When His Empire Fell, I Revealed I Was the Don's Only Daughter

I was Orion Blake's pampered trophy girlfriend, treasured above everything else. Everyone in his organization thought I had nothing going for me but a pretty face and a killer body. Orion's right-hand woman, Diana Reyes, resented me most. She saw me as nothing more than a useless trophy girlfriend, and she never tried to hide it. No one knew that this supposedly useless trophy girlfriend had someone even more powerful protecting her: my father, Edmund Sorrentino, the mafia Don who ruled the East Coast. But I was sick of the scheming and backstabbing within my family. I wanted no part in another power struggle, so I chose to stay with Orion and remain his pampered trophy girlfriend. That arrangement worked until the gangs that had always operated independently suddenly joined forces against Orion and tried to strip him of control. "Orion, be smart. Swallow your pride, hand over your shipping routes, and give me your woman. Do that, and I'll let you live." The man speaking was Rhys Kessler, Orion's longtime enemy. He looked me up and down, making no effort to hide the naked lust in his eyes. It turned my stomach. Orion ordered his men to take me to safety, but just before I boarded the boat, I insisted on going back to him. Facing a wall of guns, I calmly activated my family's private line and called my father, the Don. "The West Coast keeps tearing itself apart. It's time you stepped in and took control of this mess. "Within 20 minutes, I want them to understand exactly who they've crossed." Chapter 1 While Orion fought to keep his organization from falling apart, I was at an auction, eyeing an expensive pink diamond necklace. I lifted my paddle without a second thought. The socialites in the room all knew I was Orion's woman, so no matter how badly they wanted it, none of them dared bid against me. But when it was time to pay, the card reader let out a warning beep. The auction assistant tried the card again and again, his smile growing stiff. "Ma'am, your account has been frozen. Would you like to try another form of payment?" Orion had opened that account just for me. I'd used it to buy yachts, a beach house, and jewelry, and it had never been declined. With the frozen card still in my hand, I called Orion, but he didn't pick up. Until then, Orion had always answered within three seconds, whether he was in a board meeting or taking a break. This time, it just rang and rang. A socialite glanced at her phone and laughed. "Breaking news. Orion's organization is about to get swallowed up by the other West Coast crews." She gave me a pointed look, then glanced at the necklace on display. Her voice dripped with mockery. "Looks like Delilah isn't getting that necklace after all." The woman beside her laughed. "That ruby necklace Delilah's wearing must be worth a fortune. She should sell it while she can and take the cash. If Orion really goes broke, he won't be able to support her anymore." When the auction assistant heard that, the polite smile he'd been giving me vanished. He turned to the socialite and said warmly, "This pink diamond is perfect for someone of your standing." I frowned. "Didn't I already win this lot?" The assistant avoided my eyes and gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. We need to verify that you can pay for the item." The words were barely out of his mouth when the woman swiped her card and paid for it. I watched the pink diamond that should have been mine go to someone else. My expression hardened, and I turned and left the auction house. When I got back to the estate, everyone in the organization looked grim, and the air was heavy. One man muttered, "I can't believe Leon betrayed us. He gave our private routes to Rhys." Another added, "The other West Coast crews are already grabbing our territory. We've lost too much this time, and the boss is badly hurt..." The men had been with Orion for years, and I'd never seen them look so defeated. When I heard Orion was hurt, I froze. I'd assumed that, as capable as he was, this would be only a temporary setback. Orion was one of the top bosses on the West Coast. Rhys had lost to him before, yet he still had the nerve to come after him. But what did any of this have to do with me? After all, I was just his pampered trophy girlfriend. I'd barely reached the door when Diana, Orion's assistant, stopped me. She glared at me with open hostility. "Delilah, you don't deserve to be Orion's girlfriend. He's out there in a gunfight with his enemies, and you're off at an auction?" I glanced at her and said offhandedly, "Something went wrong at the auction. Somebody else bought the necklace I wanted." "All you care about is that necklace? Do you even have a heart?!" Diana shouted, raising her hand. "Stop." Before her slap could land, someone caught Diana's hand in a tight grip. Orion had appeared just in time. His shoulder was wrapped in bandages, with blood seeping through, and one side of his face was scraped raw. He pressed a hand against his stomach. His wounds had clearly just been treated, and he could barely stand. But even so, the first thing he did was step in front of me. My chest tightened, and I looked him over. