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Watch full-length drama films featuring powerful business leaders, hidden identities, family secrets, impossible love stories, revenge, and inspiring personal journeys. Every movie delivers engaging storytelling and memorable characters.
Enjoy high-quality drama entertainment with English subtitles and discover new trending stories uploaded on a regular basis.
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00:00On the eve of my arranged marriage into a mafia family, someone shaved my head bald.
00:05The blonde hair I'd grown for 12 years, hair that used to fall to my waist like a waterfall, was
00:10gone.
00:11All that was left was a blue-tinged scalp.
00:13Scarlett Valenti, who went by Scar on the streets, wore her hair in a high ponytail,
00:17an electric clipper in one hand, grinning lazily a Nico Moretti beside her.
00:21Your fiancé has terrible instincts, such a pampered Upper East Side princess.
00:25Someone slipped into her penthouse suite and she didn't even notice.
00:27How is she supposed to be worthy of you, the future godfather of the Moretti family?
00:32The Moretti Capos and Consigliers, seated around the room, burst into laughter.
00:38Scar, that's not fair.
00:40Nico put that custom essential oil by her bed himself.
00:43Who guards against her own fiancé?
00:46Scarlett gave a mocking laugh and waved the clipper in her hand.
00:51The wedding is tomorrow.
00:52Tomorrow, let's see whether this delicate Upper East Side Barbie still deserves the Moretti wedding ring,
01:00without all that blonde hair she wears like a status symbol.
01:07Nico, take away her salon.
01:09And your fiancess is just a poor little thing.
01:11As laughter filled the room, Nico Moretti looked at me with a thin, perfuctious apology on his face.
01:16Ava, don't be so fragile.
01:18In our world, weakness gets you killed.
01:21Scarlett and the others are just welcoming you in their own way.
01:24It's a test of your nerve.
01:25Put on a veil tomorrow and no one will know.
01:29Wear the veil and the wig tomorrow.
01:31No one will see anything wrong.
01:33You'll still be the Mrs. Moretti I bring home in style.
01:36I tried to move my limbs, still too weak to use, and fixed my eyes on that diffuser bottle.
01:42Nico had come to see me in the suite last night and placed it there with his own hands.
01:47This is a custom essential oil from Sicily blended with lavender and chamomile extract.
01:53It's the best thing for sleep.
01:57You'll be busy all day tomorrow, so get a good night's rest.
02:01I thought of how we had grown up together on New York's Upper East Side since childhood, 20 years of
02:06memories between us.
02:08Never in my worst dreams did I imagine that oil had been laced with a powerful sedative meant to knock
02:13me out cold.
02:14When the family members in the room saw I was awake and silent, they hurried to smooth things off for
02:20Scarlett.
02:21Future mistress, don't be angry. Scar was just messing around.
02:24She's got restless hands. All of us brothers have had a taste of it.
02:27Future mistress, we came back from the Chicago front especially for Nico's wedding. We just wanted to surprise you.
02:33I lowered my eyes to the blonde hair scattered across the floor.
02:36It had been my pride and dignity as the Russell family's daughter.
02:40And now Nico Moretti not only shattered it with his own hands,
02:43he wanted me to swallow this bloody humiliation and pretend nothing had happened just so I could become his ornament.
02:49A surprise? This is the surprise Nico Morelli prepared for me.
02:54Scarlett toyed with the clippers, raised a brow, and looked me up and down.
02:58I was just curious what kind of woman could keep our Nico thinking about her for 20 years.
03:03So dead set on marrying her.
03:05Turns out you're nothing but a spoiled little lady who grew up in a greenhouse and has never seen a
03:11street shootout.
03:12Everyone in the room understood what she left unsaid.
03:16So what Scarlett means is,
03:18I'm not worthy of Nico Moretti.
03:21Is that it?
03:23Ava Russell!
03:24Scar doesn't mean any harm.
03:25She's been blunt like this since she was a kid.
03:27She has no filter.
03:28Why do you have to take it personally?
03:29As he spoke, he tossed a black box onto the bed.
03:32It hit the edge and sprang open, revealing an exquisite wig inside.
03:35Stop making a scene.
03:36I had this handmade Italian custom wig prepared especially for you.
03:39Scarlett was only joking.
03:40It's not like your hair won't grow back.
03:42A joke?
03:43What kind of joke requires shaving someone completely bald?
03:46I didn't scream.
03:47I didn't lose control.
03:48I didn't even say a word.
03:49I bit down hard, forcing myself through the lingering drug haze and the ache in my limbs.
03:53The blood of the Russell family and years of highborn etiquette did not allow me to bow my head.
03:57Under their stunned gazes, I picked up the wig, placed it on my head, and carefully smoothed every shining strand.
04:02When the long hair fell back over my shoulders, I instantly became polished and noble again.
04:07My calmness darkened Scarlett's face, and she cut in from the side.
04:11Nico is taking such good care of you.
04:13Whether I think you're worthy or not, isn't he still marrying you?
04:16So what are you still whining about?
04:18Put on a thick veil tomorrow, wear the wig, and who can tell your hair is gone?
04:22Stop standing there looking so pitiful.
04:24That weak little act is annoying.
04:26But from the moment I woke up until now, I had not shed a single tear.
04:32Nico, are you really gonna let her humiliate me like this?
04:37Nico sighed and came over as if to take my hand.
04:40I jerked away.
04:44Scar's my life and death comrade.
04:46That's just how she is.
04:47Her mouth runs, but her heart isn't bad.
04:49Let's put this behind us, alright?
04:50Nico softened his voice again, coaxing me.
04:52Ava, at the end of the day, I'm the one who gave you the oil.
04:55This should be on me.
04:56If you want to blame someone, blame me.
04:57That was what he said, but his face carried absolute arrogance,
05:00as if he was certain that after loving him for 20 years, I could never hate him.
05:04I looked at his face, the face I had known since I was three.
05:06When I was 11, children from another family cornered me
05:09and tried to steal the necklace my mother had left me.
05:12Nico grabbed a baseball bat and charged at them.
05:14If anyone dared touch a single hair on my head, he would fight them back.
05:18When I was 17, just after my birthday, Nico graduated from West Point
05:22and came to my door with the family's signet ring,
05:24terrified someone else would win me first, desperate to bind me to him for life.
05:28When I was 20, Nico left for Chicago to expand the family's power.
05:31At the airport, he held my hand tightly, eyes red,
05:34and said that when he returned, he would give me a grand wedding.
05:37Then Nico spent four years fighting through Chicago's gunfire,
05:39while I waited quietly for him in the estate in New York.
05:42And now, that diffuser bottle still sat by the bed.
05:45The Sicilian citrus scent that once made me feel safe
05:47was wrapped in the sharp smell of sedatives, silently mocking my stupidity.
05:52Actually, this wasn't the first time I'd seen Scarlett's hostility.
05:55Last year, after begging my father for ages,
05:57I finally boarded the family jet and went to a safe house in Chicago to see Nico.
06:00But after I arrived, Nico showed no surprise at all.
06:02Instead, he spent every day in the war hoose with Scarlett,
06:04leaning over city maps and planning operations.
06:07Even seeing me felt like a waste of his time.
06:09I asked his men to announce me three times.
06:12Scarlett simply posted a printed sheet of paper on the iron door of the war room.
06:15It read,
06:16Ava, Russell, and dogs, no entry.
06:18Back then, I was furious and hurt.
06:20I fought with Nico, but he only told me coldly.
06:22Scar doesn't mean any harm, she's just direct.
06:24Besides, delaying an operational briefing was your fault to begin with.
06:27That was when I knew the scale in Nico's heart had long since tipped beyond repair.
06:31Nico was still standing by the bed,
06:33repeating that line he thought was so affectionate.
06:36Ava, at the end of the day, I'm the one who gave you the oil.
06:39Well, this should be on me.
06:41If you want to blame someone, blame me.
06:43Hearing Nico, Scarlett suddenly grabbed the tactical dagger on the table,
06:46drew the blade, and pressed it against her own long hair.
06:49It's just hair, isn't it?
06:50Fine, I'll shave mine too and keep you to company.
