The Don’s Heiress Won’t Choose Him Again Chapter 07
The morning after the coronation, I had Roman brought to my father’s study.
Father sat behind the desk, a cigar burning quietly between his fingers.
I threw the manila folder down in front of Roman.
“Open it. Take a look.”
Roman flipped through a few pages. His face changed. Then he laughed, cold and dismissive.
“This is a fake, isn’t it? Valentina, how long are you going to keep smearing Sera?”
I looked at him, and suddenly I had nothing more to say.
“Fine. You don’t believe it. Let me put it in language you can understand.”
“When the shooters attacked, you—my guard—chose to abandon your post. That alone is enough.”
“Roman Castellano, as of this moment, you are expelled from the Moretti family.”
My father spoke then, his voice so calm.
“Every account in your name is frozen, effective immediately. Your weapons, vehicles, and safe house clearances are revoked. I’ll be informing every allied family that Roman Castellano is no longer under Moretti protection.”
He tapped ash from the cigar.
“You’ll be out of the estate by end of day. From this day forward, whether you live or die, prosper or fall, is no concern of the Moretti family.”
The color drained from Roman’s face. His fists clenched hard.
“Serafina Voss and her mother go with you,” I added. “The Moretti family has no room for people who plot against me.”
Roman’s head snapped up. His lips parted, then closed. In the end, he said nothing.
“Get out.”
Roman finally left. I stopped paying attention to him after that. As far as I was concerned, he no longer mattered.
A few days later, a wedding invitation from Roman and Serafina arrived in my hands.
At the time, I was having lunch with Dominic at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan.
When Roman and Serafina appeared, Dominic was carefully dabbing a smudge of sauce from the corner of my mouth.
His movements were gentle and unhurried, as if he’d done it a thousand times before.
My cheeks warmed. I turned my head away, a little embarrassed. “Dom, don’t. People are looking.”
Dominic just smiled faintly, indulgence in his eyes. “Let them look.”
Just then Roman appeared at our table with Serafina in tow, his face grim.
Serafina clung to his arm affectionately and placed the invitation lightly on our table. “Dominic, Miss Valentina—Roman and I are getting married in three days. We do hope you can attend.”
I didn’t pick up the invitation. I gave it only the briefest glance, my tone distant. “I’m afraid we can’t. Dominic and I will be traveling in Europe. The flights are already booked.”
Roman scoffed at that.
“Valentina, I told you, you’re still sulking, aren’t you?”
“You don’t even dare come to my wedding. Afraid you’ll lose your composure in front of everyone?”
He stepped closer, his eyes burning into me.
“Listen to me. You’re not engaged yet. There’s still time. If you change your mind now, it’s not too late.”
His words were like an invisible needle, driven into my heart. And into Dominic’s.
I felt the hand on my shoulder tighten in an instant.
A nameless anger surged up in me.
What made this man think he had the right to keep looking at me like this—so certain I couldn’t live without him?
I drew a breath, took Dominic’s hand in mine, and met Roman’s blazing eyes. My voice was calm but firm. “Thank you for your concern, Roman. But I, Valentina Moretti, never make decisions I’ll regret.”
I paused and turned my head slightly toward Dominic.
“Besides. These past few days with Dominic, I’ve realized something—”
“I think I’m falling for him. More every day.”
Every word was a slap across Roman’s face.
And every word was for Dominic to hear too.
Roman’s face turned ashen.
“Falling for him?”
He said it as if he’d heard the joke of the century, his voice thick with mockery. “Valentina, you really do put on a show.”
“Let’s see how long you can keep it up!”
He spat the words, seized the arm of Serafina—whose fixed smile had gone rigid—and turned on his heel.
Once he was gone, I looked at Dominic, who had grown quiet, and spoke up.
“What I just said—all of it was true.”
Dominic looked at me, and something bright flickered behind his eyes.
“I’ve realized I’ve fallen for you. Choosing you at the start wasn’t spite. It was something I thought about carefully.”
“So don’t take what Roman said to heart.”
Dominic couldn’t hold back any longer. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “I understand. I believe you.”
I laughed softly, warmth blooming inside me.
Three days later, I actually cancelled the plane tickets for our trip, and went with Dominic to Roman’s wedding.
Not for any other reason. Just to show Dominic—I really had moved on from Roman. To give him every ounce of certainty he needed.
The wedding was held in a Catholic church.
Serafina wore a white gown with a long train, wearing a triumphant smile. But Roman’s face was dark, and his eyes were fixed on where Dominic and I sat.
He looked so distracted he didn’t even catch what the priest was saying.
Because a moment ago, he had watched me kiss Dominic on the lips—and watched Dominic, his ears turning pink, gently push at my shoulder, looking almost bashful.
An unpleasant premonition crept into Roman’s chest—maybe I really did love Dominic.
But wasn’t that exactly what he had claimed to want all along?
Then why did he feel this ugly unwillingness rising inside him?