I was smiling, daydreaming about the bright future ahead, when, suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud bang.

My brain froze as I turned around and saw a massive Mastino charging toward me.

Just as the dog knocked me to the ground, I noticed a young man leaning lazily against the doorframe. He looked a little childish but already exuded an air of toughness. His muscular arms were covered with two crossed pistol tattoos.

At that moment, he was looking at me with disdain.

He was Pardo Vicino, Alano's only son.

If all went well, he'd be the next Don of the Vicino family in a few years.

Suddenly, Pardo's expression shifted. He looked surprised and asked, "Why didn't it attack you?"

The Mastino was known for its ferocity. In the mafia world, it was often raised as a fighting dog. In my last life, this very dog had killed many traitors within the family, earning a reputation as a deadly killer.

But now, as Pardo asked his question, I was sitting up, holding the dog in my lap.

"It's so cute. What's its name?" I asked.

"Shado," he blurted, then raked a hand through the stray hairs on his forehead, his expression clouding with regret.

Shado sat on my lap, rubbing its big head against my shoulder. I took some jerky out of my pocket and fed it to the dog, which then sat quietly, focused on chewing its treat.

In my last life, to ensure my safety, I'd lived and slept with a Mastino for years. I knew how to handle it better than Dario.

I looked up at Pardo. "Ciao, Pardo. I'm Livia."

His initial disdain turned into curiosity. "You're that orphan? You're brave. I'll give you that. You even managed to tame Shado. How did you do it?"

Pardo, Alano's spoiled only son, had a straightforward yet ruthless personality.

In my last life, under peer pressure, he agreed to race in the mountains and ended up in a car accident that cost him both legs. Confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he grew even more ruthless, earning the nickname "Grim Reaper" within the mafia.

Not hearing a response from me, he scoffed and said, "Shado, let's go."

In just a few days, school would start again. Before that, Sabele took me on a tour of the estate to familiarize me with every corner of the mansion.

During these days, I didn't see Pardo or Shado. I also didn't encounter Alano or Imelda. They seemed to be busy with their own affairs.

Soon after returning to my room, there was another knock on the door. Sabele entered and handed me a digital tablet with various schedules on it.

"Ms. Vicino, these are the training plans arranged by Donna Vicino for you. She hopes you'll grow quickly during this time. Please take a look and determine if it's achievable."

"I can do it," I replied without hesitation.

Looking at the packed schedule on the tablet, I felt excitement bubbling inside me. In my last life, though I had climbed to the ranks of the nouveau riche, the mafia family's training was a world completely closed off to outsiders.

Now, I had direct access to it without having to work for it. How could I not be thrilled?

Sabele shot me a meaningful look, then continued with some additional instructions.

The next few days were hectic. I was like a circus performer, juggling countless tasks. I absorbed knowledge as if I were a sponge.

I woke up every morning to run drills and spent my days in school. After classes, the driver, Gildo Labate, took me to the shooting range and boxing ring. Even after returning home, there were tutors to teach me about the family history and how to better assist Pardo.

While I was learning, I also resumed my efforts online. In my last life, I was known as a rising star in the AI industry, but secretly, I was the world's top hacker.

I finally saw Alano and Imelda again a month later when my test results came in.

Imelda smiled and waved when she saw me. "Livia, come sit."

I walked over and sat on the nearby couch.

She asked gently, "How's the studying going?"

I handed her the various test results I had from my bag.

Imelda looked through the perfect scores and gave me a satisfied smile. "Very good. I knew I made the right choice with you. Pardo has been thoroughly spoiled by his papa and me. He's quite naive, so I'll need you to guide him whenever necessary."

She was well aware of Pardo's clueless nature and hoped I could help manage him.

"Once he becomes the Don, you'll be the Underboss. What do you think?"

With a composed smile, Imelda laid her demands and her bargaining chips flat on the table.

Without a moment of hesitation, I immediately responded, "Sure, Mamma."

She smiled again and nodded in approval.

Imelda handed me a card, granting me a day off. Gildo drove me to the city center.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I spotted a familiar face—Regina.

She was wearing a red-and-white mascot costume. When I saw her, she was holding the oversized mascot head with one hand while using a flyer to wipe the sweat off her forehead with the other. Her pale face had turned bright red from the heat.

Just as I was about to turn and leave, I noticed a young man rushing toward her. It was Dario.

He, too, was holding a thick stack of flyers. He hurried over to Regina and used the flyers to fan her.

"Regina, are you okay? Can you hold on a bit longer? If you're too tired, we can go home."

