Betrayed Heiress: Sold Out by My Fiancé

Papa announces that whoever is accepted into a Rose League university will be named the successor of the Romano family. Papa is already prepared to give me the successor's signet ring when I receive an acceptance letter from Harmond University. However, seconds before he gives the ring to me, a video of me leaking the Romano family's secrets to a rival family plays on the big screen. Overnight, I become a traitor who everyone despises, falling from my position as the favored successor. My fiance, Lorenzo Caruso, steps forward to defend me, but he's rendered speechless by the conclusive evidence. By the time the supervisory committee rushes onto the scene and declares that the surveillance footage and family secrets are fake, Papa has slipped the signet ring onto my stepsister Isabella Romano's finger. "I can't change the successor anymore," Papa says. "The other Dons have already verified the successor's name. Who will listen to my orders in the future if I go back on my decision now?" I leave the estate, clutching the acceptance letter from Harmond University. From that day on, I refuse to pick up Papa's calls. But when I hear about how he has been admitted to the family's private hospital because I've been giving him the cold shoulder, I can't help myself and return home to visit him. As I stand outside his hospital room, I hear my stepmother, Veronica Tonetti, laughing inside. "You're really something else. How did you come up with pretending to be sick to trick Sophia into coming back?" Papa chuckles and says, "Sophia has already been accepted into Harmond University. She has a bright future ahead of her even if she's not the successor. "Isabella's different. She's not going to receive an education from a prestigious school, and she doesn't have her own family. The other families will bully her if I don't name her as the successor of the Romano family." "We have to thank Lorenzo this time," Veronica says with a nod. "If he didn't give Sophia's private key to us, we wouldn't have been able to forge those records of her leaking the family secrets." Chapter 1 I stopped breathing for a second as I stood outside the hospital room. Their words hit me like a physical blow, leaving a sharp buzzing sound in my ears. Before I could slam the door open and demand an explanation, my stepmother, Veronica Tonetti, spoke again. "Oh, that's right. How are you going to explain the engagement to Sophia?" she asked. Papa was briefly stunned. "Engagement?" he repeated. "The Caruso family will only accept the official successor of the Romano family as their daughter-in-law. Isabella is the successor now. It only makes sense for Lorenzo to marry her instead." My hand froze on the doorknob. My heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. I remembered telling myself that at the very least, my fiance, Lorenzo Caruso, would believe me when I was stripped of my title as the successor of the Romano family. Lorenzo and I had grown up together. He personally slipped the engagement ring onto my finger before sinking to his knees in front of the elders of the Romano and Caruso families, declaring that I was the only woman he would ever marry. Papa remained silent for a long time. Guilt flickered across his face for a split second before he said, "No. Sophia and Lorenzo have been engaged for years. We can't change the engagement just like that." My eyes stung. Although Papa had just admitted that he had personally participated in the orchestration of my downfall, I still shamefully felt a spark of hope in my heart. Perhaps he still cared about me. Then Isabella chimed in, her voice trembling, "Actually, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you, Papa. But I was too scared to bring it up. Lorenzo and I are already together." Papa shot to his feet and exclaimed, "What did you say? He's Sophia's fiance! How dare the two of you do something like this behind her back?" Isabella's sobbing intensified. "Our feelings for each other are genuine. If Sophia didn't pressure Lorenzo to enter an engagement with her with the excuse that she's the successor of the Romano family, the two of us would have announced our relationship a long time ago. "Sophia has everything, but I only have Lorenzo. Are you going to deny me my right to love someone just because I'm not your flesh and blood?" The sounds of Isabella's muffled sobbing resounded from the room. Veronica pulled her into her arms, looking utterly devastated, and said, "Don't cry. It's all my fault. I couldn't give you a noble background. Sophia is the Principessa while the two of us are only freeloaders living under their roof. Who would deny her her heart's desire?" I bit my lip hard, suppressing the urge to slam the door open to question them. When did I ever pressure Lorenzo to marry me? He was the one who wanted to get engaged. He was also the one who kneeled in the chapel for the entire night when Papa wanted to marry me to another family. He claimed that he would rather give up on his status as the successor of the Caruso family than lose me as his bride. However, Isabella