In my previous life, I had married Luca Corleone, the most handsome Underboss in Cisilia.

Everyone was envious of me. They all claimed that I became one of the most noble women in the country.

My twin sister, Lia Rossi, went mad with jealousy. She pushed me down the stairs afterward. When I was at my weakest point due to a miscarriage, she used a pillow to smother me to death.

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day the family meeting on the upcoming marriage alliance is held.

Upon returning to the lounge, I witness Lia straddling Luca, clearly engaging in physical intimacy with him. Her legs are spread widely as her body rocks with every powerful thrust.

"You came far too late, Elvira." Lia pants heavily while shooting me a smug look. "I'm the woman Luca loves now. See, we're even coupling with each other. In this lifetime, I shall be the one marrying him!"

Everyone looks at me, waiting for me to back off from this relationship while suffering from a mental breakdown.

But I just chuckle in return.

Oh, my dear Lia… All she knows is that Luca is young, handsome, and insanely wealthy.

But what she doesn't know is that he has a secret room tucked away in his bedroom that's completely filled with toys and tools meant to torture women. At the same time, he also plans to share her with the rest of his subordinates.

I pushed open the door and found Lia Rossi, my sister, straddling Luca Corleone, my fiance. She was naked, her long blonde hair clinging to her damp back, and her legs were spread wide as she straddled Luca's waist.

Luca, leaning against the leather couch with his shirt undone and his chiseled chest exposed, gripped Lia's waist with both hands and thrust upward in a steady rhythm.

"Go faster, Luca!" Lia moaned loudly, her breasts jolting hard with each thrust.

A lewd scent lingered in the lounge, and several elders from the Famiglia saw what was happening and looked embarrassed, but no one ventured to stop them. In the meantime, Dad—Carlo Rossi—stood by the window and looked away.

"You're already too late, Elvira," Lia said as she panted, her face glowing with the aftershocks of climax. She didn't pause for a second—if anything, she moved more fervently, deliberately drawing out the obscene sounds of their intimate encounter. "You ought to know that Luca loves me and that we're already together."

She then raised her voice so that everyone in the lounge could hear her. "And since everyone here saw what happened, according to the rules of the Famiglia, Luca has to marry me. I'll be the one marrying the Underboss of the Corleone Famiglia!"

Luca smiled faintly, his green eyes—which I had once believed were full of love—were now filled with ridicule. He gave Lia's backside a sharp slap, leaving a bright red handprint before saying hoarsely, "You're right, honey. You're nothing like Elvira, who's way too conservative."

He suddenly flipped over and pinned Lia beneath him. He yanked her hair to pull her head back and thrust into her from the back, causing Lia to moan in pleasure, her fingernails digging into the leather couch. He then said, "I especially like how slutty you are, Lia."

In that instant, everyone in the lounge fell silent and directed their attention toward me. They were expecting me to cry and cause a scene, waiting for me to fall apart like a jilted woman.

In my past life, I had indeed done the same. I lunged forward to pull them apart, only to be shoved away by Luca. My head struck the edge of the table. I also ended up marrying him, after which I spent three years living in hell.

I took a deep breath, my lungs still feeling the suffocating weight of being smothered in my past life. I suddenly remembered the weight of the pillow on my face, the crazed look of envy in Lia's eyes, and the persistent ache that followed the miscarriage.

Dad suddenly spoke up, his tone tinged with his usual impatience. "You should just step aside for Lia at this point, Elvira. After all, Mr. Corleone clearly favors her."

In that instant, several of the elders nodded in agreement.

"Your father is right, Elvira. You're both sisters, so you shouldn't be fighting over something like this."

"Lia is livelier and more compatible with Mr. Corleone."

"You need to be more sensible, Elvira."

I spent my entire past life being sensible. I was sensible enough to marry the man the family had chosen for me. I was sensible enough to put up with his abuse. I was also sensible enough to play the part of a happy wife. However, I still died despite being sensible in my past life.

