My Blood for His Empire

For eight years, I was his shadow, the weapon a mafia boss had raised from childhood. My loyalty was absolute.

So when he was betrayed and needed fifty million dollars to live, I bled for it on the dark web. They took my ear with a bullet and my kidney with a blade.

Three months later, I dragged what was left of me back to his door, only to find him with another woman in his penthouse.

"If she means nothing, why give her the Moretti family crest?"

"You have to throw a dog a bone to keep it loyal. Darling, Alessia is just a stray I took in. She's fit to be my killer, never my wife."

But the final blow came at his wedding, where he stood before the world and declared, "I'm single, finally free to pursue my true love."

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1

Behind that expensive oak door, the woman's voice carried a hint of triumphant coquetry:

"I don't believe you. If you didn't care about her, why would you give her the Moretti family's token?"

"Hah, if you want to keep a hound loyal, you have to toss it a bone with some meat on it. Baby, Alessia is a stray dog I picked up. She's only fit to kill for me, not to be my wife. You and I, we're the ones who are a match made in heaven."

The woman let out a contented sigh, grinning like a cat that got the cream:

"Truly befitting the Emperor of Sicily; you're so ruthless in your actions. To make me break off my engagement, you didn't hesitate to stage a grand drama of a power crisis. You deliberately leaked the information and secretly warned everyone not to help her. You wouldn't scheme against me like this in the future, would you?"

"Silly girl, how could I bear to?" His voice was as gentle as dripping honey, yet laced with deadly poison.

"Alessia has been like a stubborn leech since she was little, clinging to me. I must make her taste despair, make her understand that without me, she is nothing. That way, she won't come to disturb our world for two."

"Baby, I love you so much. Could you bear for me to be merely your lover? Why not divorce your husband and marry me?"

Listening to the escalating sounds from inside, I felt like an ice sculpture frozen in place.

The so-called power crisis, the supposed exile—it was all a charade orchestrated by Luciano to win over Isabella, the heiress of the New York Rossi family.

From the age of ten, when I was chosen by a thirteen-year-old Luciano at the orphanage, for eight whole years, we were inseparable.

I was his sharpest blade, his most loyal shadow, and also the future he had personally promised me.

And he… he was the god I was willing to sacrifice everything for, even my life, to protect.

For those fifty million dollars, I begged every family that had once been on good terms with us, but they all turned me away.

So, I had no choice but to delve into the dark web, exchanging my blood and wounds for bloodstained money.

That scar stretching from my abdomen to my side, that right ear torn apart by a bullet…

I never imagined that all this suffering stemmed from Luciano’s own manipulation.

And I never knew that in his heart, I was nothing more than a dog he could trick with a bone.

Then what was the point of these past three months of me fighting tooth and nail? A joke?

“Ally?”

The door suddenly opened. I looked up blankly, my gaze crashing into Luciano's deep, slightly astonished eyes.

Isabella, draped in a silk robe, leaned languidly against the doorframe and said, as if it were perfectly natural:

"My former bodyguard returned to Sicily. I heard Miss Alessia is quite capable, and since she was free anyway, I hired her to watch my door for a few days. What, does your heart ache for her?"

When Luciano said nothing, Isabella scoffed. She turned on her heel to leave:

"Luciano, I knew all your sweet talk was just a pack of lies. I have no interest in sharing a man with that common trash. Since you're so insincere, then we don't need to see each other again."

Luciano grabbed her wrist, a resigned smile on his face:

"You're overthinking things. I was just afraid she'd be too clumsy to attend to you properly. If you want to use her, then by all means, use her. It's sincerity you want, isn't it? I'll prove it to you right now."

He pulled out his phone, his fingertips tapping a few times on the screen.

A few seconds later, a new post sent shockwaves through the entire underworld.

Luciano's official social media account had published an update:

"Currently single, pursuing the love of my life. Eagerly awaiting the day I can share our official announcement with everyone."

That single, short sentence utterly erased the eight-year bond between us.

Isabella finally broke into a satisfied smile, the corners of her eyes flicking scornfully towards me:

"Miss Alessia," she began, "Luc and I are going to dinner, and I'd rather not be disturbed by anyone else. You find a place to rest on your own. When you're needed, my assistant will inform you."

I looked towards Luciano, hoping he would offer me an explanation, even if it was just a single word.

But he merely took Isabella’s hand, his tone as detached as if he were addressing a complete stranger:

"Since Izzy has deemed you worthy of her attention, just do your work well for the next few days. And don't do anything to displease her."

With that said, they left hand-in-hand, without sparing me another glance.