The Boy Who Became Don

The Boy Who Became Don

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
View
9
Chapters

My name is Leo O' Connell, and I was just fourteen, the overlooked son in a crime family ruled by my tyrannical father. My only solace was my beautiful, quiet mother, Isabella, an outsider in our Irish world, sent as a peace offering from her Sicilian family. Then, my estranged older brother, Connor "The Ghost" O' Connell, a legendary enforcer, returned home after fifteen years in exile. Everyone around me buzzed with anticipation, but I noticed something unsettling in my mother: a forgotten energy, a bright light in her eyes, especially when she looked at Connor. That night, driven by a strange intuition, I crept to my mother' s private bungalow. Through a gap in the blinds, I saw them: my mother, Isabella, and Connor, locked in a passionate embrace, not the embrace of brother and sister-in-law. I heard him whisper a different name, "Bella," confessing he'd thought of her for fifteen years before he kissed her. My world shattered. My mother, beautiful and sad, was a liar. And Connor, the brother I was beginning to admire, was a thief of her affections. He was going to take her away. He penned a secret note, hidden in a Zippo lighter, detailing their escape and a new life together for all three of us. But consumed by a cold, selfish fear of abandonment, I found that note and burned it. I told her nothing, letting her believe he was simply leaving, forever heartbroken. Two years later, my father lay dying, naming Connor the new Don, and secretly ordering my mother' s death to clear the slate. To protect me, my mother lied to Connor, claiming I was my father's true son, forcing Connor to sacrifice his inheritance. He gave up everything, even his life in a bloody gang war, to secure a future for the woman he loved and the boy he believed was his brother. Only after his death, and my mother's passing from a broken heart, did the full, terrible truth unravel, leaving me as the lonely, haunted Don. Now I stand alone, a king of an empire stained with the blood of lies, forced to confront the devastating consequences of my selfish act and the unimaginable sacrifices made by those I loved.

Introduction

My name is Leo O' Connell, and I was just fourteen, the overlooked son in a crime family ruled by my tyrannical father.

My only solace was my beautiful, quiet mother, Isabella, an outsider in our Irish world, sent as a peace offering from her Sicilian family.

Then, my estranged older brother, Connor "The Ghost" O' Connell, a legendary enforcer, returned home after fifteen years in exile.

Everyone around me buzzed with anticipation, but I noticed something unsettling in my mother: a forgotten energy, a bright light in her eyes, especially when she looked at Connor.

That night, driven by a strange intuition, I crept to my mother' s private bungalow.

Through a gap in the blinds, I saw them: my mother, Isabella, and Connor, locked in a passionate embrace, not the embrace of brother and sister-in-law.

I heard him whisper a different name, "Bella," confessing he'd thought of her for fifteen years before he kissed her.

My world shattered. My mother, beautiful and sad, was a liar. And Connor, the brother I was beginning to admire, was a thief of her affections.

He was going to take her away. He penned a secret note, hidden in a Zippo lighter, detailing their escape and a new life together for all three of us.

But consumed by a cold, selfish fear of abandonment, I found that note and burned it.

I told her nothing, letting her believe he was simply leaving, forever heartbroken.

Two years later, my father lay dying, naming Connor the new Don, and secretly ordering my mother' s death to clear the slate.

To protect me, my mother lied to Connor, claiming I was my father's true son, forcing Connor to sacrifice his inheritance.

He gave up everything, even his life in a bloody gang war, to secure a future for the woman he loved and the boy he believed was his brother.

Only after his death, and my mother's passing from a broken heart, did the full, terrible truth unravel, leaving me as the lonely, haunted Don.

Now I stand alone, a king of an empire stained with the blood of lies, forced to confront the devastating consequences of my selfish act and the unimaginable sacrifices made by those I loved.

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
When Love Turns to Ash

When Love Turns to Ash

Short stories

4.8

My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book