At dawn, a shrill phone ring tore through the night.

"Chiara, we've got a problem! There's a rat in the family. The FBI is raiding the docks in an hour for a full sweep!"

My heart sank when I heard the news. After all, that was where the family had hidden decades' worth of ledgers. If they found those books, the entire Gallante family, including me, would be facing life sentences.

Since Marco was not home, I immediately dialed his number. However, it went straight to voicemail.

There was no need to guess; he was probably still in Fiore's loving arms.

Outside, a violent storm was tearing through the city. Without a second thought, I grabbed my car keys and ran straight into the rain.

When I reached the docks, federal agents were already positioned in the shadows, and rival families who had caught wind of it circled nearby, waiting to profit from the chaos.

I had barely slipped through a hidden side entrance of a warehouse when several dark figures lunged at me from the shadows. I dodged sideways and quickly hit a hidden switch on the wall.

With a heavy crash, the steel gate dropped instantly, trapping my pursuers in the narrow corridor. It was a defense mechanism Luca had designed years ago.

I slid down through the ventilation shaft into the vault. Suddenly, my lower abdomen cramped with another wave of sharp pain.

Leaning against the wall, I gritted through the pain and dialed Marco's number again. This time, he answered.

"Who is this? It's the middle of the damn night!"

I suppressed the pain, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I'm at the docks. I'm trapped. The FBI's about to arrive. You should–"

Before I could finish, a soft, delicate voice interrupted me. "Marco, it's thundering. I'm so scared..."

It was Fiore.

On the other end, Marco's voice immediately softened. "Don't worry. It's alright. I'll hold you while you sleep."

The call ended abruptly.

I took a deep breath and retrieved the ledgers from a hidden compartment beneath the Virgin Mary statue in the office. Using waterproof bags and tape, I strapped them tightly to my inner thigh.

Police sirens wailed in the distance, growing clearer by the second. Meanwhile, the main entrance was blocked by men from the rival families.

I still did not know who the rat was. Hence, I could only rely on myself.

After sending a quick text, I lifted up a floor tile. It was an escape tunnel Luca had personally dug years ago as a precaution.

The exit led to a hidden rock cave beneath the docks, where a lifeboat was kept. I sprinted through the slippery passageway, the dragging pain in my abdomen growing more intense.

When I reached the exit, I discovered with crushing despair that the lifeboat's engine had been sabotaged.

Footsteps and angry shouts from my pursuers echoed through the tunnel, getting closer. I scanned my surroundings and squeezed into a crevice Luca had set up inside the cave.

It was an air pocket that only left the head above water during high tide, nearly impossible to detect.

A jagged rock tore into my thigh, cutting to the bone, and blood soaked my pants instantly. The searing pain and blood loss made my vision blur, and the cramping in my belly grew more violent.

I clutched my stomach protectively and pulled out the progesterone injection I always carried, jabbing it into my arm without hesitation.

In the darkness, I clenched my jaw as tears and cold sweat streamed down my face. I did not know how much time had passed before a frantic voice called out from the cave entrance.

It was the family doctor, Vincent Romano.

I used the last of my strength to crawl out. When he saw the horrific wound on my leg and reached for anesthesia, I grabbed his hand tightly.

"Stitch me up without anesthesia–now! It's bad for the baby."

Vincent looked at me, his tears watering his eyes, but eventually he picked up the needle and thread.

I dragged my leg–stitched with more than a dozen sutures–back to the Gallante family estate on Ivywood. What awaited me was not concern or comfort, but a cold judgment from the family.

The Don, Carmine Gallante, slammed his cane hard against the floor, the dull thud echoing through the hall.

"You look pathetic, Chiara. You couldn't even hold a dock, and you brought shame to the Gallante family."

Marco stood beside Carmine with Fiore wrapped tightly in his arms. As he looked at my battered state, his eyes were filled with smug satisfaction. Meanwhile, Fiore nestled in his embrace like a pampered cat who had just claimed her territory.

The Don's wife, Mariah Valentino, looked Fiore up and down, nodding approvingly. "She has such a kind aura. She'll definitely bring good fortune to the family. Unlike some people who reek of death..."

She shot me a pointed glance before announcing, "In God's name, starting today, Fiore will take over the household. The keys and the books will all be handed to her."

"The docks got raided, but I saved what mattered." I leaned against the wall, trying to defend myself.

Suddenly, a vicious slap struck my face, cutting off my words.

It was Marco.

He jabbed his finger at my nose and snarled, "You've got some nerve! If you weren't such an incompetent consigliere, how would the FBI have targeted that location? Now apologize to Fiore and beg for her forgiveness!"

Fiore walked over with fake sympathy, tugging at Marco's sleeve. "Darling, don't be like that. Chiara didn't mean it."

Marco waved his hand impatiently, like he was swatting away a fly. "Chiara, just apologize to my parents. Then, get on your knees and kiss Fiore's shoes to show your submission, and we'll call it even."

