Chapter 4 "Are you pregnant?"

A satisfied smile crept across Margaret's face as she stood quietly in the hallway.

From where she was, she had witnessed everything. She watched Lorenzo storm out of the kitchen, his face dark with rage, Serena struggling to keep up as he dragged her toward their bedroom.

Margaret didn't make a move to stop him.

Instead, a flicker of triumph danced in her eyes.

Another misunderstanding, another crack in their already broken marriage.

Exactly as she had planned.

She knew Lorenzo's temper better than anyone. Once his anger took over, he refused to listen to reason and Serena could plead her innocence all day, but it wouldn't change a thing.

Margaret smoothed the wrinkles from her dress before slowly making her way downstairs. Her lips curved into a smug smile because everything was falling perfectly into place.

As long as Lorenzo continued to distrust his wife, Serena would never truly become part of the Russo family... and that was exactly how Margaret intended to keep it.

The smug smile on her face faded the moment she reached the kitchen entrance.

Lorenzo had already arrived.

She had witnessed the entire confrontation from the hallway, and for a split second, panic gripped her heart. She knew exactly how ruthless Lorenzo could be when his temper flared. If he believed Damiano had crossed the line, he wouldn't hesitate to make him pay. Fortunately, things had unfolded exactly as she expected.

Lorenzo saw only what she and Damiano wanted him to see.

As soon as Lorenzo disappeared upstairs with Serena, Margaret let out a quiet breath of relief.

She turned toward her son, her expression hardening.

"You were reckless," she said in a low voice. "If you intend to ruin Serena, use your head. Don't provoke Lorenzo so openly."

Damiano shrugged, completely unconcerned.

"I knew he'd never listen to her."

Margaret shot him a warning look.

"Never underestimate his temper. If he ever discovers the truth, even I won't be able to save you."

A smug smile spread across Damiano's face.

"Relax, Mother." He folded his arms confidently. "Lorenzo trusts you more than anyone else in this family. As long as you stand by my side, he'll never believe Serena."

Margaret's lips slowly curved into a satisfied smile.

"That's exactly why we can never allow that woman to earn his trust."

The two exchanged knowing glances as neither of them felt the slightest remorse.

Damiano Russo was the child born from Margaret's secret affair with Antonio Russo years before Antonio's marriage collapsed.

To secure her place in the Russo family, Margaret had carefully woven lie after lie, manipulating every situation to her advantage. By the time Antonio's first wife, Theresa Russo, disappeared from their lives, Margaret had already painted her as an unfaithful woman who had abandoned her husband and son.

Lorenzo had believed that story for years and now… He was falling victim to another carefully crafted lie.

.

Years ago, Margaret had carefully rewritten history to her advantage.

She convinced everyone that Teresa Russo, Lorenzo's biological mother, had betrayed Antonio by running away with another man. Consumed by rage, Antonio hunted them down, and the confrontation ended with both Teresa and her alleged lover dead.

Soon afterward, Margaret became Antonio's wife and officially entered the Russo family.

Few people knew the truth and Damiano was not simply Lorenzo's stepbrother.

He was the son Margaret had secretly conceived during her affair with Antonio long before Teresa's marriage fell apart.

Although Damiano had grown up under the Russo roof, the empire was never meant to be his.

As Antonio's firstborn legitimate son, Lorenzo was the undisputed heir to the Russo Mafia and Russo Enterprises.

But there was one clause in Don Vittorio Russo's will.

If Lorenzo failed to produce a legitimate heir by the time he turned thirty, the succession would be reviewed, giving Damiano the opportunity to claim everything Lorenzo stood to inherit.

That single condition was the reason Margaret had spent years driving a wedge between Lorenzo and Serena.

As long as Lorenzo continued to hate his wife, he would never build a family with her.

And if Serena disappeared from his life forever...

Nothing would stand between Damiano and the Russo empire.

A gentle knock sounded at the bedroom door. Serena took a deep breath before opening it.

Margaret stood outside, her face filled with what appeared to be concern.

"My dear..." she said softly. "I'm so sorry about what happened."

Serena forced a faint smile that never reached her eyes.

"It's alright."

Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they weren't true. If Margaret had wanted to stop Lorenzo's anger, she could have but instead, she had stood by and watched everything unfold.

Choosing not to dwell on it, Serena quietly turned away and resumed her work.

She stripped the wrinkled sheets from the bed and replaced them with clean ones, smoothing every crease with careful hands. Despite the ache in her body, she made sure everything was exactly the way Lorenzo preferred.

From behind the closed bathroom door came the steady sound of running water.

Margaret glanced toward the bathroom before lowering her voice.

"Is Lorenzo getting ready for work?"

