Left For Dead: The Mob Boss's Sin

Left For Dead: The Mob Boss's Sin

Fonz Nadherny

5.0
Comment(s)
7.6K
View
16
Chapters

My husband, the most feared mob boss in Chicago, told me it wasn't the right time for an heir. Then I found the invitation to his secret son's baptism-a child he had with a woman from our rival family. His betrayal climaxed when he shoved me so hard I miscarried our baby, and his mistress left me for dead at the bottom of a cliff. But I survived, and after watching me accept the world's highest honor for architecture on TV, he's now kneeling outside my hotel, begging the ghost he created to come home.

Chapter 1

My husband, the most feared mob boss in Chicago, told me it wasn't the right time for an heir. Then I found the invitation to his secret son's baptism-a child he had with a woman from our rival family.

His betrayal climaxed when he shoved me so hard I miscarried our baby, and his mistress left me for dead at the bottom of a cliff.

But I survived, and after watching me accept the world's highest honor for architecture on TV, he's now kneeling outside my hotel, begging the ghost he created to come home.

Chapter 1

Elena Gallo POV:

The moment my husband, the most feared man in Chicago, stepped into the shower, a message flashed on his laptop that would sign my death warrant: *Leo De Luca's Baptism. Today.*

The water started running, a hiss of steam fogging the bathroom mirror. I stood frozen by his desk, the scent of his expensive cologne and the day's violence still clinging to the air in his study. My job was simple. Bring him his coffee, black, no sugar, just the way the Capo of the De Luca family liked it.

But the name on the screen pulsed in my vision. *Leo De Luca.*

Our name. The name Alessandro had refused to give to a child of our own.

The message was from a "Valenti" account. The Valentis. Our sworn enemies. A rival family we'd been locked in a cold war with for generations. The thought was so insane, so impossible, it felt like my brain was short-circuiting.

A private baptism. For a secret son. With a Valenti woman.

I had to see it. The need was a physical force, pulling me out of the gilded cage of our home. This was a lethal transgression. To step into Valenti territory was to invite a bullet. But the truth was a poison I had to drink.

The old stone church was deep in their territory. I slipped into the back, a ghost in the shadows, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. And then I saw him.

Alessandro. My husband.

He was standing near the altar, bathed in the light of the stained-glass windows. In his arms, he held a baby wrapped in white. A woman with fiery red hair, Scarlett Valenti, leaned against his shoulder, her hand resting on his arm. They looked like a family. A holy trinity of betrayal.

His words from months ago echoed in my head, cold and sharp. "It's not the right time, Elena. The family needs stability. Bringing an heir into this chaos would be a weakness." He'd said it while stroking my hair, his voice a low, convincing murmur that I had swallowed whole.

His "business trips." The long nights he was away, supposedly consolidating power. Were they all spent with her? With them? He had broken the most sacred rule of our world, Omertà, the code of silence. Not to the law, but to his own family. To me.

I stumbled out of the church, gasping for air on the cold street. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Alessandro's name lit up the screen.

"Where are you, cara?" His voice was smooth, the same loving tone he always used.

"Just out for a walk," I lied, my voice tight.

In the background of his call, I heard it. A baby's cry. Then a woman's soft shushing. Scarlett's. My blood ran cold. He was still there. With them.

"I need to see you," I said, the words brittle. "Now."

"Elena, I'm in the middle of something..." He hesitated.

Then a small voice, clear as a bell, yelled, "Daddy!" A little boy, maybe two or three years old, ran from the church steps and threw his arms around Alessandro's leg.

Alessandro's breath hitched. He hung up the phone without another word.

I watched from across the street as he scooped the child into his arms. He kissed the boy's forehead, a gesture of pure, unthinking affection I had craved for years. This wasn't a lie. This wasn't a political arrangement. This was real.