06:52For my partner, a little sacrifice is nothing.
06:55Don't blame Nico.
06:57Scarlett spoke as if she were making some righteous sacrifice,
06:59but the blade in her hand didn't press even the slightest bit into her hair.
07:04I looked at her performance and suddenly laughed.
07:08Then do it.
07:09Scarlett's hand froze.
07:11I leaned forward and pressed her, each word deliberate.
07:13Shave it.
07:14Her blade moved forward by half an inch, but she used no force at all.
07:17It didn't cut even a single strand.
07:19I'm doing this for my partner.
07:21Fine, I'll shave it.
07:21At that moment, Nico leads forward, drew the beretta from his waist,
07:24and knocked the dagger out of Scarlett's hand with the grip.
07:26He looked at me, his face livid, his eyes full of rage.
07:29Enough!
07:30Ava Russell, you are completely out of line.
07:32I froze.
07:33Scarlett is my life and death partner,
07:35a comrade who would take a bullet for me in a street shootout.
07:38Why do you always have to make things hard for her?
07:40She fought for four years in Chicago.
07:42She has spilled more blood than you've shed tears in your entire life.
07:46And you?
07:47The moment you see another woman, you turn her into an imaginary enemy.
07:50Scarlett sees far beyond you.
07:52She worries about the safety of the whole family,
07:55about whether our brothers live or die.
07:57What do you have in your heart?
08:00Scarlett tugged at his sleeve, pretending to advise him,
08:03Nico, stop.
08:04She is your fiancé after all.
08:05But Nico didn't stop accusing me.
08:07So what if she's my fiancé?
08:08She's been shut inside that estate for too long.
08:10Her world is the size of a needle tip.
08:12Scar was only testing you in her own way.
08:14I know it doesn't feel good, but in this line of work,
08:16courage and mental strength are everything.
08:18Why can't you get past this?
08:19Why force Scar to shave her head with you?
08:21Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to force someone to do that?
08:24I stood there, listening to those words stab straight into my heart.
08:27I had told myself countless times that it was time to let go of Nico Moretti.
08:31But at that moment, my heart still felt like it had been seized and crushed by a hand.
08:35Eva, put away your tantrums.
08:37The Moretti name stands for absolute cold blood and obedience.
08:40I don't need a narrow-minded, bitter woman who haggles over a few strands of hair.
08:45Reflect on yourself.
08:47After that, he left the suite with several men without waiting for my answer.
08:50The instant everyone left, the strength I had been forcing myself to hold onto seemed
08:55to drain out of me all at once.
08:57A dense, suffocating pain spread through my veins and into every limb.
09:01I looked at that brilliant patch of gold on the floor and suddenly realized.
09:06I truly hated Nico Moretti now.
09:08I raised my hand, pulled off that heavy, ridiculous wig and threw it aside,
09:12letting my blue-tinted scalp be exposed to the air again when footsteps sounded outside the suite door.
09:19Darling, tomorrow is your big day.
09:21I asked the kitchen to make you...
09:23When my mother pushed the door open, she was still holding a cup of black coffee.
09:27The cup in her hand crashed to the floor, spilling hot coffee everywhere.
09:31My mother stared at my bald head.
09:33Her eyes went wide and her voice shook beyond control.
09:36Your... your hair?
09:37She looked down and saw the long hair scattered across the floor.
09:41Panic overtook her.
09:42What... what happened?
09:43Who did this?
09:45My hearing was sharp.
09:46I heard Scarlet outside the fire exit, unable to suppress a soft laugh.
09:50Mom, it's all right.
09:51I held my mother's violently shaking hands and comforted her softly.
09:55My mother's tears fell instantly.
09:57The wedding is tomorrow.
09:58How are you supposed to face anyone like this?
10:00All of New York society is watching.
10:01What are we supposed to tell them already?
10:03I looked into her eyes and said each word clearly.
10:07Mom, I messaged Damien Costell.
10:10I'm changing the groom.
10:13After I sent the message, my mother wiped her tears and walked out.
10:18That evening, I received Damien Costello's reply.
10:21Just one sentence.
10:23The wedding goes on.
10:24Leave the rest to me.
10:26The wedding was tomorrow, but that night I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
10:29So I got up early to try on the wedding dress and put on the wig.
10:33I stood in front of the mirror, touching the Vera Wong handmade wedding gown that had taken half a year
10:38to customize.
10:38The exquisite dress made me look impossibly beautiful.
10:42I had imagined countless times what I would look like wearing it to marry Nico.
10:46Now it only felt ironic.
10:48Late at night, everyone in the estate had gone to sleep.
10:51The door was suddenly opened with a keycard.
10:54Nico stood in the doorway with Scarlet behind him.
10:57No other men with them.
10:58When he saw me in the wedding dress, a clear flicker of guilt crossed his face.
11:03Ava Russell, we're even now.
11:08What do you mean?
11:10I didn't understand.
11:11I raised my eyes and asked.
11:15That Sicilian oil extract knocked you out cold.
11:19But when he smelled it, the effect was different.
11:24When I poured the oil for you, I left a little at the bottom and didn't clean it up.
11:28Who knew?
11:29Anyway, now we're even.
11:30You lost your hair and something unplanned happened between us.
11:33Nico owes me a huge favor he has to formally repay.
11:38I looked at those glaring marks, then turned to Nico.
11:42Nico took one step forward and spoke.
11:45Ava, Scarlet saved my life three times in Chicago, and now she's been dragged into this.
11:51According to family rules, anyone who saves the boss's life must receive the proper position
11:55and protection within the organization.
11:57I owe her an official explanation.
11:59Why don't we postpone tomorrow's wedding for now?
12:01Postpone again?
12:03Seven years had passed since he promised himself to me when I was 17.
12:06I no longer had years of youth left to waste on him.
12:09Even if I wasn't going to marry him anymore, I still wanted an answer.
12:13Why?
12:14What did you say?
12:16I looked into his eyes and repeated, word by word,
12:19Why do I have to postpone again?
12:22What kind of question is that?
12:23Scarlet risked so much for me, and you can't even show this much understand?
12:27Ava, when did you become so cold-blooded?
12:29Scarlet waved a hand beside him, pretending to be magnumious.
12:32Nico, forget it.
12:33I really don't care.
12:34We're life and death partners.
12:35This is nothing.
12:36No.
12:37You've done so much for me.
12:38I must give you a formal explanation.
12:40Once I finish this territorial expansion, I'll make you my underboss.
12:46Have the entire family recognize your position and officially move you into the estate.
12:52Scarlet paused, then looked at me.
12:55Then what about Ava Russell?
12:58Ava is still my fiancé in name.
13:01That doesn't change.
13:02But you are my underboss.
13:03In the organizational hierarchy, your rank is higher than her.
13:06You're moving into the estate as the family's official recognition of your contributions.
13:10No one will dare say a word.
13:12Fine by me.
13:12I don't care about empty titles anyway.
13:15Have you lost your mind?
13:18It's different in my heart.
13:19She is my right hand, but you are my wife.
13:22She may rank higher in the organization, but you are the person closest to me.
13:27Watching the two of them play off each other, I suddenly laughed.
13:30I no longer cared whether I was the person closest to Nico.
13:34I will not postpone the wedding.
13:36Nico's face darkened instantly.
13:39Ava Russell, do you have to be this unreasonable?
13:42Reasonable or not, tomorrow I will appear at the wedding thing on time.
13:46Nico stared at me for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and nodding.
13:49Fine.
13:50Since you refuse to understand Scarlet and insist on fighting for the title of Mrs. Morati,
13:55don't regret it.
13:58Early the next morning, I sat in front of the vanity mirror,
14:01wearing that Italian custom wig.
14:03The white handmade lace wedding gown made me look upright, elegant, and noble.
14:08When it was time for the ceremony,
14:09my mother supported me as we walked toward the estate gates.
14:13The iron gates opened.
14:14I looked up at the people who had come to receive me and immediately saw Nico standing at the front.
14:18He wasn't wearing the custom Armani groom suit at all.
14:20He was still in his usual black tactical jacket,
14:22and the group behind him looked observering the driveway.
