Regretful Don: The Queen You Threw Away

I was the Gold-Tier Fixer of the syndicate, promised to the lethal Underboss, Dante. We had bled on the same battlefields to conquer the eastern seaboard.

But ever since he took in his new mentee, Mia, I became invisible.

For three years, he canceled our Mafia Blood Oath seventeen different times to be by her side.

On our third engagement anniversary, he rushed home at noon not to see me, but to grab a bespoke diamond necklace for Mia's birthday.

When he finally returned late at night, he tossed a cheap, last-minute duplicate purse on my table.

"I need you to step down from your position as Gold-Tier Fixer and give the title to Mia," he said, his voice laced with absolute entitlement. "Let her have it."

Before I could even respond, Mia called about a minor security issue, and he immediately headed for the door, swearing we would finally take our vows the next morning.

I stared at the two identical bags sitting untouched in my closet, realizing every gift he ever gave me was thoughtless garbage compared to the treasures he showered on her.

I had spent eight years smelling of unscented soap just to please him, yet he let the heavy scent of Mia's roses soak right into his collar.

I was a fool squandering my talents on a man who had already buried our vows.

The next morning, I didn't go to the sanctuary.

I dropped my resignation papers on the Capo's desk, permanently blocked Dante's number, and boarded a one-way flight to Paris.

This time, I chose to build an empire for myself.