A tall, imposing man stood at the entrance of the corridor, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

He was indeed handsome, but his eyes showed nothing but annoyance at this spectacle before him.

His gaze skipped over me and landed on Carla beside me.

"Did she scare you, my little kitten?" he said to her in a low voice, his fingers tracing the curve of her waist, his tone filled with performative affection.

Carla immediately leaned into his arms, masking a practiced vulnerability.

"Matteo," her voice trembled with a feigned distress, "I was just trying to defend your authority, but she..."

Matteo finally turned his attention to me, the false tenderness vanishing from his eyes instantly.

"Carla," his voice was steady, "I trust you, not to start fights like some street thug."

Carla took his cue immediately, lifting her chin. "It's all because of that woman. Can you believe the nerve showing up to our wedding with something so cheap?"

She contemptuously kicked at the intact watch on the ground.

Matteo finally settled on me with a critical eye. "You're the one supposed to be my bride. "

I had to admit, his looks were indeed impressive enough to make many women swoon.

"Matteo Leonardo," I began, dropping the honorifics, "I'm Anita Rossi, the fiancée your father personally approved."

"Save your introduction. I have zero interest in you, or in that irrelevant little family of yours hiding away in some corner of Sicily. Even though you're marrying me, I'll never touch you."

His words were a blatant challenge and slap in the face.

I took a small step forward, "This marriage is an agreement carefully reached between the Leonardo family and mine. "As your political wife and partner in alliance, I deserve your basic respect！"

My words made his expression instantly darken.

"Respect? " he scoffed, "Anita, look at you, then look at me."

He spread his arms as if presenting his kingdom, "The Leonardo family? We just opened a direct arms route to Eastern Europe! Know what that means? Means a flood of cash, means more firepower, means in Naples—hell, all of Southern Italy, no one dares say 'no' to us anymore!"

His voice was filled with pride, and the guests in the corridor showed expressions of either awe or envy.

His gaze fell back on me, full of contempt, " But, you wear rags, without a single decent piece of jewelry. What makes you think you have what it takes to stand by my side?"

He raised his voice, "If it weren't for my father being old and senile, threatening me with disinheritance, I wouldn't even spare you a second glance! Don't think that after the ceremony, you'll be the mistress of the Leonardo family. I'll never acknowledge you. You're nothing but a tool my father is using to make a deal!"

"Since you've made your position so clear," I said calmly, yet with a tone of decisive finality, "there's no need to maintain this farce of a marriage. So—"

I paused, my gaze sweeping over the triumphant Matteo and the woman in his arms, then over the surrounding faces of shock or mockery.

"—today's wedding is called off."

Matteo froze for a second, then as if he'd heard the world's biggest joke, he brushed past Carla, took a step forward.

"Anita, don't play these little games with me," he said in a low voice, threatening.

My voice turned cold, "I simply want nothing to do with someone who treats a family alliance as a joke."

"And as for your precious Leonardo family and that Eastern European arms route you were just bragging about..." I dragged out my words, "they mean absolutely little to me."

Everyone around me froze at my words. Matteo's arrogance vanished, replaced by pure disbelief.

Seeing this, Carla immediately stepped forward to try and calm him. "Matteo, don't listen to her lies! She's just some hick from the sticks—has no clue about the real value of that arms shipment, that's why she's acting all nonchalant!!"

But Matteo was clearly stung by my words. He ignored Carla, his eyes locked on me, looking as if he could devour me alive.

His meticulously planned, hugely invested channel, the capital he relied on to boast about, had been casually mentioned by a woman he'd looked down on.

His earlier composure and arrogance were completely gone, replaced by frantic rage.

"I'm giving you one last chance! Are you sure you want to call off this wedding?!"

I met his furious yet slightly panicked gaze, my eyes unwavering, and gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"Absolutely sure."

Matteo clearly didn't expect me to be so firm, and his expression darkened.

Seeing this, Carla quickly stepped in, "Don't worry about it, Matteo," she said urgently, pressing her body against his arm, "A woman like her who doesn't know her place would never have been welcomed into the Leonardo family anyway!"

Matteo nodded slightly, but there was hesitation in his eyes. "But... all the invitations have gone out. Every important person from Sicily is out there, especially the representative from that so-called 'Shepherd' family. If we call off the wedding now, our family will become a laughingstock all across Italy."

Carla immediately pressed a hand to her heart in a dramatic vow of loyalty. "Matteo, you still have me, don't you?"

Matteo's eyes lit up. "Carla, you're saying...?"

Carla nodded vigorously, "The wedding goes on as planned! I'll be your bride!" For her, jumping from a bodyguard to the mistress of the Leonardo family, even nominally, was a dream come true.

Matteo was so moved he almost took her hand. "Carla... perfect! That's what we'll do! Don't worry, I'll make you a official member of the family afterward, put you in charge of the nightclubs on the south coast!"

I coldly interrupted them: "Done with your act yet? "

Carla's voice turned venomous: "Matteo, she's just jealous. That's what women from lesser families do best—feign indifference just to catch your attention."