was accusing me of forcing Lorenzo to marry me at that moment. Papa's anger slowly melted away. A heartbroken expression appeared on his face as he said, "If that's the case, Sophia's the one who crossed the line. She knew that you lost your Padre since you were a child, but she still insists on fighting you for everything." Black spots exploded in my vision. I gripped the doorknob to keep myself upright. Papa pulled out his phone. "Tell Lorenzo to come over. We'll settle this issue today." I stumbled into the next room, wanting to listen in on their conversation. I wanted to know how the man who once promised to protect me for my entire life would describe me behind my back. It didn't take long before the sounds of hurried footsteps resounded from the hallway. Lorenzo pushed open the door. He was still wearing the silver cufflinks that I gave him on my 16th birthday. I didn't understand. Why would he wear them if he didn't love me? Chapter 2 "Perfect timing, Lorenzo," Papa said, his voice carrying through the door. "I have a question to ask you. Are you and Isabella together?" Lorenzo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to Isabella and bent down to wipe her tears with a handkerchief. His movements were extremely gentle, and his eyes were overflowing with tenderness. His tenderness used to only be reserved for me. I was only 13 when Mamma passed away. I got into a huge argument with Papa because he was rushing to move Veronica and Isabella into the estate. I hid in the family's chapel by myself and refused to return home. It had been snowing heavily in New Vormino. By the time Lorenzo found me, I couldn't feel my hands and feet anymore because of the freezing cold. Lorenzo shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around me before crouching down to warm my hands. "Don't worry, Sophia. I'll protect you from now on," he had said. "I won't let anyone chase you out of your home." His eyes had been shining with sincerity at the time. I thought that Lorenzo would treat me with such gentleness for the rest of my life, but he was using that same tenderness to wipe another woman's tears at that moment. Papa slammed his hand against the headboard and shouted, "I asked you a question!" Lorenzo took Isabella's hand and said, "Si. We're together." Papa's expression turned steely. "When did this happen?" "On Isabella's 18th birthday," Lorenzo answered, lowering his voice. "A group of people got her drunk and took her to an abandoned club in Rosano. They wanted to ruin her. I arrived just in time to stop them, but she had already been drugged. She would have died if I didn't save her." Isabella trembled violently as she sobbed and leaned against his chest. "Mi dispiace, Lorenzo. It's all my fault that they misunderstood you." Lorenzo immediately tightened his grip around her. "It wasn't your fault. The fault lies with the person who sent those men to hurt you." Papa fell silent for a few moments before he asked, "Who do you want to marry? Sophia or Isabella?" I leaned against the cold wall and waited for Lorenzo's answer. Although so much of the truth had been revealed to me, my heart was still laughably clinging on to a thread of hope. Perhaps Lorenzo wouldn't just give up on our relationship that had lasted for years. In the next second, he answered Papa's question without any hesitation. "Isabella." That single word snuffed out the last spark of hope inside me. Isabella excitedly threw her arms around Lorenzo while Papa stopped voicing his objections. "You should marry Isabella then," he said. "I'll talk to Sophia." "What if she makes a scene?" Veronica asked, making sure to inject faux concern into her voice. Papa scoffed. "She wouldn't dare. She's the true Principessa of the Romano family, and she was accepted into Harmond University. Nobody would have the guts to belittle her even if she's no longer the successor and loses the engagement. "Isabella's different. I have to give her something as compensation since she doesn't have anything." I leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. Mamma was dead, and Papa had been stolen from me. Not only that, but he had turned my engagement to Lorenzo, which had been decided since I was a child, into a form of compensation for Isabella. What else did Isabella lack? The person who didn't have anything was actually me. … I didn't know how I left the hospital. My tears felt chilly against my skin as a cold breeze blew past my face. My phone vibrated in my pocket. The number flashing on the screen was identical to the numbers that were engraved on the back of the silver snake necklace that Mamma left for me. I had never dialed that Siralunian number. Papa once told me that Mamma's family abandoned her a long time ago. It was why I never tried to contact them over the past few years. However, that same number was flashing on my phone screen at that moment. I hesitated for a long time before I picked up. "Sophia?" An old but powerful voice echoed from the receiver. "I'm your grandfather, Vittorio Bellini. Congratulations on getting into Harmond University." My mouth fell