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Chapter 4

Author: Vespera
That ring was a keepsake her father had left me before he died.

There was only one in the entire family.

I clearly remembered that it had still been on my finger the day I left St. Mary’s Orphanage.

When Giada noticed my gaze, she instinctively hid her hand behind her back.

But it was already too late.

The surrounding guests had noticed the ring and began whispering among themselves.

“Is that the ring on Miss Giada’s finger a gift from Mrs. Vitale?”

“Looks like the rumors online weren’t true after all. Did Madam finally decide to take them in?”

Giada bit her lip and looked at me timidly.

“Godmother gave it to me. I just didn’t want everyone to see it.”

With those few words, she made it seem as though I had given them hope, only to abandon them afterward.

The whispers around us gradually grew louder.

Matteo walked up to me.

The boy lowered his voice, putting on the air of someone seeking justice on Giada’s behalf.

“Madam, Giada has always treasured everything you’ve given her.”

“If you truly don’t want to take us in, she’ll return the ring.”

“But please, don’t humiliate her any further.”

I almost burst out laughing.

She had stolen something that belonged to me, yet somehow, she still had the audacity to stand on the moral high ground and accuse me.

Suddenly, Sofia tugged at my sleeve.

Her eyes fixed on the ring on Giada’s finger as she asked softly,

“Mommy, isn’t that your ring?”

Giada’s eyes instantly reddened.

“Little Sofia, you’ve misunderstood.”

“Godmother gave it to me.”

As she spoke, however, her fingers tightened protectively around the ring.

The youngest, Reese, immediately became indignant.

“Sofia, you already have so many things! Why do you still want to take Giada’s gift away from her?”

Dario frowned as well.

“Don’t accuse someone without evidence.”

I looked at them.

They hadn’t even officially become members of the Vitale family, yet they were already defending Giada as though they had every right to speak on behalf of the family.

I moved Sofia behind me for protection.

Then I swept my gaze across the four boys.

“Are you absolutely certain that I gave her that ring?”

Matteo answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Giada told us herself.”

“She would never lie to us.”

I nodded.

“Very well.”

“Since you’re so certain, let the facts speak for themselves.”

I raised my hand.

The next second, the enormous screen in the center of the banquet hall lit up.

The first video showed the complete surveillance footage of the children rehearsing their tears and tantrums at the orphanage, plotting to pressure me into giving in.

The second showed Giada quietly returning to the orphanage after I had left.

She picked up the ring from between the sofa cushions. Instead of handing it over to a caretaker, she quickly slipped it into her pocket.

The entire banquet hall fell deathly silent.

A few seconds later, hushed whispers erupted from the crowd.

“She stole the Godmother’s ring?”

“That ring is a symbol of the Vitale family.”

“How dare a child take something like that?”

“And those boys just said she would never lie!”

Giada’s face turned deathly pale.

Instinctively, she hid behind Matteo.

“That’s not what happened…”

“I just found it.”

Sofia lifted her little face.

Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

“If you just found it, why didn’t you give it back to Mommy?”

Tears immediately spilled from Giada’s eyes.

But Matteo suddenly spun around.

“Enough!”

He stepped in front of Giada and glared furiously at Sofia.

“She already knows she was wrong.”

“Why do you still have to keep picking on her?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he shoved Sofia with all his strength.

I didn’t have time to stop him.

Sofia stumbled backward, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She clutched her chest, and her tiny body swayed unsteadily.

The sight overlapped with the memories of my previous life.

It had been exactly the same back then.

No matter what Giada did wrong, they would always find a way to blame Sofia instead.

I immediately pulled my daughter into my arms, shielding her from further harm.

Then I grabbed Matteo by the collar and slapped him hard across the face.
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  • I Chose My Daughter Over Them   Chapter 9

    During the investigation, law enforcement soon discovered that the rival company’s product posed serious safety risks.The test data Dario had tampered with could cause the device to misread a user’s vital signs.If the product had reached the market, the consequences would have been unimaginable.In exchange for the shares the rival family had promised him, Matteo had not only stolen the Vitale family’s confidential information but had also secretly participated in multiple illicit transactions involving the exchange of favors and financial benefits.Luca had been responsible for manipulating the media, fabricating evidence, and spreading malicious rumors about the Vitale family.Reese was suspected of intimidating witnesses and making violent threats against Sofia.As for Giada, as the original instigator of the entire scheme, she could no longer escape accountability by hiding behind the excuse that she was young and didn’t know any better.But just before the trial was set to begin

