Chapter 4

The message was short, consisting of just a shy emoji. Then, a video came in. When I tapped it open, the screen shook slightly. Sophia had filmed it inside a hospital room. She turned the camera toward Victor, who was standing beside the bed.

“Victor, I want you to swear that no matter who you loved before, from now on, I must be the only one you love. You can only be loyal to me.”

In the video, Victor went silent for a moment. Then, he looked into Sophia’s eyes and spoke, more solemn and devout than he had ever been with me.

“Of course. I swear in the name of God that from this moment on, I will only love you and be loyal only to you.”

After that, he lowered his head and kissed her. Sophia let out a soft, satisfied sound, and the video ended abruptly.

So, the same words could be said to two different people, and the same love could be given to two people.

My gaze dropped to the ring on my finger. It felt like it had grown into my skin, tightening painfully around my ring finger. I grabbed it and yanked it off. The metal scraped against my skin, sharp and raw, like tearing open a scab.

At three in the morning, Victor came back. The moment he turned on the lights and saw the bandage wrapped around my forehead, he rushed toward me.

He cupped my face, his voice trembling as he asked, “How did you get hurt?”

I said nothing.

Victor suddenly stood up. “Who took you home tonight? What a bunch of useless idiots!”

He was about to call his men, but I reached out and stopped him.

“I fell on my own, Victor.” My voice was light, almost detached. “Where did you go tonight?”

He froze, and the same silence followed again. After a moment, he lowered his head and pulled me into his arms.

“People from the Falcone family were causing trouble in our territory. It’s been handled. I’m sorry for leaving you halfway.”

Pressed against his warm chest, I caught a faint trace of Sophia’s perfume. As I listened to his heartbeat, I said silently in my mind, ‘Two chances, Victor. You only have two chances left.’

Victor tightened his grip on my hand.

“There’s a family meeting tomorrow. I need you there with me.” He smiled, handing me a cup of chamomile tea, and said, “Here. Get some rest. Tomorrow, I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay with you.”

I nodded and drifted into a heavy sleep.

The next day, I woke up groggy and realized I had overslept. In a rush, I hurried to the meeting hall. The door wasn’t fully closed. Through the gap, I saw Victor sitting behind a massive mahogany desk, with Sophia standing beside him.

“I’ve called everyone here today to announce something…” Victor scanned the hall before speaking in a deep voice, “From today onward, Sophia will be the Donna of the Medici family. Her words are my words.”

“I object!” An elder, Nazzolini, shot to his feet, his voice sharp with agitation. “The family will not accept a weak Donna. Besides, Rachel–”

“Bang!”

A gunshot cut him off, and silence fell instantly. After all, dead men don’t speak.

The smell of gunpowder filled the hall. Everyone turned pale, lowering their heads in fear.

Victor waited a moment before nodding in satisfaction. “Now? Does anyone else object?”

No one spoke.

“Then it’s settled. Sophia is the Donna of the Medici family.”

My face drained of color as I witnessed the scene. Victor had always claimed that reason and justice were the pillars of the family, and now, he had shot an elder for Sophia.

Suddenly, Leonardo’s voice came from behind me.

“Rachel? What are you doing here? Didn’t Don Medici send someone to take you to Fifth Avenue?” Leonardo paused before asking in confusion, “Did you not drink that tea?”

His words struck me like lightning. In an instant, everything became clear. The bitterness in last night’s chamomile tea had come from sleeping pills.

I glanced at the bloodstains in the meeting hall and then looked at Leonardo, who seemed slightly uneasy. In that silent moment, I heard something collapse inside me.

“I’ll go now. Don’t tell anyone I was here.”

With that, I turned and walked to Victor’s study, heading straight for the safe. Only Victor and I knew the password. After opening it, I took everything—gold bonds, equity trust documents, and cryptocurrency wallets.

When I finished, I turned and opened the door to see Sophia standing outside. In her hand was Victor’s personal gold-plated gun. A flicker of coldness passed through her eyes. Then, without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

“Bang!”

The gunshot shattered the silence of the entire estate.