Chapter 2

I thought we were going to the marriage licensing office first, but the car eventually pulled up outside an exclusive luxury hotel by the sea.

The butler, Matteo Bellini, hurried over with a somewhat awkward smile.

"Signorina Conti returned earlier than expected, so Don Donato has decided to postpone the engagement party. Tonight's event is being held specifically to welcome Signorina Conti back."

I nodded.

So, the engagement party I had spent months planning could simply be rescheduled at a moment's notice, all because Camilla had returned earlier than expected.

…

Inside the ballroom, Camilla was seated comfortably beside Leone.

She wore an ivory evening gown, and her features were soft and delicate. She looked exactly like the woman in the photos circulating in the group chat.

The moment she saw me, she stood up apologetically.

"Isola, I'm truly sorry. I hope I didn't mess up your plans."

Before I could respond, Leone had already pulled out the chair beside him for her.

"This has nothing to do with you." Then, he turned to me and said, "The seats at the main table are all taken. You can sit at the back with the female members of the extended family."

Not only had Camilla's place setting already been laid out at the seat that was supposed to be mine, but the place card bearing my name had also been removed without a word.

Even the deep blue irises that had once adorned the center of the table had been replaced with Camilla's favorite white camellias.

I turned and headed toward the seats at the back.

As I passed the jewelry display, Camilla suddenly let out a soft gasp.

"This set is absolutely beautiful."

Leone smiled and opened the bulletproof glass display case. "It was originally reserved for Isola to wear at our wedding. If you like it, why don't you try it on first?"

He took out the necklace and fastened it around Camilla's neck.

Those around them began remarking on how well the two of them looked together.

I looked down at my bare fingers. The ring I had taken off was still lying beside the prenuptial agreement.

After several rounds of drinks, someone brought up the prenuptial arrangements with a chuckle.

"Leone, you've granted Camilla a 15% share of the group's profits, so what will the future Donna receive?"

The vast ballroom fell silent in an instant.

Leone turned to look at me, seemingly waiting for me to step in and smooth things over on his behalf.

For the past four years, whenever we found ourselves in situations like this, I would always smile and say that money meant little to me. After all, I'd believed that love was worth more than shares.

But this time, I remained silent.

Leone had no choice but to answer in a calm voice, "Isola isn't the kind of woman who concerns herself with such things."

Someone drew out an exaggerated "Oh."

It sounded like both praise for my obedience and mockery of any right I have to complain.

I picked up my wineglass. "Leone's right. I'll sign the prenuptial agreement."

The chill in Leone's expression faded.

Camilla, however, stared at me with a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

After the dinner was over, Leone's lawyer, Dante Santoro, brought the revised agreement to the lounge.

I flipped to the final page and was just about to put pen to paper when a supplementary document slipped out from between the pages.

It was a lifetime trust, with Camilla named as the beneficiary.

In addition to her substantial annual dividends, the family trust would provide for her future marriage, childbirth, and medical needs.

The contract had been signed four years ago, on the day before Leone confessed his feelings for me.

So, it wasn't that he refused to mix love with money. It was simply that I had never been the one he wanted to protect.