open. "Grandpa…" I choked out. Grandpa immediately realized that something was amiss when he heard my ragged breathing. "Who bullied you?" he asked in a low voice. His question broke the dam that had been holding back my despair for the entire night. I told Grandpa what happened at the banquet, and everything that I heard from outside Papa's hospital room, sparing no detail. Silence hung on the other end of the line for a long time before Grandpa coldly barked his orders to his men. "Prepare my private jet. We're flying to New Vormino as soon as possible." Chapter 3 My voice was thick with tears when I asked Grandpa why he had never come looking for me over the past few years. Grandpa sighed before answering, "Your Madre swore never to rely on the Bellini family ever again after she left Siraluna. However, she sent a letter to me before she passed away. She told me that you loved your Padre and hoped that I wouldn't interfere with your life." "I accepted her request," he continued with a tremble in his voice. "But I never would have imagined that my acceptance would cause you to experience so much hardship." Tears spilled down my cheeks again as I pressed a hand to my mouth. … The sky had darkened by the time I hung up. I returned to the estate on Seaford Island. The lights were blazing. The Caruso family's black cars were parked in front of the entrance. Dozens of Made Men were stationed on either side of the doors. I had just strode into the hall when I spotted Isabella wearing my tailored, black gown. Lorenzo stood next to her. Their fingers were laced together tightly. Lorenzo's Madre, Paola Lione, sat in the main seat, looking pleased as she gave Isabella a once-over. "The Caruso family is willing to alter the engagement since Isabella is the successor of the Romano family, and the two of them are in love. They can host their engagement party on the same day as the ring-inheritance ceremony that's taking place in the next three days." Paola raised her hand, prompting her men to haul over a dozen black cases into the hall. The cases were packed with jewelry, tailored gowns, rubies, and the partnership contract with Carmine Logistics. The items were originally meant for me, but they were being displayed in a neat row for Isabella at that moment. Tears streamed down Isabella's face as she pressed a hand over her mouth. "Grazie, Mamma," she said. The smile on Paola's face widened when she heard the way Isabella addressed her. "Come here. Put on the engagement ring." Lorenzo took Isabella's hand. He was seconds away from slipping the ring on her finger when one of the Romano family members noticed me standing by the door. "You're back, Principessa." A faint smile stretched across Veronica's lips. Isabella's eyes were glimmering with glee when she looked at me, but she fixed an uneasy expression on her face. Meanwhile, Papa was sitting on the couch. He didn't even bother to explain the situation to me. Lorenzo glanced at me for a few seconds before approaching me. "Return the Caruso family's badge to me." I looked down at the black-gold badge that was pinned on the front of my gown. Lorenzo had personally pinned the badge on me when we got engaged. He had said that I would be the future Donna of the Caruso family as long as I had it. However, at that moment, he didn't even bother greeting me before demanding that I return the badge to him so that he could give it to another woman. I looked up and stared at him. "I have something to ask you before I return the badge to you. Why did you kneel in the chapel for the entire night if you didn't love me? Why did you force our parents to agree to our engagement?" Lorenzo's expression darkened. "I can't believe that you're shameless enough to ask me those questions. Don't you know why I changed my mind?" "I don't," I said while staring at him. "Tell me what I did." Lorenzo was about to speak when Isabella suddenly dashed to his side and grabbed his arm. "Stop it," she said. "Sophia has already lost the title of successor. She must be feeling so upset. I don't blame her, no matter what she did to me in the past." She then sank to her knees in front of me. Everyone inhaled sharply. "Mi dispiace, Sophia," Isabella continued. "I shouldn't have failed to get into Harmond. I shouldn't have made Papa feel sorry for me. I can let go of the title of successor and Lorenzo if you're truly unwilling to give up on them. I just hope that you won't hurt me or Mamma in the future." She leaned down, looking as if she was actually going to kiss my shoes. Lorenzo immediately hauled her to her feet. "You don't need to kneel for a despicable woman like her, Isabella!" he exclaimed. