Bound by Blood and Vows

Bound by Blood and Vows

chiaraamah99

5.0
Comment(s)
14
View
91
Chapters

Aria Vescari was never the sister meant to be noticed. She lived in the quiet corners of her family's life, eclipsed by Bella-the favored daughter, the beauty, the one adored by all. While Bella basked in admiration and luxury, Aria worked quietly, attempting to build a life of her own, far from the expectations and spotlight that never seemed to touch her. But everything changed when her father's company stood at the edge of collapse. Desperate and drowning in debt, he reached out to old connections, unaware of the chain reaction he was about to set in motion. Leonardo Matteo Ricci was a man forged in cold ambition. He didn't believe in love, in softness, or in second chances. Raised at the helm of a ruthless Mafia empire, he learned early that emotion was weakness, and power meant survival. To the outside world, he was a billionaire businessman, sharp and controlled. Behind closed doors, he was a strategist-a man who moved pieces, not people. The only thing he never allowed himself to be was a pawn. When his mother demanded marriage, Leonardo didn't argue. He didn't believe in the illusion of choice or freedom. If it had to happen, it would be on his terms. He chose a bride with precision, not passion. He didn't pick the girl who flirted in diamonds or laughed too loudly at his words. He chose the one who stood in silence. The one who didn't look at him with infatuation, but with wariness. He chose Aria. It wasn't about love. It was about leverage. Her father's debt would vanish. In return, she would wear his ring. Aria didn't ask for the arrangement. She didn't dream of power or privilege. But when faced with her family's ruin, she accepted what she couldn't change. In a single moment, she stepped into a world she didn't understand, beside a man she didn't trust, bound by a vow that wasn't built on affection-but control. Their marriage was cold from the beginning. Leonardo made no effort to pretend otherwise. Aria was given status, wealth, a new name-but no warmth. In public, she became Mrs. Ricci. In private, she was alone. And yet, Aria didn't break. She adapted. She observed. She stayed quiet, but never small. She learned to navigate the world of underground politics and whispered threats. She didn't chase Leonardo's attention or beg for his affection. That silence, more than anything, began to pull him in. He didn't understand her. She wasn't like the women who surrounded him. She didn't flatter. She didn't scheme. She didn't pretend. She simply existed-unmoved, unshaken, and completely uninterested in what he could offer. And that made her dangerous in a way he never expected. Behind closed doors, the air shifted. It wasn't warmth, not yet. But tension. A kind of awareness neither of them spoke of. There were stolen glances across marble halls, an accidental brush of hands, the heaviness of words left unsaid. Slowly, without meaning to, they became something more than strangers bound by contract. But not everyone welcomed the shift. Bella watched the world she thought was hers unravel. She had spent years imagining herself beside Leonardo-imagining power, love, and a name like Ricci attached to her own. Aria's marriage felt like betrayal. And in betrayal, she found rage. Jealousy turned sharp. Whispers turned into sabotage. Bella wasn't just heartbroken-she was humiliated. In her eyes, Aria had stolen the life she was born for. And she would stop at nothing to take it back. Tensions rose inside the house and outside its walls. Leonardo's enemies, always watching, began to notice his attention shifting. They saw in Aria something rare-a weakness they could exploit. In the shadows of loyalty and power, danger circled. A single misstep could mean war. Leonardo had never cared for weakness. But for the first time, he cared for her. What began as a calculated decision turned into something neither of them could define. He began to protect her-not out of obligation, but instinct. He saw how she moved, how she listened, how she began to understand the weight of the world she married into. And Aria, who once only wanted freedom, now had to decide what that meant. Because freedom might mean walking away. And leaving might mean losing everything they'd quietly built. As Bella pushed further into chaos, as enemies in the criminal underworld sharpened their blades, as Leonardo's control began to fray beneath the pressure of emotion he didn't know how to name-Aria became the center of it all. No longer the invisible sister. No longer the quiet girl. She was the wife of a man feared by an entire city. A woman others wanted to break, who refused to bend. A girl who once lived in shadows, now standing in the most dangerous spotlight of all. Their marriage wasn't romantic. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't built on dreams. But it was real. And in the world they belonged to-real was the only thing that survived.

Chapter 1 Where it all started

The chandelier above the Vescari family dining table sparkled like a crown, casting a golden glow over the porcelain plates and silver cutlery arranged to perfection. The aroma of roasted veal and garlic butter filled the room, but Aria barely tasted any of it. Her fork toyed with the steamed vegetables on her plate as laughter erupted again from across the table.

Bella was mid-story, gesturing animatedly with her manicured hands, her wine glass dangerously close to tipping with each dramatic flourish.

"And then I told him," she continued with a smirk, "If you're going to wear velvet loafers, at least make sure they're not burgundy. Honestly, who still wears burgundy?"

Their mother laughed, eyes crinkling with joy, her hands clasped under her chin. "Oh, darling, you always say exactly what people are too afraid to say. That's what makes you special."

