Chapter 2

The corridor behind me fell into complete silence.

“What?”

Antonio’s voice suddenly dropped several degrees.

“I said the wedding is canceled.” I turned around and repeated the words clearly, one by one.

“Antonio De Luca, this is where we end.”

His face turned deathly pale in an instant. A hoarse sound escaped his throat.

“Zoya, after all these years together, how can you call off our engagement so easily?”

“Have you forgotten how we made it this far, step by step?”

How could I forget?

Every transaction in the contract account was proof that we had survived together.

During our first year, he had only one revolver and three streets under his control. He drank with the district boss until he bled from the stomach, trading his health for information that helped him hold on to his territory.

He spent ten thousand euros on his hospital treatment and used the remaining twenty thousand to buy me a bulletproof vest.

In our third year, the old godfather had tried to marry me off to the enemy of the Milanese De Luca family.

Antonio had stormed into the enemy’s estate alone. With a gun pressed to his forehead, he knelt in the rain and let his blood stain the cracks between the stones.

“I will only ever acknowledge Zoya as my woman.”

“If I ever let her suffer the slightest hardship, I will accept the family’s most brutal punishment.”

In our seventh year, Antonio became the underboss. I had helped him purge traitors and consolidate his territory.

At last, we had saved 9.99 million euros.

Soon, we would be able to hold a real wedding.

But ever since Isabella had joined the family, that number had begun to quietly shrink.

“Custom-made handbag: fifty-eight thousand euros.”

“Opera box: twenty-four thousand euros.”

“Bulgari bracelet: ninety-six thousand euros.”

Antonio’s expression darkened.

“They were all part of the family’s social obligations.”

“Social obligations?” I gave a short laugh. “Then what am I to you?”

“Last month, I told you I wanted to see the sea in Naples. Did you go with me?”

“Is she really your consultant—or is she your mistress kept by the family?”

“That’s enough!”

Antonio suddenly shouted.

“Why have you become just like your mother? Why do you start suspecting everyone at the slightest sign of trouble?”

“Do you have to drive everyone around you away before you’ll be satisfied?”

I stared at the man before me in disbelief.

“What did you say?”

When I was young, my father had kept a mistress outside the family. My mother had lived in constant pain and suspicion, while everyone in their social circle mocked and condemned her.

And now Antonio had thrown my father’s exact words back at me.

For a moment, he seemed to come to his senses. Shock and remorse flashed through his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

He brushed the tears from the corner of my eye with his thumb.

That hand had held a gun and been stained with blood. It had once shielded me from bullets.

Now it moved awkwardly and carefully across my cheek.

I struck him in the chest with my fist.

He grunted, but said nothing as a large red bruise spread beneath his shirt.

Once my emotions had subsided a little, he pulled me tightly into his arms and coaxed me in a low voice.

“Have you forgotten that you’ve always wanted a house with a view of the sea? A new plot of land was just approved south of the harbor. Let’s go see it tomorrow.”

I had always been obsessed with the sea.

He had never forgotten that.

At that moment, I decided to give him one last chance.

The next day, Antonio truly canceled all his gang meetings and underground deals. He personally drove me to the seaside estate sales office.

He chose a three-hundred-square-meter stone villa. It faced south and had a full-length glass balcony, allowing the sunlight to flood the living room.

I stood in the empty living room, secretly hoping the warm sunlight would dispel the gloom that had weighed on my heart for so long.

Just then, my encrypted terminal displayed a new payment notification.

“At 3:08 p.m., five million euros were withdrawn from your linked contract account.”

He had actually paid the enormous sum.

But that evening,

Isabella Rossi posted a new update.

In the video, she held up a brand-new set of keys and leaned against the railing of a south-facing terrace.

The familiar garden and identical sea view appeared behind her.

Her caption read:

“Thank you, Mr. De Luca. In this city filled with gunfire and lies, I finally have a place where I can sleep peacefully!”