The Mafia & The Billionaire

Serene’s POV:

Impatience gnawed at me as I confronted Lorenzo at the dining table. I couldn’t understand why he had yet to give me my rightful inheritance, though I already expected this to happen. I had been staying in their house for what felt like an eternity, surrounded by his mistress and their bastard child, both of whom showed nothing but fake concern for me.

“When are you going to give me what’s mine?” I demanded, my voice laced with frustration. Lorenzo avoided meeting my gaze, a sure sign that he was hiding something. Growing up, people would always look me in the eye when they spoke to me, a way for me to gauge their honesty. But my father, Lorenzo, was different now, and I knew he was lying.

“The attorney is already working on it,” he replied dismissively, his words lacking conviction. I had grown accustomed to people’s empty promises, but coming from my own father, it stung even more.

Daisy, Lorenzo’s mistress, couldn’t resist adding her snide comment. “Serene, why are you in such a rush? Haven’t you been well taken care of in the countryside? Or are you just eager to get your hands on your money?”

I couldn’t help but scoff at her audacity. How dare she speak to me in such a disrespectful manner, completely oblivious to the irony of her own words? I wanted to maintain an angelic image in their eyes, but ever since I arrived in Ling City, my angelic wings had transformed into thorns in my mind.

“What do you take me for? A mere pig, waiting to be fed?” I retorted, crossing my legs and chewing gum nonchalantly. I smirked at Daisy, reveling in the power of my words.

“Well, I never mentioned you were a pig until now, considering how much weight you’ve gained,” she shot back, her confidence unwavering. I forced a laugh and rolled my eyes, refusing to let her get under my skin. It’s not true that I have gained weight, but I’m sure that I have gained something far more valuable: the courage to speak my mind.

Mavie, the bastard, chimed in, attempting to defend her mother’s insult. “Mom, you don’t have to say it like that. We have guests.” But I saw through her feeble attempt to deceive me.

Daisy, realizing her mistake, quickly apologized to our guests, Ryan and Reynold, feigning concern for my lack of manners. I couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing her apology was insincere. Everyone at the table turned their attention to me, curious about my reaction.

“If you refuse to give me what is rightfully mine, then I will take matters into my own hands,” I declared, my voice dripping with determination. I had no intention of remaining in their presence any longer. The sight of how Lorenzo treated Mavie ignited a burning rage within me.

A month had passed since my arrival, and I had expected Lorenzo to simply hand over my inheritance. But it wasn’t going as smoothly as I had hoped. Every time I asked, he would give the same excuse: “The attorney is still working on it.”

During this month, I discovered that Mavie was Lorenzo’s daughter before he married my mother. Although I had already learned about this from my grandparents, a part of me still clung to the hope that my father could redeem himself because my weak heart still loved him.

Lorenzo was insistent on arranging a marriage for me. If I hadn’t known him better, I might have believed his claims that the man he had in mind was good and kind and would take care of me.

But no way! I stood my ground and objected to his matchmaking shenanigans. I mean, seriously, the guys he wanted me to consider were nothing to write home about. We’re talking company drivers, sons of his friend’s maids, and other folks that even the most lenient parents would think twice about marrying off their kids to.

Desperate to uncover the truth about my mother’s will, I sought out the attorney my dad had mentioned. Let me tell you, this old geezer looked like he could scare the living daylights out of anyone, but not me, not Serene Portico. He revealed the details of the will, and I couldn’t help but clench my fist when I finally understood what Lorenzo had been up to. The details of the rest shall remain under lock and key. The attorney, bless his heart, thought it was only fair to let me in on that part, considering Lorenzo had gotten wind of it too.

Naturally, I wasted no time in confronting Enzo about the whole ordeal. It turns out that this Reynold character wanted me for his son, and Lorenzo struck a shady deal with him to arrange a marriage and render the will null and void. Meanwhile, there was Patt, studying business and blabbering on about it whenever we hung out in our secret flat, unbeknownst to Lorenzo.

After another three months, everything was settled, and I had made up my mind to marry Ryan for a simple reason: he was easy to handle. I had planned to leave the mansion so that I could proceed with my scheme after getting married. I would secure my inheritance and send Lorenzo back to where he came from.

As I was about to leave my bedroom with my IDs and other important documents needed for the wedding, Mavie, in a low and almost sobbing voice, pleaded, “Can’t you just marry someone else? Does it have to be Ryan?” Her victim act didn’t easily fool me, even though I had no idea what she was plotting. Just as I was about to step out, she tried to stop me.

I raised an eyebrow at her and asked, “So, are you suggesting that I marry someone Dad has chosen for me?”

“Serene, you’re new to the city; you can’t gauge whether Ryan genuinely likes you. But I know he likes me. We grew up together, and we were already dating,” she claimed, showcasing her impressive acting skills. If anyone witnessed our exchange, they might assume that I was overreacting or that I had stolen her boyfriend.

“Well, then you’ll have to talk to him and ask if he’s willing to marry you,” I replied, turning my back to walk away. I had chosen Ryan because he had approached me first. I believed he would be easy to manipulate due to his ignorance, and I thought I could have him wrapped around my finger. But this conniving individual wanted him for herself.

“Please, Serene. You can choose anyone but Ryan,” she pleaded, grabbing my arm tightly. Her grip indicated her intention to harm me. I pushed her away, not wanting to cause her any real harm. However, the actress took over, and she dramatically fell to the floor, pretending to hit her head on the corner of the door frame. She cried as if she had cracked her skull.

