The Rise of an Heiress: The Triad Series Book One

The Rise of an Heiress by Paulina Pany paulinapanyauthor.com Copyright © 2023 Paulina Pany All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Cover by Ashton Taylor Creative Editing and Formatting Services by Miss Eloquent Edits ISBN: 979-8-9869598-0-1(print) ISBN: 979-8-9869598-1-8 (ebook) Printed in United States of America First Edition The Rise of an Heiress is work of fiction and should be read as such. This one’s for you. I hope you enjoy it or this’ll be awkward. Author's Note Dear Reader, First and foremost, I want to thank you for choosing to read The Rise of an Heiress and thank you for giving my first couple a chance. As someone who is well-versed in dark mafia romance novels, I felt there was something missing, something I was desperate for. I knew what I wanted, but my searches came up short. Actor Dax Shepard once said, “Make the movie you want to see.” And with those words, I made it my own. I set off to the tell the story I wanted to read. I played with the idea of The Triad Series for many years and finally had the courage to take the plunge and here we are. Those words kicked off my journey with The Triad Series. Writing this novel was a deeply personal and emotional experience, and I hope you enjoy the first part to this couple’s story as much as I did writing it. With gratitude, P Content Warnings Your safety is top priority to me. This content is 18+ and reader discretion is advised. Please see below for potential triggers: Death of parent(s), spouse(s), child (off page) Death and murder (on and off page) Graphic depictions of sex Graphic depictions of violence, torture, and death Explicit language Mentions of cancer Kidnapping/Attempted Kidnapping Use of weapons Use of illegal substances Family Trees Warning: Potential Spoilers Liu Family Tree Peter Liu (Dragon Head, deceased) + Nina Violante (formerly Liu, née Li, deceased) ↓ Anya Liu (Triad Heiress/Princess) (Alias: Natalie Yang) Delucci Family Tree Giuseppe Delucci (Former Capo, Retired) + Marcella Delucci ↓ Sebastiano “Bash” (Capo) Niccolo “Nico” (Consigliere) Lorenzo “Enzo” Violante Family Tree Cesare Violante(Capo) + Luciana Violante (deceased) ↓ Dominic (Outfit Heir) Donatella “Donna” Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Epilogue Landmarks Cover Prologue Six Years Old First, Daddy, and now Mommy’s gone, too, I think as I sit in the living room. Several people are here, at our house. All in black. Everyone looks sad. I’m sad, too. I’m all alone. I have no one left. “You’ll always have me,” Dom says as he sits next to me on the couch. How could he always read my mind? I look at my blond-haired, blue-eyed, too-tall-to-only-be-eleven-years-old step-brother, “Promise?” He places his hand over mine in my lap. “Sempre.” He kisses my forehead. Always. After the funeral, Papa had me come to his office, which he’s never done before. They’re yelling, but I don’t understand what they mean. Papa is arguing with the buff, dark-haired man I had seen earlier. I didn’t see his face. My vision is always blurry with tears now. The day went by in a blur. I’m falling asleep in the chair as I wait. Why won’t he let me go to bed yet? “You have to put her first!” the man yells from the other side of the door. “What do you think I’m doing, Bo? You think this is easy! I have to!” Papa yells back. They speak in hushed tones. I only hear raspy whispers, then the door springs open. My gaze is focused on the floor when the dark-haired man gives me a hug, but I still don’t look at his face. When the man leaves, only then does Papa’s face soften before he speaks. “Let’s go in.” He gestures with his arm for me to walk into the office. I sit on the couch by the fireplace. He follows and bends down to his haunches, giving me a long hug before he grabs my face with both hands and kisses my cheeks. I look at his face, and it looks like his eyes are full of water. “Mia dolce bambina.” My sweet little girl, he says. “This is very important. You are going to live with a new family in New York.” I knew it. He was going to send me away. I’m not his daughter. “You don’t want me anymore now that mommy is gone?” I ask him, casting my gaze down as my eyes well up with tears. “No, amore mio.” My love. He holds the sides of my arms before he continues. “That’s not why. It’s not safe for you anymore in Chicago.” “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you and Dom and Donna. I’ll be good, I promise,” I sob. “I wish you could, but I need to keep you safe. Do you understand?” he tells me, holding my cheeks, wiping my tears with his thumbs. I shake my head. Papa is the only father I’d ever known. Daddy was murdered when I was just a baby. “You must be strong, bambina. Do this for me. You are going to live with your new parents in New York City. It is the only way I can keep you safe. Can you be strong for me?” “Will I ever see you again?” I ask, sobbing. “Of course.” He chuckled. “We will visit you often, and you’ll still spend summer holiday with us. This breaks my heart, but it is the safest.”