The Devil Who Claimed Me

The younger man laughed loudly. "Honestly, I still can’t understand how Father accepted you." He leaned back lazily. "A bastard suddenly becoming part of the Bellini family? Ridiculous."

Mila stiffened slightly.

Max’s fingers curled into fists. "Don’t call me that," he warned coldly. "Apologize, Felix."

But the two brothers burst into laughter.

"Apologize?" Matteo mocked cruelly. "If you are not a bastard, then what are you? Father never married your mother. You were born out of wedlock."

"And Father never acknowledged you publicly," Felix added lazily. "He never allowed you to step into this mansion before. Yet suddenly, he brings you here like some long-lost son."

His gaze shifted slowly toward Mila.

"And with your bitchy wife too."

Max exploded instantly.

"Don’t humiliate my wife."

Felix smirked arrogantly. "What will you do if I do?"

He crossed his arms and sneered, "I’ll insult her again." His gaze swept over Mila mockingly. "She is a whore."

The atmosphere froze.

Max roared, "Take that back."

Neither of them looked intimidated.

Instead, Matteo laughed harder.

"She disappeared with a gangster for months," he scoffed. "Who knows how many men she slept with during that time?"

Mila’s face turned pale.

"And now she suddenly appears pregnant." His eyes darkened with mockery. "Honestly, Max, are you even sure the child is yours?"

Rage exploded inside Max.

Before Mila could react, he crossed the distance, grabbed Matteo by the collar, and yanked him up from the sofa.

"Say another word about her," he hissed through clenched teeth, "and I’ll break your jaw."

Felix shot to his feet instantly. "How dare you touch my brother?"

Mrs. Bellini also stood up furiously. "Max! Let him go right now."

But Max’s fury had already spiraled out of control.

"All my life, I tolerated your insults," he thundered. "You mocked my mother. You mocked me. Fine. But don’t you dare drag Mila into this."

Matteo suddenly shoved him away and punched him hard.

Max staggered backward.

The next second, both brothers charged at him together.

Chaos erupted inside the dining hall.

Punches flew brutally.

A vase shattered against the floor.

A chair overturned loudly.

Mila panicked instantly. "Stop it!"

But no one listened.

Felix punched Max across the face while Matteo grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"You think Father accepting you changes your status?" Matteo sneered viciously. "You’ll always remain nothing but a bastard."

Max roared in fury and punched him hard across the face.

Blood burst from Matteo’s lip.

Mrs. Bellini screamed, "Enough!"

She rushed forward and pulled Matteo back before glaring at Max furiously.

"What the hell is this?" Celeste snarled. "How dare you create a scene in this house?"

"Mom, throw them out," Felix barked. "He can’t just attack us in our own home."

"You started this," Max snapped. "You humiliated me and my mother. Then you insulted my wife. I won’t tolerate it."

Mila looked at him quietly.

Apart from Dominic, Max was the only person who had ever stood up for her like this.

Her chest tightened slightly.

"My sons said nothing wrong," Celeste chimed in coldly. "Your mother seduced Luke because she wanted money and status. She used you to tie him to her. But Luke was smart enough to see through her greed. That’s why he chose me instead."

Max gritted his teeth.

He wanted to retaliate, but Mila stopped him.

She stepped forward slowly. "You invited us here just to humiliate us?" Her eyes turned sharp. "I thought the Bellini family was noble. But I never imagined the people living here lacked even basic hospitality."

Her gaze swept across them coldly. "You are all arrogant."

That was too much.

No one had ever dared to speak to Celeste Bellini like that. Fury flashed in Celeste’s eyes. She raised her hand to slap Mila.

Max’s eyes widened.

But before anyone could react, Mila caught Celeste’s wrist midair.

Everyone froze in shock.

Even Max looked stunned.

Mila’s eyes burned coldly.

"I am not someone you can bully," she hissed. "Touch me again, and you’ll regret it."

The fire in her eyes made Celeste instinctively step back.

"You..." Celeste rubbed her wrist furiously. "This is outrageous. You humiliated me."

"Mom, I told you already," Felix snapped. "Throw them out."

"I want to see who dares to touch them." Luke’s thunderous voice echoed through the hall.

Everyone froze instantly.

Luke walked down the stairs slowly. He had seen and heard everything. And surprisingly, he was impressed with Mila.

She was courageous, sharp-tongued, and fearless. Perfect for Max. Perfect for this family.

"They humiliated us," Matteo complained hurriedly. "They even hit us. You should throw them out."

Luke shot him a cold look. "I saw everything."

Matteo’s face paled instantly.