14:25Only two Moretti motor driver driving the family Goviti.
14:27No band stood splancy beside two ordinary black cars.
14:30They didn't even have a bridal bouquet.
14:32When Nico saw me, he visibly sighed in relief and strode toward me.
14:35There was relief in his voice.
14:37Ava, this morning when I went back to the Morati house,
14:39my mother actually told me our wedding had been cancelled.
14:42On the way here, I kept wondering if you really weren't going to marry me.
14:45Just thinking about it made me panic.
14:47But now that I see you coming out in your wedding dress,
14:49I know you're still sensible.
14:51I looked at the shabby procession behind him,
14:54then at the jacket he was wearing,
14:56and curled my lips.
14:57Nico Moretti,
14:58this is the scale of a wedding for the famous Moretti heir?
15:02Ava, you're the one who insisted on holding the wedding today.
15:04I cannot ignore Scarlet's contributions to the family.
15:08She is about to become my underboss.
15:10The family's resources must go to her purse today.
15:12Your entering today has to be handled quietly.
15:15There is no room for discussion.
15:17Looking at Nico,
15:18I only found it ridiculous beyond words.
15:21He kept saying Scarlet was his partner.
15:23But what kind of partner needed to be compensated
15:25with the treatment meant for a lawful wife?
15:28I lowered my head and looked at the white wedding gown on my body.
15:32If this is how I'm entering your family,
15:35then what am I to you?
15:36Some dirty secret you keep locked away?
15:39I'm Ava Russell.
15:40I wasn't put on this earth to be hidden in the dark.
15:45I told you yesterday,
15:46Scar's contributions must be formally recognized by the family.
15:49Her position as number two
15:51has to be established first.
15:53These are the rules.
15:53This isn't up to me alone.
15:55As for today's scene,
15:56I truly didn't have time to prepare.
15:57Why are you so obsessed with these formalities?
16:00Didn't have time to prepare?
16:03Nico Moretti,
16:04you promised yourself to me when I was 17.
16:07If we're talking about who came first,
16:09who exactly was first?
16:12Ava, you're still upset about this?
16:13Why can't you be more generous about this?
16:15Scarlet risked her life for me.
16:17I owe her something.
16:18You'll get what you're owed once you're in the family,
16:20the house, the money, all of it.
16:22So why make this so hard?
16:23It's just one ceremony.
16:27My God.
16:28The Russell family's daughter is getting married
16:29and the Moretti sent two lousy cars to pick her up?
16:32The groom isn't even wearing a suit.
16:33There's not even a bouquet.
16:34Hey, how is this the treatment for Mrs. Moretti?
16:37At this point,
16:38anyone who didn't know better
16:39would think they were dragging her back
16:40as some servant they had to hide.
16:42The Russells have lost all face this time.
16:44Look at the bride, dressed so properly
16:45and Moretti doesn't take her seriously at all.
16:46Those comments slapped through the air,
16:48hot and stinging.
16:48As Nico heard the voices pointing and whispering around him,
16:51his face grew uglier.
16:52Enough!
16:53Ava!
16:54Are you determined to embarrass us here
16:56and make everyone laugh at the Moretti family?
16:58Let go of her!
16:59My mother screamed and tried to rush forward,
17:01but one of Nico's bodyguards shoved her roughly aside.
17:04She stumbled and fell onto the grass.
17:07Scarlett suddenly stepped out of the car behind Nico,
17:09wearing high heels,
17:10and walked up to me.
17:11Oh, Nico,
17:12why waste words on a spoiled little lady
17:14who has never seen the world?
17:15Since she cares so much about ceremony
17:17and even gets jealous of your underboss,
17:19why don't we let everyone see Miss Russell's true face?
17:22Let's see what gives her the right
17:24to negotiate terms with the Moretti family.
17:26With a cold laugh,
17:27she reached out,
17:28grabbed my hair,
17:29and ripped the custom wig off my head
17:30with brutal force.
17:33No!
17:35The surroundings fell deathly silent.
17:37Then came the frantic flashes of reporters' cameras
17:40and the gasps of the crowd.
17:42Oh my God!
17:43She's bald!
17:44The Russell heiress is actually bald.
17:46I clenched my white wedding dress so hard
17:48that my fingertips bled,
17:49yet I refused to shed a single tear.
17:51I looked at Nico.
17:52The second the wig fell,
17:54Nico's body visibly stiffened.
17:56Shock and pity flashed quickly through his eyes.
17:58In the next instant,
17:59that trace of mercy was forcibly suppressed
18:01by the cold blood in his bones.
18:02He clenched his fists
18:04and forced his gaze away from my reddened eyes,
18:06irritable and stiff.
18:07Ava, will you not be satisfied
18:09until you've dragged all my dignity through the dirt?
18:11Look at yourself so pathetic and ridiculous,
18:14like a freak!
18:15Who else would want you besides me?
18:17Pick up the wig
18:18and get in the car!
18:19Now!
18:22Before I could speak,
18:23the sharp screech of tires suddenly rang out.
18:26Nico instinctively dodged behind a bodyguard.
18:28A taser probe grazed past his ear
18:30and slammed deep into the trunk of the oak tree beside him.
18:34He snapped his head up.
18:35At the end of the driveway,
18:36another procession was approaching in full force.
18:39Leading it were eight bulletproof Mayboks,
18:40their bodies wrapped white silk,
18:42surrounded by personal bodyguards in custom black suits.
18:45The pressure they brought was overwhelming.
18:47A red carpet unfurled across the ground.
18:49The grander silence carried loud.
18:52At the front of the procession was Damien Costeo.
18:56He wore a handmade white suit
18:58and walked straight toward us.
19:00Suddenly, he bent and picked up the wig from the ground.
19:04The next second,
19:05the wig was gently placed back on my head.
19:08Damien turned and looked down at Nico.
19:14Morelli,
19:15who gave you the right
19:17to degrade my wife.
19:21Nico Morelli was absolutely stunned.
19:23He stood frozen.
19:24Looking from me to Damien Costeo,
19:25his voice is trembling.
19:26Ava, what is going on?
19:27Why is Mr. Costeo calling you his wife?
19:29I lifted the hem of my wedding dress,
19:32walked past him,
19:33took Damien's hand,
19:34and headed straight toward that grand procession.
19:37Because today is my wedding to him.
19:39Nico Morelli,
19:41don't delay my wedding.
19:42Her footstep sounded behind me.
19:44Nico caught up and tried to grab my hand,
19:46but the Costello bodyguards penned him in place.
19:49Behind him,
19:50Scarlet was too shocked to speak.
19:51What did you say?
19:53You and I have an engagement.
19:54The only person you can marry is me.
19:56How could you...
19:57I turned back to look at him
19:59and said every word clearly.
20:01I,
20:01Ava Russell,
20:02cannot be someone else's accessory.
20:05I cannot be a shadow
20:06hidden from the light.
20:07That was a temporary measure.
20:09I explained it to you.
20:10About Scar!
20:11I don't care about Scar.
20:12All I know is when I was 17,
20:14you promised yourself to me.
20:16I waited for you for four years,
20:17then three more.
20:18Again and again,
20:19you made me wait,
20:20made me step back,
20:21made me endure.
20:23Nico Morelli,
20:23I've had enough.
20:24After that,
20:25I turned and got into the custom bulletproof malloc in the middle.
20:28The moment the car door closed,
20:30I saw Nico through the window,
20:31his face full of helpless panic.
20:33Damien Costello looked down at Nico
20:35who was cringed to the ground.
20:36He's carrying a touch...
20:37So, Morelli,
20:38did I just hear you right?
20:39You want Ava to marry into the Morali house quietly,
20:42like a dirty secret?
20:44Nico raised his head and looked at him,
20:46unwillingness in his eyes.
20:47I'm curious.
20:49What made you think the only daughter of the Russell family,
20:52the future mistress of the East Coast Costello family,
20:54needed to be an accessory to your Moreni house?
20:57Only that she and I were engaged first.
20:59Damien drew two documents stamped with family wax leaves
21:01from the inner pocket of in front of him.
21:03This is a marriage contract witnessed by the commission.
