The rich heirs around them immediately started egging them on. "Why not make it a friendly race? Ms. Tania versus Mr. Lanzi. Let's see who's better!"

Tania didn't respond. She started the engine, and the car let out a deep, low roar.

Simone settled into the driver's seat as well. He turned to remind Noemi, "Hold on tight. Don't be scared."

His focus was steady, yet the corner of his eye kept drifting toward Tania. When he noticed a man leaning in to talk to her, his grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

He knew he didn't have feelings for Tania. And yet, seeing someone else get close to her stirred an inexplicable irritation.

The feeling unsettled him. To cover it up, he poured an even more patient tenderness into comforting Noemi.

The race was about to begin. The two cars lined up at the starting line.

The moment the starting gun fired, Tania floored the accelerator. Her car shot forward like an arrow, carving a flawless arc through the first curve at breathtaking speed.

Simone followed close behind. He had to watch Noemi in the passenger seat, yet his attention kept drifting to Tania ahead, afraid she might push too hard and lose control.

The road twisted sharply.

Tania stayed in the lead. Just as she was about to take the final sharp turn, she caught something in the rearview mirror.

Simone's right rear tire ran over a broken piece of guardrail and burst instantly. His car lurched out of control and hurtled toward the cliff's edge.

"Watch out!" Tania shouted instinctively. Without hesitation, she yanked the wheel. Her car slid sideways, slamming into his path and forcing itself between his car and the cliff.

A loud bang thundered through the valley.

When Tania's racing car airbags deployed, she slammed into hard surfaces in rapid succession. Pain tore through her instantly.

Blood blurred her vision. Her left arm felt shattered, completely numb.

Simone's car was stopped by the impact, coming to a halt just inches from the cliff.

Ignoring the cuts on his arms from shattered glass, he kicked the door open and ran toward Tania's car like he'd lost his mind. He wrenched the twisted door open with brute force.

"Tania!" His voice shook with panic he'd never felt before. He reached out to check her breathing. Relief flashed through his eyes when he felt it.

But the sight of her covered in blood and her ghostly pale face made his chest tighten so hard he could barely breathe. "Hang in there. I'm calling an ambulance!"

He was reaching for his phone when a soft sound came from behind him.

Noemi, clutching her forehead, whimpered weakly, "Simone. I feel dizzy…"

He hesitated for a moment.

The next second, he turned to the people rushing over. "Presto! Take Noemi to the hospital first. She's badly shaken!"

He turned back, scooped Noemi into his arms, and hurried toward a car by the road.

Through blurred vision, Tania watched his frantic retreat. Blood seeped from the corner of her lips.

The man she had protected with everything she had chose Noemi, who'd barely been hurt, while her own life hung in the balance.

It turned out that all her sacrifices never weighed as much to him as a single tear from Noemi.

Tania woke in a blur. Every breath was a jagged pull against the sharp agony of her ribs.

"Simone, this is all my fault… If I hadn't insisted on watching the race, Tania wouldn't have ended up like this."

Noemi's sobbing came from beside the hospital bed. "I'm so scared. If anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself."

"It's not your fault," Simone said nearby. "It was an accident. No one could've predicted a punctured tire. Besides, she drove over on her own. Getting hurt was on her. Don't blame yourself. You should rest. I'll stay here."

Tania listened to the familiar exchange and felt nothing but irony.

She had nearly died, yet it was all deserved.

Pain and disappointment tangled in her chest, and she couldn't stop herself from coughing.

The sudden sound froze Noemi and Simone.

Noemi lunged toward the bed. "Tania, you're finally awake! How do you feel? Are you feeling pain anywhere?"

Her voice was anxious and tender, as if she were genuinely worried.

Watching her performance, Tania replied hoarsely, "Thanks to you, I'm not dead yet."

Noemi's eyes immediately reddened. She turned to Simone with a hurtful look. "Simone, I-I didn't mean it like that. I was just worried about Tania…"

Simone frowned. "Ms. Tania, Noemi stayed here the whole time taking care of you. She was so worried she couldn't sleep. How could you talk to her like that?"

"Taking care of me?" Tania laughed, but the movement caught her wounds, forcing a sharp gasp.

"Open your eyes, Mr. Lanzi. Look at these injuries. Would I even be lying here if I hadn't nearly died saving the two of you?"

Her words landed like a heavy blow. Simone's chest tightened as the crash replayed in his mind.

"Mi dispiace. I—" He leaned closer, wanting to check her injuries.

But before he could, Noemi suddenly pressed a hand to her chest.

"I don't feel well. I think I'm still shaken from earlier," she said, already turning toward the door.

Her voice trembled as she continued, "Simone, I'll go rest first. I'll come see Tania again when she's better."