Hearing the concern in his voice, Regina weakly smiled. "I'm fine, Dario. I can continue. Isn't it almost time for your tutoring session? Go ahead and get to class. I'll be fine alone."

In my last life, I did the same thing—working multiple jobs every day. I had no time for breakfast in the mornings and would rush off to do odd jobs after school. On weekends, I'd be out handing out flyers in the busiest part of town, braving the heat and cold.

Only by doing all this could I earn the chance to attend school at my adoptive parents' family.

To pay for college tuition, I even worked as a waitress at a bar after graduating from high school. I endured all kinds of harassment, just so I could make a few extra bucks.

I turned to walk toward the building when suddenly, Regina, still in her mascot costume, blocked my path.

"Livia?"

When she saw the Hermès bag in my hand, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.

"You sure seem to be living the good life. But don't forget, the mafia devours people whole. You might end up dead in the streets one day."

I looked at her without responding.

Unable to hold back any longer, she started bragging about her adoptive parents.

"My parents treat me so well. Dario even more so. He tutors me after school and brings me all sorts of snacks."

"Oh," I replied, my voice cold and indifferent.

My reaction seemed to finally irritate her. Her face flushed as she was about to say something, but Dario walked over just in time.

"What did you do to my sister?" he asked, his gaze sharp as he stood protectively in front of Regina.

Ignoring him, I bypassed them and walked into the mall.

Behind me, I heard Regina's voice full of schadenfreude. "Dario, why were you so harsh with her? She's my sister…"

I used Imelda's bank card to purchase many luxury goods—too many to carry by myself —so I called Gildo to pick me up.

Just as I was about to get in the car, Regina's mocking voice reached my ears. "Hmph! What's the point of buying all this stuff? You're going to die anyway."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Gildo helped me carry the mountain of shopping bags into the living room.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard a sharp voice cutting through the air. "You really went all out, huh? Do you really think you're the Principessa of the Vicino family now?"

I ignored his mocking tone and sweetly greeted him, "Pardo, long time no see. I got you a gift. Wait right here. I'll grab it for you."

With that, I took the box from Sabele's hands and placed it on the coffee table in front of Pardo. "Pardo, here's a gift for you. Open it and let me know if you like it."

He sneered as he opened the box. "You're from the slums. What kind of gift are you going to pick out? Don't tell me you brought back some junk."

But as soon as he saw what was inside, his tone shifted dramatically. "The latest gaming laptop!"

I couldn't help but smile when I saw Pardo's surprised expression. It seemed like I made the right choice with this gift.

Although a laptop like this wasn't much to the Vicino family, Pardo had been denied his allowance because of his lack of ambition, and he couldn't afford the latest version himself.

When he noticed my smile, his expression immediately hardened, and he tried to act indifferent as he grabbed the box. "You really know how to win people over. I guess you're quite a good person."

With that, he hurried off, clutching the box.

Sabele shot me a look filled with approval.

"Sabele, can you gather everyone? I got gifts for everyone."

After a brief moment of surprise, Sabele turned to call the others.

I handed out the gifts one by one. Everyone seemed genuinely touched. They expressed their gratitude with heartfelt thanks.

As the group was about to leave, Alano and Imelda returned.

Seeing everyone smiling and clutching gifts of various sizes, they turned toward Sabele.

"Why is everyone gathered here?" Alano asked.

"Don Vicino, Ms. Vicino gave everyone gifts. Everyone's really moved."

I picked up two boxes and approached them. "Papa, Mamma, these are gifts for you. I hope you like them."

Alano opened the gift to reveal a pair of exquisite cufflinks. His eyes lit up with a smile. "Grazie. I really like them."

Imelda took the rose-shaped brooch I handed her and smiled warmly as she gazed at me. "Livia, I love it. Grazie."

With that, she pulled my hands into hers and lightly patted the back of my hand. "You know how to show gratitude. That's a good trait."

Everything seemed to be falling into place. I was growing quickly under the guidance of various tutors.

After the graduation ceremony, the teachers swarmed Imelda, raving about how I grasped everything with incredible speed, precision, and ease.

At dinner, I stepped into the dining room to find both Imelda and Pardo already seated.

When Imelda saw me, she waved me over. "Livia, come sit by me. Your teachers are all full of praise for you. They say you've already finished all your high school courses. Do you want to join the family business now and start learning about family affairs with Pardo?

"I originally planned to let you finish high school first, but you're so impressive. You've already completed your high school courses."

"Sounds good to me. What's the point of finishing high school anyway?" Pardo immediately chimed in.

Noticing his excitement, I smiled and turned to Imelda. "Mamma, if it's possible, I'd still like to finish high school with Pardo before joining the family business. Would that be okay?"