Chapter 2

The next morning, Matteo took me to the ski resort. On the way there, he suddenly said, "Isabella is coming today, too."

I turned to look out the window, giving him a flat hum and nothing more.

His expression darkened before he squeezed my hand and softly said, "She's the only one who can get a message through to the Castelli Famiglia, so please don't make this difficult for me."

When the car pulled up at the base of the mountain, I saw Isabella waving at us through the window. She was pressed in professional ski gear, smiling brightly and confidently.

They talked while I sat quietly to the side. I didn't interrupt or even bother changing into my ski gear.

She glanced at me and laughed lightly. "Are you scared, Donna?

"Don't worry. Don Rossini is a professional skier. He's the one who taught me everything I know, and the last time I sprained my ankles, he carried me on his back the whole way down."

Matteo was briefly stunned. "That was ages ago."

Before I could react, he grabbed my hand. "Come on. I'll show you how to get geared up."

"No thanks," I said, brushing him off. "I know how to ski."

Matteo had always assumed I came from a wealthy family, but he had no idea that I was actually the Principessa of an old-school Mafia Famiglia.

I had grown up playing such sports, but I simply hadn't had a chance to play while helping him build his empire all these years.

As I effortlessly glided through the snow, Matteo looked briefly dazed.

Isabella noticed his expression, and her face fell. She immediately dropped her poles, looped her arm through his, and pulled him aside to talk about the Castelli Famiglia.

It was supposed to be our getaway, yet I was the only one skiing on the slopes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Isabella laughed and collapsed into Matteo's arms. As an act to vent my frustration, I hurtled down the steep slopes again and again.

But once, I got so distracted that I made a mistake and tumbled straight down the snowy hill, rolling until I lost track of where I was.

Enduring the sharp pain, I pulled out my walkie-talkie and called Matteo's name.

It connected quickly before his low, urgent voice came through. "Bianca, where are you?"

"Matteo… I'm hurt…" I gasped.

Static crackled through the walkie-talkie, along with hurried panting, before I heard a woman's soft laugh. "Sorry. I just wanted to… relive the past for a moment."

My heart clenched, and my voice died in my throat.

Matteo sternly snapped, "What are you doing, Isabella?"

She laughed. "Why are you so aggressive? You seemed pretty into it when we were kissing just now.

"Fine, I'll stop. But Matteo, don't forget what you promised me. Once I help you take down the Castellis, I'll become your one and only Donna."

In that moment, I couldn't tell if my body or heart hurt more. All I could remember was my body starting to go cold, and just before I blacked out, I saw Matteo racing toward me like a madman.

…

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Matteo was not around; only his Underboss, Fabio Gallo, was in the ward.

He sighed heavily. "Please talk to Don Rossini, Donna. He's so furious he's trying to shut down the ski resort and punish every staff member on duty that day!"

I impatiently waved him off. "Those are his rules. It has nothing to do with me."

After he left, I looked at my legs wrapped in bandages and laughed bitterly to myself.

Me talking to Matteo? To him, who was I, really?

I slowly exhaled and dialed Papa's number. "Papa, I lost the bet. I'm coming home for real now."

I expected him to mock me, but he was silent for a heartbeat and maintained his cold composure as the Don. "I'll send my men to get you tomorrow."

That was when Matteo pushed the door open. I quickly hung up, and he seemed startled.

"Who were you talking to?"

"A friend," I flatly replied.

He frowned slightly. "I thought you'd be looking for me the second you woke up."

His words nearly made me laugh.

When danger struck, I had thought of him first, but he gave me quite the "surprise". I didn't shy back from asking, "Back at the resort, Isabella said you'd marry her. What did she mean?"

Matteo flinched and clearly hadn't expected me to overhear their conversation.

For a brief moment, the concern on his face was replaced by a flicker of annoyance.

He raised a brow and said, "It's just to keep her under control. Once the Castelli Famiglia is crushed, she'll lose her value."

He sounded serious, but I didn't miss the way his eyes avoided mine.

I didn't push it. It didn't matter what answer he gave since I had made my choice.

Matteo nodded in satisfaction and gently stroked my hair. "Bianca, you'll be my only Donna."

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and immediately stood up. "There's trouble with the Famiglia. Get some rest, and I'll be back later."

When he left without a second thought, I didn't stop him. But once he was gone, I removed the ring from my finger, placed it on the bedside table, and limped out of the room to find out when I could be discharged.

In the hospital garden, I overheard Fabio on the phone.

"I don't get why the Don married such a useless woman. First, she ruins the party, and now she nearly kills herself doing a basic sport like skiing.

"Don Rossini is just too sentimental. If you ask me, he should dump Bianca and marry Ms. Ginevra instead. She's competent, useful to the Famiglia, and that's who he actually deserves..."

Before he could finish, I snapped out the gun from his holster and aimed it at his head.

When he saw me, his face went so pale from fright that he dropped his phone and stammered, "D-Donna…"

With a bang, he cowered to the ground, but I had only shattered his phone screen.

"If I hear that again, the next bullet goes right between your eyes."