The Principessa of New Arcadia City despises commoners. So when I, a girl from the slums, earned a full scholarship to a prestigious art academy, I became her favorite target.

Cassandra Costello destroyed my paintings and tore up my scholarship application.

She even ordered her men to beat me, all because of where I came from.

To survive, I plotted my revenge. My target was her cold and ruthless father—the Mafia Don, Silas Costello, whose only heir was her.

Cassandra thought I was just a one-night stand, a plaything to be discarded at will. But she never knew the women in my family are unnaturally fertile. My plan? To give the Don seven sons and a daughter.

With me and my eight children in the picture, how could Cassandra possibly hope to win?

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1

"How dare you show your face here! You're disgusting, you filthy gutter rat!" Cassandra Costello, draped in a custom-made silk gown, wrinkled her nose in disgust as she glared down at me.

Cassandra, the Principessa of the Costello family that ruled New Arcadia City’s underworld, had invited me to their annual charity gala. Yet, in front of all the powerful and famous guests, she publicly humiliated me.

A familiar, venomous smile curled her lips. "How about I give you a bath?"

A moment later, she flung an entire tray of red wine at me.

I had spent my meager savings—a pathetic fifty dollars—on this cheap white dress just to look presentable as a waitress at this gala.

I stood there, mortified, the red wine soaking my dress and clinging stickily to my skin. The cheap fabric turned semi-transparent, outlining every curve of my body.

Her sharp gaze swept over my drenched form. She snickered, her voice just loud enough for those nearby to hear her mock, "Look at her, dressed like a whore. Enjoying the attention? Showing off that cheap lingerie for everyone?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and, amidst the roaring laughter, fled the banquet hall in a panic.

Lost in the maze-like manor, I stumbled blindly through the dim corridors. The hallways grew progressively darker, and I only stopped when I collided with a hard, broad chest.

A dangerous scent of whiskey and cigar smoke instantly filled my nostrils. I clutched my stinging nose and whispered an apology, "S-sorry..."

A low chuckle rumbled from above my head.

A magnetic voice spoke, "Well, a lost little bird. Where did you fly in from?"

Hearing a voice that commanded absolute authority, I slowly looked up, my breath catching at the sight of his chiseled, handsome features, made all the more imposing in the dim light.

The man was scrutinizing me as well. Moonlight streamed through a window, and the thin, wet fabric of my dress clung to my curves, leaving little to the imagination. My lips were slightly parted, my expression a carefully crafted mask of innocent, wide-eyed shock.

His gaze darkened. An instant later, he pulled me into his arms. He said hoarsely, "An enticing little bird, indeed."

Without hesitation, he captured my lips in a predatory, possessive kiss that left me breathless in the face of his power.

Suddenly, I felt my feet leave the ground. He had swept me up into his arms.

I let out a faint gasp, looking at him as helplessly as a startled fawn.

My innocence seemed to please him. He chuckled lightly, "Don't be afraid, little bird. I'll take good care of you."

I shyly buried my face in his chest, but deep down, a triumphant smirk was playing on my lips.

Of course I wasn't afraid of him. After all, our "chance encounter" was the first step of my revenge.

I was a girl from the slums, but my raw talent for art won me a full scholarship to a prestigious academy.

I had entered the academy full of hope, only to be targeted by Cassandra on the very first day. I remember her staring at a smudge on my canvas and sneering, "Wow. Do they just let any trash in nowadays?"

Because of that one sentence, my world came crashing down. At the academy, I was ostracized, my paintings destroyed, my scholarship applications shredded, and I was even beaten by her men.

Though Cassandra and I were classmates, our worlds were a universe apart.

I thought if I endured it, she would leave me alone, but she only grew more vicious, even trying to get me expelled. This woman nearly ruined my life just because she found it "fun."

After the beating, she had sauntered up to me in her high heels and contemptuously tossed a wad of cash at my feet. "Don't let me see your face again."

I spent a week in the hospital recovering. Yet, she burned my new drawing board with a cigarette simply because the captain of the fencing team, Nico Valenti, had exchanged a few words with me. "Didn't you know I have my eye on Nico?" she had hissed. "How dare you try to seduce him?"

I thought she would send someone to kill me next, but unexpectedly, I was offered a job as a waitress at the Costello family's charity gala.

I stared at the invitation, knowing my moment had come. Tonight, I had to teach Cassandra a lesson, or I would never be free of her.

With that thought, I wrapped my arms around the man's neck and said in a trembling, hoarse voice, "Please… be gentle. This is my first time."

"Papa—"

The next morning, Cassandra burst into her father's bedroom and stopped dead.

The scene before her was impossible. She found me, naked, nestled fast asleep in her father's arms.

She flew into a rage, pouncing on me like a lioness, reaching to grab my hair and drag me from the bed. She shrieked, "You filthy slut! Are you that desperate for a man? How dare you climb into my father's bed? I'll kill you!"

I didn't fight back. I only gave her a frightened, innocent, doe-eyed look before quickly averting my gaze and closing my eyes. But my trembling shoulders sold the act.

"That's enough, Cassandra. Stop it." A satisfied Silas Costello propped his head on one hand, lazily leaning against the headboard and watching the show.

"Papa, how could you let her seduce you?" Cassandra whined, her voice taking on a childish pout.

Silas glanced at me. I kept my head down, sobbing silently. He assured Cassandra, "She's just another woman. After your mother passed, I have my needs."

"But… but…"

"That's enough. You're an adult now. Stop acting like a spoiled child. Get out."

Cassandra shot me a venomous glare before reluctantly backing away.

