Chapter 3

Three weeks later, I was standing in the grand hall of the Falcone family estate.

Crystal chandeliers, marble floors, priceless paintings on the walls.

It was the first time Matteo brought me to a family gathering.

"Relax, baby," he whispered in my ear. "It's just a simple business dinner tonight."

I nodded, tightening my grip on his arm.

With Matteo's possessiveness, I thought he'd be different from the others.

He never let other men get near me.

He'd leave hickeys on my neck, marking his territory.

He even had bodyguards follow me 24/7.

"Matteo!"

A familiar voice called down from the staircase.

Bianca, wearing a long silver gown, was descending the spiral staircase.

What was she doing here?

"Bianca." Matteo nodded at her. His voice was polite but distant. "You made it."

I was confused, but I didn't say a word.

Bianca walked up to us and gave me a defiant smile.

"Viviana, long time no see."

Then she turned to Matteo, deliberately pulling up her sleeve.

"Matteo, look."

Her arm shimmered under the light.

The skin was as smooth as a baby's, without a single flaw.

Even the mole that used to be on her arm was gone.

"The results are pretty good, right?" Bianca said smugly. "Your 'Youth Therapy' is really a miracle."

Youth Therapy?

I looked at Matteo.

He looked a little uncomfortable.

"Bianca's family agreed to be the first outside investors in our new biotech company," Matteo explained. "It's a favor I had to grant."

My heart sank.

"So you let her join the experiment?"

"Just a demonstration of the early results." Matteo squeezed my hand. "Baby, you have to trust me. I'm yours. Always."

But as soon as he said it, he turned to Bianca.

"Come on. I'll show you the lab."

I watched them walk toward the basement.

That was the forbidden part of the Falcone estate.

No one was allowed down there except core family members.

And that list did not include me.

One week later. Matteo's private island.

Blue water, white sand, and a luxury villa.

"It's just the two of us here," Matteo said, hugging me from behind. "No one can bother us."

I leaned into his chest, watching the sunset.

"How's your lab doing?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Not bad," Matteo's voice was excited. "We've had a major breakthrough. The anti-aging serum... in a few years, we could push the human lifespan to 200."

"That sounds amazing."

"The only problem is we're lacking key clinical data," he sighed. "We need a lot of volunteers to perfect the formula."

Just then, the villa door opened.

Bianca, wearing a white bikini, walked toward us.

"Sorry to interrupt," she purred. "I just got off the yacht."

Yacht?

"Bianca, how did you…"

"I invited her," Matteo said, standing up. "We have important business to discuss."

A burning rage of betrayal filled my chest.

But I had to control myself.

Bianca sat down next to Matteo, pressing herself against him.

"About the clinical data problem," she said, looking at Matteo with naked ambition in her eyes. "I can solve it for you."

Matteo was immediately interested.

"How?"

"The Romano family owns a dozen private clinics across New York," Bianca said, her voice dripping with pride. "We have a huge database of patients. I can secretly provide their medical data. And even…"

She paused, lowering her voice.

"I can even provide the volunteers. Terminal patients. They're desperate enough to try anything."

Matteo's eyes lit up.

"That's a very good idea."

"And it'll be completely confidential," Bianca continued. "No one will ever know what kind of experiments these volunteers were in."

They got more and more into their conversation.

Matteo had completely forgotten I was even there.

I quietly took out my phone and found an encrypted contact.

It was a number with no name, no profile picture.

I typed a quick message: The fish is on the hook. Prepare the net.

Message sent.

A few seconds later, a reply came back. One word: Roger.

I scrubbed the chat history and went back to playing my part.

Matteo and Bianca were still deep in discussion about the experiment.

They never even noticed.