21:05My marriage to Ava Russell is fully legal
21:08and recognized by all families.
21:10Today's wedding is known across the entire East Coast.
21:13As for you,
21:14Nico Morelli,
21:15by rights,
21:16you should be stationed in Chicago.
21:18Why are you in New York?
21:20No wonder you didn't receive the annulment letter
21:22signed by Ava Russell that I had sent to you.
21:25Violating the ceasefire agreement between families,
21:27crossing territories without authorization,
21:29and returning to New York on your own.
21:31That alone is enough
21:32to strip you of your heir status.
21:35And then there is your unauthorized use
21:36of family-controlled drugs
21:38and illegal transport of heavy weapons across borders.
21:42Tell me,
21:42do you think the gentlemen of the commission know?
21:45The wedding car stopped steadily
21:46at the gates of the Costello family's
21:47seaside estate on Long Island.
21:49By the time the ceremony ended,
21:50night had fallen.
21:51The estate was lit and decorated.
21:53Guests who had come to offer congratulations
21:55left one after another.
21:56The door opened,
21:57and Damien Costley walked in,
21:58stopping behind me.
21:59He reached out and touched the wig on my head.
22:01Then his lips curved slightly,
22:03his voice carrying a trace of tender.
22:05Nico Morelli has been detained outside
22:07by my men for almost two hours.
22:10He says he wants to see you.
22:11But I don't want to see Nico Moretti.
22:14Damien mouthed something to me.
22:16You're going to?
22:17I understood.
22:18He said,
22:19the commission's legal counsel
22:20is listening inside.
22:23Then I can see him.
22:27Damien arranged an empty reception room for me
22:29and stationed bodyguards outside the door,
22:31with surveillance recording the entire time.
22:33When I pushed the door open and walked in,
22:36I realized the room was full of people.
22:38Nico stood in the center,
22:39with his cappies and consiglieres behind him.
22:42Another shuffled forward two steps,
22:44his voice close to tears.
22:45Miss Russell,
22:46Nico truly loves you.
22:47He talked about you every day in Chicago.
22:49All of us brothers heard it.
22:50That's right.
22:51Whenever he went out to fight,
22:52he always carried the cross you gave him.
22:53He said he would marry you
22:54once he took the territory.
22:55We heard that for four whole years.
22:57Miss Russell,
22:58he treasured that cross like his life.
23:00If anyone touched it,
23:01he'd lose his mind.
23:02Miss Russell,
23:03you and Nico grew up together.
23:05After all these years,
23:06you can't just...
23:07I listened as they listed
23:08all the ways Nico had been good to me.
23:10But my heart was like dead water,
23:12not a ripple stirred.
23:14Enough!
23:15She was the only one in the room
23:16who did not lower her head.
23:17She stood there with her chin raised high,
23:19her face full of defiance.
23:21Why are all of you backing down?
23:23What's so great about Ava Russell?
23:26Ava Russell,
23:27I really unestimated you.
23:29Yesterday you were playing pitiful
23:30in the hotel suite.
23:31Today you've climbed onto Damien Costello
23:33and married into the Costello family.
23:35Your skill at playing men
23:36is no different from those social climbers
23:38desperate to marry into power.
23:40I never expected Miss Russell
23:41to be so good at it.
23:42I said nothing.
23:43I only looked at her coldly.
23:46Nico suddenly spoke,
23:47his voice fierce
23:48in a way I had never heard before.
23:50Scarlett!
23:51Shut your mouth!
23:53Scarlett froze.
23:54She turned to look at Nico,
23:56disbelief all over her face.
23:59What did you say?
24:00I said shut your mouth!
24:02Nico, have you lost your mind?
24:03Be quiet!
24:07Nico, you're yelling at me
24:08because of her?
24:09Who am I?
24:10I'm your life and death comrade.
24:12Ava Russell's turned around
24:13and married someone else.
24:14What are you doing now?
24:19Ava, I was wrong.
24:22I looked at his face
24:24and said nothing.
24:28I know I was wrong.
24:30I shouldn't have let Scar
24:31shave your hair.
24:33I shouldn't have said
24:34those things to hurt you.
24:35I shouldn't have...
24:37He paused,
24:38then said again,
24:39But Ava,
24:40Scarlett did save my life.
24:42To Chicago,
24:43I walked into an ambush
24:44and was trapped in a car
24:45about to explode.
24:46When I was about to die,
24:47Scarlett dragged me out of the fire.
24:48She said she wanted
24:48to test your nerves,
24:49so I...
24:50Nico could not finish.
24:51The family members in the room
24:53hurried to speak over one another.
24:54Miss Russell,
24:55Scar saved the boss's life.
24:56The boss owed her a huge debt.
24:57It wasn't easy for him to refuse her.
24:59Yes, Miss Russell,
25:00the boss has you in his heart.
25:01He just couldn't swallow his pride.
25:02He didn't know how to turn Scar down.
25:03After all these years
25:04between you and the boss,
25:05you can't just...
25:06Nico spoke again,
25:08his voice full of pleading.
25:09Ava, you can hit me or curse me.
25:11Just don't leave, alright?
25:13I took the essential oil bottle
25:15from my clutch
25:15and threw it onto the floor.
25:16The small bottle
25:17rolled to Nico's feet.
25:19I looked into his eyes
25:20and asked word by word,
25:21Then why did you use this
25:23to set me up?
25:24The night before yesterday,
25:26when you came to my suite,
25:27I wanted to tell you
25:27our engagement was over.
25:29But you didn't let me finish.
25:30You only placed this oil bottle
25:31by my bed,
25:32said it was the best thing for sleep,
25:33told me to rest well,
25:34and left.
25:35My tone edged
25:35with bone-deep mockery.
25:37I thought it was
25:38your wedding gift to me.
25:39Even if the engagement was gone,
25:41we still grew up together.
25:42I never imagined
25:43you would use it
25:44to scheme against me
25:45and let others trample on me.
25:47Nico's face
25:48went white as paper.
25:50I continued.
25:51Every word was like
25:52an ice-tempered dagger
25:53driven into his heart.
25:55I never imagined
25:56you would stand by
25:57and watch someone
25:58take electric clippers
25:59to the hair I'd grown
26:00for 12 years
26:01and shave it all away.
26:02I raised my hand
26:03and removed the wig
26:04from my head.
26:04I placed it casually
26:06on the coffee table beside me,
26:08exposing my bare scalp
26:09and its golden stubble.
26:10The room fell instantly silent.
26:12Every family member
26:13lowered their head,
26:14not one daring to look at me.
26:16That day in my suite,
26:17weren't all of you
26:18laughing so happily
26:19at my bald head?
26:20Why don't you dare look now?
26:24And you.
26:26Do you think a woman
26:27looks good like this?
26:28Nico could not say a word.
26:30His lips trembled violently.
26:32That day when Scarlet
26:33pretended she was going
26:34to shave her own hair,
26:35you said forcing someone
26:36to do that
26:37was a grave humiliation.
26:38You told me not to force her.
26:42Nico Morelli,
26:43do I not have dignity?
26:46Ava, I...
26:47I didn't mean it that way.
26:48I just...
26:48You just what?
26:50Nico opened his mouth
26:51and could not say another word.
26:53I looked at the family members
26:55in the room,
26:55then at Scarlet standing
26:56to the side,
26:57and said clearly,
26:58You brought all these people
26:59back to New York from Chicago
27:00without authorization,
27:02carried heavy weapons illegally,
27:03and used family-controlled drugs
27:05without her permission.
27:06Nico Morelli,
27:07do you know what charges those are?
27:08I bent down,
27:09picked up the oil bottle
27:10from the floor,
27:11and held it in my palm.
27:13This addictive in this bottle
27:14is a family-issued controlled drug.
27:18Once the commission investigates,
27:19they'll know exactly
27:20where it came from
27:21and when it was made.
27:22I looked into his eyes,
27:24my tone calm
27:24but filled with pressure.
27:26Nico, wait
27:26and explain yourself
27:27to the commission.
27:28Explain why you didn't receive
27:29the announcement letter I sent.
27:31Explain why you violated
27:32the ceasefire agreement
27:33and left your post without permission.