“I didn’t expect things to escalate to this extent,” I muttered, about to console Mavie, but a sudden push interrupted my words.

“What did you do to her? How could you hurt her?” Ryan exclaimed, rushing to Mavie’s side with concern. I knew he was gullible and easily swayed, so it wasn’t surprising to see him come to her aid.

“I didn’t do anything to her,” I replied, cringing at their display while Ryan continued to support the drama queen.

“She fell,” Ryan responded, his suspicion directed towards me.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“And?” I nonchalantly questioned them, taking a step closer to them. “It’s not my fault that she’s weak and foolish.” I casually remarked, watching Ryan help Mavie regain her footing. I knew it was all an act, but I was curious to see where this charade would lead that conniving woman.

“How dare you hurt my daughter? We welcomed you into our family, and this is how you repay us.” Daisy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her voice filled with anger.

“You were just standing there and didn’t do anything to stop your daughter?” I incredulously asked. Daisy’s eyes widened, and she glanced at Ryan.

“I apologize for her behavior. That’s precisely why I wanted you to marry Mavie instead of her! She’s far too unladylike and unworthy of you,” Daisy declared, emphasizing her words with exaggerated hand gestures, causing me to roll my eyes.

“I don’t think you have the luxury of putting on an act right now. Aren’t you concerned about your daughter’s well-being?” I retorted, causing Daisy to avert her gaze towards Mavie, who was now being cradled by Ryan.

“I must commend you for enduring the pain. Shouldn’t you be losing consciousness by now?” I remarked, knowing that the blow to her head must have been excruciating. As I reminded her of the gravity of the situation, she glared at me in response.

“What’s going on here?” The one and only Lorenzo arrived on the scene, his expression filled with worry as he looked at Mavie. A pang of sadness and pain struck me, surprising even my own stone heart. How could my stone heart feel so soft right now?

He was nothing more than a disgusting scumbag who wasn’t deserving of the title of father.

“Who did this to you?” he demanded, his anger directed towards me. I waited for Mavie to answer, but Daisy beat her to it.

“It was Serene; she hurt our daughter, Lorenzo,” Daisy interjected. He glared at me with fury in his eyes and took a step closer before delivering a slap across my face. At that moment, time seemed to slow down as I witnessed Daisy and Mavie’s lips curl into triumphant smiles. But my training had prepared me for more than that. Did they think I would flinch?

“So this is what you’ve become after living with your grandparents? Is this what they taught you? To steal someone else’s boyfriend?” Lorenzo snarled.

“Is that what Ryan told you? That I was stealing him away from your precious daughter? If he wanted a bitch for a girlfriend, then so be it. I wouldn’t stop him. He’s all yours,” I replied, watching as Ryan’s mouth hung open in shock.

“He was a fool, an idiot, and, above all, a weakling. I thought he would be easy to handle, but it turns out he was even worse than I expected,” I added, bursting into laughter.

“You’re saying that because you couldn’t have him, and now you realize that he loves Mavie,” Lorenzo countered, which only made me laugh harder.

“Love my ass!” I exclaimed. “He wanted Mavie because his dad told him to, thinking she would inherit my mother’s wealth. Sorry to burst your bubble, Ryan, but your father’s plan won’t work. I know he and Lorenzo made that agreement,” I revealed, causing Lorenzo’s eyes to widen. He hadn’t anticipated that I would uncover their secret.

“Believe whatever you want, but you still need to pay for what you did to Mavie,” Lorenzo finally managed to utter before retreating to Mavie’s side.

“Dad, it wasn’t Serene’s fault. She didn’t do this on purpose.” Mavie spoke up in a soft voice, deliberately appearing weak. I was certain she was doing it to impress Ryan.

“Don’t be too kind, Mavie. Why are you still taking her side? You’re such a good girl,” Daisy chimed in, attempting to sugarcoat Mavie’s defense of me.

“Enough with the theatrics. Whatever you do to yourself, I couldn’t care less,” I declared, then turned my gaze to Lorenzo. “You better give me what is rightfully mine. Because if you don’t, I will make sure that there’s nothing left for you and your mistress when I fight for it, especially for your illegitimate child,” I added, delivering the final blow.

As I stood on the stairs, ready to take a step down, a sudden realization hit me like a lightning bolt. With a mischievous smile, I turned to face them and uttered, “Oh, even if you were to hand it over willingly, rest assured, you’ll receive nothing in return. You’ll be tossed back into the trash where you belong, along with your mistress and your illegitimate daughter.” With those cutting words, I left the scene and gracefully made my way to the waiting car, where Enzo, my trusted right-hand man, was already waiting for me.

At that moment, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and find a suitable husband for myself. I couldn’t rely on Ryan anymore, not after everything that had transpired. He had proven to be quite malleable, a perfect pawn in my game, but alas, my plans had been thwarted.

“You might want to try your luck at the Royale Club,” Enzo suggested, his voice laced with a hint of excitement. I nodded, appreciating his suggestion, and replied, “Tell Nadine to dig into the CCTV footage of my mother’s mansion.” Enzo nodded, fully understanding my intentions. Nadine, our organization’s and the world’s most skilled hacker, would be able to uncover any hidden secrets lurking within those surveillance cameras.