was 48 that year.Now her hair had gone completely white.Suddenly someone shouted in the distance, "Ivy!"Sister Mary hurried toward me with her cane, a crowd behind her.Ruth, who'd sold hot dogs to pay my living expenses.Old John the blacksmith, who'd pawned his late wife's gold pocket watch to pay my tuition.And the orphans who used to follow me around with runny no

Chapter 7

By the time Victor reached the orphanage, two days had passed.A convoy of bulletproof SUVs stopped at the entrance to the neighborhood and drew quite a crowd.He wore an expensive black trench coat. His leather shoes looked absurdly clean against the freshly fallen snow.Paolo opened the map on his phone."Don, Ms. Rowan lives in the attic on the east side of the bell tower."But Victor didn't move right away.His gaze settled on the new white marble plaque beside the orphanage's iron gate. It read, "St. Mary's Orphanage Permanent Title and Rebuilding Fund."My name wasn't on the donor line.Instead, it read, "All the scattered sons and daughters of St. Mary's."Paolo explained, "Ms. Rowan signed a strict confidentiality agreement with city hall."The land, the boiler, the bakery, and trusts to cover every child's medical care and education for ten years: she kept her name off all of it."Victor stood gazing at the red-roofed church, still warm and bright in the snowstorm.For five wh

Chapter 8

In the end, Victor didn't leave.He had Paolo book a hotel downtown and showed up at the entrance to the neighborhood every morning, right on time.On the first day, he brought a new sports car."So it's easier for you to get into the city."I didn't take it.On the second day, he had couture gowns and jewelry sent over.I sent all of it back while he watched.On the third day, he brought papers signing over a stake in one of his casinos.I didn't even look at them."Victor, do you think I left just because we couldn't agree on a price?"He stood at the orphanage gate, obviously exhausted."Then tell me what you really want.""I want you to stay away from me."His face went pale.I walked past him, heading for the classroom.But he suddenly grabbed my wrist."Ivy."When you're done making a scene, come home with me."At those words, I stopped short.I turned around and looked at him."And where exactly is home?""The estate."He answered without the slightest hesitation."That's your h

Chapter 9

I stared at the line on the back of the note for a long time."Ivy, this time it's my turn to wait for you."The pen strokes were heavy, and the last letter had even torn the paper.But I just folded the note and tucked it, along with the silver cuff link, into the back of a drawer.Whether Victor waited was his business.Whether I looked back was mine.I wasn't going to hand myself back to those five years just because he'd finally come to regret what he'd done.Life went on.During the day, I taught the kids, and in the evenings I helped check the accounts at the bakery on the corner.The new ovens had arrived, and we could finally produce rye bread at a steady pace. There was also a steady supply of locally produced dried cranberries and maple syrup.But the town was remote. Getting the baked goods out wasn't hard, but finding buyers was nearly impossible.I put my college marketing minor to work, setting up a website for the bakery, filming our daily baking, and selling through liv

Chapter 10

Three years later, St. Mary's Kitchen had become the most celebrated charity brand in all of New England.The orphanage's Gothic bell tower had new stained glass, the bakery had tripled in size, and the St. Mary's Children's Scholarship Foundation was officially up and running.The maple walnut pies and blueberry jam that had once been sold only on the edge of town were now on the shelves of high-end supermarkets all over America.I didn't limit myself to teaching.Sister Mary said I had a natural head for business and insisted on handing the whole bakery and the foundation over to me.I ran the online brand with the townspeople and used the profits to put orphans from poor states through school.The first full scholarships the foundation gave out went to the six kids from St. Mary's who'd gotten into Ivy League schools that year.The day they left, Sister Mary insisted on carrying their luggage to the station, just as she'd seen me off years earlier.Only this time, there was no mud o

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