Matteo raised an eyebrow, looking at me thoughtfully again .

Carla's whisper seemed to hit his narcissistic heart perfectly, and the corner of his mouth curved in a knowing, contemptuous smile.

"You're right, Carla," he said, "There are definitely some low-born women who'd use cheap tricks like this to get my attention."

He took a step forward. "Anita, I'll admit you have more cunning than those brainless women who just throw themselves at me. This feigned composure is... somewhat interesting."

He paused before slowly adding, "But since you dared to unilaterally call off our engagement, there's no way I can allow you to become my wife now. But if you're willing to bow your head, recognize your place... I might be generous enough to consider keeping you by my side."

A flicker of jealousy crossed Carla's face, but she immediately replaced it with a more triumphant and submissive expression, nestling against Matteo.

"Stay by your side?" I repeated, my tone flat and emotionless. "In what capacity?"

"As my mistress, of course," Matteo stated it as if it were the greatest honor, "This is already the greatest privilege a woman of your status could hope for!"He paused meaningfully.

The Leonardo soldiers and sycophants present snickered, all looking at me with mockery and contempt.

Under everyone's focused gaze, I showed no sign of discomfort.

"Are you finished?" I looked up, my gaze unruffled, sweeping over Matteo and Carla clinging to him, "Your imagination is quite vivid. Too bad you're wasting it."

Matteo's face darkened instantly.

"Anita!" His voice held clear warning and impatience, "This is your last chance! Be my mistress, and at least you'll enjoy the protection and wealth of the Leonardo family. Or," he emphasized, trying to apply pressure, "choose nothing, along with your pitiful little family, and face my wrath!"

I shook my head slightly, "Matteo Leonardo, I have to admit, you're on a completely different level from your father. At least he understands the hierarchy—he knows who he can offend, and who he must respect."

My words made Matteo's face turn pale. He hated being compared to his father, especially when it was a comparison that belittled him.

"Anita Rossi!" He practically roared, pointing his finger at me, the finger trembling with anger, "How dare you challenge me again and again! What the hell do you think you are!"

He strode forward, his face almost touching mine, spitting his words in rage..

"I've changed my mind! A mistress? You're not worthy!" His voice was hoarse,"You listen to me right now, right this fucking second—get down on your knees and apologize to me and Carla! Apologize for all your audacious words!"

Carla added fuel to the fire beside him, "That's right! On her knees! Mr. Leonardo, she must pay for her insolence!"

Matteo took a deep breath, as if pronouncing a sentence, saying word by word: "After apologizing, you stay behind. Not as a guest, but as a servant! From today on, you'll be Carla's personal maid! That's the price for humiliating the Leonardo heir!"

This proposal clearly thrilled Carla, and she looked at me with eyes full of anticipation about the humiliation she could soon inflict.

I remained standing in place, not even a trace of fear on my face, just watching him as if watching a clumsy performance.

This utter indifference completely ignited what remained of Matteo's sanity.

He completely shed his mask, a cruel smile appearing on his face, "Fine! Great! Since you refuse grace, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He looked around at all the Leonardo family members present, announcing loudly, "Tie this woman up and throw her into the alligator pond behind the estate! I want to watch her get torn to pieces with my own eyes!"

The bodyguards behind him immediately grew restless.

Matteo's gaze locked on me again, "And when you're dead, I'll immediately send men to Sicily, find that pathetic little family of yours, and wipe them out! Kill all the men, sell the women into the cheapest whorehouses! I'll make sure everyone knows what happens when you cross the Leonardo family, when you cross me Matteo Leonardo!"

The corridor fell deathly silent, everyone stunned by Matteo's undisguised murderous intent.

But I didn't panic, didn't beg."Oh?" I asked softly, my voice small yet clear to everyone present, "Is that so?"

Faced with Matteo's blatant death threat, the corridor fell as silent as a tomb.

But I just lifted my chin slightly, meeting his crazed gaze, the corners of my lips even curving into a faint, cold arc.

"Oh?" I asked softly, my voice quiet, yet piercingly clear to everyone present, "Feed me to the crocodiles? Wipe out my entire family? And just how do you plan to do that, Matteo Leonardo?"

My calm completely enraged him. "Grab her!" he roared at the bodyguards.

In front of everyone, I calmly pulled out the specially encrypted satellite phone —a device so rare only two existed in the world, capable of directly commanding the core forces of the "Shepherd" family.

One was with my father, and the other had been given to me when I came of age, essentially granting me absolute authority over the entire family.

This action caused Matteo and Carla to freeze. They didn't recognize such top-tier military equipment, but my demeanor made them subconsciously afraid.

I directly pressed the speed dial.

My father's voice came through steady, yet with a hint of concern. "Anita? The ceremony should be starting by now. Is everything going smoothly? How's your groom?"

He was clearly still expecting the wedding to proceed normally.

I gave a meaningful glance at the grim-faced, Matteo before me, "Father, I'm afraid the wedding won't be happening."