Chapter 3

I stared at the woman in the photo in disbelief, my entire body trembling.

The next second, Isabella sent me a private message through the encrypted system.

【Mrs. De Luca, thank you for choosing this house for me. I’ve never lived in such a bright and spacious villa before!】

【I’ll work even harder for the family and repay both of you!】

I immediately called Antonio.

He explained earnestly:

“I only paid the down payment. Isabella will have to cover the mortgage herself. She comes from a minor family and came here alone to seek refuge with us. It’s incredibly difficult for her to establish herself in this city when she doesn’t even have a place to live. Besides, she doesn’t believe in marriage. Everything in her future will depend on her alone.”

He had said the same thing to me countless times before, and I had once believed him completely.

But now, all I felt was overwhelming absurdity.

“Antonio, I’m warning you.”

My voice was frighteningly calm.

“If you don’t reclaim ownership of that villa, I will instruct the family lawyers to pursue both legal action and family arbitration.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the call.

Then he let out a faint, mocking laugh.

“And then what? Even if you win the arbitration, what exactly do you intend to do?”

“Don’t forget. The contract account was opened under my name.”

“Zoya, I advise you to think carefully. What leverage do you have to oppose me?”

“You have nothing. I’m the only person you can rely on.”

His voice was as gentle as ever, but his words were brutally cold.

Yes.

I had handed him everything over the past seven years.

Fortunately, seven years ago, I had also left myself one way out.

A bank notification appeared just then.

A sum of money I had once saved had finally matured.

Exactly one million euros.

I had originally planned to surprise him after our wedding.

We were going to see the northern lights in Norway and the snow in Hokkaido.

Now, I only wanted to use the money to buy a small apartment where my child and I could live safely.

After wiping away my tears, I went to the family headquarters.

Before I even reached the entrance, I heard several subordinates talking inside.

“Mr. De Luca really cares about that new consultant.”

“Does he ever? He even paid the down payment for her. I heard the Roman port operation last month was originally being handled by Mrs. De Luca, but Mr. De Luca handed the final signing authority to Isabella. How else could she have risen so quickly?”

That operation involved a smuggling route worth thirty million euros.

I had stayed up for three days and nights planning it.

Antonio had never even asked for my opinion before handing it to her.

As soon as the men saw me, the conversation stopped. Everyone lowered their heads and pretended to focus on their work.

I asked directly:

“Where is Isabella?”

She came out of her own accord, her eyes shining brightly. There was not the slightest trace of guilt on her face.

“Mrs. De Luca, were you looking for me?”

“Smack!”

I slapped her across the face.

The sting shot straight through my knuckles.

She covered her cheek and looked at me in astonishment.

“Mrs. De Luca, there must be some misunderstanding…”

“Stop pretending.” I sneered. “You stole my business, and now you’re openly trying to steal my man?”

She lifted her chin stubbornly.

“You two haven’t even had your wedding yet! This doesn’t count as stealing a man!”

“Besides, Mr. De Luca told me long ago that he was sick of you! He’s already busy enough with work, yet you kept nagging him every day about the church, the dress, and the date. He was always annoyed!”

My body went completely still.

He had never once told me any of those things.

Isabella continued crying as she accused me:

“It’s all because of you! Antonio couldn’t sleep at night and had to rely on hard liquor just to get through it!”

“You’re nothing but an obsessed woman who only cares about getting married!”

My hand rose again, suspended in midair before it could fall.

Suddenly, a powerful hand seized my wrist.

Antonio’s handsome face came close, dark with an anger I had never seen before.

“Zoya, what do you think you’re doing?”

He flung my arm aside. I staggered backward, my lower back striking the edge of a table.

“Mr. De Luca, please don’t blame Mrs. De Luca,” Isabella said quickly. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things…”

She raised her hand and slapped herself.

“Isabella!” Antonio stopped her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you blaming yourself?”

Large tears rolled down her face.

“My existence caused Mrs. De Luca to misunderstand. You two are getting married, so I shouldn’t remain here…”

Antonio’s brows drew together. He turned and directed his anger at me.

“Zoya, what exactly do you want? Do you want to make it impossible for her to remain in Rome? She’s an orphan, and she’s also my employee. Why do you keep targeting an innocent person?”

It was my fault again.

Whenever Isabella was present, I was always the one being blamed.

“Antonio.” My voice sounded unnaturally calm.

“We’re over.”

“You can keep every cent in the account. I don’t want any of it. And I won’t touch that villa either.”

“You and I are completely finished.”