I gave up on my inheritance right during the time my love for Matteo Rossini ran the deepest.

When I was about to leave, Papa looked at me before saying lightly, "I bet that you'll come home in three years."

Back then, I didn't take his words to heart.

After spending three years overcoming life's hurdles with Matteo, he finally becomes the Don of his family.

On the day the inheritance party is to be held, I decide to wear a dress that I've treasured for a very long time but never had the heart to wear.

But the moment I walk into the banquet hall, I see Matteo holding hands with a radiant young woman. She's Isabella Ginevra, a popular socialite in the elite society.

Isabella flits among the guests charismatically, as though she were the lady of the house. She's capable of engaging in any conversational topic, be it finance strategies or channels to obtain firearms.

I try to participate in a conversation, only for Isabella to cut me off with a titter.

"I thought you've been spending the past few years being cooped up indoors. It turns out that you know a thing or two about these topics, huh?"

Everyone around us falls silent for a brief moment.

My expression freezes on my face. Then, I turn to look at Matteo subconsciously.

But he doesn't even bother looking my way. Instead, he merely says softly, "We're talking business here, Bianca. You should sit with the other ladies."

I clench my fists instantly. But in the end, I opt to not say anything and just walk away.

Through the throngs of the guests, I can see Matteo and Isabella chatting animatedly with each other in low tones. For once, Matteo looks relaxed and at ease—an expression that I haven't seen for a long time.

Suddenly, I hear a guest remarking, "If someone like Ms. Ginevra were to become the Donna, she'd be of great help to the Don."

A chorus of agreements ring out around him.

Matteo just smiles in return, though he doesn't deny that remark. In fact, he even toasts to Isabella and drinks to her in front of everyone.

That's when I draw to my feet and walk over to snatch the glass out of his hand.

"I think so too. In that case, she can have the position as the Donna, then."

"Bianca Valenti."

Matteo Rossini frowned. His voice was laced with a warning edge.

When I ignored him, the room fell into an awkward silence. Guests exchanged awkward glances and seemed unsure what to do.

Just then, Isabella Ginevra let out a soft laugh.

"Look at how our mindless joking actually got to our Donna."

She raised her glass toward me and gave a slight bow. "I apologize on their behalf, Donna. Your wedding to Don Rossini was the talk of the town. We've all seen how much he treasures you."

Matteo nodded along. "You're taking this too seriously, Bianca."

His words felt like a needle driving straight into my heart. My expression hardened as I looked straight into his eyes. "I'm being completely serious, Matteo."

He sighed, then glanced at his watch. "Let's end the party here for today."

The guests exchanged glances as they reluctantly filed out, their glances suggesting that I had spoiled the party.

Isabella was the last to leave. She pulled a file from her bag and handed it to Matteo.

"This is everything I gathered on the Castelli Famiglia's arms business. It took quite a bit of effort to get my hands on this."

Matteo's expression softened, and he gave her a smile. "Thanks. I'll have Fabio send you some jewelry later."

"I don't need that," she abruptly cut him off before reaching up to pat him lightly on the shoulder.

Then, she laughed. "You know what I want."

The blatant intimacy made me sway and knock over a wine glass. Only then did the crash seem to snap Matteo awake and bid Isabella a short goodbye.

Soon, the room was empty except for the two of us.

He glanced at my wine-stained dress and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket.

The man everyone had just admired as the Don now knelt before me and gently wiped the hem of my dress.

"This is your favorite dress, isn't it? Why'd you let it get stained?"

His voice was calm and gentle, but it made my nose sting.

I brushed his hand away and turned toward the bedroom. But before I could take more than a few steps forward, he grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.

His warm breath brushed my neck as he held me tightly, as if for fear that I would escape.

"Behave, Bianca. Stop making a scene."

He pressed me against the table, murmuring "I love you" over and over into my ear.

It was the scene I once fantasized about—him reaching the pinnacle of power and declaring his love for me at the highest point of his glory. But why… couldn't I smile?

That night, he claimed me again and again, and I cried every single time. My body throbbed with pain, and my heart felt like it was shredded by the memories of everything that had happened at the party.

After it ended, he stepped onto the balcony and lit a cigar. I thought I heard a low chuckle.

"Yeah, she's calmed down.

"You know her. She's always been sensible."

I slowly opened my eyes and tightened my grip on the bedsheet.

