A few days later, the Corleone family’s territory expansion banquet came to an end at the estate.

Before the crystal chandeliers had fully dimmed, Vincenzo’s armored car had already driven out through the gates.

I sat in the back seat. Beside me, Sophia played with her newly acquired family medal, her fingers tracing the window as she spoke with undisguised pride.

“Vincenzo just took three more docks from the Valentino family. From now on, no one in Chicago will dare compete with us in smuggling.”

I didn’t respond. Just as I closed my eyes, a sudden boom rang out.

A black off-road vehicle from the Valentino family slammed hard into the side of our armored car. The vehicle lost control instantly, carving long skid marks across the road.

When I opened my eyes again, Sophia and I were tied back-to-back against cold metal frames. Timed explosives were strapped tightly around our waists.

The red countdown numbers flickered harshly.

Sophia collapsed immediately, crying hysterically. “Vincenzo! Save me!”

Tears mixed with grime on her face, completely ruining her makeup.

I forced myself to stay calm.

Bomb disposal was a survival skill every mafia family child had to learn.

My fingers carefully felt along the wiring, trying to distinguish between the main line and the backup line.

The warehouse door was suddenly kicked open.

Vincenzo charged in with armed men behind him. His black suit was smeared with dust, and blood seeped from his temple. It was clear he had fought his way in.

His gaze swept over the two of us. Without hesitation, he rushed straight to Sophia. “Ella, wait here. I’ll get her out first and come back to save you.”

His hands moved rapidly as he dismantled the bomb on Sophia’s body, efficient and precise. He was nothing like the cold don he usually was.

Sophia clung tightly to his arm, shaking as she cried. “Vincenzo, I’m scared!”

The bomb on Sophia was finally disarmed. She grabbed Vincenzo’s arm and refused to let go.

“Run! Don’t worry about her!”

Vincenzo glanced back at me. I had my head lowered, focused on pulling at the main fuse, cold sweat dripping from my temple onto the device.

He suddenly pushed Sophia away.

“You go first. Wait outside!”

Then he turned and ran toward me.

“Don’t touch me!” I looked up sharply and glared at him. My voice was hoarse but resolute. “I, Ella Rossi, am not someone who survives on your charity!”

Sophia seized the opportunity and grabbed Vincenzo’s wrist tightly, dragging him toward the exit.

“Vincenzo! There’s no time! She can handle it herself!”

The moment they rushed out, I finally pulled the main fuse free.

However, before I could relax, the bomb suddenly emitted a sharp beeping sound.

The backup fuse had been triggered!

A massive wave of heat threw me through the air. My back slammed heavily into the metal frame, and my consciousness plunged into darkness.

When I woke again, I was in the familiar underground clinic.

A piercing pain shot through my left arm, as if countless needles were stabbing into it.

Vincenzo sat beside the bed with a document in his hand. Seeing that I was awake, he spoke in a flat tone. “Sophia’s arm was cut by bomb shrapnel. She’s afraid it’ll scar.”

I stared at the ceiling and said nothing.

He continued, “The doctor said your skin tone matches hers the closest. So I had him take a palm-sized piece of skin from your left arm for a graft.”

“You didn’t ask me?” My voice trembled as I looked at him in disbelief.

“There was no need to ask.” He spoke as if it were a trivial matter. “Once you recover, I’ll take you to a Paris auction for top-tier jewelry. I’ll also get you a seaside villa in Monaco. That’ll be your compensation.”

“Compensation?”

I suddenly laughed, tears spilling down at the same time.

I ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand and screamed at him.

“Do you think money and gifts can cancel out your selfishness?! Just because I like you, you think you can treat my body and my feelings like bargaining chips and trample them however you want? You disgust me!”

The despair in my eyes made his chest tighten. He reached out to touch my shoulder, but I flung his hand away hard.

“Don’t touch me. You make me sick.”

A few days later, Vincenzo received a call from his assistant, saying the Princess Diana limited-edition necklace Sophia wanted would be auctioned in France that night.

He put away his phone and said to me, “I’ll be abroad for a few days. I’ll bring you a gift when I return. I won’t go back on the compensation.”

After that, he pushed open the door and left in quick strides.

The moment the door closed, I could no longer hold on.

I slowly curled up, hugging myself tightly as tears streamed down my face.

The sun was blazing on the day I was discharged.

It fell on my empty ring finger, where a mark so faint it was barely visible remained, like the final trace left behind after six absurd years.

As soon as the call connected, my brother’s steady voice came through.

“The private jet and armed convoy are standing by at the airport. The Varini family has already arranged your reception in Sicily. Come over without worry.”

I didn’t return to Villa Corleone. Instead, I went straight to Chicago’s most professional mafia law firm.

They had been handling underground family disputes for years.

In the drafted “Withdrawal from the Corleone Family Agreement”, it clearly stated I would have to relinquish all Corleone-related jewelry, property, and shares.

From that point on, I would have no personal or financial ties to the Corleone family, and both parties would not interfere with one another.

I picked up the pen and wrote “Ella Rossi” neatly and decisively.

After receiving my copy of the agreement, I called Sophia.

The family cafe was hidden within the core of Corleone territory. The booths were separated by heavy velvet curtains, offering excellent privacy.

When I arrived, Sophia was already there. She wore a champagne-colored custom family gown. The gold honor badge on her chest gleamed harshly under the lights.

She lazily rotated her coffee cup with her fingertips, her eyes full of vigilance and poorly concealed pride.

“What? Finally thought it through? Want me to plead with my brother so you can move back to the villa?”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I took a family ring out of my bag and handed it to her.

She put it on in confusion. Realizing the fit was exact, the smugness on her face slowly froze.

“Did you think he avoided you because he didn’t like you?” I looked at her stunned expression and calmly revealed the truth.

“Hidden in the deepest part of the Corleone private armory, there’s a lifelike doll made to match you. The hair, the eyes, even the small moles on your body, are identical. This ring was also custom-made to your size.

“He only married me to use me as a ‘wife’ to force himself to quit his obsession with you and to silence outside rumors with the marriage.”

Sophia clenched the ring tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t say a word.

I pushed the withdrawal agreement toward her.

“Give this to Vincenzo when he comes back. I wish you both your heart’s desire. And I hope I’ll never see anyone or anything related to the Corleone family again.”

“Where are you going?” Sophia suddenly called out, her voice carrying an unfamiliar tension.

“To live my own life.” I stood up.

Sunlight fell over me, soft and bright. “And one more thing. Don’t provoke me again. Next time, you’ll be facing the wrath of the Rossi family.”

The private airport lounge smelled faintly of cigars.

My phone vibrated once. It was a message from Vincenzo, with a photo of an ordinary diamond bracelet and the words: [A gift for you.]

However, I already knew his true purpose for this trip, which was to buy the Princess Diana limited-edition necklace Sophia had coveted for so long at a French auction.

I blocked all of his contacts without hesitation, including the family’s encrypted communication channel, and then canceled my usual phone number.

Soon after finishing all of that, familiar footsteps sounded from the VIP corridor.

Vincenzo appeared in a black trench coat, with several soldati following behind him. He walked quickly, not noticing me at all in the corner.

I quietly watched his figure disappear at the end of the corridor, not calling out to him or feeling any reluctance.

As the private jet slowly climbed into the clouds, the Corleone territory on the ground shrank into blurred points of light.

I leaned back in my seat and finally let out a breath.

After six years of obsession, a long dream, I was now fully awake.

The winds of Sicily, carrying the salty scent of the sea, were waiting for me thousands of miles away. As for everything tied to the Corleone family, the harm, the betrayal, the deception, it all belonged in the past.

…