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I Handed His Mafia Throne to His Brother
Novelix
Completed
In my previous life, I stormed my husband's yacht, dragged him to the hospital, and put the Don's ring on his finger. He became the most powerful mafia boss in the city. In return, he called me a heartless bitch, had my feet set in concrete, and threw me off the Brooklyn Bridge. When I opened my eyes, I was back at the hospital, the family lawyer urging me to call him. On Instagram, he posted: "Even if the sky falls, I won't leave your side tonight." I liked his post. Then I texted his exiled brother: "Wanna make a deal, future Don?"
Chapters (3)
第1章
The Don of the Russo family lay on the brink of death following a hit by a rival syndicate.
On his deathbed, surrounded by the family's Capos, he made his final will: Whichever of his two sons made it to the hospital first and slipped the black onyx ring onto his finger would inherit the multibillion-dollar mafia empire.
As the eldest son, Cassian was only a thirty-minute drive away. The throne was practically handed to him.
Instead, he chose to throw a lavish birthday party for his precious sweetheart, Julia, on a private yacht. She told him she wanted no interruptions, so he shut off his phone.
In my previous life, I took a speedboat, stormed the yacht with a crew, and dragged him back to the hospital by force, securing his seat as the Don.
But because he left her midway, Julia stood on the deck crying all night, caught a nasty fever, and threatened to break up with him when she woke up.
Once in power, Cassian was driven mad by guilt. He called me a cold-blooded, heartless bitch, had my feet set in concrete, and threw me off the Brooklyn Bridge.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in that hospital hallway, with the family lawyer desperately urging me to make the call.
I looked down at my phone. On Instagram, Cassian had just posted: "Even if the sky falls, I won't leave your side tonight."
I calmly double-tapped the screen to like his post.
Then, I sent a text to my exiled brother-in-law, Matteo: "Wanna make a deal, future Don?"
……
"Valerie, what are you zoning out for? Call Cassian now!"
The family lawyer beside me was beside himself with panic.
"The Don gave his word! Whoever gets that black onyx ring on their finger before he takes his last breath rules the Russo family!"
"It is a thirty-minute drive! If Cassian leaves right now, this billion-dollar empire is his!"
I masked the cold hatred in my eyes.
In front of a room full of Capos and doctors, I dialed Cassian's number.
It rang for a long, long time.
Just as the lawyer started sweating, the call finally connected. Deafening party music blasted through the speaker, followed by Cassian's furious voice.
"Valerie, are you out of your mind? How many times do I have to tell you? It is Julia's birthday, and I am staying with her!"
I suppressed the urge to laugh, keeping my voice flat. "Your father was shot. They are trying to save him in the hospital..."
Before I could even mention the will, a weak, delicate cough came from the other end.
"Cassian... are you going to leave me again?"
It sounded like Julia had snatched the phone. "Valerie, it is my birthday. I just want him for one night. You really do not need to make up such twisted lies. Do I have to get on my knees and beg you to let him stay a little longer?"
Cassian's voice instantly melted into pure tenderness. "Don't be scared, Julia. I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere."
When he spoke into the phone again, his voice turned ice-cold. "Did you hear that? It is just one night. Can you drop the jealous-wife routine for once? Julia is fragile. If you stress her out and make her sick, I swear I will make you regret it!"
Hearing this, the lawyer's veins popped on his forehead. He snatched the phone from my hand.
"Cassian, it is the family lawyer! Valerie is not lying. The Don was actually hit. He is in the hospital right now. You need to get here in thirty minutes, because the Don said—"
"Oh, the family lawyer, huh?"
An arrogant male voice suddenly cut in. It was Jax, Cassian's lackey and Julia's younger brother.
Jax laughed mockingly through the speaker. "Valerie, you really pulled out all the stops today, hiring actors and everything. Too bad you miscalculated!"
"I got a buddy on the payroll in that precinct. He said the streets are dead quiet tonight. No hits, no nothing. Valerie is just a jealous bitch paying actors to put on a show so you will go crawling back to her!"
Cassian bought it instantly. He was furious.
"Valerie, using my father's life for a cheap stunt... you disgust me."
The line went dead.
The lawyer stood frozen, staring at the phone in absolute disbelief. "How... how could he be this stupid?!"
Before anyone could say another word, the hospital room door was violently shoved open.
"Valerie, you fucking curse!"
My mother-in-law, Carmela, stormed in with bloodshot eyes, raising her hand to slap me across the face.
In my past life, I was too panicked to react and took the hit. This time, I was ready. I sneered and took a step back.
Carmela swung too hard, missed, and stumbled hard into a chair with a shriek.
Ignoring the pain, she pointed right at my nose and screamed, "Where is he?! Where is Cassian?!"
"How could my son marry such a useless bitch! If Cassian doesn't make it back, if the family falls into someone else's hands, I will sell you to the brothels myself!"
第2章
Behind her stood a group of her usual cronies. They immediately crowded around, spitting venom.
"Useless trash! You can't even get your own man to come back. If Cassian loses his inheritance, we will skin you alive!"
I knew why they were losing their minds.
Carmela wasn't the Don's legal wife. She started out as a stripper and used her pregnancy to climb the ladder, giving birth to his firstborn, Cassian. Years ago, when the Don's actual wife was heavily pregnant, Carmela showed up at the estate with her baby, spitting such vicious insults that the wife went into premature labor and bled to death on the operating table.
The legitimate son, Matteo, who was born without a mother, was treated like a thorn in their side. Cassian and Carmela abused him, beat him, and eventually found an excuse to exile him to Sicily, keeping him far away from the family's core business.