27:34Explain why you used
27:35family-controlled drugs
27:36without authorization.
27:39Nico completely panicked.
27:42Ava, you can't do this.
27:44Everything I did
27:45was for you.
27:46I said nothing
27:47and looked at him coldly.
27:49His eyes were so red
27:50they seemed about to bleed.
27:52I drove day and night
27:53with the brothers
27:54for four days
27:54and four nights,
27:56breaking through two blockades
27:57to get back here.
27:58All for you!
28:00I wanted to make it back
28:01before the wedding.
28:02I wanted to marry you
28:03in person.
28:04I was afraid
28:05you'd be anxious
28:05waiting in New York.
28:08So you rushed back
28:09to shave my head bald?
28:13I continued exposing him
28:14without mercy.
28:17So you couldn't wait
28:18to roll into bed
28:19with Scarlet?
28:23Nico Morality,
28:24when you say that out loud,
28:25don't you find yourself
28:26a dickens?
28:31Ava, I truly did it all for you.
28:33If I didn't care about you,
28:34why would I come all this way?
28:35From Chicago to New York,
28:37we destroyed three SUVs!
28:38The brothers went three days
28:39and nights without closing
28:40their eyes!
28:41Enough!
28:41Everyone froze
28:42at the sudden voice.
28:48A hidden door
28:49behind the bookcase
28:50slowly opened.
28:51A man in a gray
28:52three-piece suit
28:53stepped out.
28:54The family ring on his hand
28:55declaring his
28:56extremely high rank.
28:57It was Mr. Lorenzo,
28:58the commission's legal counsel.
29:00The room fell silent.
29:01Nico's face turned ashen
29:03as a corpse.
29:03His body went weak,
29:05his head dropped,
29:05and he could no longer
29:06hold himself like the
29:07heir of the Morati family.
29:08Mr. Lorenzo looked at Nico,
29:10his tone icy.
29:12What an heir of the
29:12Morati family.
29:14Mr. Lorenzo did not speak
29:15loudly, yet everyone in the
29:17room trembled like leaves.
29:18Abandon your post without
29:19permission,
29:21disregarding the rules.
29:22How impressive.
29:23Mr. Lorenzo's gaze
29:25sweat across the room.
29:26He merely raised his hand.
29:27A team of enforcements in
29:28black suits immediately
29:29surged in from outside,
29:30filling half the room
29:31in a dark mass.
29:32All persons involved
29:33in violating the
29:34ceasefire agreement
29:34and suspected illegal
29:35possession of weapons
29:36are to be taken away
29:37and held separately
29:38for investigation.
29:38The family members
29:40on the floor
29:40exploded into panic.
29:42Consulieri,
29:43please give us
29:44one more chance.
29:46Consulieri,
29:46we followed Boss Nico back.
29:48He gave the order.
29:49Please show mercy.
29:51The enforcers didn't care.
29:53Two men stepped forward
29:54for each person,
29:55called the family members up,
29:57and dragged them out.
29:59Cries and pleas
30:00instantly filled the room.
30:01Some sobbed loudly.
30:02Some reached for the
30:03hem of my dress,
30:04only to be kicked away
30:05by an enforcer.
30:06I watched them get
30:07dragged out one by one.
30:08Soon,
30:09half the room was empty.
30:10Mr. Lorenzo's gaze
30:11landed on Scarlet.
30:12Scarlet's face
30:13had gone bloodless.
30:14Malicious assault,
30:15humiliation of an allied
30:16family's daughter,
30:17suspected authorized
30:18use of family equipment,
30:20and abandoning your post.
30:21Under family law,
30:23what should the punishment be?
30:25Consulieri,
30:26give me one more chance!
30:29I earned merits
30:30in Chicago.
30:31I saved Nico three times!
30:33Merit gives you
30:34the right to ignore
30:34family law?
30:35Merit gives you
30:36the right to break
30:37into someone else's
30:38residence and shave her head,
30:39using past service
30:40as arrogance
30:41and disregarding the rules.
30:43Under the law,
30:43what should that merit earn you?
30:45Scarlet opened her mouth
30:46and finally could not
30:47say another word.
30:48Mr. Lorenzo didn't even
30:49look at her as he ordered
30:50the enforcers.
30:51Strip her of family status
30:53and expel her from
30:54the organization.
30:55Also, send her information
30:56to every rival family.
30:57Let her fend for herself.
30:59Scarlet's face
31:00lost every trace
31:00of color.
31:02Scarlet screamed
31:03and lunged from the floor,
31:05grabbing the hem
31:05of my wedding dress.
31:06Ava!
31:07Miss Russell!
31:08Mrs. Costello!
31:10I was wrong!
31:11I was really wrong!
31:12I shouldn't have shaved
31:13your hair!
31:13I shouldn't have said
31:14those things!
31:15I...
31:15I'll shave my head too!
31:16I'll do it right now!
31:17Scarlet pulled the clipper
31:18from behind her waist
31:19and tried to shove it
31:20into my hand.
31:21You shave it!
31:22Shave my hair
31:23as much as you want!
31:24Throw me out!
31:25Don't let them kill me!
31:26I did not take it.
31:27I let the clipper
31:27clatter to the floor.
31:28I looked down at her,
31:29my tongue flat.
31:30Miss Scarlet.
31:31Family rules stand
31:32above everything.
31:33There are no exceptions.
31:35Scarlet froze.
31:36I stepped back,
31:37pulled my dress heel
31:38from her hands
31:39and spoke with
31:40bone-deep mockery.
31:41Just now you said
31:41my skill at playing men
31:42was no different
31:43from a social climber's.
31:44Then what do you call
31:45this begging on your knees?
31:47Scarlet trembled
31:48all over
31:49and could not say a word.
31:50The enforcer stepped forward
31:52and hauled her up
31:52from the floor.
31:53As she was dragged out,
31:55she kept looking back at me.
31:56The expression in her eyes
31:58shifted from pleading
31:59to venom
31:59and finally
32:00to complete despair.
32:01From beginning to end,
32:03Nico never raised his head
32:04to look at Scarlet once.
32:05Mr. Lorenzo glanced at him
32:07and gave a cold order.
32:08Nico Moretti is suspected
32:09of violating family law,
32:10abusing family resources,
32:12abandoning his post
32:12without permission,
32:13and unlawful entry
32:14into a private residence.
32:16Take him to the
32:17underground holding room
32:17to await further investigation
32:19and judgment
32:19by the commissioner.
32:20The enforcers stepped forward
32:22and hauled Nico up.
32:23As they dragged him
32:24toward the door,
32:24he suddenly looked back at me
32:26and called my name
32:27in a hoarse shout.
32:28Ava!
32:30I did not answer him.
32:31I didn't even give him a glance.
32:33Nico still wanted
32:34to say something,
32:35but the enforcers
32:36had already dragged him out.
32:38The room finally fell quiet.
32:40Mr. Lorenzo looked at me,
32:41his tone softening slightly.
32:43Mrs. Costello,
32:44you have suffered an injustice.
32:45I shook my head.
32:46Thank you, consigliere,
32:47for enforcing the law fairly.
32:48I don't feel wrong.
32:49Mr. Lorenzo nodded,
32:51said nothing more,
32:52and left with the enforcers.
32:53Damien stood outside the door,
32:55leaning against a column.
32:56He was playing with a gold coin
32:57in his hand.
32:59All handled?
33:00When he saw me come out,
33:01he put it away
33:01and asked with a smile.
33:03I nodded.
33:04He looked at me
33:05and suddenly laughed.
33:06I thought you'd go soft
33:07one more time.
33:08I looked up at him.
33:09What do you mean?
33:11Nico Moretti.
33:12If you'd softened just now
33:14and pleaded for him,
33:16Lorenzo might have gone easier on him.
33:17I looked into his eyes
33:19and said every word clearly.
33:21I won't.
33:22I understood the gesture
33:23he gave me earlier.
33:24It meant Lorenzo
33:25was in the reception room,
33:27monitoring the entire conversation.
33:28That was why I was startled.
33:30But the moment I decided
33:31to come out and see Nico,
33:32I had already prepared
33:33to ruin him beyond recovery.
