Ditching My Ex, Becoming The Mafia Queen

LENA’S POV

It was supposed to be the happiest night of my life – my engagement party to Marcelo, the man I had loved since childhood. But that all changed when I excused myself to use the restroom. As I got closer to the door, I heard conversations that chilled my blood.

The quiet laughter of my half-sister, Francine, blended with the deep voice of my fiancé, Marcelo.

"Mmm, Marcelo, you feel so good," Francine purred. "With Daddy's health failing, we'll be ruling this empire before you know it."

I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. Cautiously opening the door slightly, I looked inside. Marcelo's hands were freely moving over Francine's body without any shame. I watched with tears in my eyes, the betrayal making my heart hurt so bad. How could they even do this?

This lavish engagement celebration was supposed to celebrate my marriage to Marcelo, the Ruiz crime empire's heir. I was betrothed to him since I was a teen and after all these years, I thought he actually loved me. But now, I realized he was just using me.

Marcelo wrapped his arms around Francine's waist and laughed ominously. "You're right, my love. The Morano empire will be ours after that old bastard dies. Little Lena, too." He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "As soon as she serves her purpose, we'll be rid of her for good."

I suppressed a gasp as my hand shot to my mouth. So he was planning to kill me in addition to betraying me with my own sister?

"You know," Francine went on, biting Marcelo's earlobe, "I'm excited to see how she will react when she learns the truth. Hasn't she always been a naive little fool? She's even too weak and fragile to run a mafia empire."

Tears hurt my eyes, making it hard to see. What caused me to be so blind? Marcelo had been playing me all along, feigning love while secretly plotting to take everything away with my own sister.

Blinking back tears, I scrambled for my phone, eager to capture as much evidence as possible before they discovered me.

As I turned to go after filming, I knocked over a vase nearby by mistake in a haste. It fell to the ground with a loud smash.

Marcelo and Francine's heads snapped in my direction as they broke apart.

"Lena!" Francine hissed, spotting me. "You nosy little bitch, how much did you hear?"

I clenched my phone and swallowed hard, trying to choke back a sob. "Enough," I said, my voice shaking. "I know what you two are planning, and I won't let you get away with it."

Marcelo's jaw tightened and his brown eyes narrowed. "So, the little princess has finally learned the truth," he said. "Now, we can't have that, can we?"

"Stay back.” I warned trying to sound firm. “Don't come any closer." I stepped backward, my eyes darting over the hallway, trying to find a way out, my heart pounding.

Before it was too late, I needed to leave this place and alert my mother and the rest of the family.

But Marcelo was quicker, and his lengthy strides soon reduced the gap between us. I felt his hand tighten around my wrist, pulling me back.

"Not so fast, darling," he growled. "You're not going anywhere."

I fought against his grip, gripping my phone firmly with my free hand. "Let go of me, you bastard!" I yelled, trying to break free.

I finally pulled my arm away from his hold and sprinted towards the stairs, using all of my remaining power. However, Francine was there already, grabbing me back with her sharp nails.

"Get back here!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the corridor. "You're going to ruin everything!"

Francine viciously shoved me as soon as I took the first step down the stairs.

I felt myself losing my footing and tumbling forward, the phone falling out of my hand. As I fell down, time appeared to slow. I braced myself for the impact, the sound of my own terrified scream ringing in my ears.

Then, everything went completely dark.

As I lay there, I heard Marcelo's panicked voice. "Shit, shit, shit! Did she fucking die? She wasn't supposed to die like that!"

Francine bent over me, touching my neck and feeling for a pulse. "No, it’s faint but she's still breathing," she said, her tone strained. "We need to get her to a hospital, make it look like an accident."

"An accident?" Marcelo scoffed. "How the hell are we going to explain this? She was fine before and now she's at the bottom of the stairs, bleeding?"

Francine let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know, but we have to figure something out. We can't let this ruin everything we've worked for."