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and said calmly, "Don't worry. It's nothing serious." I paused, then hugged him and pouted. "You have to find a way to get me that necklace!" "Okay. But it'll take a few days." I nodded like a good girl. Honestly, I knew Rhys's attack was no accident. If I chose to step in, he and his allies wouldn't stand a chance. But so what? As long as Orion was there to protect me, whatever storms raged outside weren't my problem. After all, men willing to be that good to me didn't come along every day. Nobody in the organization slept that night. I slept soundly until morning and came down just as one of his men was reporting to him. "Rhys has seized Sea Route A, too. He took cargo worth almost one hundred fifty million dollars, and he's rallying the other crews to go to war with us." Orion looked more serious than I'd ever seen him. He ran his thumb over the ring I'd given him. "Sea Route B is still safe for now. Get our last boat ready and send Delilah out." I stared at him, and my heart gave a hard lurch. At a time like this, Orion should have been figuring out how to save himself and his organization. I'd even thought he might be forced to dump his trophy girlfriend. I never expected that, when things got desperate, I'd be the first one he protected. His whole organization was hanging by a thread, and all he could think about was getting me somewhere safe. An unfamiliar feeling fluttered in my chest. I quickly pushed it down and lowered my eyes. I still didn't want to reveal who I was or get dragged into my family's power struggles. Chapter 2 "I don't want to go by boat. It makes me seasick." I walked in and hugged Orion. He kissed my forehead. "I know. But this time is different. Be good." Since he gave me whatever I wanted, I couldn't help pushing my luck. "Then I want the latest crocodile-leather bag and that estate by the sea." He didn't hesitate. He just gave me a helpless smile. "Okay." His easy agreement caught me off guard. He was about to go broke, yet he still couldn't bring himself to say no to my whims. I looked up at him and, for the first time, didn't know what to say. When I got together with Orion, I never thought about whether it would last. I liked his looks and how he spoiled me. I liked that he took care of me so I never had to worry. I'd never bothered to think about what came next. But Orion was different. From the beginning, he'd taken me seriously and made my safety a priority. Diana suddenly stormed over, pulled her gun, and pressed it to my head. "How can you be so shameless? At a time like this, all you think about is yourself. You don't care about the boss at all!" Her eyes were red with rage, her finger curled around the trigger. She really looked ready to finish me off for Orion's sake. The next second, Orion grabbed her wrist. "Put the gun down," he said coldly. His grip was shockingly strong. Diana let go in pain, and the gun fell to the floor. Orion patted my shoulder reassuringly. "Don't be scared, Delilah. Go pack. Enjoy your vacation, and wait for me to come find you." Watching him stand up for me, I suddenly thought staying by his side might be worth it after all. I was about to go upstairs and pack when gunfire broke out in the courtyard. A group of men in black stormed in. When I saw the upside-down triangle tattoos on their hands, I knew they were Rhys's men. Orion rushed to shield me right away, but in the chaos, someone still grabbed me from behind. It was Leon Marsh, the traitor who'd sold out the organization. "Orion, take my advice and surrender to Mr. Kessler. If you do, everyone in this organization gets to live." He grinned smugly and reached up to touch my face. My gaze sharpened. Orion's expression darkened, and he lunged. Crack. Leon screamed as his wrist broke, and he dropped to his knees. Just as Orion was about to finish him, Leon sneered. "Don't forget, Mr. Kessler still has your people. If anything happens to me, they're dead too." Orion stopped. There was no way he'd abandon his own men. Clutching his broken wrist, Leon kept taunting him. "Midnight tonight. Mr. Kessler will be waiting for you at Pier A." Then he and his men retreated. Orion stood there, his expression murderous. But when he turned to me, his voice was controlled again. He pressed a card into my hand. "Delilah, go now. There's fifteen million dollars on this card for you. Once I take care of things here, I'll come find you." He arranged my escort himself. He clearly didn't want me getting dragged into any of this. The card burned against my palm. He'd given me everything he had left. An ache spread through my chest. On the way to the harbor, I kept thinking about how he'd stood up for me. He was fighting to keep everything from collapsing, yet when he told me to leave, he hadn't hesitated for a second. I'd thought this was just a game where we each got what we wanted. But now, I was actually scared of losing him. Looking at the last boat his organization had left, I found I couldn't take another step. All I had to do was step aboard, and I could leave with the money and keep living the life I wanted. And Orion would stay here and lose everything he'd worked so hard to build. Maybe even die. I gripped the card, and the feeling I'd been pushing down finally came into focus. I didn't want to admit it, but I couldn't leave him like this. In the end, I turned around, pulled a gun, and pointed it at one of Orion's men. "Take me back. Right now." Chapter 3 When I got back, the whole estate was eerily quiet. Orion had already taken his men to Pier A to meet Rhys. I went after them. The entire pier was lit as bright as day. Rhys toyed with a pistol while his men surrounded Orion and his crew. When Orion saw me, his face changed. He took off his jacket and put it around me right away. "Why didn't you leave?" There was no blame in his voice. Only worry. "I forgot to ask when