33:35Because I hated him.
33:37I hated him for trampling
33:39the heart I had offered him
33:40with both hands.
33:42And I hated him even more
33:43for grinding my dignity
33:45under his feet
33:46again and again.
33:47If I had not turned around
33:48and married Damien Costello,
33:50those two shabby black cars today
33:52would have been taking me
33:53to the Moretti house
33:54to become a shadow
33:55hidden from the light.
33:56I looked at the distant night view
33:57of the estate
33:58and repeated it again.
34:00I will never go soft on him again.
34:02For the next few days,
34:04the Costello estate
34:04closed its doors to guests.
34:06People from the Moretti family
34:07came several times to beg me,
34:09but the bodyguards
34:10stopped them outside the gates.
34:11That day,
34:12I was sunning myself
34:13in the courtyard
34:14when the butler came to report
34:15that Nico Moretti's mother
34:17was waiting outside
34:17the estate gates
34:18and refused to leave.
34:20I sighed and got up
34:21to walk to the entrance.
34:22Isabella Moretti
34:23stood on the stone steps,
34:24her hair dishempled,
34:25her eyes swell in red
34:26like walnuts.
34:27When she saw me come out,
34:29she rushed forward
34:29and grabbed my arm.
34:30Mrs. Costello!
34:32Mrs. Costello, please!
34:33For the sake of the bond
34:34you had growing up together,
34:35save Nico!
34:36Mrs. Costello,
34:37you and Nico
34:38were childhood sweethearts.
34:39You grew up together.
34:41When he was 11,
34:42he bought children
34:43from another family for you.
34:45Have you forgotten?
34:46I looked down at Isabella,
34:48my tone flat.
34:49I haven't forgotten.
34:50Isabella lifted her head,
34:52hope flashing in her eyes.
34:54Then you...
34:55I cut her off directly.
34:56I also haven't forgotten
34:57how he protected Scarlett
34:59and scolded me
34:59for lacking grace
35:00when Scarlett shaved my head.
35:02Isabella froze.
35:03I also haven't forgotten
35:04how he accused me
35:05of being unreasonable
35:06when he wanted me
35:07to enter the Moretti house
35:08quietly,
35:08as an accessory.
35:10Isabella's face
35:10went white instantly.
35:12Nico may have been foolish,
35:13but your Moretti family
35:14never showed me
35:15even a shred of sincerity,
35:16did you?
35:17Since you looked down
35:18on me from the start,
35:19why come beg on that?
35:21I said,
35:22Mrs. Marotti,
35:23go home.
35:23Isabella's tears
35:24surged again.
35:25But Mrs. Costello,
35:26Nico truly loves you!
35:27He was only...
35:28He was only blinded
35:29by that bitch Scarlett!
35:30I said,
35:31Rules are rules.
35:33The family's code of silence
35:34does not make
35:35allowances for sentiment.
35:36Isabella's words
35:37caught in her throat instantly.
35:39I stepped back
35:39and pulled my wrist
35:40from her hand.
35:41Safe travels,
35:42Mrs. Marotti.
35:42I turned and entered
35:44the estate gates.
35:46Behind me came
35:47Isabella's heartbroken cries,
35:49but I no longer cared.
35:50That night,
35:51Damien came to my suite.
35:53He sat across from me,
35:54watching as I removed my wig
35:56and revealed the golden stubble
35:57that had already begun
35:58to grow on my head.
35:59You're surprisingly
36:00at ease with it.
36:00Damien spoke,
36:01his tone carrying
36:02a trace of admiration.
36:03I touched my scalp
36:04and smiled faith.
36:05It'll grow back.
36:06I'm still curious.
36:07Damien leaned back
36:08in his chair
36:08and spoke lazily.
36:10How did you give up
36:10on Nico Moretti
36:11completely overnight?
36:12My hand paused.
36:14I thought I would have
36:15to wait much longer.
36:16I turned to look at him,
36:18confused.
36:18Wait,
36:19what do you mean?
36:20His eyes were serious,
36:21without the slightest hint
36:22of a joke,
36:23as he said each word clearly.
36:25I mean,
36:25I've loved you
36:26for a very long time.
36:27I froze.
36:28The wig nearly slipped
36:29from my hand.
36:30On your 17th birthday,
36:32when Nico proposed to you
36:33with the family ring,
36:33I was at that party.
36:35Back then,
36:36I thought that's it.
36:37I have no chance.
36:38Later,
36:38he went to Chicago
36:39and you waited quietly
36:41for him in New York
36:41for four years.
36:43Then I thought,
36:43that's it.
36:44Your heart only has room
36:45for him.
36:46And then you called me
36:47on an encrypted line
36:48and asked if I dared marry you.
36:51That night,
36:51I was happy
36:52I didn't sleep at all.
36:53Damien smiled,
36:54his eyes full of tenderness.
36:56I've been waiting,
36:58waiting for the day
36:59you finally gave up on him.
37:00I opened my mouth
37:01and could not speak
37:02for a long time.
37:04Then what if I had
37:04stayed foolish to the end
37:05and insisted on marrying
37:06Nico Moretti?
37:07Wouldn't you have
37:08waited for nothing?
37:09Damien raised a brow,
37:10his tone carrying
37:11a bit of dominating
37:12ruggishness.
37:12Even at Memphis,
37:13going to war
37:14with the Morettis
37:15and turning his wedding
37:16upside down,
37:16I would have taken you away.
37:18His words left me speechless.
37:20I shot him a reproachful look.
37:22You,
37:22that's bandit behavior.
37:24He laughed,
37:25his eyes curving with it.
37:27Stealing a bride?
37:28Who's going to strip me
37:29of my godfather's seat
37:30for that?
37:32I couldn't help
37:33the curve of my lips.
37:34Damien's smile faded.
37:35He looked at me seriously
37:36and gently touched
37:37the short golden
37:38struggle on my head,
37:39his movement
37:39impossibly tender.
37:41Ava,
37:43from now on,
37:44no one will ever
37:44make you wait again.
37:45Before your hair grows back,
37:47I've had a pair
37:48as Castor Atelier
37:48make more than 20 wigs
37:50for you in different styles.
37:51With matching jewelry,
37:53you can wear
37:54a different one every day.
37:55Look at the tenders
37:56in his eyes.
37:57My own eyes
37:58too early warmed
37:58and I couldn't help smiling.
38:00Outside the window,
38:01the city lights glittered,
38:03reflecting the tenderness
38:04in the room.
38:05Chicago's cold wind
38:05could not reach
38:06this little courtyard.
38:08From now on,
38:08there would be
38:09no more cold.
38:10The first time
38:11Damien Costello
38:12saw Ava Russell
38:13was at her 12th birthday party.
38:14That day,
38:15the roses at the Long Island
38:16Estate were in perfect bloom.
38:18Ava wore a white floral dress,
38:20her blonde hair
38:20braided into a fishtail brain
38:21that fell to her waist,
38:22and held a newborn rabble
38:23kitten in her arms,
38:24smiling until her eyes
38:26curved like crescent moons.
38:27Damien was 15 that year
38:28and had already been
38:29learning family affairs
38:30at his father's side
38:31for two years.
38:32He had seen too many
38:33heiresses smiling falsely,
38:34too many socialites
38:35deliberately pleasing
38:36the powerful.
38:36But Ava was different.
38:38She ran across the lawn
38:39with the kitten in her arms
38:40and accidentally
38:41bumped into him.
38:42She looked up at him,
38:43neither apologizing
38:44nor panicking,
38:45only tilting her head
38:46to ask,
38:47Who are you?
38:48I haven't seen you before.
38:51Damien Costello.
38:52She nodded,
38:53as if she had heard the name,
38:54or perhaps as if she hadn't,
38:55then stuffed the kitten
38:56into his arms.
38:58Hold this for me.
38:58I'm going to get cake.
39:00Then she ran off.
39:01Damien stood on the lawn,
39:03holding the soft ragball kitten,
39:05stunned for several seconds.
39:06When the bodyguard behind him
39:07tried to step forward
39:08and take it,
39:08he waved him off
39:09and stood there himself
39:10waiting for a full 10 minutes.