"Elvira?" Lia was sprawled on the couch as she turned to look at me. She still looked at me, her grin boastful, even though Luca was still thrusting inside her from the back. "You won't be upset, right? You see, Luca and I are truly in love—"

"I'll allow it," I stated in an unnervingly calm manner, to a degree that caught even me off guard.

Lia's expression froze, while Luca's movements slowed down.

"I said I'll allow it," I said it again, even letting a smile touch my lips. "I'll let you two be together since you're truly in love."

Dad breathed a sigh of relief, while several of the elders looked on with approval, their expressions noting that I was indeed being sensible.

Lia alone didn't share the relief; her triumph faded into confusion and then irritation. She had been looking for a painful breakdown, not a composed withdrawal.

Luca withdrew and grabbed a towel from the couch, wiping himself off. He then approached me, his body still carrying Lia's scent, and asked, "Are you upset, Elvira?"

He lowered his voice, speaking loud enough only for the two of us to hear. "You don't have to be like this, Elvira. You can become my mistress instead; I guarantee that I'll make you enjoy yourself more than Lia."

I instantly slapped Luca's hand away the moment he reached for my face, the sound of the slap carrying clearly to every corner of the room.

In that instant, everyone in the room fell silent, while Luca's gaze darkened noticeably.

I had been extremely afraid of that look in my past life, as it signified another round of punishment later that night. But now, it was all different. I said softly, making sure that Lia heard me, "I wish you and Lia all the happiness in the world, Luca."

I intentionally placed heavy emphasis on the word "happiness" before I turned around, my gaze sweeping over each hypocritical face in the room before finally stopping at the man sitting at the head of the table. It was none other than Vittore Corleone, Luca's father and the Don of the Corleone Famiglia.

Vittore was a 45-year-old man in a tailored dark gray suit, sitting upright. His blond hair was perfectly groomed, and his profound features resembled a classical sculpture. He had a few wrinkles around his eyes, which didn't age him so much as add to his dignified presence.

He remained silent the whole time, quietly savoring the red wine in his glass. The atmosphere of the whole room seemed to revolve around him.

In my past life, Vittore was the last person I saw before I died. He rushed into the hospital ward and tried to get the doctors to resuscitate me, but it was of no use. He stared at my lifeless body on the hospital bed as something inside his ice-blue eyes shattered.

It was only then that I understood that this man of a few words was likely the only person on my side. It was just a shame that the realization came too late.

It wasn't too late now, though. I strode toward the head of the table in my high heels, the clicks against the marble floor resounding through the silent room.

Lia widened her eyes in surprise, while Dad looked as if he wanted to call out to me. However, he ultimately remained silent.

I came to a stop in front of Vittore, who suddenly looked up at me, his expression so neutral that it was impossible to discern his thoughts. I leaned over to whisper into his ear, noting the subtle aroma of cedar and whiskey clinging to him. It felt entirely different from the blatant, aggressive scent Luca gave off.

"You need a successor to the Corleone Famiglia, right, Don Corleone?" I whispered, my lips almost brushing his ear, as I noticed his frame go rigid for a split second. I then continued, "You'd need a legitimate successor, one with the pure blood of a Corleone."

Vittore lightly tapped the rim of the wine glass, and though the movement was subtle, the atmosphere in the room turned ice-cold.

I looked toward Luca, who was still standing naked at the center of the room, glaring at me like he wanted to kill me, and continued, "I mean, your current son doesn't possess any skills besides screwing women during commission meetings."

Vittore finally turned to face me, meeting my gaze head-on. He then, with deliberate slowness, smiled faintly and spoke with a deep, resonant Cisilian accent. "How interesting. Go on, Ms. Rossi."

I straightened my posture and glanced back at Lia, noticing that her triumphant grin was gone, replaced by a look of bewilderment and growing dread. I deliberately raised my voice so that everyone in the room could hear me, saying, "I have nothing more to say. I'd just like to offer my heartfelt blessings to Lia and Mr. Luca."

I paused for a moment, my gaze moving from Luca's sullen face to Lia's pallor and the cold sweat beading on Dad's forehead. I then stated deliberately, "I hope that they'll grow old together."

