In the second year after dropping out of school, I decide to cosplay as a dancer and stage a chance encounter with my husband, Don Vincenzo Rossi, in order to give him a surprise. However, I happen to run into my old classmates in the club.

When they see me pole dancing in a skimpy outfit, they burst into laughter immediately.

Tatiana Lazzari, the one who's throwing the party and was my former bully at school, mocks me for being a lowly, slutty bitch.

My ex-boyfriend, Cristian Paleno, who had cheated on me with Tatiana back then, has his brows drawn into a tight frown. He seems to feel sorry for me.

"If you didn't insist on breaking up with me back then, Aria, you wouldn't have gotten reduced to having to work as a stripper."

In order to spice up the party, they drag me into their private room and force me to strip in front of them.

When I reject them, they dump all sorts of alcohol and beverages onto my exposed skin and my thin, skimpy clothes. Then, they force me to kneel between Cristian's legs in submission.

As Cristian leans in close to my ear, I can see the lust brimming in his eyes.

"Come back to me, Aria. Otherwise, you can only remain as a horny bitch for the rest of your life."

Out of sheer jealousy and rage, Tatiana kicks me in the gut right away.

That's when Vincenzo hurries to my side and scoops me into his arms. By then, I'm in so much pain that I'm all curled up.

He then glares at everyone else, whose faces have gone white from terror.

"How dare you harm my wife and our unborn child! You can forget about leaving this room today!"

Before my husband, Vincenzo Rossi, boarded his flight for an overseas arms deal, he told me he had just prepared a huge surprise and would give it to me when he returned. Exchanging surprises was a playful tradition between us, a sweet intimacy we shared.

I smiled, sent Vincenzo an invitation for a date, then headed to the club. I planned to dress up as a sexy dancer to surprise him too.

I had just changed into a seductive dance dress and was warming up on the pole, preparing to rehearse, when I suddenly heard a commotion at the entrance. A group of young people walked into the club, laughing and chatting.

"This really is the hottest, most elite club in the city. The decor is so luxurious!"

"If it weren't for the business connection between Cristian's family company and the Rossi family, we wouldn't have been able to get a reservation at all! Tatiana, you're so lucky! Cristian spent so much money and put in so much effort to celebrate your birthday!"

Hearing those names, I instinctively turned around. Sure enough, I spotted my ex-boyfriend, Cristian Paleno, in the crowd. The woman he had cheated on me with was Tatiana Lazzari, who was surrounded by our former classmates.

The moment I saw them, memories of being bullied at school came flooding back. I frowned and was about to turn away when my eyes met Cristian's.

When he saw me, surprise flashed in his eyes, but then his gaze froze on my sexy dance dress.

Tatiana quickly stepped forward, blocking his line of sight. She sneered at me.

"Well, if it isn't Aria Amato, the girl with the best grades! How did you end up as a dancer?"

She stared contemptuously at my seductive outfit. "Guess you really are a cheap slut."

Cristian furrowed his brow like he was judging me from some moral high ground, yet his eyes kept wandering over my body.

I had no love for this group. I covered the revealing parts of my outfit and tried to leave.

Tatiana grabbed the hand I had placed over my chest.

"Why are you covering up? If you're out here selling yourself, don't be shy about people looking! With cheap goods like you, are you really worried about losing something? Forget looking, I bet even sleeping with you wouldn't cost more than a few bucks!"

Her sharp, vicious tone drew mocking laughter from everyone else. I couldn't believe these people were still so immature after all this time.

I shook off her hand and said coldly, "Show some respect. I'm a patron here too."

Before I finished, they burst into laughter. Tatiana's best friend, Michela Costa, stepped forward from the group.

She shoved me aside and shrieked sarcastically, "Aria, everyone knows you were broke in school. This is the VIP section! You clearly couldn't make it in life and turned into a stripper. Now that Tatiana and Cristian have caught you, you're pretending to be a patron? You'll say anything to save face, won't you?"