you're coming to find me," I said sweetly. Orion shot a hard glare at the man who'd been escorting me, and he ducked his head. "Sorry, Boss. She insisted on coming back. I couldn't stop her..." When Rhys saw me, his leering gaze raked over me. The naked hunger in his eyes made my skin crawl. "So this is your pampered little girlfriend. Relax. A beauty like this, I'll take real good care of her." He started toward me. Orion stepped in front of me, his eyes terrifyingly cold. If Rhys took one more step, Orion looked ready to kill him on the spot. Rhys didn't care. He clapped Orion on the shoulder and held out a contract and a pen. "Sign this. Hand over your territory and your routes, and I won't make this any harder on you." Orion didn't take it. Rhys smirked, and the next second, every gun behind him swung toward me. "Leon already sold me all your secrets. Pretty soon you're going to lose your money and your power. Then we'll see if you can still afford to keep this greedy little gold digger." Then he suddenly grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest. My gaze hardened. I was about to strike back, but Orion's fist had already smashed into Rhys's face. He hit Rhys again and again without mercy. Blood gushed from Rhys's nose, and his face swelled up fast. Orion grabbed him by the throat and slammed him onto the table, his eyes blazing with uncontrollable rage. The next second, dozens of gun barrels pressed against the back of Orion's head, fingers already on the triggers. At a single command, the bullets would tear straight through him. My gaze turned icy, and I rubbed the ring on my finger. "Put your guns down. Touch a hair on his head, and I promise you'll regret it!" Chapter 4 Even pinned to the table, Rhys kept taunting me. He snorted. "Who do you think you are, bitch? You think you can make me regret anything? Argh..." Orion's grip tightened. "Orion, don't forget your parents up in the north end of town, and all your people. Kill me, and you think they'll make it out?" That made Orion stop. When Rhys saw him back down, he went on. "Orion, you're good at what you do. Here's an idea: hand this woman over, and I'll make you a low-level captain in my crew." "Not a chance!" Orion didn't even think about it. In this world, money, power, and status always came first. I never imagined that, with money and status right there for the taking, he'd give up both without a second thought just to protect me. He leaned close to my ear and whispered, "In a minute, I'll fire to distract them. Run for the north end of the port. Someone is waiting there for you." I searched Orion's face. "Orion, if you die, can I still get away with acting like a brat? Will people pick on me?" Orion looked at me tenderly, his voice firm. "Even if it kills me, I won't let anyone hurt you. But for you, I'll stay alive." My breath caught. I'd never expected anyone to risk his life just to protect me. My hands slowly curled into fists at my sides. I couldn't treat this like a game anymore. I didn't want him to die. I wanted him to live. Orion fired the first shot, and everything turned to chaos. In the confusion, Diana pulled me behind a shipping container. "Come with me. I'll get you out of here!" But I stopped and shook my head. Diana's eyes went red. "Just go! You only like the boss for his money and power, and he's about to lose both. Get out of here, or you'll die too!" Bullets slammed into the container, and Diana shielded me without thinking. But before long, Rhys's men had disarmed Orion's people one by one, then dragged Diana and me out too. Diana jumped in front of me. "She's just Orion's useless trophy girlfriend, someone he keeps around for fun. Don't touch her!" I never expected Diana to stand in front of me, especially now. She'd always looked down on me. Ever since I'd come here, everyone had talked behind my back about how Orion's pampered trophy girlfriend was good for nothing but spending money. Whenever I saw Diana, she made no effort to hide her contempt. But right now, watching her shield me, I realized the people here weren't as bad as I'd thought. They had sharp tongues, but when it really counted, they protected their own. Rhys looked Diana and me over like we were toys and laughed. "Perfect. I'll have both of you!" He moved closer until his hand almost touched my face. Orion's expression changed. "Stop! I'll sign! Let them go!" Rhys smiled, pleased, and had someone bring the contract right away. I stared at Orion. His decision erased my last doubts. He was really going to give up everything he'd fought so hard for, just so we could walk out alive. But I didn't want him to lose everything for me. His organization, his family, and his people all deserved to be safe. Did these people really think Orion had no one behind him and that they could simply walk all over him? I'd played Orion's pampered trophy girlfriend for so long, and he'd protected me every step of the way. Today, it was my turn to protect him. I'd wanted nothing to do with my hidden identity or the power that came with it. But now the person I wanted to protect was right in front of me, and I wasn't going to let him carry all of this alone. "Don't sign." Everyone froze. I shook off the man holding me, gave the inside of my ring a small twist, and opened the family's private line. "Father, the West Coast keeps tearing itself apart. Maybe it's time the Sorrentino family stepped in to bring this mess under control." I looked up at Rhys, and my voice went cold. "Within 20 minutes, I want them to understand exactly who they've crossed."