Part 3My Ex Tried to Steal My Mafia Empire

Luca quickly hid his hand behind his back, his expression tightening as he looked at me. "Vittorio gave this ring to me himself."

Nonsense!

My father hadn't even known Luca existed when he was alive.

He lowered his voice. "Keep it down. If anyone finds out you stole the late Don's ring, you won't have enough lives to pay for it."

He seriously thought I was the thief.

Bianca, clinging to his other arm, burst out laughing.

"Alessia, you couldn't take the estate, so now you're trying to steal Luca's ring too?"

I ignored her.

"That's Vittorio Moretti's obsidian ring," I said quickly, struggling to control my anger. "There's a V engraved inside the band, and the inheritance registry number is engraved underneath: MOR-0407."

Before Luca could answer, I turned to Anthony. "Take the ring as evidence and verify it, please."

Bianca immediately stepped in front of Luca and raised her voice so everyone could hear.

"How does an outsider like you know the registry number of a Moretti family heirloom by heart?

"Sounds to me like you've been planning to steal it all along."

I forced down my anger and stared at Luca.

"I'll ask you again. Who does that ring belong to?"

He looked away. "Alessia, enough. You're only making a fool of yourself."

I'd had enough. I reached out to take the ring myself.

Bianca grabbed my wrist, digging her nails into my skin.

"Don't touch Luca."

Two Orsini guards charged forward, grabbed me, and yanked me back.

I lost my balance and fell backward, slamming my back against the edge of the dining table.

A wine glass fell to the floor and shattered. One of the broken pieces cut the outside of my forearm.

Bianca suddenly screamed.

She pulled out her phone and called the guards before I could. "Guards! There's an intruder! She attacked me and tried to steal our family's ring!"

I forced myself to stay calm and called security too.

Elena pointed angrily at me. "What terrible luck, having a shameless woman like you show up at our door."

Ten minutes later, three uniformed guards entered through the side door.

Bianca pointed at me, then at the broken glass scattered across the floor. "She attacked first. Our guards were only trying to stop her."

They had taken over my home, stolen my family's ring, and now they were pretending to be the victims.

The estate manager followed the guards inside. His expression changed the moment he saw the blood on my arm.

The guard captain turned to the estate manager. "Please tell everyone who this estate really belongs to."

Bianca tilted her chin up in contempt, expecting the answer she wanted.

But the answer wasn't what she expected.

The estate manager spoke calmly. "Ms. Bianca, this estate has always been registered under Ms. Alessia's name. She is both the legal owner and the first beneficiary of the family trust."

The entire room fell silent.

Bianca's smile disappeared.

For a moment, I thought she had finally realized Luca had been lying to her.

Instead, she stared at the manager. Her mouth opened, but it took her a moment to find her voice. "She bribed you, didn't she?

"That ring belonged to Vittorio, the former Don. And now you're saying it belongs to her? Has anyone asked whether she even deserves it?

"Once Luca and I are married," Bianca said loudly, "the first thing I'll do is kick you out."

The estate manager didn't even flinch. "I don't believe you'll ever have that authority."

Then he looked at my bleeding arm. "Ms. Moretti, would you like me to get someone to bandage your wound?"

"Not yet. Mr. Conti needs to photograph it first."

Anthony took photos of my injury, the shattered glass, Luca's ring, and every guard in the room.

Luca shifted nervously. "Why are you taking all these pictures?"

"I'm required to document everything and report it to the Council. Just doing my job, sir."

Carlo and Elena immediately jumped in. "Let him report it! Let the Five Families decide who's right. Imagine having the nerve to come to someone else's home and try to steal it!"

Bianca and Luca looked at each other, and for the first time, I saw a hint of worry on their faces.

I sat quietly in the corner and looked toward my father's study. The door had been left half open. On the floor beside it was an open keepsake box, its velvet lining exposed for everyone to see.

That was the box where I'd kept my father's obsidian ring.