39:11When Ava came back with cake
39:13and saw him still standing there,
39:15she paused.
39:15You're still here?
39:16You told me to hold your cat.
39:18Ava blinked,
39:18then suddenly laughed.
39:21You're kind of interesting.
39:23That night,
39:23after Damien returned home,
39:25he sat at his desk,
39:26opened a new notebook,
39:27and wrote a line
39:28on the first page.
39:29Ava Russell,
39:3012 years old,
39:31Long Island Estate,
39:32ragdoll kitten.
39:32He told no one.
39:34From that day on,
39:35every move he made,
39:36every negotiation he entered,
39:38every territory he expanded,
39:39was quietly paving a path for him.
39:41On her 17th birthday,
39:43Nico Moretti took out
39:44the family ring
39:44and promised himself to her
39:46in front of everyone.
39:47Damien stood in the corner
39:48of the banquet hall,
39:49holding a glass of champagne
39:50he never touched,
39:51watching Ava blush and nod
39:53with a face full of joy.
39:54His own face showed no flaw.
39:56After the banquet ended,
39:57he returned to his car,
39:58took that notebook
39:59out of the glove box,
40:00opened it to the first page,
40:01and stared at that line
40:02for a long time.
40:03Then he closed the notebook,
40:05shut his eyes,
40:06and spoke in a voice
40:07only he could hear.
40:08That's it.
40:09No chance.
40:09During the four years
40:11Nico Moretti spent in Chicago,
40:13Damien never once
40:14stopped paying attention
40:14to that city.
40:15He sent three groups
40:17of informants
40:17into Chicago's underground forces,
40:19not to target
40:20the Moretti family,
40:21but to ensure Ava's safety,
40:23even though she knew
40:24nothing about it.
40:26Boss,
40:27Moretti's expansion
40:28in Chicago is going smoothly,
40:29but Scar Volante
40:30has more and more influence
40:31at his side.
40:32She pushed out
40:33two of Moretti's old men.
40:35She's already
40:35Nico's most trusted person.
40:37Damien sat in his office,
40:39turning a gold coin
40:40in his hand.
40:41After hearing the report,
40:43he was silent
40:44for a long time.
40:46Has Ava been to Chicago
40:48once?
40:49She took the Russell family jet,
40:51but Morelli barely saw her
40:52and spent most of his time
40:53in the war room.
40:54Scar even put a note
40:55on the war room door
40:56that said,
40:56said what?
40:58The informant hesitated.
41:00Ava, Russell,
41:01and dogs,
41:02no entry.
41:03The gold coin
41:04in Damien's hand
41:05snapped down
41:06onto the desk.
41:07Boss,
41:08should we?
41:08No.
41:10The man she chose
41:11is hers to face.
41:14Unless she asks,
41:16I don't interfere.
41:17Not interfering
41:18didn't mean
41:19he didn't know.
41:20During those four years,
41:21he had people compile
41:22a monthly report on Ava
41:23and deliver it to his desk.
41:24The reports listed
41:25which charity daners
41:26she attended,
41:27what new books she bought,
41:29which galleries she visited,
41:30and even what flowers
41:31she planted in the estate.
41:32Damien locked those reports
41:34in the drawer of his study
41:35and never let anyone
41:37touch them.
41:37One night,
41:38his mother walked
41:39into the study
41:39and saw him staring
41:40out the window.
41:41A report lay open
41:42on the di-
41:42with a photo of Ava Rustler's
41:43attending a dinner
41:44attached to it.
41:45You still can't let her go?
41:46Damien said nothing.
41:48She's engaged
41:49to the Moretti family.
41:51Waiting for her
41:51is waiting for nothing.
41:53I know.
41:55But I can't help it.
41:57That night at 11.40pm,
41:59Damien had just finished
42:00a six-hour negotiation
42:01with the Philadelphia family
42:02and returned to his room
42:03to shower.
42:04It was an infone rang number.
42:06He answered.
42:06The other end
42:07was silent for two seconds
42:08and then he heard Ava's voice.
42:10It was not the clear,
42:12laughing girl's voice
42:12in his memory.
42:13It was whorzy
42:14and exhausted
42:15as if something
42:16had crushed it
42:16over and over.
42:18Damien?
42:19Yes?
42:21Do you remember
42:21what you once told me?
42:25Damien's heightened him slightly.
42:26He had said
42:26too many things to her.
42:27Almost every time
42:28he saw her
42:29he would say
42:30one or two lines
42:31that seemed casual
42:32but had actually been
42:33waved countless times.
42:34He didn't know
42:34which one she meant.
42:35Which one?
42:36Ava was silent
42:37for a few seconds.
42:38Then she said,
42:39word by word,
42:41You said,
42:41if one day you need
42:42a better choice
42:43than Nico Moroni,
42:44I'll always be here.
42:45Damien's fingers
42:46turned white
42:47around the phone.
42:48He did not speak.
42:49Not because he didn't want to,
42:51but because he was afraid
42:51his voice would shake
42:52the moment he opened his mouth.
42:54I'm here.
42:56Another silence followed.
42:57Then Ava said,
42:58I'm changing the room.
42:59Do you dare marry me?
43:01That night Damien Costello
43:02truly did not sleep at all.
43:04He wasn't hesitating.
43:05He had no hesitation whatsoever.
43:06He was planning.
43:08By four o'clock
43:08the next morning,
43:09he was already sitting
43:10at his desk
43:11drafting the two marriage contracts
43:12to be witnessed
43:13by the commission.
43:14Before dawn,
43:15he had called the heads
43:16of four families
43:17in New York,
43:18Boston,
43:19Philadelphia,
43:19and Baltimore
43:20telling them
43:20that the Costello family
43:21was holding a wedding
43:22and the bride
43:23was Ava Russell,
43:24the only daughter
43:24of the Russell family.
43:25No one objected,
43:26not because they didn't dare,
43:28but because in the
43:28East Coast underworld,
43:30no one had ever been able
43:31to take what Damien Costello
43:32wanted,
43:32except Ava Russell.
43:34He had waited seven years
43:35and she had finally asked.
43:37From the moment
43:37he decided to marry Ava,
43:39Damien treated the wedding
43:40like a battle,
43:41not because he wanted
43:43to show off,
43:43but because he knew
43:44Nico Moretti
43:45would not let it go.
43:47Raise the wedding
43:47security level
43:48to the highest.
43:50Within a two-kilometer
43:51radius of the Long Island
43:52estate,
43:53every high point
43:54gets a sniper.
43:56On the wedding day,
43:58anyone without
43:59an invitation
43:59who approaches
44:01the estate
44:01is to be restrained
44:02immediately.
44:03Boss,
44:04what about
44:04the Moretti family?
44:05Nico Moretti
44:06is still in Chicago,
44:08but he will
44:09definitely come back.
44:10If he follows
44:11the ceasefire agreement,
44:13he can only bring
44:13a few people.
44:14If he doesn't...
44:15Damien paused,
44:16his eyes turning cold.
44:17Even better.
44:18Two days before
44:19the wedding,
44:20he sent Nico Moretti
44:21the annulter letter
44:22Ava had signed
44:23with her own hand.
44:24He sent two copies,
44:25one through formal channels
44:27and one by private courier
44:29directly to Nico's
44:30safe house in Chicago.
44:31Did Nico receive it
44:32or not?
44:33It doesn't matter.
44:35What he wanted
44:35was a legitimate reason.
44:37If Nico received
44:38the annulment letter
44:39and still abandoned
44:40his post to
44:41Russia back to New York,
44:42that was contempt
44:43for the rules.
44:44If he didn't receive it,
44:46that was his own problem.
44:47Either way,
44:48Damien had already won,
44:49but there was one thing
44:50he had me calculated.
44:52On the wedding day,
44:53Damien wore a handmade
44:54white suit and stood
44:55at the estate gates,
44:56waiting for his bride.
44:57He had imagined this moment
44:58countless times.
45:00Ava in white too,
45:01her blonde hair
45:02like a waterfall,
45:03walking out from behind
45:03the iron gates,
45:04sunlight falling over her.
