Two years after I married New York's Don, Colter Moretti, my ex-fiancé, Nico Falcone, decided he wanted me back.

The roar of engines was a declaration of war as a convoy of black, bulletproof cars descended upon my private estate. Soldati unloaded crate after crate of “gifts”—jewelry, designer gowns, an antique piano.

He stood proudly before his car and announced, "Bella, I told you. The only reason I was with my brother's widow was that he died unexpectedly. The Falcone family needed the heir she was carrying."

"Now that the child is born, I've fulfilled my promise to the family. I'm back to marry you!"

Lounging by the pool after my post-natal yoga, I didn’t even bother to open my eyes.

He frowned, his tone becoming condescending. "I know you're upset, but you're a Romano. You want for nothing! Can't you show a little compassion for a grieving widow?"

"I know it was selfish to make you wait two years, but I'm back now! In three days, we'll be married. I know you still care about me. Otherwise, why would you wear such a revealing bikini just for me?"

The sheer audacity of it made me laugh. "Guards, throw him out!"

What a joke. I’d just given birth to the Moretti heir, and my husband, Colter, had been urging me to take our son to visit my parents. Instead, I run into this clown.

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1

Nico Falcone leaned against the door of his limited-edition sedan. He slid off his sunglasses, revealing sharp brows, deep-set eyes, and a mocking smile.

"I get it," he said slowly. "You're playing hard to get."

"You have your pride; I have my patience. I know you flash those claws at any man who gets too close, but you’d never let anyone truly disrespect you."

"Unlike you, Daisy is gentle and kind. If someone bullies her, she just suffers in silence."

"She needs someone to protect her." His feigned sentimentality made my stomach churn.

"Isabella, even when I marry you, that doesn't mean you can use my affection as an excuse to bully her."

"In my heart, Daisy will always be as important as you are."

Two years ago, those words would have shattered my heart. But now, they just sounded pathetic.

"Nico, what on earth makes you think I've been waiting for you?" I asked calmly.

His expression froze.

"Did it ever occur to you that I'm already with someone else?"

Nico stared at me for a few seconds, then burst out laughing as if I’d told the funniest joke in the world. "Impossible!"

"We've been engaged since childhood. The entire New York underworld knows you're my woman. Who would dare touch you?"

He advanced on me, his gaze sweeping over me like I was his property. "Honestly, you're beautiful, but you have a hell of a temper. Who else but me could ever tame you?"

A complete egomaniac. That was the real Nico. I sneered inwardly.

"Isabella, even though I've been with Daisy, I've kept an eye on the Five Families," he continued. "Since your father retired, the Romano family has been in decline. No one would dare marry a woman cast aside by the Falcones."

"Besides, what else are you going to do? Cling to your faded reputation until you're old and gray?"

A small smile played on my lips. In his mind, I was still the little girl who needed his protection.

We had grown up together, and for as long as I could remember, everyone considered us a couple.

At our university graduation, he’d proposed to me in front of everyone, cementing our union as a celebrated alliance between our two families. But the night before our engagement party, he got his late brother's widow pregnant behind my back.

When I confronted him, he didn't even try to deny it. He just said, matter-of-factly, "My brother is gone, and Daisy is heartbroken. She needs a child to solidify her position. Just give me two years, Bella. As soon as the child is born, I'll marry you."

Hearing that, my heart turned to ice. I threw the engagement ring into the Hudson River and cut off all contact with him.

That same year, the Moretti family hosted a grand banquet where the heads of the Five Families sipped champagne and carved up their territories. I was cornered by two women from rival families, who openly mocked me for being humiliated by Nico and his brother’s widow.

It was then that the Don of the Moretti family, Colter Moretti, strode into my life. He placed a steadying hand on the small of my back, his sharp gaze sweeping across the ballroom. "Isabella is my fiancée. Anyone who disrespects her, disrespects the Moretti family."

No one dared to meet my gaze after that, let alone insult me.

Later, he took me to an empty terrace and asked me to give him a chance to turn his lie into a reality.

I agreed.

Nico’s voice pulled me back to the present. "Anyway, even though you've been avoiding me, I know you're just mad."

He pointed to the black sedan parked at the end of the driveway. "I gave you that car the year we were engaged. If you really wanted to be done with me, you would have sold it long ago."

"But you didn't. You've even kept it in pristine condition."

"I know you still love me, Isabella."

"You've been waiting for me."

His smug confidence was so ridiculous I almost laughed. I had barely set foot in my father's house since marrying Colter. My father was the one who’d been taking care of that car.

Besides, it was a classic Alfa Romeo. Why would I take my anger out on an innocent vintage car?

He took my silence as an admission and smiled triumphantly. "Don't worry. In three days, I'll throw you the grandest wedding New York has ever seen!"

I couldn't be bothered to waste another breath on him.

I grabbed the garden hose by the pool, twisted the nozzle, and blasted him with a powerful stream of water. "Get out of my sight, Nico!"

He was soaked from head to toe. His hair was plastered to his forehead and his expensive suit was ruined, but he was still smiling. "There she is. Still as fiery as ever. I knew you still had feelings for me!"

He opened his arms wide, as if savoring the moment. "I promise, I will never betray you again, Isabella."

"You and Daisy—the two most important women in my life."

Nico swaggered off, utterly convinced he had won me back.

I dropped the hose and rolled my eyes. No wonder his brother died young. With a sibling like Nico, even a saint would lose patience.

"Luca," I said, turning to the estate's head of security. "Log all the gifts Nico sent, then have them delivered to the Moretti family's charitable foundation."