Though the Don let Carmela live in the manor, he always thought she was too low-class to actually marry. That meant if the Don died and Cassian didn't take the throne, family rules dictated Carmela would be thrown out on the streets.
If she goes down, her crew goes down with her. That's why they're all looking sick with worry.
Her eyes were totally red now. "Are you deaf?! Call his lackey! Tell him to drag Cassian here right now!"
I looked at her coldly, didn't argue, and obediently dialed Jax's number.
He answered quickly. The background was still filled with party music and ocean waves.
"Valerie, are you physically incapable of taking a hint?" Jax's voice dripped with impatience. "Can't you give it a rest? Stop clinging to the boss like a desperate loser."
He kept going, getting more pumped up. "Honestly, if you were my woman, I would tie you up and beat some sense into you first. Women need to learn to shut up and stay out of family business."
His blatant disrespect left everyone in the room stunned.
But I remained perfectly calm, even slowing my words down deliberately. "Jax, I don't care if you believe me. The Don is fading fast. He gave his word: between Cassian and Matteo, whoever puts on the ring first gets the empire."
A sudden, eerie silence fell over the line.
Jax's tone shifted, sounding hesitant. "Are... are you serious?"
Hearing this, Carmela grabbed onto the phone like a lifeline, crying tears of joy. "It is true! It is true! I am Cassian's mother, you need to tell him to come back! This is about the inheritance!"
"Oh... well, if it's true, I'll go tell the boss right now," Jax said slowly.
Carmela let out a huge breath of relief, patting her chest. "Thank God... as long as Cassian gets back—"
Suddenly, a burst of hysterical laughter erupted from the phone.
Jax sounded like he just heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "Jesus Christ... Valerie, you really don't know when to quit, do you? I already busted your little scam, and you are still bringing the actors back for a second act?"
He sneered proudly. "Let me tell you something. The boss said even if the FBI raids this boat tonight, nobody is ruining his alone time with my sister. Your little mind games are useless!"
"If you know what's good for you, get lost. The boss is filing for divorce tomorrow. He is only going to love my sister for the rest of his life, and I am going to be the Don's brother-in-law! As for you, get ready to pack your bags and go beg on the streets!"
The call hung up mercilessly.
The desperate hope on Carmela's face froze, slowly turning into sheer horror.
I made my eyes well up with tears, looking extremely wronged, while laughing inside.
I had been married to Cassian for three years. To secure his position in the family, I spent countless sleepless nights cooking the books, hiding his dirty money, and cleaning up his messes.
And what did he do? He took the money I made him and bought a ten-million-dollar yacht for Julia.
He even had the nerve to tell me: "Valerie, you already have the title of the Russo family's eldest wife. Julia has nothing. What is wrong with spending some money to make it up to her?"
And Carmela had casually brushed it off too: "All men stray. As long as he comes home to you, why do you care how many girls he keeps on the side?"
Yeah. Exactly.
So tonight, let Cassian be with the woman he truly loves.
As for the Godfather's seat? You can kiss it goodbye.
第3章
A mess of heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. A group of Capos loyal to Cassian burst into the room.
"Where is he?! Why isn't he here yet?!" The lead Capo's eyes blazed with fury.
Carmela pointed right at me. "It is her fault! Valerie is useless, she couldn't even get him on the phone!"
The elders were furious. They grabbed a thick stack of files from the table and smashed them onto me.
"What the hell are you good for, Valerie?! We bet everything on Cassian! If he misses out on the ring tonight, we all go down with him! You stupid, useless bitch!"
Before I could say a word, the heart monitor suddenly started blaring a warning alarm. Everyone froze.
The private physician sighed. "Gentlemen, the Don has forty minutes at most. You need to figure this out fast."
Forty minutes.
Honestly, if Cassian just checked his social media or picked up the phone, a thirty-minute drive from the docks was more than enough time.
Hope reignited in Carmela's eyes. Her hands shook as she dialed his number. "Cassian, please... pick up your mother's call..."
Cassian's Point of View
The yacht was anchored just off the coast.
Julia straddled Cassian's lap, her body swaying gently with the ocean waves. She complained about the ringing phone killing the mood.
"That ringing is giving me a headache. Cassian, just turn it off, or throw it in the ocean." She lowered her eyelashes, looking incredibly helpless and cute. "Tonight is my birthday. You can only have me in your world. You can only look at me. Can you do that for me?"
Cassian hesitated for a second, Valerie's words flashing through his mind. But looking at Julia's lustful, dependent eyes, any doubt he had vanished.
The old man was tough as nails. He wouldn't just drop dead.
"Alright. As long as my Queen is happy, even if the sky falls, you are the only thing I care about."
Cassian smiled deeply and, without a second thought, tossed both of their phones straight into the dark sea.
Valerie's Point of View
"Sorry, the number you have reached is unavailable..."
Carmela must have called twenty times. Every single time, it was the same soul-crushing automated voice.
Her men tried to comfort her. "Donna Carmela, don't panic. Even if Cassian doesn't make it, it is fine! That bastard Matteo is still in Sicily, right? A flight from there takes over ten hours. He will never make it!"
Hearing this, Carmela let out a breath she was holding.
But then, one of their spies rushed into the room, panting. "Ma'am! Bosses! Someone said they saw Matteo's crew a few blocks away! He is almost here!"
The news struck like lightning.
"Impossible!" All the color drained from Carmela's face. "He is in Sicily! How could he be back so fast?!"
