Claiming the Bloody Throne: The Mafia Heiress’ Return

AURORA

Today was supposed to be perfect. My birthday, a party at the company I’ve dedicated years to, and the night I was certain Matteo would propose. I could already picture the moment: the way he’d kneel before me, the warmth in his smile, the applause echoing around us. Five years of secrecy, of stolen moments, would finally be worth it.

I slipped into the red dress Matteo had given me. The silk clung to my body, elegant and alluring—his favorite. I turned in front of the mirror, imagining his reaction, the way his dark eyes would light up when he saw me. He’d always said I was beautiful, but tonight, I wanted to be unforgettable.

I picked up my phone, snapping a photo to send to him, but before I could type the message, a notification lit up my screen.

"The Youngest CEO in the city, Matteo Romano, owner of Romano Group of Companies, is now engaged to the beautiful CEO of Cross Estate, Bianca Cross."

The words blurred as I stared at the photo attached to the article. Matteo, my Matteo, stood beside Bianca Cross, holding her hand as she flaunted an engagement ring. My stomach dropped. That ring—it was the one I’d found on his desk last week. The one I’d been daydreaming about. The one that was supposed to be mine.

I couldn’t breathe. My phone slipped from my trembling hands, clattering against the floor. My knees buckled, and I sank down, gripping the edge of the bed to steady myself. The room spun as reality crashed down around me.

This couldn’t be happening. Matteo wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t betray me like this.

He wouldn’t…

Tears blurred my vision, but I wiped them away. I refused to believe it. There had to be an explanation. Matteo owed me that much.

I grabbed my keys and stumbled out the door, my pulse pounding in my ears. The drive to his office felt like an eternity, every second stretching into an agonizing lifetime. I replayed the image of him with Bianca over and over in my mind, each time cutting deeper into me. By the time I reached his building, my hands were shaking so violently I could barely grip the steering wheel.

I stormed into the office, ignoring the curious glances from the late-working staff. Matteo’s office door loomed ahead, but as I reached for the handle, voices stopped me cold.

“Now that you’ve announced your engagement with Bianca, what’s your next move?” a familiar voice—Alec—asked casually.

My heart sank, but I pressed closer, listening through the crack in the door.

“I have plans,” Matteo replied, his voice calm, calculated. It sent a chill down my spine. “Ricardo Herrera is still alive, and I’m not done with him yet. The assassination attempt failed, but I’ll deal with him soon enough.”

Ricardo Herrera. My father. His name hit me like a gunshot, and I clung to the doorframe to keep myself upright.

“And Camila?” Alec asked with a hint of amusement. “Your little secret girlfriend?”

My blood froze.

“I’ve used her enough,” Matteo said, his tone cold, indifferent. “But I’m not done with her yet. She’s the key to Herrera. I’ll keep her close until the job is done. Once I take over the Herrera Clan, the entire mafia world will be mine.”

The words echoed in my head, each one more devastating than the last. Used me. He’d used me. From the very beginning, he’d known who I was. My father, the man I thought I’d escaped, the man I thought had been left behind in a life of blood and violence, was at the center of it all.

And Matteo… the man I loved… had orchestrated it all.

I stumbled back, barely able to breathe. My vision blurred, and hot tears streamed down my face. Every moment we’d shared, every kiss, every whispered promise—it had all been a lie.

The door creaked as I leaned against it, and Matteo’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“Who’s there?” he called sharply.

I turned and bolted, my heels echoing against the marble floor. I didn’t stop until I was outside, the cold night air hitting me like a slap. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, my mind racing.

Matteo wasn’t just a liar. He was part of the world I’d fought so hard to escape. The mafia world. My world. And now, he was trying to destroy everything my father had built—everything my mother had died to protect me from.

I should have been furious, but all I felt was numb. Matteo had played me, twisted my heart into a weapon against my own bloodline. And I’d let him.

A single thought pierced through the haze of my pain: He won’t get away with this.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out with shaking hands. An unknown number flashed on the screen, followed by a message:

[Miss Herrera, it’s time to come home. He knows who you are. Your father needs you now more than ever.]

Aurora Herrera. The name I’d buried years ago. The name that tied me to a life I thought I’d left behind. But tonight, there was no denying it.

Matteo thought he’d won. He thought he could use me, discard me, and take everything.

He was wrong.

I clenched my jaw, shoving the phone back into my pocket. If Matteo wanted to play games, he’d just met his match.

I barely remember the drive home. My mind was a storm of emotions, each one fighting for dominance—betrayal, fury, disbelief. By the time I reached my apartment, my hands were still shaking. Matteo’s voice replayed in my head like a broken record.

I’ve used her enough. But I’m not done with her yet. She’s the key to Herrera. I’ll keep her close until the job is done.