"Right?" Bella beamed, flipping her glossy curls over her shoulder. "You have to set standards. People look up to me, you know?"

Their father chuckled, his voice warm. "You're a natural leader, Bella. Always have been. Men must be lining up just to speak to you."

Aria pressed her lips together and stared down at her plate. She reached for her water, fingers trembling slightly. She had tried to talk about her internship at a local gallery earlier in the meal-just one comment, one attempt to be seen-but Bella had talked over her, and the moment vanished like smoke.

She tried again, quieter this time. "The curator said they might extend the program-"

"Ugh, Aria," Bella sighed, without even turning her head. "Can you pass the salt? Thanks."

Aria passed it. Their mother didn't look her way. Neither did their father.

"The gallery is small," Aria added, voice soft. "But they're hosting a private showing next month, and I might-"

"You know who I ran into today?" Bella cut in, bright-eyed. "Alessandro Volpe's mother. She said he's back from Milan. You remember him, right, Papa? The one with the lake house and that German shepherd?"

"Of course!" Their father smiled wide. "Handsome boy. Very sharp."

Aria blinked slowly and stopped speaking.

The rest of the meal passed in a blur of Bella's anecdotes and praise. When dessert was served, their parents were still lost in the world of their youngest daughter-their star. Aria excused herself quietly and slipped away to her room, the sound of Bella's laughter echoing behind her like an old wound.

The next day, Aria walked two steps behind Bella through the cobbled streets of the upscale shopping district. Sunlight filtered through the sycamore trees lining the walkway, dappling her face in golden flecks. Bella, of course, was in full bloom-dressed in a silk mini dress, designer heels clicking confidently, sunglasses perched like a crown.

They had just left a boutique where Bella had bought three dresses and two handbags without blinking. Aria hadn't touched a thing.

"Why do you always look like a ghost at a party?" Bella asked suddenly, pulling off her sunglasses as they neared the café. "Seriously. Could you try smiling? Just once?"

"I wasn't aware I was supposed to perform," Aria replied, keeping her tone level.

Bella scoffed. "Oh, please. You act like you're above it all. Like you're too deep for anyone to understand you."

"I never said that," Aria said quietly.

"You don't have to. It's written all over your face." Bella turned, halting their walk in the middle of the sidewalk. "You always make things about you, Aria. Always the victim. Always invisible. Maybe if you weren't so miserable all the time, people would actually want to be around you."

Aria's shoulders stiffened. "You mean like you?"

"Yes," Bella snapped. "Exactly like me."

People nearby had started glancing over. A couple walking their dog slowed down, pretending not to listen but clearly intrigued. Bella's eyes flashed, her voice dropping just a notch.

"You ruin everything," she hissed. "Every time we're out together, I feel like I have to apologize for your presence. You're not fun, you're not social, and you definitely don't belong in my world."

"I didn't realize it belonged to you."

Bella took a step closer. "Don't test me. I swear to God, Aria, if I have to spend one more day with you moping in the background, I'm going to lose my mind."

Just then, a sleek black car pulled up to the curb. Their mother stepped out, heels clicking as she approached.

"What's going on?" she asked, her tone strained.

Bella turned dramatically toward her. "She's making things unbearable again, Mama. I can't deal with it. She's sucking the life out of everything. I just wanted to have one nice day."

Their mother looked at Aria. Not in concern. Not even in anger. Just with quiet exhaustion.

"Bella's been trying so hard to stay positive," she said softly. "You know she's had a difficult week."

"I haven't said anything," Aria said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Their mother reached into her clutch and pulled out a few folded bills. She stepped closer, pressed the money into Aria's hand.

"Go find a hotel for a couple nights. Just until Bella calms down."

Aria didn't move.

"She just needs space," her mother added, as though this were completely normal. "You understand, don't you?"

Aria looked down at the money, crumpled in her palm. She felt a strange sense of detachment, as though she were watching the moment from outside herself.

"I understand," she said.

She turned without another word and walked away, the city's noise swelling around her like a curtain. No one called after her. No one looked back.

As Aria turned the corner, the hum of the city dulled to a low murmur in her ears. She passed by a window display of golden gowns and perfume bottles, but she didn't stop. Her steps were slow, not out of hesitation, but from a strange weight that settled in her chest. She'd always known her place in the family-it was somewhere just outside the light, somewhere quiet and small-but it still amazed her how easy it was for them to cast her aside.

She stared at the folded bills in her hand. It wasn't the money that stung. It was the gesture. Cold. Dismissive. As though she were an inconvenience they could send away like noise during a party.

A child ran past her, laughing, chased by a woman who looked exhausted but happy. The sound should have been pleasant, but it only deepened the ache inside her. No one had ever chased after her. Not once.

She stopped at a crosswalk, blinking against the brightness of the afternoon. Somewhere behind her, Bella was probably already laughing again, untouched, unbothered. And Aria-forgotten, again-crossed the street alone, carrying the silence like a second skin.