"Meeting adjourned," Vittore said as he set down his wine glass, his gaze still fixed on me. He rose to his feet, a full head taller than I was, until his shadow fell entirely over me. He then tilted his head slightly and said, "I want you to stay behind, Ms. Rossi."

I ended up in Vittore's study on the third floor. He didn't say anything right away but went over to the bar cabinet, poured two drinks, and passed one of them to me, saying, "You should have some brandy. You look like you need it."

I accepted the glass of brandy, my hands shaking slightly.

"Have a seat," Vittore said, taking a seat on the leather couch in front of the fireplace. "You seem to know what kind of person Luca truly is, Ms. Rossi."

I took a sip of the brandy and replied, "Yes, I do. I know Luca enjoys leaving marks on women and that he has converted the room beside his bedroom into his personal torture chamber.

"I also know that he allows his subordinates to take turns 'sampling' his women, all while he films their interactions and keeps the tapes as a collection."

Vitorre lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest of the couch, stating calmly, "You know more than I imagined, Ms. Rossi. Why did you agree to marry Luca in the first place, then?"

"It's because my father ordered me to," I replied with a wry smile.

"What a foolish reason," Vittore said. He watched me for a long time afterward—long enough that I began to fear that he'd have his men toss me out—before he suddenly asked, "Do you really think you can provide me with a successor?"

"I can," I replied as I placed the glass down, trying to appear as composed as I could.

I then lifted my gaze and continued, "I'm young and healthy, with the Rossi bloodline running through me. I think the most important thing is the fact that your son's tactics won't break me like they do the others. I've already been betrayed by my sister, so there's nothing left for me to fear, Don Corleone."

Vitorre actually smiled in response; it wasn't the cold smirk he'd shown earlier, but a genuine, amused smile. "You're quite courageous—either that, or you're acting out of desperation."

"I guess both are true," I stated flatly.

Vittore rose to his feet and walked toward me, his towering height casting me entirely in shadow.

I caught the scent of cedar and whiskey on him, feeling the heavy weight of his presence. I knew that it was the kind of pressure that only a man in his position could exert.

Vittore didn't lay a finger on me; instead, he simply leaned forward, bracing his arms on the couch to either side of me and confining me in his presence.

Vittore murmured, his warm breath grazing my ear, "If I marry you, you'll become the Madre of the Corleone Famiglia, with boundless wealth, authority, and respect at your command. But in exchange…"

His lips were inches from my ear as he continued, "...you must never betray me, show any weaknesses, or disappoint me, Ms. Rossi."

I could feel my heart racing in my chest as I asked, "What happens if I let you down, Don Corleone?"

Vittore straightened his posture, a flash of cruelty appearing in his ice-blue eyes. "Luca is merely a child with his playthings, so I'll make sure you understand the methods of the Don, Ms. Rossi."

It was then that a burst of noise rose from below—music, laughter, and the sound of glasses clinking. It seemed like the engagement banquet had begun.

Vittore stepped back and straightened his cuffs. "You have three days to think it over. If you're still here after that, I'll have my lawyers draw up the prenup."

I immediately responded to him. "I don't need three days. I can give you my answer right now."

I rose to my feet and continued, "I'll agree to it, but I have two conditions."

"Go ahead and state them."

I stated flatly, "I want our wedding to take place before Lia and Luca's. I want everyone to see who is truly marrying into the inner circle of the Corleone Famiglia."

Vittore nodded. "I can do that. What about your second condition?"

I took a deep breath before replying, "I want your guarantee that whatever happens, any child of mine—your future successor—will never be left to Luca."

I was trembling, but I still pushed through it. "I don't want him making bets on who the father is just for a laugh or letting his men lay a finger on me."

In this life, I was determined to protect myself and my child.

"That's enough. I won't allow anything like that to happen, since the future successor will be mine alone," Vittore snapped, his face a mask of fury. He left it just like that, but the fire in the fireplace suddenly surged and wavered.