"I invited them here," Luke continued coldly. "I wanted a peaceful family dinner. But the two of you created a scene."

"Luke," Celeste started angrily, "you know I don’t like them. Yet you forced us to sit here with them. This is too much. If you want to have dinner with them, go ahead. We are done here."

She turned sharply.

"Let’s go, boys."

But before they could leave, Luke’s voice rang out again. "Fine. If you walk out of that door tonight, don’t come back."

Everyone froze.

Luke’s eyes turned icy. "I’ll divorce you."

Celeste turned around abruptly, shock written all over her face. "You want to divorce me?"

"I should have done it long ago," Luke replied coldly. "Our marriage was nothing more than a business agreement between our families. There were never any feelings between us."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Max.

"Years ago, I abandoned Max and his mother. That was my mistake. And now, I intend to correct it."

He straightened his posture.

"I am taking him back and giving him everything he deserves. If you refuse to accept that, then we will end this marriage."

"Dad, you can’t do this to Mom," Felix protested angrily.

But Luke remained unmoved. "I’m giving her a choice. The decision is hers."

Then he looked at his sons coldly. "And if either of you has objections, you may leave as well. I won’t stop anyone."

The tension in the hall became suffocating.

"Just to take your bastard son in, you are willing to cut ties with us?" Felix demanded furiously.

Luke’s face darkened.

"Max is worth more than both of you combined," he snarled. "You two only waste my money on parties, racing, gambling, and women. But Max became a doctor through his own hard work. He built his life without my support."

His voice turned firm. "I will announce him as the true heir to the Bellini empire."

Shock exploded across the room.

"How could you do this to us?" Matteo barked furiously. "We are your legitimate sons."

"You already have your shares," Luke replied coldly. "I gave both of you more than enough already. The remaining inheritance will go to Max and his child."

He shot them a warning glare. "And if anyone objects, I’ll strip everything away from them."

Both brothers fell silent instantly.

They were furious. But fear crept into their eyes. They knew Luke Bellini was not bluffing.

Luke finally looked at Celeste again. "If you still object, we’ll discuss the divorce settlement tomorrow."

Celeste’s nails dug into her palms. Hatred churned violently inside her. But she forced herself to stay calm.

She would never allow outsiders to steal everything from her sons. Especially not the child inside Mila’s womb.

’The Bellini empire belongs to my sons,’ she thought bitterly. ’And their children will inherit it.’

Suppressing her fury, she muttered stiffly, "I have no objections."

"Mom!" Matteo shouted in disbelief. "How can you accept this injustice?"

"This is insane," Felix snapped. "After all these years, we are expected to accept him?"

He glared hatefully at Max. "I’m done here."

He stormed out furiously.

Matteo followed right behind him.

Luke crushed the cigar between his fingers angrily.

"All these years, I spoiled them too much," he muttered bitterly. "I gave them everything they wanted and ignored all their mistakes. And now they no longer listen to me."

His face twisted in fury.

"Let me see how long they survive without me."

Celeste quickly softened her expression.

"Please don’t do anything rash," she said calmly. "I’ll talk to them. They’ll understand eventually."

Luke gave her a long cold stare.

"You better make them understand. Otherwise, all of you will face the consequences."

Then his expression softened slightly as he looked at Mila and Max.

"I apologize for what happened tonight."

He smiled faintly.

"Let’s not ruin the evening any further. You should start preparing for the party. Max, Mila... invite your friends."

"Sure," Max replied happily.

But Mila remained silent.

Something about Luke Bellini unsettled her deeply. This man was not simple. He had too many layers, too many secrets.

And Mila couldn’t shake off the suspicion that Luke somehow knew more about Dominic’s disappearance than he let on.

Right after Dominic vanished, Luke had suddenly appeared in her life and pushed her into marrying Max under the excuse of protecting her and the baby.

A man capable of threatening his own wife and sons so coldly was capable of anything.

’What game are you playing, Luke Bellini?’ she wondered silently.

"Let’s have dinner," Luke said, interrupting her thoughts.

He walked toward the dining table and called the butler. "Serve the food."

Max gently held Mila’s hand and led her toward the table. He was still overwhelmed. He couldn’t believe Luke had nearly destroyed his marriage and family just to acknowledge him publicly.

Throughout dinner, Celeste remained mostly silent.

But behind her calm expression, vicious thoughts brewed endlessly.

’I’ll make sure this party becomes Mila’s nightmare,’ she thought darkly.

Her eyes briefly drifted toward Mila’s stomach. ’I won’t let that child be born.’

A cold smile slowly curled on her lips. ’Then let’s see how Luke reacts after losing his precious grandson.’