Home / The Don Made Us Wait Five Hours, So I Left / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Don Made Us Wait Five Hours, So I Left: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I'd gotten my father and brother settled in a safe house downtown by the time Victor finally called.Victor opened with an accusation, his voice sharp with impatience."We're in the meeting room at the estate. Where is everybody?"Signing a blood pact is a big deal, and your father still has to pull the old-school boss act? He just walked out?"I held the phone and said nothing for a second.Then I answered him flatly."Victor, my father and brother waited with me for five hours, and none of you even showed your faces."This isn't my father putting on airs. Sicily's dignity means nothing to you people."The line went quiet for a moment.Victor eased up."Lilia's father finished his sentence today. He just walked out of the maximum-security prison in the North District."The old man has plenty of enemies, and Lilia couldn't handle them alone, so I took some men to escort him."You know I see Lilia as my little sister. I couldn't leave her family's safety to chance."It was rare for Vict

Chapter 2

"I figured you'd stay at the safe house with Lilia all night."I pulled away from him. He smelled of cigar smoke and cheap perfume."After all, her father has made so many enemies. Without you there to scare them off, I'm sure it'd be a disaster."Someone flipped on the study light.The harsh glare fell across Victor's face.He yanked his tie loose, and his expression darkened."Cecilia, do you have to talk to me in that snide tone?"I've explained this to you so many times. Lilia's brother died taking a bullet for me. I only see her as a sister. Nothing has ever happened between us."I didn't say anything.I picked up the tablet from the table, pulled up the screenshot a dark web informant had just sent me, and held it in front of his face.It showed the meeting room where we'd been scheduled to sign the blood pact.Victor's men and Lilia's people were raising their glasses together, looking awfully friendly.Right in the middle of the photo, Victor was bending down to light Lilia's c

Chapter 3

"Where's the trauma surgeon? He's still bleeding, and nobody's doing a thing to stop it!"I kicked open the clinic's rotting wooden door.The first thing I saw was my brother pinned in a corner by several West District thugs.And my father was lying on a stretcher with his eyes shut.A gaping wound in his right shoulder was still bleeding.Someone had hastily bandaged it, but it wasn't doing any good.My brother struggled and shouted hoarsely, "There's only one surgeon in this clinic and only one operating room. That bastard Victor made him treat someone else first!"Blood roared in my ears.I pulled the gun from my thigh holster and was about to storm into the operating room.Just then, the iron door swung open from the inside.Lilia was pressed tight against Victor's chest."Victor, thank you. If you hadn't left the old Don and brought your men to find me, I don't know how I would have dealt with our enemies."Victor patted her back."As long as your father's okay, that's all that ma

Chapter 4

"Lilia's father is going to stay at our estate for a while."When he saw me, Victor put down his glass.He was quiet for a moment. Then he stood and went on as if it went without saying."Isn't your father about to head back to the island?"So I had my people move their things out ahead of time."I gave him a smile that didn't reach my eyes."Victor, I never knew you could get things done so efficiently."I ignored the three guarded stares in the living room.I walked straight past them and went up alone to the bedroom on the second floor.Victor followed me in right away and shut the door behind him."Cecilia, stop making that face."I've already had Luca book your father a room at the most heavily guarded five-star hotel downtown. I'll send an armored vehicle to take their bags over later."Lilia's father is the father of the man who saved my life. We can't just ignore him."I didn't answer. I kept packing my things into the suitcase.Victor sidled up to me and tried to help me fold

Chapter 5

"Victor's people didn't get suspicious, did they?"I stood on the tarmac at the private airfield as a strong wind whipped the hem of my trench coat.Luca pressed his earpiece and reported in a low voice."Don't worry. We fed false intel to every West District spy and sent them all to the South District docks."The old Don and your brother are already on board. The flight path is all set."I nodded and was about to climb the stairs when the phone in my pocket started buzzing like crazy.The screen flashed a red code, the highest priority level.It was Victor's mother, Isabella Castellano.I let the first three calls ring out. When the shrill ring started a fourth time, I took my time answering.Isabella's voice shook with panic, and she sounded close to tears."Cecilia, where are you? Bring your people here now... Something's happened to Victor!"I looked out at the horizon and cut her off, my voice flat."Donna Castellano, I've already torn up my marriage pact with Victor."If there's