She put on an expression of sudden realization. "Oh, I get it now! You must have found out from the manager that Cristian was coming, so you deliberately dressed like this to run into him and win him back, right?"

Tatiana's expression instantly turned hostile. She clung tightly to Cristian's arm, as if staking her claim.

Unlike her reaction, a trace of smugness flashed across Cristian's face. He raised an eyebrow and stared at me with that infuriatingly leisurely look, as if he were waiting for my answer.

I found it somewhat amusing. However, to him, my smile seemed like a silent confirmation.

He frowned slightly, something like regret and nostalgia crossing his face. His languid tone dripped with arrogance and condescension.

"Aria, I told you you'd regret it. If you hadn't been so stubborn about leaving me, you wouldn't have ended up as a stripper. You insisted on breaking up with me, and now you're stalking me, putting on this whole act to win me back. Was it worth it?"

I laughed at Cristian's words.

Back in school, Tatiana noticed that I was smart but broke, so she bullied me constantly with the other students. Cristian, the son of a wealthy businessman, appeared before me like a savior and protected me.

So I fell for my rescuer. He told me over and over how much he disliked Tatiana and how spoiled and unreasonable she was.

When Tatiana's bullying pushed me to the edge and I almost dropped out of school, Cristian said he would stand up for me and confront her. Instead, he ended up in her bed that very night.

Betrayed, I dropped out, ended things with him, and cut everyone off. I'd already given up on Cristian then and lost all hope in him.

Later, when I met and married Vincenzo, I finally understood what real love and respect looked like. Why would I ever stalk some scumbag like Cristian to win him back?

Cristian misread my silence. He shook off Tatiana's arm and stepped closer, whispering so only I could hear, "Don't deny it so fast, Aria. Honestly, I feel the same way. I miss you. Your lips, your smile—everything about us.

"Tatiana's just a hookup. We were never really dating. If you come back to me, I'll cut things off with her. So don't misunderstand—"

"You're the one who's misunderstanding." I cut him off coldly. "I have a husband. We're very much in love. Have some respect."

"Husband?"

Cristian froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. I ignored his shock and turned to leave, but Tatiana blocked my path, her face twisted with jealousy.

"Don't go. You're a dancer, aren't you? Today's my birthday party, so it's perfect. You can dance for me!"

Before I could react, she dragged me roughly into their private room. "Come on, dance and strip while you're at it. Let's see how you seduce your clients!"

The others snickered behind their hands. Cristian watched coldly, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips.

I forced down my anger. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not a dancer. Your party has nothing to do with me. Keep causing trouble, and I'll have the manager throw you all out."

"How long are you going to keep this act up? You're a stripper—a prostitute—and you think you can get the manager to kick us out? Who do you think you are, a god?"

Tatiana burst into mocking laughter.

As the Don of the Rossi family, Vincenzo wielded incredible power. In this city, he practically was a god.

I frowned and pulled out my phone to contact the manager, but Michela snatched it away with a shrill laugh.

"You're still as stupid and pathetic as ever. Looks like we need to teach you a lesson! Cristian and Tatiana are the most honored guests in this club.

"Tatiana's doing you a favor by asking you to dance for them. Without them, a dirty whore like you wouldn't even be able to get into a high-end room like this or taste such expensive liquor!"

She grabbed a glass from the table and threw its contents in my face. "If you ask me, you should be kneeling on the ground like a slave, serving us, doing whatever we say. Maybe if Cristian and Tatiana are pleased, they'll even tip you."

Tatiana looked down at me, drenched and disheveled, and kicked off one of her heels with disgust. "The drink they just threw on you got the bottom of my shoe wet. It's lambskin. It can't get wet!

"You couldn't afford these if you worked your whole life. Crawl over here and lick them clean. I'll be merciful and let you skip the striptease."

The moment Tatiana finished speaking, jeers erupted around me.

"Tatiana's so generous. If it was me, I'd make her strip!"

"Yeah, strip first, then crawl over and lick her shoes!"