45:06So beautiful,
45:06she didn't seem real.
45:08The iron gates opened.
45:09Ava came out.
45:09The white gown was beautiful.
45:11Her posture was upright,
45:12elegant, and noble.
45:13But Damien's gaze fell
45:14almost instinctively
45:15on her head.
45:16A wig.
45:17He recognized it at a glance.
45:18Not because the wig was poor.
45:20It was the finest custom wig
45:21from Italy,
45:22hand-woven,
45:23every strand carefully selected.
45:25On her head,
45:25it was almost flawless.
45:26But Damien had watched her
45:28for too many years.
45:29He knew the curve,
45:30color,
45:30and shine of her hair.
45:32He knew how she liked
45:33to tuck it behind her ear.
45:34He knew how her blonde hair
45:36moved when the wind blew.
45:37This woman wearing a wig
45:39was not the Ava
45:40in his memory.
45:40The smile on Damien's face
45:42did not change.
45:43He walked forward,
45:44extended his hand,
45:45and spoke in a warm,
45:46proper voice.
45:47Are you ready?
45:48Ava glanced at him
45:49and nodded lightly.
45:50She placed her fingers
45:51in his palm.
45:52In that instant,
45:53Damien felt her fingertips
45:54trembling lightly.
45:55He said nothing.
45:56He only held her tighter.
45:57After the wedding ceremony
45:58ended,
45:59he had people investigated.
46:01Two hours later,
46:02the report was placed
46:03on his desk.
46:04Nico Moretti,
46:05Scarlet Scarvalanti,
46:06seductive in the essential oil,
46:08electric clippers,
46:10blonde hair all over the floor.
46:11After reading the report,
46:13Damien was silent for a long time.
46:15Then he picked up the desk phone
46:17and dialed a number.
46:18Mr. Lorenzo,
46:20I need a favor.
46:21It wasn't that Damien Costello
46:23had never killed anyone.
46:24When he was 16,
46:25he personally watched his father
46:26order the execution of a traitor
46:28for the first time.
46:29The man knelt on the concrete floor
46:30of the warehouse,
46:31crying so hard his whole body shook,
46:33shouting,
46:33I was wrong,
46:34and give me one more chance.
46:36His father did not look at the man.
46:37He only said one thing to Damien.
46:39In our line of work,
46:40softness gets you killed.
46:42Damien remembered.
46:43For 20 years,
46:44he had never gone soft.
46:45But that night,
46:47when Ava walked out
46:47of the reception room
46:48and he leaned against the column,
46:50asking,
46:50I thought you'd go soft
46:51one more time,
46:52she looked into his eyes
46:53and said every word clearly,
46:55I will never go soft on him again.
46:57Damien looked into her eyes.
46:59There were no tears in them,
47:01no hatred,
47:01not even resentment,
47:03only a quiet,
47:04final resolve,
47:04as if something had already
47:06been turned over.
47:06He suddenly thought of the way
47:08she looked seven years ago
47:09on the lawn,
47:09holding a ragdoll kitten
47:11and smiling until her eyes
47:12curved like crescent moons.
47:14That girl was gone.
47:15The woman standing before him
47:16had been shaved bald,
47:17humiliated,
47:18and betrayed,
47:19yet still kept her back straight
47:20and her head high
47:21as she walked out of that room.
47:22Damien smiled.
47:23It wasn't triumph.
47:25It wasn't relief.
47:26It was something complicated,
47:28something even he could not explain.
47:30He reached out
47:31and gently touched
47:31the wig on her head.
47:32Before your hair grows back,
47:34I've had a Paris Coutouli
47:36make more than 20 wigs
47:37for you in different styles.
47:39With matching jewelry,
47:40you can wear a different one
47:41every day.
47:42Ava paused,
47:42then smiled.
47:43The smile was faint,
47:44different from the smile
47:45she had worn at 12
47:46while holding the ragdoll kitten,
47:48but Damien thought
47:48it was the most beautiful smile
47:49he had ever seen in his life.
47:51It's alright.
47:52When her hair grows back,
47:54when the wound in her heart
47:56slowly heals,
47:57when one day she can smile again
47:59the way she did at 12,
48:00he will always be here.
48:02Three months later,
48:04Ava's hair had grown to ear length.
48:05The golden stubble
48:06had become soft,
48:07lying against the curve of her ears
48:09and making her face
48:09look even smaller.
48:10She only wore the wigs
48:11Damien ordered from Paris once.
48:14I don't want to wear them anymore.
48:15This is fine.
48:17It's pretty good.
48:18Damien glanced at her
48:19and said nothing.
48:20He put the 20 plus wigs
48:22into a wardrobe cabinet,
48:23then had the matching jewels
48:24reset into everyday pieces
48:26and had the butler
48:27place them on her venery
48:28every morning.
48:29One night,
48:30Ava was reading in his studio
48:31and accidentally pulled open
48:32the locked drawer.
48:33She saw the notebook.
48:35She opened it to the first page.
48:37Ava Russell,
48:3812 years old,
48:40Long Island estate,
48:41rag doll kitten.
48:42She froze.
48:43She kept turning the pages.
48:45Ava, 13,
48:46birthday party,
48:47wearing a pink dress,
48:48a white rose tucked into her hair.
48:49Ava, 14,
48:51sent to Switzerland for school.
48:52Plane departed from Kennedy Airport.
48:54Weather clear.
48:55Ava, 15,
48:56first family dinner.
48:57A little nervous,
48:57but performed very well.
48:59Ava, 16,
49:00returned from Switzerland.
49:01A little tanned,
49:02but smiling happier
49:03than before she left.
49:04Ava, 17,
49:05birthday.
49:06Nico Moretti proposed.
49:07She said yes.
49:08After that line,
49:09there was a period.
49:10Then she turned the page.
49:12The handwriting was new.
49:13The ink a different color,
49:15clearly written later.
49:16Ava, 20,
49:17waiting for Nico Moretti
49:18in New York.
49:19I am still waiting.
49:20Ava, 21,
49:21went to an art gallery alone.
49:22I went to.
49:23She didn't see me.
49:25Ava, 22.
49:26The Russell family began urging her to marry.
49:28She still refused to pressure Nico.
49:30She is stubborn.
49:31Ava, 23,
49:32she called me.
49:33Ava, 23,
49:34she married me.
49:35Under that final line,
49:36there was a small star.
49:37Ava held the notebook
49:38and sat on the study carpet.
49:40Her tears fell one by one onto the page,
49:43blurring that little star.
49:45When Damien pushed the door open,
49:47this was what he saw.
49:48He froze for a second,
49:49then walked over,
49:50crouched down,
49:51gently took the notebook from her hands,
49:53closed it,
49:53and placed it aside.
49:54Who told you to go through my things?
49:56Ava raised her head and looked at him.
49:57Her eyes red,
49:58her voice a little hoarse.
49:59Why didn't you tell me?
50:00Tell you what?
50:02That I've liked you since you were 12?
50:04That's too embarrassing.
50:06Ava was choked by his words,
50:07torn between crying and laughing.
50:09Weren't you afraid I would really marry Nico?
50:11Damien looked at her and suddenly smiled.
50:12There was no triumph in that smile,
50:14no bitterness,
50:15only something quiet and tender like moonlight.
50:17I was.
50:19But I was more afraid you would regret it.
50:21Ava froze.
50:22Damien reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear,
50:25his touch so gentle it was as if he feared breaking something.
50:29If you chose someone else,
50:30that was your footing.
50:32But if you chose me,
50:34I would always be here.
50:36Ava's tears fell again.
50:37She buried her face in his chest and muttered,
50:40Damien Costello,
50:41you really are an idiot.
50:43Damien held her,
50:44lowered his head,
50:45and kissed the top of her hair,
50:47his voice low and smiling.
50:50I know.
50:51Outside the window,
50:52the night wind over the Long Island estate was gentle,
50:54and the distant city lights glittered.
50:56She had lost the blonde hair that symbolized her status,
50:59but she had found someone willing to wait 12 years for her.
51:02For the rest of her life,
51:03there would be no more cold.
51:04There would be no more cold.
51:04There would be no more cold.
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