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again as long as I live!" I was briefly stunned upon hearing his words. Lorenzo had said the same words to me in the past. It turned out that a man could reuse his vow whenever he pleased. I couldn't help but feel a sense of irony as I watched Lorenzo and Isabella embrace each other. "Are you done?" I sneered. "Tell me what I did if you are." Isabella shook her head wildly. However, Lorenzo's sympathy for her only grew the more she tried to stop him. "I'm not going to hide the truth for your sake this time," he hissed, glaring at me. "You already have everything. Why did you hire the thugs from the Casano family to ruin Isabella on her 18th birthday?" Chapter 4 Papa was the first to rise from the couch. "What did you say, Lorenzo?" he demanded. Lorenzo shielded Isabella behind him before answering, "I found out that the person who gave the order to attack Isabella during her 18th birthday used Sophia's private code." Papa rushed toward me and exclaimed, "Is it true?" Veronica pounced on me before I could answer, sobbing hysterically. "I was willing to endure all your harassment, but how could you try to ruin Isabella like that?" I shot a cold look at her and snapped, "I didn't do it. That code was fabricated." However, the next second, Papa slapped me. My head snapped to the side from the impact, a loud buzzing filling my ears. "How dare you spout lies even at this point?" he roared. "How on earth did I raise a daughter like you?" Veronica wiped her tears and said, "She's just like Chiara. All those years ago, she forced me to leave New Vormino just because she was your wife. Now, Sophia is using the same schemes on Isabella." I whipped my head up when I heard Mamma's name. "You don't deserve to say her name!" Papa's face twisted in rage. "How dare you?" he snapped. "Veronica is the current Donna of the Romano family. She's also your Mamma. Apologize to her!" I could feel my heart slowly turning hollow as I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips. "I only have one Mamma, and she's dead. I also wasn't responsible for Isabella's attack, so I won't apologize." Isabella suddenly pushed past Lorenzo and exclaimed, "Since Sophia's insisting that I'm slandering her, I have no choice but to prove my innocence with my death." She then sprinted toward the sharp, copper corner of the fireplace. Lorenzo managed to stop her in time, sending both of them crashing to the carpet. Isabella let out a gut-wrenching wail and screamed, "Let go of me! Just let me die! Sophia will stop thinking that I'm trying to steal her life once I'm dead!" Lorenzo's eyes reddened as his heart throbbed painfully. "You're not the one who should be punished," he said. He handed Isabella to the maids before approaching me. "There's nothing left to say between us. Hand over the Caruso family's badge." I raised my hands to remove the black-gold badge from the front of my gown. It was pinned on the inner layer of my gown, so I couldn't unfasten it immediately. However, Lorenzo lost his patience. "How much longer do you intend to drag this out?" he snapped, grabbing the badge and yanking it off. The sharp pin left a long scratch from my collarbone to my palm. My gown was also torn open. Fresh blood dripped from my wrist onto the white carpet. I hissed in pain. Lorenzo's hand froze for a split second. However, he still snatched the badge from me when he noticed Isabella crying behind him. "Drop the pitiful act. The pain that Isabella was forced to endure was far more severe than your little scratch." I couldn't stop the tears that spilled down my cheeks as utter despair filled my heart. Papa ordered a few core members of the family to come to the hall to act as witnesses. "Kick Sophia out of the estate. She's only allowed to return after she's learned what loyalty is." Veronica quickly grabbed him. A flicker of malice glinted in her eyes when she looked at me and said, "You can't do that, Marco. The outsiders will think that Isabella and I are the ones who can't tolerate her. "We can sweep everything under the rug as long as Sophia gets on her knees and kisses Isabella's signet ring and admits that she committed those sins out of jealousy." Papa patted her hand with a touched look on his face. "You're such a saint," he cooed before turning to look at me and barking his orders. "Did you hear that? Apologize to your Mamma and Isabella now!" I stood in the middle of the hall and looked at everyone, saying, "I'll never admit to those crimes because I didn't do it." Papa's chest heaved violently from anger. "Do you think that I won't discipline you because you were accepted into Harmond?" he snapped. "Men! Punish her according to the family's rules!" Several Made Men lunged at me and twisted my arms behind my back. They pinned me against the altar before forcefully pressing my right palm against the cold marble. One of them raised a steel hammer high into the air. Isabella hid in Lorenzo's embrace but peeked at me from over his shoulder. The corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile. I closed my eyes. I could feel a breeze brush against the back of my hand when the Made Man swung the hammer down. Just then, the sounds of screeching brakes resounded from outside the estate. The front doors were slammed open from the outside. A group of men in black swarmed into the hall, brandishing guns. They swiftly blocked all the exits. Everyone was frozen in place in fear at the sudden commotion. An old and icy voice resounded from beyond the doors. "Who dares to lay a hand on Sophia?"