I paused, my voice turning cold. "If he dares to come back, remind him what happens when you harass the Donna of the Moretti family."

Then I put him out of my mind.

I genuinely thought we would never cross paths again. I was so wrong.

That evening, at an exclusive club where marble floors gleamed under gold chandeliers and soft jazz drifted through the air, I had a meeting. I was there to negotiate a partnership with an artist.

The moment I stepped into the lobby, a familiar, mocking voice called out from the second-floor landing. "I knew you'd come."

Nico leaned against the railing like a spoiled prince, a smirk plastered on his face. "Honestly, you don't have to follow me everywhere. I'm a man of my word. I said I'd have you back in three days, and I will."

I ignored him and headed for the private room I’d booked.

He rushed down the stairs to block my path. "Stop with the childish tantrums, Isabella. I know your father's art gallery is on the verge of bankruptcy and you're selling off family heirlooms to get by."

"A glass of juice here costs more than your monthly allowance. You don't have to embarrass yourself trying to impress me."

I took a deep breath. This man was beyond exhausting.

My father's gallery was struggling, but as Colter's wife, I could buy this entire club ten times over. He had slipped an unlimited black card into my purse before I left to visit my parents.

I took another deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Are you unemployed? Or do you just enjoy barking like a stray dog all over the city?"

He was momentarily speechless before sneering, "Stop pretending. You came here for me, didn't you? Now that you've got my attention, why the high-and-mighty act?"

"Come on. I've got a private room."

"Daisy's there, too. You two should learn to get along. We'll all be family soon enough."

As he spoke, Daisy glided over and linked her arm through his.

"Honey, is this Isabella?"

She looked me up and down, her eyes flickering with jealousy and resentment before she plastered on a sweet smile. "Now I see why Nico can't get you out of his head. You're gorgeous."

"But beauty alone isn't enough to hold a man's interest."

Daisy lifted her chin, her tone dripping with condescension. "We'll be family soon. I can teach you a thing or two about how to keep a man. You really should learn to control that temper; men don't like difficult women."

I narrowed my eyes, sizing her up. Her skin was glowing, her eyes bright, her posture perfect. She looked nothing like a grieving widow.

"You want to teach me?" I asked softly.

Daisy beamed, pleased with herself. "What, worried I'm better at it? I'm not some spoiled princess. I know how to love a man."

With that, she shot Nico a doe-eyed, adoring glance.

Her shamelessness was almost comical.

"It's clear no one ever taught you when to shut your mouth."

I glanced at the woman standing behind me—Eva, one of Colter's personal bodyguards, assigned to me for my trip. She was a trained fighter, known for taking down a knife-wielding attacker with nothing but a bottle opener.

"Eva, teach her a lesson," I said, my voice cold. Eva stepped forward without hesitation.

"Don't you dare touch her, Isabella!" Nico yelled, immediately shielding Daisy. He stared at me in disbelief. "She's the mother of the Falcone heir! To touch her is to make an enemy of my entire family!"

I met his furious gaze without flinching. "And why wouldn't I dare? I have nothing to fear from you."

Nico was stunned. A storm of emotions crossed his face. "You've always been a troublemaker, Isabella. Breaking off our engagement was to protect you from the family power struggles. I was the one who stepped up and shielded you from all of it."

"But we're adults now. I can't keep cleaning up your messes. You lay a finger on Daisy today, you'll be offending someone even more powerful tomorrow. You cause a scandal like that, and your father's little business will be ground to dust!"

I couldn't believe his gall, standing there with that self-satisfied look, as if he expected my gratitude. The thought was laughable.

It was only after marrying Colter that I learned the power struggles back then had nothing to do with me.

It was Nico who had insisted on throwing himself into that mess, desperate to play the tragic hero.

And because of him, I missed my chance to meet Colter two years sooner.

At that thought, my last shred of patience evaporated.

"I'll say it one last time, Nico. I'm here on business, not for you. And stop talking about a wedding. It's never going to happen."

His expression hardened. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see through my facade. "I'm in no mood for your games, Isabella."

Just then, Daisy smiled sweetly. "Calm down, Nico. Isabella's just throwing a tantrum. It's my fault. I forgot to prepare a gift for our first meeting," she cooed, rubbing his arm.

With that, she removed her ruby earrings and held them out to me. They were an exquisite, signature Falcone design. "Nico gave these to me. They're a bit too flashy for my taste, but they'd suit you perfectly."

"Take them! Don't be shy. I have plenty of jewelry. Once you're back with the Falcone family, you can come to my room and pick out whatever you like!"

I watched her pathetic little performance with a blank face.

Nico frowned and ordered, "Just take them. It's a kind gesture. And your family could use something to keep up appearances. And you should get rid of that cheap piece of junk around your neck. It’s embarrassing."

Cheap junk? I instinctively touched the pendant.

This was no cheap junk. It was a platinum pendant personally designed by Colter, engraved with the initials of our son and the Moretti family's griffin crest.

To hear this fool call Colter’s gift ‘cheap junk’… I’d completely lost interest in dealing with the artist. I turned to leave.

"Stop!" Nico roared, enraged at being ignored. In a flash, he reached out and ripped the pendant from my throat.

A sharp pain shot through my neck as the chain snapped.

"Get rid of that trash!" he demanded.

"Daisy, put yours on her!"

"Give it back!" I yelled, lunging for the platinum pendant in his hand. If Colter found out I'd lost the gift he gave me, he would "punish" me in his own way.

My desperation only fueled Nico's rage. He threw the pendant onto the marble floor and crushed it under the heel of his expensive, custom-made leather shoe.