جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

By the time I reached the Falcone estate, a lavish banquet was underway.Sophia Leone, wearing a dazzling diamond necklace, sat at Nick's side.My parents sat at the head table, smiling as if the star of the night were their own daughter.I watched them from across the room but didn't make a move.Killing them outright would let them off too easily.The first thing I had to do was find my sister.I slipped past the guards and took the secret passage from the main house into Moonlight Villa, where my sister used to live.Before my sister married into the Falcone family, I'd prepared 100 uncut gemstones and 20 white rosebushes for her and put them all on her dowry list.Now all the gemstones had been taken, and the roses had been chopped down.Even the solid copper nameplate for Moonlight Villa had been thrown in the mud.A maid stood on it, scraping mud from her shoes.When she saw me, she froze for a second, then sneered, "Angelina, how dare you escape the lockup?"She thought I was my

Nick stepped through the door. His face darkened when he saw Luca tied up.He snapped, "Angelina, who said you could touch the Donna's people?"I lashed Luca again, right in front of him.Luca howled for help. "Don, save me!"Nick stepped in front of him and reached for my whip."Let go," he ordered, his voice cold.I looked at him. "Lina's missing, and instead of looking for her, you're busy showing off your new woman?"Impatience flickered in Nick's eyes."What game are you playing now?" he demanded. "Three days ago, you hurt a guard and ran. Now you come back and pretend you went missing to get my sympathy?"So he still hadn't figured out that the woman standing in front of him wasn't my sister.My sister and I had the same face, but we were nothing alike.He claimed to love her, yet he couldn't even tell she'd been replaced.When I didn't answer, Nick thought I felt guilty.His voice softened. "Go back to the water cell and stay away from Sophia, and I'll let it go this once."I sm

My mother stared at me, her lips trembling."You're not dead?"I rested the tip of the knife on her shoulder."You sound disappointed I'm alive, Mom."My mother shook her head frantically."No, I'm just so surprised."When you were 'assassinated,' I thought you'd never come back."I smiled."Assassinated?"The hitman you hired for that little show was carrying live rounds."Panic crossed my mother's face.My father cut in immediately."That's nonsense!"Sera, the moment you're back, you storm the estate with a knife and pretend to be Lina so you can hurt Sophia."You've obviously lost your mind!"I glanced sideways at him."The bullet went half an inch wide and struck my charm."Want to guess why I'm not dead, Dad?"My father went quiet.I knew something was wrong when I saw how the assassination was set up.My parents said it was all an act, but behind my back they'd hired a real killer.They were afraid that if I left alive, I might come back someday.They'd never wanted me to disapp

Nick snatched the medical file.The further he read, the darker his expression grew.The file stated clearly that Sophia had never been pregnant.She'd bribed a doctor to fake her pregnancy test results.She'd also had her personal maid prepare a blood bag to hide under her skirt.On the day Sophia fell down the stairs, she'd deliberately provoked my sister.Before my sister could even touch her, Sophia threw herself down the stairs and burst the blood bag.Nick looked up."This is fake."Sophia cried out, seizing on his doubt. "Angelina hates me. She and Seraphina are working together to frame me!"My sister leaned against me and said softly, "The file has that doctor's signature, in his own handwriting."And every transfer can be traced back to its source."Nick, didn't you want proof?"Now the proof's in your hands."Nick gripped the file tight."If you had this all along, why didn't you give it to me?"My sister gave a small laugh."I did."You destroyed it."Nick froze.My sister

Nick stood in front of my sister, looking panicked for the first time."Lina, I didn't know the truth."They lied to me."If you stay, you're still the Donna."I'll have Sophia executed, and I'll have a doctor treat your injuries."My sister looked at him."The first time I was beaten, where were you?"Nick faltered."That day Sophia said you'd pushed her into the water.""And the second time?""She said you'd poisoned her tea.""And the 30th lash?"Nick opened his mouth.My sister answered for him, "You said if it didn't hurt, I'd never learn the rules."Nick went deathly pale.My sister's voice stayed soft."The day I was locked up, I waited for you to come and ask me what happened."I waited until dark. You never came."Later, I cut my wrists and had a maid go get you."You said I was playing games again."Nick, you had plenty of chances to find out the truth."But every single time, you chose to believe Sophia over me."Nick reached out to touch her.She took a step back, behind me