Chapter 6

"Cecilia, are you trying to start a rebellion?"Isabella's furious shout pulled me back from my memories.But her anger soon gave way to a desperate plea."Cecilia, I've been a foolish old woman. Whatever went wrong, it's all my fault."You never showed up to the blood pact ceremony this morning. Victor went out of his mind and smashed the whole place."But Lilia showed up wearing your custom wedding dress, and she took your seat."When Victor saw her, he pulled his gun and shouted that this wasn't what you'd arranged."He stormed out of the venue and drove off to find you, but then... then he came under heavy fire in an ambush on the East District bridge..."He kept saying your name until he lost consciousness and they carried him into the ambulance."I'm begging you. He saved your life once. For that alone, won't you please come to the hospital and see him?"He... he's lost so much blood. The doctors say he might not make it."There was no trace of her usual high-and-mighty tone in m

Chapter 7

"Donna, we've tapped into West District Central Hospital's encrypted communications channel."Once the plane reached cruising altitude, Luca came over to my leather seat.He respectfully handed me a specially modified tablet.An audio waveform flickered across the screen.I took the earbuds and put them in.Isabella's hoarse, frantic cries came through at once.So did Lilia's broken sobbing."My son is in surgery, so drop that sickening act!"Lilia was clearly startled into silence for a few seconds.Then her fragile, affected voice returned, tinged with disbelief."Donna Castellano, what do you mean? I'm just worried about Victor."Isabella scoffed."Do you really think I'm blind? You think I can't see the cheap tricks you've been pulling these past few years?"I was blind before. I looked down on Cecilia, so I let you hang around Victor. I wanted to use you to knock her down a peg."Now I see what a fool I was. I drove away a Sicilian queen who could have held our whole world togethe

Chapter 8

"Cecilia, I knew you still couldn't let me go."Six months later, at our estate in Sicily, the sea breeze carried the scent of citrus across the terrace.I stood at the top of the steps, looking down at the uninvited guest in front of me.Victor was leaning on a custom-made cane.He was frighteningly thin. His sharp cheekbones gave his once-handsome face a dark, obsessive look.In his agitation, he took two steps forward on his cane and nearly fell on the stone steps.All the smoking had left his voice rough."Cecilia..."Lilia wasn't involved in any of the important parts of the blood pact ceremony that day."I had 9,900 black roses flown in from the Netherlands overnight. I checked every one myself."I sealed every invitation to the gang bosses by hand with the Castellano wax seal."I went over the security plan for that underground meeting room with my men again and again until it was airtight."I thought... you were just mad at me. I thought you'd show up in the end for sure."I ju

Chapter 9

"You're using some pretty boy to make me jealous, thinking that'll force me to back down?"Three days later, in the dead of night.Desperate, Victor had bribed a guard on the estate's outer perimeter and forced his way into the residence where I kept my office.Breathing hard, he stared at me as I sat behind the mahogany desk."Cecilia, stop playing these childish games."I know the Bellini family has been having cash-flow problems lately. Those old men are pressuring you behind the scenes, aren't they?"Come back to me, and I'll hand over the three most profitable arms-smuggling routes at the West District port tomorrow."I'm the Don of the West District. Only I can give you the strongest backing."I put down my pen and leaned back in the wide leather chair.He looked so pleased with his own cleverness that I couldn't help laughing.I picked up the coffee on my desk and took a slow sip."Victor, are you counting on that hidden route through the South District docks?"Or are you waitin

Chapter 10

"I only took back what always belonged to Sicily."At that moment, Victor's last defenses collapsed.He let go of his cane.Once, the whole West District had trembled at his name.Now he sank to his knees on the floor with no dignity left at all."Cecilia, I was wrong! I know I was wrong, I swear!"I'll give you all the territory I have left in the West District. I don't want anything anymore!"Please, just let me stay by your side. I'll wait on you hand and foot. I'll be your dog if that's what you want."You can't be this cruel. You can't take everything from me..."I looked down at Victor, the former Don I'd once loved, the man who'd killed that love.I felt nothing at all.Once, he'd shielded me with his body in a storm of bullets, choosing to be hurt himself rather than let anything happen to me.In the end, his own pathetic arrogance and stupidity had buried that man.I couldn't even be bothered to kick him away. I just lifted my chin.Luca immediately stepped forward and kicked

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