"Noemi!" Simone called out instinctively and chased after her without hesitation. He didn't even leave a single word behind for Tania.

Lying there alone, she finally let the tears fall.

No matter how badly she was hurt or how much she had given up for him, Noemi would always come first.

Her desperate rescue had been reduced to a pathetic joke.

…

A week passed, and Tania never saw Simone again.

On the day of her discharge, no one came to get her.

She dragged her injured body into a cab and returned to the Giordano residence. The moment she pushed open the door, noise and laughter flooded in.

Rino had his arm around Noemi, grinning as guests raised their glasses to celebrate her survival.

And there stood Simone, right beside her.

Tania stood at the entrance. Her simple, black attire was a stark contrast to the lively scene before her.

She wanted to slip back to her room to gather her things, but Noemi spotted her immediately.

"Tania? You're back already?" Noemi feigned surprise. "Didn't the doctor say you needed more rest?"

Rino frowned, his tone impatient. "Since you're here, just stay. Don't spoil everyone's mood."

Forced to stay at the party, Tania found a quiet corner and sat down.

Groups of guests clustered, all buzzing about Noemi's good fortune and their envy of her winning Don Lanzi's favor.

"I heard Don Lanzi gave her all kinds of precious gifts. Looks like Noemi's really marrying into the family."

"Meanwhile, Tania's got the looks but no one who truly cares about her. What a pity."

"She's just too fierce, unlike the gentle and sensible Ms. Noemi. No wonder no one loves her."

"She's just like her madre."

Tania couldn't bear to listen anymore. She stood up and walked straight outside to the backyard pool.

The cool night breeze did nothing to clear the heavy gloom in her chest. As she stared at the still water, a bitter chill settled deep in her soul.

"Tania, why are you out here alone?" Noemi's voice came from behind, dripping with superiority. "Jealous that Don Lanzi likes me, so you sneaked away?"

"I thought you liked Simone," Tania said.

Noemi laughed like she'd just heard the funniest joke. "Simone is definitely hot. I don't mind having a little fun with him. But he's just a bodyguard. How could he possibly be good enough for me?

"Tania, you really love him, don't you? Too bad he loves me. When I'm nice to him, he comes running. But I'm only being nice to him to rub it in your face."

She stepped up to Tania's side and lowered her voice. Her tone dripped with venom as she said, "You're just like your mamma—a pathetic loser nobody loves. My mamma stole your papa, and I stole Simone. I can take everything you've ever wanted. You'll always be beneath me.'"

Tania snapped around, her gaze icy. "Are you done?"

"What, did I hit a nerve?" Noemi smirked, then suddenly staggered and screamed as she fell into the pool.

"Help! Tania pushed me!"

The guests came running at the sound. Seeing Noemi thrashing in the pool while Tania stood on the edge with an unmoved expression, the crowd erupted into a frenzy.

"How could Ms. Tania do this?"

"She's so cruel to push Ms. Noemi into the pool!"

Simone's face darkened. Without hesitation, he jumped in and pulled Noemi out.

Soaked and shivering, Noemi clung to him, sobbing, "Simone, I didn't mean to make Tania angry. Why would she push me?"

When Simone looked at Tania, his gaze was full of disappointment and anger. "Tania, you've really let me down."

Watching the amateur theatrics, Tania felt only a cold sense of ridicule. She didn't bother to explain. She simply turned and walked away, leaving a chorus of accusations echoing behind her.

…

The next day, Tania went to pick out her bridal jewelry.

Just as she was about to get in her car in the underground garage, two men in black suddenly covered her mouth and nose.

A pungent chemical hit her nostrils.

She struggled briefly before everything went black.

When she woke, her eyes were blindfolded, her hands were chained, and her body was hanging suspended.

Suddenly, the chains slackened, and she dropped hard into icy water. The cold shock bit deep, making her gasp for air.

Before she could surface, the chains jerked, lifting her back into the air.

This cycle repeated until she was drenched and barely conscious, her breath shallow.

Finally, the chains stopped moving. Someone put her down and removed her blindfold.

Under the dim light, several men in black stood before her, brandishing weapons. She recognized the man in the lead. He was one of Simone's MadeMen from that night outside the villa.

"Mi dispiace, Ms. Giordano," the man said flatly. "But you provoked the wrong people. This is your lesson."

As Tania looked at him, she felt as though an ice pick had been driven through her heart. The pain was so sharp she struggled to breathe.

This abduction was Simone's doing, and the near-death experience was also his order.

All because she "pushed" Noemi.

He knew perfectly well that Tania had been lost at the beach as a child, left completely unattended.

Water was her greatest fear.

All her hopes and attachments were reduced to ashes at this moment.

She lost consciousness again.