Some of them rushed forward, pinning me to the ground and tearing at my clothes, forcing me to my knees.

"The customer is always right. Whatever we tell you to do, you do it!"

I clutched my flimsy dress desperately, fury coursing through me. "Let go of me! You're all insane! Do you have any idea who I am? My husband is—"

Cristian laughed coldly. He leaned back casually on the couch, pulling Tatiana into his arms. "They're right. I'm the one you should be serving."

He spread his legs and smirked down at me with contempt. "Now. Kneel between my legs, bow your head, and lick Tatiana's shoes clean. I want to see where this husband who loves you so much is while you're humiliating yourself serving me."

With Cristian's approval, everyone grew even more frenzied. Someone rushed over, shoved me to the ground, and forced my head down toward Cristian's lap.

My dress slipped off my shoulders as they pushed me forward, exposing my cleavage and bare skin to Cristian, who was looking down at me.

"Let her go."

Desire flickered in his eyes. He shoved Tatiana aside, and everyone froze.

Cristian leaned down and grabbed my chin. He whispered close to my ear, his voice strained and hoarse, "I know you don't have a damn husband, Aria. Come back to me. Otherwise you'll always be nothing but a cheap bitch in heat."

I stared into his eyes, gritting out each word with venom, "In your dreams!"

The desire in his eyes instantly turned to rage.

"Continue!" His furious shout echoed through the room.

They pinned me down even harder. Someone poured an entire bottle of liquor over my head, drenching my body. I screamed and struggled to get up, but Tatiana stomped down on me. Her heel ground into my face, nearly crushing it.

"Crazy bitch, still trying to fight back? You better lick my shoes clean right now. Otherwise, you're not leaving this room today."

"You're the crazy one! I'm the Donna of the Rossi family. My husband Vincenzo is Don Rossi, and you're making me lick your shoes?"

I thought they'd stop their nonsense once they heard my identity. Instead, they exchanged glances and burst into even wilder laughter.

"You really won't give up, will you? You didn't even finish school, you show up at a bar dressed like a hooker, and you dare claim to be the Rossi family's Donna? Aren't you afraid the Don will come after you?"

"You're the Don's wife? Yeah, and I'm the Queen! Today we're going to teach you a lesson, you lying, shameless slut!"

Malice flashed in Michela's eyes. She grabbed an empty bottle from the table and hurled it at me.

The bottle shattered on impact. Pain and dizziness washed over me. Blood streamed down from the gash on my forehead.

"Enough!"

Something like reluctance flickered in Cristian's eyes. He called them off sharply and snapped at Michela, "Who told you to do that?"

Everyone went still. Michela flinched back under his rebuke, while Tatiana glared at me with pure hatred.

The next second, Cristian pulled me up from the floor. He pressed a handkerchief against my wound almost gently.

"See, Aria? I'm the only one who's ever been able to stop them and protect you—both then and now. You must be terrified if you're making up something so ridiculous. If someone was really protecting you, why would you need to lie about being married to Don Rossi?

"Just give in. These people all have power and connections. They'll only listen to me. Toying with a cheap whore like you would be nothing to them."

Rage burned through me. I bit my lip hard, fighting through the dizziness. "How… how dare you…"

He smiled and pulled me in front of him, pointing to a hidden door in the corner of the room. He whispered in my ear, "See that little room? You're much more beautiful than before, and you're especially sexy today. To these animals, you look like a delicious dessert.

"Trust me, the second I give them permission, these guys will drag you in there and tear you apart. Only I can save you."

I looked up. The male classmates surrounding me leered with predatory smiles. Their eyes roamed over my exposed skin like hungry beasts ready to devour me whole.

Fear seized me. I shrank back instinctively and bumped into Cristian's arms.

Triumph gleamed in his eyes. Seeing this, Tatiana's face twisted with jealousy. She kicked me hard in the stomach.

"Damn it! You filthy whore! You're trying to seduce my man right in front of me!"