Continue Reading

You'll also like

I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

Jessica C. Dolan
4.9

Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé. Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now-billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn't mind. I'd crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one? Wrong. One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That's when it hit me-he didn't love me. He didn't even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn't even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup. So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster-my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise. Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol. Enter him. Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I'd met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes. It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised. But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life. And, as it turned out, the best decision I'd ever made. Because my one-night stand isn't just some random guy. He's richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with. And now, he's not letting me go.

Too Late: The Spare Daughter Escapes Him

Too Late: The Spare Daughter Escapes Him

SHANA GRAY
4.3

I died on a Tuesday. It wasn't a quick death. It was slow, cold, and meticulously planned by the man who called himself my father. I was twenty years old. He needed my kidney to save my sister. The spare part for the golden child. I remember the blinding lights of the operating theater, the sterile smell of betrayal, and the phantom pain of a surgeon's scalpel carving into my flesh while my screams echoed unheard. I remember looking through the observation glass and seeing him-my father, Giovanni Vitiello, the Don of the Chicago Outfit-watching me die with the same detached expression he used when signing a death warrant. He chose her. He always chose her. And then, I woke up. Not in heaven. Not in hell. But in my own bed, a year before my scheduled execution. My body was whole, unscarred. The timeline had reset, a glitch in the cruel matrix of my existence, giving me a second chance I never asked for. This time, when my father handed me a one-way ticket to London-an exile disguised as a severance package-I didn't cry. I didn't beg. My heart, once a bleeding wound, was now a block of ice. He didn't know he was talking to a ghost. He didn't know I had already lived through his ultimate betrayal. He also didn't know that six months ago, during the city's brutal territory wars, I was the one who saved his most valuable asset. In a secret safe house, I stitched up the wounds of a blinded soldier, a man whose life hung by a thread. He never saw my face. He only knew my voice, the scent of vanilla, and the steady touch of my hands. He called me Sette. Seven. For the seven stitches I put in his shoulder. That man was Dante Moretti. The Ruthless Capo. The man my sister, Isabella, is now set to marry. She stole my story. She claimed my actions, my voice, my scent. And Dante, the man who could spot a lie from a mile away, believed the beautiful deception because he wanted it to be true. He wanted the golden girl to be his savior, not the invisible sister who was only ever good for her spare parts. So I took the ticket. In my past life, I fought them, and they silenced me on an operating table. This time, I will let them have their perfect, gilded lie. I will go to London. I will disappear. I will let Seraphina Vitiello die on that plane. But I will not be a victim. This time, I will not be the lamb led to slaughter. This time, from the shadows of my exile, I will be the one holding the match. And I will wait, with the patience of the dead, to watch their entire world burn. Because a ghost has nothing to lose, and a queen of ashes has an empire to gain.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Bound by Blood and Vows
1

Chapter 1 Where it all started

19/04/2025

2

Chapter 2 The agreement

19/04/2025

3

Chapter 3 Denied blood

19/04/2025

4

Chapter 4 Her choice

19/04/2025

5

Chapter 5 Broken trust

19/04/2025

6

Chapter 6 Trophy wife

19/04/2025

7

Chapter 7 Through thick or thin

19/04/2025

8

Chapter 8 Sister ties

19/04/2025

9

Chapter 9 The game begins

19/04/2025

10

Chapter 10 He owns her

19/04/2025

11

Chapter 11 The plot

22/04/2025

12

Chapter 12 Orders

24/04/2025

13

Chapter 13 New feelings

24/04/2025

14

Chapter 14 His presence

25/04/2025

15

Chapter 15 Fragile heart

25/04/2025

16

Chapter 16 Unexpected

25/04/2025

17

Chapter 17 Break out

25/04/2025

18

Chapter 18 Alone

26/04/2025

19

Chapter 19 Not to be used

26/04/2025

20

Chapter 20 The truth

26/04/2025

21

Chapter 21 Butterflies

27/04/2025

22

Chapter 22 Hope

28/04/2025

23

Chapter 23 Flames

28/04/2025

24

Chapter 24 Detailed piece

28/04/2025

25

Chapter 25 New beginnings

28/04/2025

26

Chapter 26 Silent secrets

29/04/2025

27

Chapter 27 Threads of deception

29/04/2025

28

Chapter 28 Chains that bind

30/04/2025

29

Chapter 29 Spirals and shadows

01/05/2025

30

Chapter 30 False hope

03/05/2025

31

Chapter 31 Broken

03/05/2025

32

Chapter 32 Broken heart

04/05/2025

33

Chapter 33 The silence that echos

04/05/2025

34

Chapter 34 The silence between us

04/05/2025

35

Chapter 35 The tension builds

04/05/2025

36

Chapter 36 Sneaky

05/05/2025

37

Chapter 37 Walking on edge

07/05/2025

38

Chapter 38 Guilt

07/05/2025

39

Chapter 39 Price of desires

07/05/2025

40

Chapter 40 Shattered bonds

08/05/2025