"Papa, for all these years, I never minded you having mistresses, but what gives this woman the right to spend the night here? She's not worthy of sleeping in this bed!" Her voice rose, taking on an accusatory edge she was too furious to notice.

Silas's face darkened. "Get out!" he ordered, his tone brooking no argument.

...

That morning, Silas led me by the hand to the dining room for breakfast. When Cassandra saw us, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

I smirked inwardly. This, too, was all part of my plan.

Just moments before, after Cassandra had stormed out, I had feigned a fall onto the cold floor. When Silas asked what was wrong, I shyly explained that he had been so... thorough... last night that my legs were still weak.

The remark was clearly the highest compliment a woman could give, and it put him in an excellent mood as he proudly led me downstairs.

Cassandra had completely lost her appetite. She suddenly interjected, "If only Mamma were still here."

Her words sent a chill through the dining room. She looked at me smugly, pointedly reminiscing about the times when her mother was alive. Finally, she concluded, "Papa, I don't care how many women you have, because I know you promised Mamma you would never remarry."

She pointed a finger at me. "Papa, be with anyone you want, just not her. I hate her. Please, don't see her again."

After a long silence, Silas slowly nodded. His answer swept the gloom from Cassandra's face. She excitedly hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Papa, you're the best!"

Then, she arrogantly placed her hands on her hips and yelled at me, "Get out!"

I gave Silas a deep, meaningful look, my eyes welling with tears, but I didn't beg.

"Alright, alright," he sighed. "Let her finish her breakfast before she leaves."

An oppressive silence fell over the room.

He finally spoke. "My lost little bird, I haven't asked your name."

"My name is Seraphina Riley," I answered, then quickly lowered my head. "I'm finished eating."

He frowned, looking at the nearly untouched plate in front of me. Nevertheless, he ordered the driver to take me home.

...

Life after that night became exceptionally difficult, as Cassandra grew even more brazen in sending her men to harass me.

"You think sleeping with my father for one night makes you special? You reek of the slums to your very core, and you can never wash it off! You'll always be beneath me!"

Oh, is that so?

I smirked, gently stroking my lower abdomen. What Cassandra didn't know was that the women in my family were gifted with a rare fertility; we are all incredibly fertile, and our pregnancies are always unusually smooth.

My mother gave birth to ten children. My aunt had eight.

After that night with Silas, I could already feel a new life taking root inside me. Cassandra, the so-called Costello Principessa, thought she could do as she pleased because she was Silas's only heir.

Now, she had competition.

I did my best to avoid Cassandra's harassment, but her lackeys always managed to find me. My face was bruised from the beatings they gave me, but I refused to apply any ointment. I knew a pair of eyes was watching me from the shadows.

I was certain that Silas Costello missed me. It wasn't until I was older that I learned the women in my family, aside from their fertility, possessed a natural allure that men found irresistible.

After that night of passion, Silas had become hopelessly enchanted with me. A man always craves more after the first taste of forbidden fruit.

He couldn't find another woman who satisfied him the way I did. No one else could drive him to that same intoxicating madness.

So, when I discovered he had sent someone to watch me, I wasn't surprised at all.

I figured his patience had run thin after a month. So, before class ended, I walked up to Cassandra and provoked her. "The only reason you're targeting me is because you're afraid I'll replace you as the new Principessa of the Costello family, isn't it?"

Cassandra scoffed at my blatant provocation. "You should take a look in the mirror. You're delusional if you even dream of replacing me."

"We'll see about that soon enough."

I had been avoiding Cassandra for days, but today, my attitude did a complete one-eighty as I openly challenged her. As expected, she was furious. Her most loyal Soldati surrounded me, shoving and insulting me.

When I spotted Silas's men at the corner of the street, I mouthed to one of Cassandra's thugs, "You idiot."

The simple-minded Soldato was easily provoked. Just as I had planned, he charged at me like a bull.

As Silas's bodyguards approached, I immediately lowered my head and pleaded timidly, "I'm sorry, please forgive me. I don't know what I did wrong, but I apologize!"

The man didn't back down. He shoved me with all his might, and I let myself fall, curling into a ball on the sidewalk.

"My stomach... it hurts..."

"She's bleeding!" someone in the crowd screamed.

A moment later, Silas's bodyguards were lifting me from the ground. A flicker of elation cut through the despair in my eyes.

"Our baby!"

The air froze the moment those words left my mouth. Silas's men placed me in a bulletproof black sedan, and we sped off to the Costello family's private clinic.

...

After a series of tests, the doctor confirmed my baby was unharmed, which came as no surprise to me. After all, I was my mother's daughter—a woman who had fallen off a roof just days before giving birth and remained completely unscathed.

I clung to a stunned Silas as if he were my savior. "Thank God! You arrived just in time to save our baby. What would I do without you?"

I buried my face in his chest, sobbing softly.

As the Don who controlled the city's underworld, Silas longed for a large family and numerous heirs to carry on his legacy. However, despite his efforts with countless women, he had failed to have any more children after Cassandra's birth.

Just as he was about to give up hope, my pregnancy was a miracle.

Cassandra arrived late, only to be stopped by the bodyguards at the door. She saw my still-flat stomach and gritted her teeth in anger.

Lost in the joy of becoming a father again, Silas didn't notice the venom in Cassandra's eyes.

"Seraphina, you're my lucky star! Come home with me. I'll give my son the best of everything!"

Before I could speak, Cassandra pushed past the bodyguards. Unable to control her emotions, she lunged at me. "Papa, she's not even fit to shine my shoes! How can she live under the same roof as me? If you bring her home, I'll run away and never come back!"

Then, she shot me a look that dared me to challenge her.