The Forgotten Donna A Second Chance Novels & Stories

I leaned down, speaking softly so only he could hear. "Carlo, do you want to know a secret? This is my second attempt at this. In my previous life, you thought I killed Gemma, so you locked me in your basement. You had my bones broken piece by piece and soaked me in salt water for three years. After all that, you tossed my broken corpse into the ocean to feed the fish. "But Gemma was never dead. She used her connection with you and the Gutierrez Family to become Donna of the Moreno Family. I came back just wanting a quiet life, but none of you would let me go, so… Don't mind me taking my revenge on all of you."

I regretted how I welcomed her with open arms, how I tried to love her. And then, I decided to make everyone see her for who she really was. But that failed too. Why would they believe the villain when they already had their precious heroine in mind? The sun began to set on the horizon, casting a soft orange glow over the park. My phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket. I pulled it out. “Miss Moretti, the investigation you requested—about your family’s shipment accident and the missing funds at the casino—it’s finished.” My pulse spiked, though I kept my voice steady. “Emily Moretti organized the accident, didn’t she?”

“No one enters or leaves the eastern wing without my say.” As Kael left, I lingered in the empty hallway, running my hand across the cold stone wall. My instincts buzzed, warning me of something far worse than stolen trinkets. --- I saw Donna the next morning. She was in the garden, seated beneath the moonberry tree. The color had returned to her cheeks, and the sight of it, that soft defiance in her gaze loosened something in my chest. Clara sat beside her, laughing. The sound stopped me.

"Thank goodness he's lucky enough to meet you. I'm sure Sienna regrets never taking those roses back then." And now, my nails dug deep into my own palm as I realized what those champagne roses meant. Meanwhile, Diana was still yapping away, "Congratulations, Fiona—or should I call you Luna now? It's been six years, but you and Duke finally have your happy ending. My mate and I earnestly wish you a happily ever after!" "I definitely will be happy," I replied, pursing my lips to force a smile. It was just that Duke wouldn't be a part of that happiness.

But her fingers curled around it like a promise made in smoke. VAIRO FAMILY ARCHIVES TIME: UNKNOWN A new shrine was being built. Not for Morrow. But for the one who vanished. Old Vairo loyalists had begun whispering in back rooms. About a ghost. A queen who left no record. A woman who didn’t need a name to be feared. The Forgotten Daughter. And somewhere… someone just lit the first candle in her name. LOCATION: UNDERCITY – GLASSHOUSE SAFEHOUSE TIME: 6:44 a.m. The city wasn’t awake yet.

Santino's POV Santino stood before the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, his long fingers drumming restlessly on the mahogany desk. As night fell, his agitation grew. Getting rid of Jessy was just the first step. Now, he had to get back what was truly his. His top aide entered and handed him a top-secret file. "Don, we've found the Donna. She's in Lumina, on the West Coast. She opened an art gallery." He opened the file. The first thing he saw was a telephoto shot.

I arrived at a standalone villa in the Queen's District of Southwold. As the former Donna of the Medicis, I had hidden in Holbeck for ten years. Today, I finally returned here under the name "Ella". I had just set my suitcase down in the entryway and hadn't even caught my breath when the front door was kicked open from the outside. Five women barged in aggressively. Leading them was Giovanna Valery, my future daughter-in-law, whom I had only seen in photos.

The hidden life growing inside her was a silent anchor, a profound secret that kept her completely grounded while the entire world around her prepared for a new regime. She dressed with efficient, quiet movements, sliding into a thick charcoal wool sweater and a long black skirt. Her bandaged arm throbbed slightly beneath her sleeve, but she systematically ignored the pain. She had exactly twenty-four days left to play the part of the compliant, invisible ghost, and she was determined to execute her exit with flawless precision.

Due to the transaction, I was given a proper burial instead of ending up in a shallow grave. Upon receipt of the money, Jean cleared her loan and transferred the remaining 140 grand to Tanner. … The businessman was one for formalities. He invited Jean to a business dinner to mark the successful deal. Jean signed an NDA, and that was the end of it. By chance, she ran into the doctor who once saved my life on her way out. He looked at Jean, somewhat remembering her. ‘I know you. You own two acres of land used for growing sweet potatoes.”

"What are you standing there for?! Shut her up! Can't you feel it's not warm enough? Turn up the heat in the whole estate! Can't you see Sienna's cold?! She's just sleeping!" The guards stood frozen, paralyzed with fear. Then, a new sound cut through the chaos: the clink of ice in a heavy glass. From the top of the stairs, Donna Caterina descended, a glass of bourbon in her hand. She didn't look at the terrified Vivian on the floor, or the devastated Mamma Valeria behind her. She leaned on her cane and walked right up to my father, looking down at him. "Let go," Grandma's voice was perfectly calm, but it held an absolute command.