The Rejected Principessa Returns novel Chapter 17

Chapter 8

The commotion at the party had grown too noticeable, drawing Andrew over. His mere presence caused the

surrounding chatter to die down to a respectful murmur.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, his voice low but carrying an undeniable authority.

Before I could formulate a response, Signora Rossi gave him a clear, concise, and damning explanation, her

tone leaving no doubt about Victoria’s instigation.

Andrew’s gaze, cold and sharp as a stiletto, shifted to Victoria. His tone was flat, leaving no room for

negotiation.

“Apologize. Now.”

Everyone in the immediate vicinity knew Victoria and Lewis were there as supplicants, begging for Andrew’s favor. In this moment, she had no leverage, no choice but to swallow the bitter pill of her humiliation.

She clenched her jaw, the muscles in her neck corded with tension. A strained, resentful “Sorry” was forced past her lips, her eyes burning with a hatred she couldn’t fully conceal.

Then, as if grasping for any shred of dignity, as if reminded that Andrew had already coldly rejected her

proposal, she added with a venomous chill,

“Mr. Andolini, the woman you’re so publicly championing… she’s another man’s discarded problem. I wonder if your wife, Sophia, is aware of just how… familiar you are with her.”

Andrew let out a short, sharp laugh that held no amusement, only contempt.

“If you’re feeling brave, Consigliere, by all means, go and tell my wife. I’d be fascinated to see her reaction.”

The circle of onlookers erupted in a unified scoff of derision before they tactfully dispersed, not wanting to

be associated with her fatal miscalculation.

After that, I remained comfortably seated near Andrew, enjoying the fine food and wine, an unspoken shield around me. Those with any sense knew better than to approach or cause further trouble.

As for Victoria, after hitting the impenetrable wall of Andrew’s disdain, she tried desperately to circulate, to approach other potential allies in the room. But it was as if an invisible quarantine had been placed upon her.

The word had spread.

No one would meet her eyes. No one accepted the business cards she proffered. One Capo from a neutral family even took the card she offered and let it flutter from his fingers onto the floor, stepping over it as if it

were garbage.

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out a message:

[A thousand dollars per drink, ladies. Make sure you break him.]

divorce agreement. Consider it null. Come back to where you belong. You are still Mrs. Corleone.”

I laughed aloud, the sound genuine in its disbelief. “What in God’s name are you talking about?”

He exhaled deeply, as if explaining something to a stubborn child. “I understand. You’re trying to punish me. But this isn’t the way. Trading your youth and beauty for a powerful man’s fleeting attention is meaningless. You’ll get nothing from him in the end. Andolini will never leave his wife for you. Don’t waste your time on this pathetic revenge.”

I stayed quiet, letting him dig his grave deeper.

“You walked away, and I let you go. I wanted you to experience a taste of life without my protection. I never imagined you would stoop this low.”

He had the gall to look pained. “Yes, what happened with Victoria… was a mistake. But she has bled for this Family. She has taken on burdens you can’t imagine. She’s the one who secured ninety percent of our territory deals and supply lines. I need her.”

His ‘apology’ was just another justification. “You should understand the demands of leadership, instead of

clinging to a rival Don’s coattails just to spite me. It’s a cheap tactic.”

I gave him a cold, brittle smile.

“You’ve gotten a few crucial details wrong, Lewis.”

“Oh?” he asked, his arrogance still intact.

I picked up a small, sharp cheese knife from the platter in front of me, twirling it idly between my fingers.

Then I said, slowly and clearly, “Most of the lucrative territory deals and weapons shipments Victoria

‘secured’… came through the Andolini syndicate. And the man who commands that syndicate is my brother,

Andrew.”

Lewis frowned, skepticism warring with dawning horror. “That’s impossible. You don’t share a name.”

“In our family, we honor both lines. Andrew took our father’s name, Andolini. I carry our mother’s maiden name, Walker. If you require proof, I can have Andrew and Sophia come over right now to confirm our blood

relation.”

Lewis froze, the color draining from his face as the pieces of his crumbling empire finally clicked into place.

The implications were catastrophic.

“So those deals… the ports, the arms… they were never because of Victoria’s skill. They were yours?”

My smile was razor-sharp. “Exactly. Andrew only provided those opportunities as a favor to his

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brother-in-law. But now that the marriage is dissolved, that favor has been revoked.”

I leaned forward slightly. “Honestly, Lewis, you built your fortune on my family’s goodwill. And in return, your carelessness and her greed have been nothing but a headache for my brother.”

His face darkened into a thunderous mask.

I continued, driving the final nails into his coffin. “Your blind expansion, your corner-cutting on the purity of your product, constantly using the Andolini name to demand higher profits from smaller families… if not for

this divorce, who knows how many more of my brother’s associates would have been compromised by your

incompetence?”

Lewis pressed his lips together so tightly they turned white. “I delegated those negotiations to Victoria. I

didn’t know she was-”

I didn’t care for his excuses. I opened a video on my encrypted phone and turned the screen toward him.

The clip showed Victoria, clear as day, entering a discreet hotel, her arm linked with a known, portly Capo

from the rival Gambino family-a man in his fifties with a reputation for dirty deals and greasy hands, which

were, at that moment, roaming freely over her body. They were laughing intimately.

Lewis’s expression darkened completely, a storm of betrayal and fury.

I said calmly, “You recognize him, don’t you? He controls the narcotics pipeline through the southern docks. I’m sure Victoria was only doing it for the Family. Personally, I could never be so… dedicated. But hey, treasure that loyalty while you can. I wish you both all the best.”

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Chantor O