The memories of his pursuit flooded back. Him, the campus king, the heir to a dark throne, choosing me, the quiet architecture student. I thought it was love. It was a strategic acquisition. I had given up my scholarship, my future, to be the perfect Capo's wife. To show my loyalty.

And it was all a fucking lie.

My hand was shaking as I pulled out my phone again. I didn't call him. I dialed a number in Switzerland, one I had memorized long ago.

The director of the Zurich Architectural Fellowship answered on the second ring.

"This is Elena Gallo," I said, my voice eerily calm. "I'm calling to accept the position."

Continue Reading

Other books by Fonz Nadherny

More
His Annoyance, My Awakening

His Annoyance, My Awakening

Horror

5.0

The last thing I remembered was the grinding sound of machinery, a symphony of six years in our small town, now a city death knell. My children, Lily and Tom, were so excited to visit their father Michael' s new, successful factory. "They've missed Michael so much, Ava. Let them go see him. He's just inside." Sarah, Michael's brother's widow, whispered, her arm around my shoulder, her voice a sweet poison. I watched them run ahead, their small figures disappearing through the massive doorway, believing their father was building a better life for us. They didn' t know the truth: Michael had left us for Sarah, taking our factory severance pay to build his new life with her and her children. Then I saw Sarah' s real smile-sharp, cold. She pushed an unsecured metal cart. A klaxon blared. Two screams, cut short by a sickening crunch, a spray of red. My world ended. Michael stood over me, his face filled with chilling annoyance, not grief. "Well, that's that, then," he said, flatly. "Saves me the trouble and expense of a divorce, I guess." He glanced at the machinery. "They were just baggage anyway, Ava. Holding me back." His words annihilated my soul, a physical force squeezing the breath from me. The world turned gray, then black. I died on that cold, greasy floor. And then, I gasped. I was in my cramped bedroom, sunlight filtering through the grimy window. A calendar on the wall marked the day the factory closed. Lily and Tom sat on the rug, whole and alive. "Mommy?" Lily asked, her big brown eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?" Tears streamed down my face. I clung to them, inhaling their scent. I was back. The memory of their deaths, of Michael's monstrous words, was burned into my mind. Grief remained, a hot knot of agony, but something cold, hard, and sharp solidified beside it. Revenge. Michael. Sarah. You will pay. I will tear down your world, piece by piece, and I will make you feel every ounce of the agony you gave me. This was not a second chance at happiness. It was a second chance at justice.

His Betrayal, Her Billion-Dollar Rise

His Betrayal, Her Billion-Dollar Rise

Billionaires

5.0

"InnovateHer," my tech company, just hit a billion-dollar valuation. I built it from nothing, fueled by ramen noodles and 18-hour days, while my husband, David, coasted in a mid-level job. He watched me struggle, then offered to join; to take the "boring stuff," the finances, the HR. I, the visionary, the CEO, happily handed him the reins. "I just want to support you," he' d said, and I believed him. Then my debit card, linked to my multi-million-dollar earnings, was declined buying my son a birthday Lego set. "Insufficient funds?" panic clawed at me. David's voice on the phone was cold, dismissive. "I moved the money… This is what you wanted." He granted me an allowance-a paltry $5,000 credit limit on a card in his name-for the company I built. Soon, my own employee, his mousy executive assistant Maya, was openly challenging my authority, claiming "David's orders." My mother-in-law, Brenda, a woman who never approved of my career, declared it was time for me to "step back," to take a "mommy track" position in my own company. David, my husband, the man who once whispered he was the proudest husband in the world, nodded in agreement. "You're too emotional to run a company this big," he sneered. Then, Brenda brought Maya into my home, to "help" with dinner. My son, Leo, just six, stared at me with coached resentment. "I hate you! You' re a bad mommy! I want to live with Daddy and Maya!" he screamed, his words tearing a hole through my soul. I finally understood: This wasn't just betrayal. This was a calculated coup. And in the silence of my terror, a new, cold clarity dawned. They thought they had broken me. They were wrong. They had just woken me up.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book