My Boyfriend Sold Me to Bellandi—Too Bad I Was Bellandi’s Heiress Chapter 05

My Boyfriend Sold Me to Bellandi—Too Bad I Was Bellandi’s Heiress Chapter 05

When I opened my eyes, I knew exactly where I was.

Dark blue walls. The back garden of the Bellandi compound beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. A photo of

me and my mother on the nightstand.

My room.

My uncle’s house.

“You’re awake.”

A quiet voice came from my left.

I turned my head. A man in a white coat stood by the bed, adjusting my IV drip.

“Dr. Hayes…”

My voice came out ruined, barely recognizable as my own.

“Don’t try to talk.” Dr. Hayes kept his voice low. “Your vocal cords took serious damage.”

“You need rest.”

He lifted my right hand gently, examining the splint.

“The finger’s been reset cleanly. No complications. But the splint stays on for a few weeks.”

“Your leg…”

He paused.

“Hairline fracture in your lower leg. It needs time, but it’s not a full break. You’ll dance again. It won’t affect you long-term.”

The breath I let out trembled all the way down.

My leg was okay.

That was all that mattered.

The door eased open, and my uncle stepped in.

He’d changed into something casual, but the storm hadn’t left his face.

“How is she?”

“Her vocal cords need time. The finger and the leg will heal cleanly as long as we keep the dressings clean

and changed.” Dr. Hayes straightened. “No lasting damage.”

“Mostly, she’s in shock. She needs sleep.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Give us the room.”

Dr. Hayes gathered his things and slipped out.

The door clicked shut behind him.

My uncle sat on the edge of the bed.

The way he looked at me – it was pain and fury, tangled so tight neither one could breathe.

“Elena.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?”

I looked away.

After my mom died, my uncle had kept me close.

He didn’t like me around people he hadn’t vetted, and he especially didn’t want me anywhere near the sons

of other syndicates.

Small-time ones least of all.

“I knew you’d say no…” My voice was barely there.

“Damn right I would’ve.”

His voice sharpened.

I flinched, and he caught himself.

The edge dropped out of his voice.

“I’ve already had Ethan checked out.”

“On paper, the Vales still look like a functioning outfit. In reality, he’s gambled away every share, every port,

every asset they had left.”

“He targeted you from day one.”

“Because of your face. Because you look like her.”

I already knew, but hearing it confirmed still landed like a fist.

Three years.

Every moment of it had been a con.

“I know you think I’m too hard on you.” My uncle exhaled.

“But your mother left you in my hands. I’m supposed to keep you safe.”

His jaw tightened.

“I couldn’t do that for her. I won’t fail again with you.”

I met his eyes. “What happened to Mom wasn’t on you.”

Something shuttered behind his eyes.

He let the silence sit for a moment before changing direction.

“What do you want done with them?”

My good hand curled into a fist against the sheets.

“Ethan said the marker was fifty mil?”

“Yes.”

My uncle scoffed. “The vig piled up at the casino.”

“I was going to let the Vales pay it off over time. Give them a lifeline.”

“Doesn’t seem necessary anymore.”

I looked at my uncle. “Every dollar. Principal and the vig. Not a cent forgiven.”

My uncle’s eyebrow lifted.

“That’s it?”

“Not even close.”

I tried to smile. My face barely cooperated.

“Uncle, the Ashwood quarries are still short-staffed, aren’t they?”

My uncle went still.

Then the corner of his mouth twitched – not quite a smile, but close.

He understood.

“As a matter of fact, they are.”

“Especially short on bodies willing to break rocks.”

“Then send them. All three of them.”

The smile finally held.

“Let them work it off.”

“At fifty million, they’ll be down there for the rest of their lives.”

“And Marco…”

The warmth left my voice.

He’d broken my finger. Poured vodka down my throat. Threatened to send me to the brothel rings.

“What about him?” my uncle asked.

His voice was flat.

“He touched you. In my house. That’s a betrayal.”

“Handle him by Omertà.”

I closed my eyes.

“I don’t want to see him again.”

“Done.”

My uncle rose.

“Get some sleep. I’ll take care of everything.”

At the door, he looked back.

“Elena, this is on me.”

“I promise you – no one will ever touch you again.”

The door closed softly behind him.

I lay there staring at the ceiling, and for the first time in hours, the noise in my head was gone.

Ethan, you were right about one thing.

Being under Don Bellandi’s protection really was the good life.

You just bet on the wrong Bellandi.

He’s my uncle.

And right about now, you and your whole family were on your way to spend the rest of your lives breaking

rocks