Fiore lifted her skirt and walked up to me. She raised her stiletto-clad foot slightly, her eyes full of innocence but dripping with malice.

"Chiara, Marco just gave me these shoes. Be gentle; don't get them dirty."

She cooed sweetly, pushing her pointed toe closer to my face.

I frowned at her but did not move.

Seeing my resistance, Fiore suddenly lurched backward without warning, staggering as if she had been violently shoved. She let out an exaggerated scream, clutching her ankle as tears instantly streamed down her face.

"Chiara! I get it if you didn't want to do it, but why did you stomp on my foot? It hurts so much..."

"Chiara!" Marco completely lost it. He grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head into the hard wall.

A sharp pain exploded in my forehead, and warm liquid trickled down my cheek. Before long, my vision blurred as the world turned blood red.

After that, I was locked in the cold family chapel. This place housed the crucifix and photos of past Dons.

It was also the place Marco feared the most.

He should have been afraid, because Luca’s ashes were kept here.

Late at night, when everything was silent, I dragged my battered body and painfully climbed up to the statue. Inside its base, I found Luca's urn. Then, with trembling hands, I felt around the hidden compartment at the bottom of the urn.

A ruby signet ring fell into my palm, something I had never dared touch before.

Marco was paranoid by nature, and the estate was crawling with his informants. With the chaos of the storm keeping everyone distracted, however, this was the perfect moment to move in plain sight.

Years ago, the old Don, Giovanni Gallante, had secretly slipped it to me in the confessional before he died, away from prying eyes. He had held my hand, his cloudy eyes filled with tears.

"Chiara, M-Marco doesn't have what it takes to bear the weight of the crown. This signet ring can access all the family's secret accounts in Slandrea. It's the Gallante family's last lifeline. Don't use it unless absolutely necessary."

He added, "But if... If that fool Marco is going to destroy this empire, then you use it. Protect the Gallante family's foundation."

I clenched the cold ring in my hand and hid it close to my body. Then, I turned my gaze to Luca's portrait.

"Luca, just wait a little longer. Soon, I'll take back everything...for you, for our child."

Due to the blood loss and the long night of terror, my vision went dark, and I collapsed unconscious at the foot of the statue.

I woke up again in a private hospital room.

Suddenly, the door burst open violently as Marco stormed in with his parents and Fiore.

"Dr. Romano, I need you to write up a medical certificate stating she’s infertile. I'm divorcing this barren woman. She can’t give me a child!"

Marco's parents stood coldly to the side, clearly endorsing this absurd charade.

I stared at them coldly, like I was watching a circus of clowns.

Vincent did not look up, just calmly flipped open the medical chart in his hands. His tone was utterly flat as he replied, "I'm sorry, Mr. Gallante. I can't issue that certificate."

He paused, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "She's three months pregnant. It's a boy."

Fiore's smile froze instantly, while Marco's parents stared in shock.

Marco's face turned beet red as he rushed to my bedside. He jabbed his finger at my nose and roared, "Impossible! That's absolutely impossible! She's been taking the birth control pills I gave her every day! There's no way she could be pregnant!"

He growled, "Chiara, you're so shameless! How dare you cheat on me?! Whose runt is this?!"

Fiore covered her mouth, looking heartbroken. "Chiara, how could you do something like this just to compete for Marco's attention... You're betraying Marco and disgracing the family honor."

Carmine’s face darkened. He had always dreamed of an heir, but in a mafia family, blood purity mattered more than anything else.

"If it is not Gallante blood, then we're not keeping it. It's only going to bring shame to the family."

Then, he coldly ordered, "Dr. Romano, prepare for surgery and deal with it now."

I let out a cold laugh, my voice hoarse but unwavering. "Don, are you sure you want to personally kill your grandson?"

I pulled out a report from under my pillow and hurled it at Marco's face with all my strength. "Open your eyes and look carefully... See if this is Gallante blood or not?!"

It was a chorionic villus DNA test report.

"Based on the analysis, the samples supported a biological parent-child relationship, with a 99.99% match. Mr. Gallante, this is an expedited prenatal paternity test. I'm certain there's no mistake.

"Also, medically speaking, no birth control is 100% effective. There's always a failure rate."

Marco's face shifted through a spectrum of emotions. He probably recalled that night three months ago when he was blackout drunk, and my mortified expression when he woke up.

The DNA report was irrefutable proof, so he could only accept one explanation: he was so virile that even birth control could not stop him.

Carmine hesitated slightly. Eventually, he waved his hand and signaled the bodyguards to stand down.

Marco looked at me with a complicated expression, full of anger and suspicion, but beneath it all was a sick kind of ecstasy.

I looked at his foolish face and sneered even harder. "Don't thank God just yet."

I spoke slowly, my voice quiet, yet it made everyone in the room hold their breath.

"What I am about to take out next will be enough to drag the entire Gallante family into total ruin."