The Betrayed Mafia’s Heir Chapter 2

Posted by Author, ? Views, Released on April 26, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

Valerie watched Stephan and Catherine from across the ballroom. Her fingers tightened around the stem, knuckles turning white with the effort of maintaining her composure.
Stephan whispered something in Catherine’s ear, his lips brushing against her skin. Catherine’s laugh echoed through the room, bright and confident.
Valerie told herself he was just being polite to an important guest—the governor’s daughter deserved special attention, after all. But the lie felt hollow, even in her own mind.
She’d never seen Stephan smile like that before.
Not at her, not in years.
His usual mask of cold indifference had melted away, replaced by something warm and genuine that made her stomach twist. His hand rested on Catherine’s lower back, thumb tracing small circles against the ruby fabric of her dress.
Several crime family heads approached them, offering respectful nods to Stephan.
Catherine handled each interaction perfectly, her smile calculated and charming. She belonged in this world of power and danger in a way Valerie never had.
The party swirled around them—glasses clinking, deals being made in hushed tones, security guards watching from shadowed corners.
Valerie stood alone, a ghost at her own organized party, watching her world crumble in slow motion.
Lorenzo De Luca, Stephan’s father, stepped onto the small platform where the band played. He raised his hand, and the music faded.
The crowd quieted, turning toward him with expectant faces.
“My friends,” Lorenzo began, his voice carrying across the ballroom. “Tonight we celebrate not only my son’s birthday but—” He paused, gesturing to Stephan.
Stephan moved forward, pulling Catherine with him. Their fingers were intertwined, and something cold settled in Valerie’s chest.
“I have a happy announcement to make,” Stephan said, his voice clear and confident. He reached for a champagne flute, raising it high. “Catherine Durand and I will be married in one month.”
The room exploded in applause. Glasses raised. Congratulations rang out.
Valerie’s heart stopped.
The champagne glass slipped from her numb fingers, shattering against the marble floor.
Nobody noticed.
They were all too busy surrounding the happy couple, offering their best wishes and approval.
She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
The words echoed in her head like a death sentence: married in one month.
Stephan had never spoken to her about ending their engagement in the first place.
Never mentioned Catherine. Never gave her even a glimpse of any warning that her entire life was about to be erased.
They looked perfect together now in front of her—the powerful mafia heir and the governor’s sophisticated daughter.
Catherine’s eyes met hers across the room. Her red lips curved into a smirk that held no warmth, only victory.
Memories flashed through her mind—Stephan proposing a bit more than two years ago, his dark eyes filled with promises.
The way he used to touch her face when they were alone, like she was something precious. His gem. All the nights she’d spent learning and making herself useful, trying to be worthy of his love.
It had all meant nothing.
She watched as Catherine leaned up to kiss Stephan’s cheek, leaving a perfect red lipstick mark on his skin.
The sight made something inside Valerie crack—not her heart, which was already shattered, but something deeper.
Something harder.
The room felt too hot, too crowded. The voices around her blurred into a rushing sound in her ears.
She needed to leave, to escape, to breathe—but her feet remained frozen to the spot.
A waiter bumped into her, muttering an annoyed “excuse me” before moving on. Even now, she was invisible.
A piece of furniture being shifted out of the way to make room for the new arrangement.
Across the room, Lorenzo De Luca caught her eye. His expression held something that might have been pity, might have been contempt. He raised his glass slightly in her direction before turning back to the celebration.
Valerie felt the weight of her engagement ring—the ring Stephan had given her, the ring he hadn’t even bothered to ask for back. It burned against her skin like a brand of shame.
The party continued around her, a swirl of expensive perfume and darker dealings, while Valerie stood in the midst of it all, watching the life she’d thought was hers dissolve into nothing.
This wasn’t just heartbreak. This was humiliation. Her public execution.