"Tomorrow, I'm taking her to the ski resort for a vacation. I'll send a car to pick you up then.

"I still need to talk to you about the Castelli Famiglia. You know how much of a handful they are."

The call didn't last long. When Matteo came back in, he leaned down and kissed my forehead, just like he always did.

I kept my eyes closed and felt the kiss, but the thorn in my heart only dug deeper.

The next morning, Matteo took me to the ski resort. On the way there, he suddenly said, "Isabella is coming today, too."

I turned to look out the window, giving him a flat hum and nothing more.

His expression darkened before he squeezed my hand and softly said, "She's the only one who can get a message through to the Castelli Famiglia, so please don't make this difficult for me."

When the car pulled up at the base of the mountain, I saw Isabella waving at us through the window. She was pressed in professional ski gear, smiling brightly and confidently.

They talked while I sat quietly to the side. I didn't interrupt or even bother changing into my ski gear.

She glanced at me and laughed lightly. "Are you scared, Donna?

"Don't worry. Don Rossini is a professional skier. He's the one who taught me everything I know, and the last time I sprained my ankles, he carried me on his back the whole way down."

Matteo was briefly stunned. "That was ages ago."

Before I could react, he grabbed my hand. "Come on. I'll show you how to get geared up."

"No thanks," I said, brushing him off. "I know how to ski."

Matteo had always assumed I came from a wealthy family, but he had no idea that I was actually the Principessa of an old-school Mafia Famiglia.

I had grown up playing such sports, but I simply hadn't had a chance to play while helping him build his empire all these years.

As I effortlessly glided through the snow, Matteo looked briefly dazed.

Isabella noticed his expression, and her face fell. She immediately dropped her poles, looped her arm through his, and pulled him aside to talk about the Castelli Famiglia.

It was supposed to be our getaway, yet I was the only one skiing on the slopes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Isabella laughed and collapsed into Matteo's arms. As an act to vent my frustration, I hurtled down the steep slopes again and again.

But once, I got so distracted that I made a mistake and tumbled straight down the snowy hill, rolling until I lost track of where I was.

Enduring the sharp pain, I pulled out my walkie-talkie and called Matteo's name.

It connected quickly before his low, urgent voice came through. "Bianca, where are you?"

"Matteo… I'm hurt…" I gasped.

Static crackled through the walkie-talkie, along with hurried panting, before I heard a woman's soft laugh. "Sorry. I just wanted to… relive the past for a moment."

My heart clenched, and my voice died in my throat.

Matteo sternly snapped, "What are you doing, Isabella?"

She laughed. "Why are you so aggressive? You seemed pretty into it when we were kissing just now.

"Fine, I'll stop. But Matteo, don't forget what you promised me. Once I help you take down the Castellis, I'll become your one and only Donna."

In that moment, I couldn't tell if my body or heart hurt more. All I could remember was my body starting to go cold, and just before I blacked out, I saw Matteo racing toward me like a madman.

…

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Matteo was not around; only his Underboss, Fabio Gallo, was in the ward.

He sighed heavily. "Please talk to Don Rossini, Donna. He's so furious he's trying to shut down the ski resort and punish every staff member on duty that day!"

I impatiently waved him off. "Those are his rules. It has nothing to do with me."

After he left, I looked at my legs wrapped in bandages and laughed bitterly to myself.

Me talking to Matteo? To him, who was I, really?

I slowly exhaled and dialed Papa's number. "Papa, I lost the bet. I'm coming home for real now."

I expected him to mock me, but he was silent for a heartbeat and maintained his cold composure as the Don. "I'll send my men to get you tomorrow."

That was when Matteo pushed the door open. I quickly hung up, and he seemed startled.

"Who were you talking to?"

"A friend," I flatly replied.

He frowned slightly. "I thought you'd be looking for me the second you woke up."

His words nearly made me laugh.

When danger struck, I had thought of him first, but he gave me quite the "surprise". I didn't shy back from asking, "Back at the resort, Isabella said you'd marry her. What did she mean?"

Matteo flinched and clearly hadn't expected me to overhear their conversation.

For a brief moment, the concern on his face was replaced by a flicker of annoyance.

He raised a brow and said, "It's just to keep her under control. Once the Castelli Famiglia is crushed, she'll lose her value."

He sounded serious, but I didn't miss the way his eyes avoided mine.

I didn't push it. It didn't matter what answer he gave since I had made my choice.

