His Unwanted Ex Begs For Second Chances

Three years ago, my fiancée Elena left me at the altar on a twisted dare, humiliating me in front of our entire mafia syndicate.

Today, she blocked my headquarters with nine armored cars, demanding I divorce my pregnant wife and serve her again.

"Hiring a pregnant woman to make me jealous is a bit desperate, Liam," she sneered, tossing a cheap ring at my feet.

When I ignored her to escort my wife, Sienna, to her medical checkup, Elena's childhood friend Julian deliberately lunged at Sienna's swollen stomach.

I threw myself in the way to take the brutal impact, but the shockwave sent Sienna to the emergency room with a threatened miscarriage.

Even as the medical staff scrambled to save my unborn heir, Elena grabbed my sleeve to defend the man who caused it.

"He made a mistake! Why are you holding onto a grudge?" she cried, insisting I was just throwing a tantrum to get her attention.

For seven years, I took bullets to secure her family's territory, only to be discarded like a stray dog when she got bored.

What made her think I would spend three years waiting to be her loyal servant, let alone forgive the attempted murder of my child?

Looking at her entitled, delusional face, the last shred of my restraint turned to ash.

I pulled out my phone to broadcast the security footage to the entire underworld, and calmly ordered my men to erase her family from existence.

Chapter 1

Liam Russo POV

Three years to the day after she left me at the altar to be humiliated by the entire Cosa Nostra, my ex-fiancée parked nine armored Maybachs in front of my syndicate headquarters. She emerged holding a cheap diamond ring to demand I divorce my pregnant wife and serve her again.

The afternoon sun glared off the tinted windows of the blockade she had formed across the main entrance.

I stood on the top step of the corporate building, my hand resting on the small of my wife's back.

Sienna was five months pregnant with our second child.

Through the thin silk of her dress, I could feel the faint, deep thrum of a second heartbeat, a pulse that anchored the violence coiling in my gut.

Elena Falcone stepped out of the lead car, wearing a red designer dress that screamed for attention.

She walked toward us with a confident sway, ignoring the dozen heavily armed guards flanking my sides.

"Are you done with this theatrical facade yet, Liam?" she asked, her voice carrying over the idle hum of the engines.

She stopped a few feet away, her eyes scanning Sienna from head to toe with blatant disgust.

"Hiring a pregnant woman to make me jealous is a bit desperate, even for you."

"Move your cars, Elena," I said.

My voice was planed of all inflection, a flat surface she could find no purchase on.

She laughed-a sharp and grating sound-and reached into the passenger seat of her car to pull out a single red rose.

"Your tantrum has gone on long enough, Liam."

She held the flower out to me.

"It is time to come home to me."

I looked at the rose, a bitter taste rising in the back of my throat.

Three years ago, I spent seven years acting as her shield in the brutal underworld, taking bullets and beatings to secure her family's territory.

She had ignored my severe pollen allergy back then, accepting bouquets from rival bosses while I suffocated in the background.

I pulled Sienna closer to my side, shielding her from the sudden breeze.

"I am a married man," I said, my gaze locking onto Elena with the warmth of a dead winter.

"My wife is carrying my second heir, and you are trespassing on my property."

Elena scoffed and tossed the rose onto the concrete.

She reached into her designer bag and pulled out a men's diamond band.

"I am willing to forgive this little rebellion of yours."

She took a step closer, holding the ring up to the sunlight.

"We can fulfill our broken oath and re-host the wedding next month."

The sight of the ring triggered a memory I had spent six months drowning in heavy sedatives to erase.

I saw the grand banquet hall.

I saw Julian Romano, her childhood friend and a lowly Soldier, stepping on my polished oxfords with a mocking grin.

I felt him rip the boutonniere from my bespoke suit, laughing as he called me a desperate dog trying to climb the ranks.

And I saw Elena turning her back on me, walking out the door on a twisted dare while the entire Family watched me bleed.

I looked at the ring now, feeling nothing at all.

"Get out of my way," I said.

I stepped around her, keeping my body between her and Sienna.

Elena reached out to grab my arm, her manicured nails aiming for my sleeve.

I shifted my weight and evaded her touch effortlessly, stepping into her personal space just enough to let my height and shadow suffocate her.

"Do not ever try to touch me again," I said, the words a low vibration just beside her ear, and I watched the muscles in her neck lock tight.

Her phone buzzed loudly in her hand.

She answered it, and the manic desperation in her eyes instantly melted into a soft, comforting warmth.

"It is okay, Jules, I am handling it right now," she cooed into the receiver.

She lowered the phone and glared at me, her tone shifting into a harsh reprimand.

"You have no right to harbor this unnecessary hostility toward Julian, Liam."

"My wife has a medical checkup," I said, without acknowledging her words. "Move your cars before I have my men crush them into scrap metal."

"You are using underhanded syndicate tactics to force me into submission," Elena accused, her face flushing with anger.

I did not waste another breath on her.

I guided my wife toward an armored SUV waiting at the service exit, leaving her ostentatious blockade behind, my hand never leaving her waist.

Elena was not used to being ignored, and the silence broke whatever fragile restraint she had left.

I had said, "Move," but Elena lunged forward. She slammed her hand against the heavy metal door of the SUV, her eyes wide with a frantic light, as if she could physically hold back the truth.