Serena nodded without lifting her eyes.

"Yes."

Her hands continued arranging the pillows, though the slight tremble in her fingers betrayed the pain she was trying so hard to hide.

Before Margaret could say another word, the bathroom door opened.

Warm steam drifted into the bedroom as Lorenzo stepped out, a white bathrobe hanging loosely from his broad shoulders. His damp black hair had been pushed back, tiny droplets of water tracing a path down his neck.

He stopped for a brief momentvas his gaze landed on Margaret first.

"Mother."

He acknowledged her with a slight nod before his eyes shifted to Serena.

She was busy straightening the bed, carefully smoothing the sheets as though she hadn't noticed him. Not once did she look in his direction.

Lorenzo's expression remained unreadable and without saying a word, he walked past them and disappeared into the walk-in closet to change for work.

Margaret watched the silent exchange with quiet satisfaction. Not a single greeting, not a single concerned glance. The distance between husband and wife had only grown wider, exactly as she had intended.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Every misunderstanding she created pushed Serena further away from Lorenzo... and brought her own plans one step closer to becoming reality.

Serena still lowered her eyes with a bitter smile. It was almost laughable because she often wondered why Lorenzo bothered coming to her at all when he spent so much of his time surrounded by beautiful women. Surely their company was far more enjoyable than being with the wife he claimed to despise.

What Serena didn't know was that Lorenzo had never looked for comfort in another woman's arms. Behind the ruthless mask he wore was a man who buried every emotion beneath layers of anger and pride. He had convinced himself that keeping Serena at a distance was the only way to protect the walls around his heart.

He never raised a hand against her but his cruelty came in another form.

Every cold stare, every cutting insult, every accusation was carefully aimed to push her away. His words wounded far more deeply than bruises ever could, leaving scars no one else could see.

As Serena tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the faint marks along her neck became visible for only a moment.

Margaret's smile faltered as her eyes narrowed with barely concealed resentment.

Despite everything she had done to drive a wedge between Lorenzo and Serena, the two were still husband and wife in every sense that mattered. It was a reality she refused to accept.

For years, Margaret had worked tirelessly to destroy their marriage.

She had arranged for elegant socialites, famous actresses, and stunning models to cross Lorenzo's path, hoping one of them would lure him away from Serena. Gossip columns were filled with photographs of the Mafia King attending galas beside breathtaking women, fueling rumors of endless affairs. Yet none of those rumors ever became reality.

Lorenzo never allowed any of those women beyond the public eye. Once the cameras disappeared, so did they.

No matter how many opportunities presented themselves, he always returned to the Russo mansion. 

To Serena.

Margaret couldn't understand it.

If Lorenzo truly despised his wife as much as he claimed, why did he always come home to her?

The answer eluded her, but one thing was certain.

As long as Serena remained by Lorenzo's side, Margaret's plans to seize complete control of the Russo empire would remain incomplete.

So she vowed to keep feeding the hatred between them...

One lie at a time.

The constant coldness in Lorenzo's words had slowly worn Serena down.

Day after day, his accusations and indifference chipped away at her spirit until she began to believe that making her suffer was the only thing that brought him satisfaction. Loving him had become the most painful part of her life, yet she couldn't bring herself to stop.

Without warning, a wave of nausea hit her.

Serena's face turned pale. She quickly covered her mouth and rushed toward the bathroom, barely making it before she dropped to her knees in front of the toilet.

Her body trembled as another wave of sickness overtook her.

Standing outside the bathroom, Margaret frowned. She hadn't missed Serena's sudden change in complexion.

Curious, she quietly walked to the doorway.

There, she found Serena kneeling on the floor, breathing heavily after being sick.

Margaret's eyes narrowed as a strange suspicion crept into her mind. Something wasn't right.

After several moments, the nausea finally eased Serena rinsed her mouth at the sink before splashing cold water over her face. When she looked up at her reflection, she barely recognized the exhausted woman staring back at her.

Taking a steadying breath, she turned toward the bedroom door because breakfast still needed to be served.

Lorenzo hated delays, and she couldn't afford to give him another reason to be angry.

She had barely taken two steps when Margaret's voice rang out behind her.

"Serena..."

There was a pause, then Margaret gasped dramatically as her eyes widened as they settled on Serena's pale face.

"Could it be..." She slowly covered her mouth in feigned surprise. "Are you pregnant?"

The question froze Serena where she stood.

Before she could answer, the door to the walk-in closet swung open.

Lorenzo stepped out, still fastening the buttons of his dress shirt. His tie hung loosely around his neck, and his movements stopped the instant he heard Margaret's question.

His sharp gray eyes shifted to Serena and for the first time that morning...

A flicker of shock crossed his face.