  • I Chose My Daughter Over Them   Chapter 8

    Reese was quickly taken in for questioning.He thought crushing the memory card would make all the evidence disappear.What he didn’t know was that the card Irene had handed over had been a decoy from the very beginning.The real recording had already been backed up through an encrypted channel.Giada’s voice was unmistakable in the recording.“Just copy the core code.”“Matteo will find a way to cover your mother’s medical expenses. He’ll take care of everything else.”Matteo’s role was to contact the Vitale family’s business rivals.Dario, taking advantage of his previous access to the laboratory’s internal files, altered some of their test records for them.Luca was responsible for manipulating public opinion.From drafting public statements to contacting the media and fabricating so-called evidence of intellectual property theftHe had a hand in every step.As for Reese, his task was the simplest of all.Keep an eye on Irene.Make sure she stayed quiet.Each of the five had a role

  • I Chose My Daughter Over Them   Chapter 7

    Three months later.The intelligent emergency-response wristband developed by Sofia was about to enter mass production.On the eve of its official launch, the core design files from the Vitale family laboratory were suddenly leaked.In less than a day, one of Sicily’s largest technology companies unveiled a product that was almost identical.They then publicly accused the Vitale family of stealing their trade secrets.The entire business world erupted.Before long, the scandal at the orphanage eight years ago was dragged back into the spotlight.Luca was now the company’s chief legal counsel.When reporters questioned him, he didn’t hesitate for a second.“Eight years ago, Mrs. Vitale treated us like pawns she could pick and choose as she pleased.”“When she realized we refused to be manipulated, she used her family’s influence to control public opinion and destroy our reputations.”“And now, her daughter has suddenly come up with a so-called original technology.”“As for where that de

  • I Chose My Daughter Over Them   Chapter 6

    Since Giada was still young, the matter of her stealing the family’s heirloom was ultimately handed over to St. Mary’s Orphanage to deal with.The secretly recorded video was also completely removed from the internet.But the damage it had done to the Vitale family’s reputation couldn’t simply be erased by deleting a video.I immediately withdrew the Vitale family’s substantial annual donation to St. Mary’s Orphanage.The director sent people to my estate repeatedly, begging for an audience.I refused to see a single one of them.She had never been pleading on behalf of those five children.She had simply assumed that as long as she brought a few crying children before me, she could continue receiving an endless stream of financial support from the Vitale family.Now that the money was gone, the other children at the orphanage were affected as well.Only then did she finally understand that indulging others without boundaries had never been an act of kindness.A few months later, St. M

  • I Chose My Daughter Over Them   Chapter 5

    Smack!The sharp sound of a slap rang through the banquet hall.Matteo’s face snapped to one side.He stumbled back half a step and raised a hand to touch his burning cheek, apparently never having expected me to strike him personally.“You hit me?”I held Sofia protectively in my arms.Her face had turned completely colorless, and her rapid, labored breathing made my heart sink with every passing second.I stared at Matteo.“The person you just laid your hands on was my daughter.”“That slap was what you deserved.”My personal physician immediately stepped forward.After checking Sofia’s condition, he quickly administered her emergency medication.Only when her breathing gradually steadied did I finally relax my furrowed brows.The surrounding family members hurriedly stepped back.No one wanted to provoke the Godmother of the Vitale family at a time like this.Seeing what had happened, Giada immediately burst into tears and grabbed Matteo’s arm.“This is all my fault.”“Matteo was on

  • I Chose My Daughter Over Them   Chapter 4

    That ring was a keepsake her father had left me before he died.There was only one in the entire family.I clearly remembered that it had still been on my finger the day I left St. Mary’s Orphanage.When Giada noticed my gaze, she instinctively hid her hand behind her back.But it was already too late.The surrounding guests had noticed the ring and began whispering among themselves.“Is that the ring on Miss Giada’s finger a gift from Mrs. Vitale?”“Looks like the rumors online weren’t true after all. Did Madam finally decide to take them in?”Giada bit her lip and looked at me timidly.“Godmother gave it to me. I just didn’t want everyone to see it.”With those few words, she made it seem as though I had given them hope, only to abandon them afterward.The whispers around us gradually grew louder.Matteo walked up to me.The boy lowered his voice, putting on the air of someone seeking justice on Giada’s behalf.“Madam, Giada has always treasured everything you’ve given her.”“If you

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