Home / The Fiancée He Thought Would Never Leave / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of The Fiancée He Thought Would Never Leave: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

A restrained round of applause greeted Luca and me as we entered the Commission’s annual alliance dinner.The leaders and heirs of every major family on the East Coast had gathered in the Moretti estate’s ballroom. In five days, Luca would formally become underboss of the Moretti family. As his fiancée, I was expected to stand beside him tonight and share the opening dance.We had known each other since childhood and had been engaged for three years.Everyone assumed that after Luca’s appointment ceremony, we would begin planning our wedding and take control of the alliance’s legitimate operations along the Atlantic Coast.Luca had checked his phone four times since we entered the ballroom.I handed him a glass of champagne.“Are you waiting for a message?”“No.”He accepted the glass without drinking. His attention moved past the crowd and returned to the entrance.I knew he was waiting for Sofia Bellini.She and Luca had grown up together. The Bellinis had once been among the Moretti

Chapter 2

Luca continued waiting for my answer.I looked at him for several seconds.In those few seconds, I remembered the first family dinner we had attended together. He had held my hand and promised that he would never leave me alone beneath the judgment of the other families.I also remembered our engagement three years earlier. In front of the elders of both families, he had said I would be the only woman who ever stood at his side.Even now, Luca still believed that place belonged to me.He only wanted to lend it to Sofia for a while.I stepped back and cleared the path to the dance floor.“Go ahead.”Surprise crossed Luca’s face.Sofia also hesitated, as though she had expected me to object.“Alessia, I truly don’t mean anything by this.”“I know.”I looked toward the musicians.“The music has already started.”Luca appeared ready to say more, but Sofia had extended her hand.He finally took it and led her onto the dance floor.A slow waltz filled the ballroom.Luca placed one hand at So

Chapter 3

Comments quickly appeared beneath Sofia’s post.“The Morettis must be planning to restore the Bellini family.”“Isn’t that Luca’s jacket?”“A hotel suite, wine, and private company. Sofia’s first major night back in New York looks promising.”Someone asked directly whether she and Luca were together.Sofia did not answer. She only liked the comment.I stared at the photographs for several seconds before closing the alliance’s private social platform.The jacket and bracelet were real.I no longer needed to ask why Luca had been in that room or why Sofia wanted everyone to know. If Luca believed I deserved an explanation, he would offer one. If he considered it unimportant, my questions would change nothing.I returned to the wooden chest beside my wardrobe.A maid was supposed to move it into storage the next morning.“Don’t store it,” I told the housekeeper. “There are no family documents inside. Have someone dispose of it.”He accepted the key without asking questions.The chest scra

Chapter 4

Dinner continued as if nothing had happened.When the conversation turned to the alliance’s upcoming assignments, Gianna looked at Luca.“You’re still going to Boston after the ceremony, right?”“Yes. The Morettis will manage security and family relations for the Atlantic Coast operation.”He glanced at me.“Alessia will oversee the financial restructuring and legitimate businesses. We’ve spent almost a year preparing.”Someone joked that we could marry as soon as the project ended.Luca relaxed, apparently certain that our future remained unchanged.Sofia set down her fork.“I’ll be joining the Atlantic operation too.”The table fell quiet.“The Bellinis still have connections to several logistics companies along the coast,” she explained. “Luca arranged a position for me as a family liaison.”Everyone looked at him.“Sofia needs a chance to rebuild her family’s credibility,” Luca said. “This project will allow her to prove herself.”He turned to me.“I hadn’t had time to tell you.”“

Chapter 5

LUCA’S POVThree days before the appointment ceremony, Luca watched Alessia leave the private dining room without looking back.Gianna glanced between him and the closing door.“Are you going after her?”“No.”Luca reached for his wine, then changed his mind and set the glass down.“She needs time.”Alessia had always needed space after an argument. Once her anger settled, she would explain what had hurt her, and Luca would apologize for the part he had handled badly. They had followed the same pattern for years.He believed this disagreement would end the same way.Still, something about her silence unsettled him.Alessia had not questioned Sofia’s place on the Atlantic operation. She had not mentioned the hotel photographs or asked why her bracelet had been left beside the bed.She had simply listened, finished dinner, and walked away.Sofia sat across the table from him.“Maybe you should call her.”Luca looked at his phone. Their last conversation still ended with the messages he h

Chapter 6

LUCA’S POVThe ceremony began without Alessia.At first, Luca told himself that traffic had delayed her.He stood in the antechamber while voices filled the great hall beyond the doors. Every major family on the East Coast had sent a representative. The Commission’s senior members waited in the front row.The silver underboss insignia still rested inside its velvet box.It was meant to be pinned to his jacket by his future wife.At eleven fifty-five, Luca called Alessia.Her phone was switched off.He tried again, then contacted her assistant.There was no answer.Vittorio Moretti entered the room shortly before noon.“Where is Alessia?” Luca asked.His father’s expression remained unreadable.“We cannot keep the Commission waiting.”“She’ll be here.”“Luca.”“She knows what this day means.”Vittorio looked as though he wanted to say something, but the master of ceremonies announced their names from the hall.The doors opened.Luca walked forward alone.Hundreds of eyes followed him as

Chapter 7

LUCA’S POVSofia stared at Luca.“What do you mean?”“I helped you because your father once helped my family. I never promised you anything else.”Her face lost its color.“Then why did you choose me at the dinner? Why did you take me to meetings, protect me from reporters, and give me a place on the Atlantic operation?”“Because I thought you needed support.”“You let me believe it meant more.”Luca could not deny that.He had answered every late call, abandoned plans with Alessia, and defended Sofia whenever Alessia questioned his choices. He had treated every boundary as an attack on an old family debt.Sofia stepped closer.“What about the hotel?”“I took you there because you said you couldn’t breathe after the dinner. I left when the doctor arrived.”“You stayed long enough.”Luca’s eyes narrowed.“Why was Alessia’s bracelet beside your bed?”Sofia pressed her lips together.“I found it near the sink after you took it off.”“You photographed it.”She looked away.“I wanted Alessi

Chapter 8

ALESSIA’S POVFor several months, I kept a careful distance from Matteo.He noticed, but he never pushed.We continued working together, sharing late dinners and long drives between alliance properties. He remained patient while I learned that kindness did not always come with a demand attached.By the time the project entered its final review, our dinners were no longer always about work.When the Chicago project entered its final review, we were both required to attend a Commission meeting in New York.Matteo looked at the travel schedule.“You’re going home.”“For four days.”“Are you nervous?”“I’m going back for work.”He did not point out that I had avoided New York for almost a year.My parents welcomed us at the Romano estate.Matteo addressed my father with respect without becoming submissive. He discussed the Chicago restructuring over dinner and answered every question directly.My mother watched him with open interest.When Matteo offered to help carry the dishes into the k

Chapter 9

Luca stared at me.“I said those things because I was angry. I never wanted freedom from you.”“You wanted the freedom to make choices without considering what they cost me.”“I was wrong.”His voice dropped.“I should have called you. I should have removed Sofia from the Atlantic operation and told the Commission that the opening dance belonged to my fiancée.”“That would have changed one night.”“I would change everything.”He stepped closer, but stopped before entering my space.“I ended Sofia’s connection to the Moretti family. She no longer works under me, and I haven’t seen her since the day you left.”“This was never only about Sofia.”“I know that now.”His eyes reddened.“I believed loving you meant I could never truly lose you. Every time you forgave me, I treated it as proof that you always would.”For once, Luca understood exactly what had happened.The understanding had arrived too late.“I waited for you at the ceremony,” he said. “When my father gave me your ring, I real

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