Doña Paloma Mga Nobela at Kwento

Stop that. "You girls look stunning," Paloma tells us with a wide smile. I thank her warmly and Mary follows my lead. Mom says nothing. In fact, she acts like she didn't say a thing. Adamo and dad discuss a few matters quietly and a little bit away from us. I don't catch a word they're saying. Then again, I'm not too interested in business matters. I won't ever get involved with them, so why should I care? "You must be so happy for Rita," Paloma tells my sister. "You weren't at the cathedral, I noticed. Oh, she looked stunning. Straight out of a fairytale story!"

She responded with a question that made Paloma’s eyes widen in disbelief. “If you are, then you have no choice but to marry the bastard who impregnated you.” Paloma declared and glared at Marcus Madrigal. Marcus didn’t back down from Paloma’s glare but he was surprised to hear Daniella laughing. “Is there something funny?” He inquired. “Paloma is being funny, don’t you agree? Getting married because I’m pregnant? Ha, unbelievable!” She reasoned out with Paloma but the older woman was furious and slapped the table.

Elio held our son, tucking the badge coiled with the black mamba into his swaddling. "From today, he is my sole heir." Cheers erupted, but the guests whispered in awe. "This Donna is legendary… ruling the Rossi family herself, and she's Elio Massimo's Donna too…" "Tsk," another sneered. "Heard the old Don Rossi shot himself. And Don Colombo… was found dead at the docks this morning. Enemy work, probably." In a corner of the hall, my consigliere quietly handed me a letter. "Madre… Don Colombo's final note."

"Consigliere, I want a divorce from Cassius. I’m handing back all the businesses under my name. Draft up the papers." The old Consigliere frowned. "Camilla, this marriage keeps the peace between our two families. Can you think this over?" I was the frontwoman for Cassius Marino’s dirty empire for three years. In the shadows, I was this cold-blooded Don's legal wife. A month ago, a Mexican cartel kidnapped me. That night, the cartels blew up my husband's secure line, demanding a thirty-million-dollar ransom. He let it ring. They ended up throwing me into an abandoned meat locker in freezing temperatures. I almost froze to death. Luckily, a butcher stumbled in and dragged me out just in time.

“I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry for putting your life in danger. I never meant for any of this to touch you.” My stomach twisted. “Oh my god, you do know her.” He nodded once, it was slow and miserable. “Who is she?” “Her name is Donna Sofia.” He spoke the name like it tasted bitter. “She’s married to one of the old bosses, Don Moretti. Back when Don Antonio adopted me, Don Moretti and Antonio were partners, they were thick as thieves.” He paused, rubbed his thumb across his knuckles like the motion could erase what came next.

Closed her eyes. Smiled. “This tastes like love,” she said. I tasted mine. It tasted like memory. We ate slowly, laughing, teasing, stealing bites from each other’s plates. Holly smeared sauce on my cheek just to see me scowl. I flicked a piece of basil at her in retaliation. She gasped, then laughed so hard she nearly spilled her wine. The staff chuckled quietly, shaking their heads, whispering to each other in Italian. Il Don è felice. The Don is happy.

"Exactly," Liliana supported. "But how would you cheat on someone like the Don? He is like a freaking god. Have you seen him?" Paloma asked. Liliana nodded. "Yeah, that's a valid question." "If I was in her shoes, I would never try that. Dante is not even half as hot as the Don," Paloma said, facing the counter. Liliana scoffed. "You are checking out the Don now?" "Yeah, why not? I mean all the females in this mansion must have checked him out once, at least. It shows that we are flesh and blood," Paloma said.

The fear in them was satisfying—a reminder that betrayal in my world came with a steep price. Rising from my chair, I flipped the knife in my hand, testing its weight as I took a slow bite of the apple. I chewed thoughtfully, savoring the moment. "In the spirit of friendship, Mateo," I said, my voice dropping to a menacing whisper, "I’ll grant you one last wish. Choose wisely. It’s the only choice you’ll ever get." "Please, Don… mercy. Kill me quickly," he begged, his voice trembling with the understanding of what mercy meant coming from me.

Isabella invited us to a light brunch and before leaving, I gave her a hug and thanked her, feeling a sense of responsibility. I ignored Kayla’s glare on me the whole time. As we stepped out of the house, she got in my face. I could see Romano walking towards us from the corner of my eye. “You’re no Dona.” she whispered bitterly “You will always remain second best to me.” I smiled and cocked my head to the side, “Wanna bet?” *****************************