Chapter 1

Giada’s face went pale. She timidly approached me, reaching out to tug at my sleeve.

“Godmother, I’ll be good. I’ll also help my brothers protect little Sofia.”

I stepped aside, avoiding her hand.

“Don’t call me that.”

Her little hand froze in midair.

I looked at the director, my tone calm.

“There’s nothing I can do. Those five are so attached to one another, so they can all stay here together.”

The director of St. Mary’s Orphanage stared at me in stunned silence for several seconds before her expression turned troubled.

Matteo reacted.

The thirteen-year-old boy carried himself with a maturity far beyond his years. The collar of his old shirt was already frayed, yet he still possessed an unnerving composure that didn’t belong in a boy his age.

In my previous life, that was precisely what had caught my attention. I had chosen him as my successor and groomed him to inherit the family’s power.

Yet he was also the one who had hung up on Sofia’s desperate call for help.

“Mrs. Vitale.”

Matteo stepped in front of me.

“You came all this way because you wanted to find a few brothers for your daughter, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

I tightened my grip on Sofia’s hand.

“But I want family who will protect her, not people who try to bargain with me.”

Luca, the third boy, immediately turned red-eyed.

“We just can’t bear to leave Giada behind! Is it a crime to care about someone we’ve known for years?”

In my previous life, he had become the family’s lawyer.

When Sofia was framed, he stood on the raised platform in the family council chamber and used a pile of so-called evidence to condemn her, sealing her fate in humiliation.

He was only eleven now, yet he already knew how to take the moral high ground to get what he wanted.

I looked at him and let out a soft laugh.

“Of course, there’s nothing wrong with not wanting to leave her behind.”

“So I’ll give you what you want. You can stay together forever.”

Luca’s face turned livid, unable to come up with a response.

Giada’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

Suddenly, she dropped to her knees and lifted her pale face toward me.

“Madam, this is all my fault.”

“My brothers only offended you because of me. Please take them with you. I’ll stay here alone.”

The moment she finished speaking, all four boys rushed to her side.

Dario, the second eldest, lowered his voice.

“Giada, we promised we would never abandon you.”

The youngest, Reese, burst into tears.

“If we leave, we leave together! If we stay, we stay together!”

Moved by their devotion to one another, the director couldn’t help trying to persuade me.

“Mrs. Vitale, they may be young, but they clearly value their bonds deeply. I’m sure they’ll protect your daughter in the future.”

I lowered my gaze to Sofia.

Her face was pale, and her breathing had grown slightly more labored than before.

I immediately crouched down, pulled her into my arms, and took out her medication.

In my previous life, I had actually allowed myself to be softened by the tears of a few children who weren’t even related to me, leaving my own daughter, who suffered from severe asthma, standing alone in an orphanage.

All while I waited for those children to negotiate with me, make demands, and pick and choose at their leisure.

As if they had the right to decide whether they were willing to graciously accept the role of her brothers.

How utterly ridiculous.

Only after Sofia’s breathing had steadied did I look at them again.

“My daughter doesn’t need anyone’s charity to protect her.”

Matteo’s expression changed.

I scooped Sofia into my arms and walked straight toward the exit.

Behind me, Giada suddenly shouted through her tears,

“Madam, you’ll regret turning us away today! One day, you’ll wish you’d taken us with you!”

I didn’t look back.

“Don’t worry.”

“The biggest mistake I ever made was coming here in the first place.”