Chapter 4

Just as Alessandro had promised, he never came home that night.

The master bedroom remained dark and silent.

I slept alone in the bed we once shared, though "sleep" was too generous a word.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the tiny white urn resting on the nightstand beside me.

Then my phone vibrated.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

By midnight, it had become endless. Every notification came from one person.

Selena Johnson.

I opened the first message.

A photograph.

Alessandro sat beside her in a private hospital suite, gently feeding her warm soup.

The second showed him tucking a blanket around her shoulders.

The third...

His hand rested protectively over her stomach.

Each image stabbed deeper than the last. She wasn't trying to hide their relationship. She wanted me to witness it. To see every smile. Every gentle touch. Every loving gaze that had once belonged to me.

Then came a video.

Fireworks exploded above the De Luca Estate.

Golden sparks painted a single glowing letter across the night sky.

S.

For years... I had foolishly believed those fireworks were for me.

For Sophia. Now I finally understood.

The letter had never represented my name. It stood for...

Selena.

Selena Johnson.

Every anniversary. Every celebration. Every romantic memory I treasured... Had been built upon a lie.

The final video broke whatever remained of my heart.

Alessandro stood on the balcony of the hospital's private suite.

Selena wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her into his embrace without hesitation. Their foreheads touched.

Then...

He kissed her. Slowly. Passionately. Like a man deeply in love.

I already knew they had shared a bed. They had a son together. Another child was growing inside her. None of that should have surprised me. Yet watching it with my own eyes... Destroyed me all over again.

That night... I cried for the last time.

The following morning, I dressed in a tailored black gown worthy of the underworld's elite.

Today was the annual Black Rose Auction. Every mafia family attended.

Weapons. Diamonds. Political favors. Confidential intelligence. Anything could be bought there.

Although my resignation had already been submitted... It had not yet taken effect.

Officially... I was still Don Alessandro's Consigliere.

Tradition demanded that I enter at his side.

Instead... I stood alone outside the grand entrance.

Several mafia bosses glanced toward me in confusion.

Where was the Lady of the De Luca Syndicate?

A convoy of armored black vehicles rolled to a stop. The guards immediately opened the rear door.

Alessandro stepped out.

The moment he saw me waiting... His footsteps slowed.

For just a heartbeat... His eyes softened. Then he turned. Extended his hand toward the vehicle.

A slender hand rested in his palm.

Selena Johnson emerged gracefully. She wore a custom-made crimson gown embroidered with real gold thread. Around her neck glittered a necklace of flawless diamonds. Every piece she wore screamed unimaginable wealth.

The Johnson family had been bankrupted for years.

There was only one person who could have paid for everything.

Alessandro.

I looked directly at him.

"Why is she here?" His expression remained calm.

"She wanted to experience the Black Rose Auction."

"I'm paying for everything." "It won't cost the syndicate a single dollar."

I smiled faintly. He still didn't understand. Money was never the issue.

She was.

Without another word, he offered Selena his arm.

Together... They walked past me. Like husband and wife. The whispers began immediately.

"I didn't know Don De Luca remarried."

"That's Lady De Luca?"

"No..." Someone quietly pointed toward me.

"The woman behind them is Lady De Luca."

"She's been Don Alessandro's Consigliere for years."

"Then who's the woman beside him?"

"No idea..." "But judging from the way he looks at her..."

"I'd say she's the one replacing his wife."

I lowered my head. Not because I was ashamed. Because I no longer cared enough to explain.

Inside the auction hall...

The seating arrangement said everything. Selena occupied the seat beside Alessandro. The one that had always belonged to me. I was escorted several rows behind them.

Like an adviser. Like hired help. Not like the wife of the Don.

For the first time...

Alessandro noticed. He turned slightly. Our eyes met. A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He almost stood.

Almost came toward me. Then Selena whispered something into his ear.

Immediately... His attention returned to her. As always.

The auction began.

Rare paintings. Encrypted ledgers. Military-grade weapons.

Ancient jewelry once owned by fallen mafia dynasties.

Every time Selena admired an item... Alessandro raised his paddle.

"Twenty million."

"Thirty."

"Forty."

Anyone who challenged him quickly gave up. No one wished to provoke the De Luca Syndicate.

Selena beamed happily.

Then... Without warning... She leaned over and kissed him.

Right there. In front of every Don and Underboss in attendance.

The room fell silent. Even Alessandro looked stunned. His first instinct wasn't to push her away.

It was to look at me.

Waiting...

Perhaps expecting tears. Or anger. Or another confrontation.

Instead... I simply looked back. Emotionless. Detached. His expression changed.

For some reason... My indifference unsettled him far more than any outburst ever had.

Moments later... He began bidding on items I used to admire. A sapphire bracelet.

An oil painting. An antique crystal music box. As though expensive gifts could somehow erase betrayal.

I looked away. Nothing he bought held any value anymore. Around us, conversations filled the hall.

"Don De Luca and his wife are beautiful together." "Selena truly carries herself like a mafia queen."

"What a perfect couple." No one corrected them. Not even Alessandro.

The auction finally ended. Guests slowly filtered toward the exit. I rose quietly. Ready to leave.

"Sophia." Selena's cheerful voice stopped me. She approached, carrying an emerald necklace worth million. Her smile was victorious. "I noticed you didn't receive anything today." She held the necklace toward me. "Why don't you have this?" Her tone resembled someone tossing scraps to a beggar.

Without thinking... I slapped her hand away. The necklace crashed onto the marble floor.

Crack! Emeralds scattered in every direction.

Selena gasped dramatically. Then burst into tears.

"My wrist..." She clutched it as though I had broken every bone.

"Lady Sophia..." "I was only trying to be kind..."

Alessandro strode toward us. His face darkened.

"Sophia—" Before he could finish... The massive entrance doors exploded inward.

Boom!

Armed men wearing black tactical masks flooded into the auction hall.

Automatic rifles were pointed at every mafia leader present.

Guests screamed. Bodyguards reached for concealed weapons.

Within seconds...

The Black Rose Auction had become a battlefield.

One of the masked men fired a shot into the ceiling. The deafening blast silenced the room.

"No one moves!" The leader's cold voice echoed through the hall.

"We're only here for one person."

Slowly...

He raised his rifle. Its barrel pointed directly at Don Alessandro De Luca.

"The Don of the De Luca Syndicate..." "Your life ends today."

At that exact moment, another masked gunman quietly shifted his aim.

Not toward Alessandro.

But toward me.

Hidden beneath his sleeve...

I caught the unmistakable glint of the Morentti Mafia's silver wolf insignia.

No one else noticed. But I did.

My father's men…

Had found me.