Matteo nodded in satisfaction and gently stroked my hair. "Bianca, you'll be my only Donna."

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and immediately stood up. "There's trouble with the Famiglia. Get some rest, and I'll be back later."

When he left without a second thought, I didn't stop him. But once he was gone, I removed the ring from my finger, placed it on the bedside table, and limped out of the room to find out when I could be discharged.

In the hospital garden, I overheard Fabio on the phone.

"I don't get why the Don married such a useless woman. First, she ruins the party, and now she nearly kills herself doing a basic sport like skiing.

"Don Rossini is just too sentimental. If you ask me, he should dump Bianca and marry Ms. Ginevra instead. She's competent, useful to the Famiglia, and that's who he actually deserves..."

Before he could finish, I snapped out the gun from his holster and aimed it at his head.

When he saw me, his face went so pale from fright that he dropped his phone and stammered, "D-Donna…"

With a bang, he cowered to the ground, but I had only shattered his phone screen.

"If I hear that again, the next bullet goes right between your eyes."

After returning to the ward, I could still feel my hand humming from the recoil of the gun. Even after punishing Fabio, his words stayed lodged in my heart like a thorn.

Now, everyone seemed to think that Matteo should marry Isabella.

Back when he was just a local Capo, a deal went south. He was taken hostage and had three of his ribs shattered. I was the one who begged Papa to step in and save his life.

That day, he lay in his hospital bed and gripped my hand tightly. "Bianca, I thought I'd never see you again. Fate was on my side."

He thanked fate, never knowing it was me who had saved his life.

Now that he had made it to the top, the woman on his side was replaced.

I leaned against the window and smoked one cigar after another. That night, Matteo never came to me again.

When he finally called, it wasn't to explain, but to coldly interrogate. "Did you pull a gun on Fabio today?"

"Yes."

There was a pause before his voice turned colder. "Since when did you learn how to handle a gun?

"I just took power, Bianca. Do you have any idea how that one shot could shatter my men's trust in me?"

I exhaled a cloud of smoke and expressionlessly replied, "He insulted me first, so I punished him according to the rules. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Bianca!" he snapped, clearly starting to bubble in rage. "I don't care what the reason was, only the result. There were a dozen better ways to handle it.

"At least if it were Isabella, she'd never have done the same thing."

After he said those words, we both fell silent. Just as he was about to speak again, I hung up.

In that moment, the cigar I held suddenly tasted bitter and pointless. I put it out and went straight to the desk to process my discharge.

Every inch of this city that carried Matteo's scent now made me feel sick.

It was 2:00 am by the time the procedures were complete. I stood on a deserted street and let the biting cold wind whip around me.

Just then, a car pulled up in front of me before the window rolled down to reveal a handsome man.

I instantly recognized him as Enzo Castelli, Don of the Castelli Famiglia.

"Well, if it isn't Matteo's little trophy wife," he drawled. "Why are you standing on the streets looking like a stray puppy?"

I ignored him and, step by step, limped forward. He didn't press and sped off like a gust of wind.

I checked into a hotel and settled for the night. But the next morning, my door was smashed open.

Matteo stood there, his face a contorted mask of fury.

He lividly hurled a stack of photos at my feet. "All I did was give you a piece of my mind, Bianca, and you escaped from the hospital to go behind our backs with our rivals!"

I stood frozen before picking up the photos on the floor. They showed Enzo talking to me with his window wound down.

"No… It's not what it looks like."

"Ms. Valenti," Isabella said. Her expression was dark as she shot me a cold look. "During my recent investigation, I discovered that the Castellis planted a spy in our Famiglia, but I could never identify who it was.

"You're the only person who's ever been seen with him."

"What nonsense!" I shouted. "How could I ever betray the Famiglia?"

"Why not?" Matteo said coldly. "Your jealousy has gone too far, Bianca."

Isabella immediately chimed in, "Ms. Valenti, I know you've recently felt like I've taken Don Rossini's affection away from you.

"I'm sorry if that caused misunderstandings, but the Famiglia is built on everyone's hard work. This shouldn't be how you take revenge."

Her calm, measured tone only seemed to highlight my hysteria.

I looked at Matteo, the man I had loved for so many years, and had no desire to explain anything at all.

I took a slow breath and forced down my emotions. "So, Matteo, are you here to punish me?

"Or are you here to get a divorce and kick me out of the Famiglia?"