Chapter 2

Rita flinched under his gaze, and I stepped forward to shield her.

I couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh at the sight of Marco's hands wrapped protectively around Leonora. "You're the bodyguard my family assigned to me. And yet, here you are, shielding someone else right in front of me? Do you even have professional integrity?"

Marco quickly released his hands as his expression reverted to cold indifference. "I apologize, Ms. Viviana. I'm the Rosa family's bodyguard."

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the pile of blood-soaked bandages on the floor. "W-What happened? Don't you have an army of bodyguards?"

Before my mother passed away, I had many bodyguards. However, Papa reassigned all of them to protect Leonora, and Marco was all I had left. Yet, he was a fraud.

A flicker of guilt crossed Marco's face as he looked at me. "I failed to protect you. I've already received my punishment in the disciplinary room."

Leonora touched his back and said with sympathy, "Marco, your back is shredded, and you're bleeding…"

"It's all right. It doesn't hurt," Marco replied gently.

Feeling infuriated, I grabbed the wine glass from the table and hurled it at them with everything I had. "Get out!"

Marco shot me an irritated look before ushering Leonora out the door. It was then that I noticed blood on the floor where he had stood. I didn't expect the lengths he was willing to go just to stay by her side.

For three days, I was confined to my bed. Papa had ordered his men to gather my Mamma's property deeds and keys, and he had the living room filled with her jewelry.

Leonora's eyes were red-rimmed and tinged with resentment. "I really envy Viviana. She has so many assets and jewels, and I have nothing but her secondhand leftovers."

Marco glanced at her sympathetically. Then, the corners of his mouth lifted.

A bad feeling surfaced at the back of my mind. Suddenly, engines roared outside. More than a dozen men from the Santis family entered, each one carrying a safe.

They opened them one by one. Inside each box were exorbitant gifts—an oversized pink diamond, enormous pearls, and a ruby crown reserved for the royalties in Darvent.

The leader stepped forward and said, "The Santis family's younger son has been infatuated with you since the moment he laid eyes on you at the trade summit. He's currently in Darvent, but he has been following your news closely. These are his personal gifts to you.

"Please accept them. He also hopes you will attend the gala held in his honor upon his return."

The housekeepers stood paralyzed, their chores forgotten as they stared at the mountain of wealth.

"The Santis family's younger son? I heard he was raised in Darvent. He keeps close tabs on what's happening on the West Coast?"

"Seems like he wants to marry Ms. Leonora. This is such an extravagant setup."

Leonora's confidence was boosted instantly, and she shot me a triumphant look.

Marco secretly watched Leonora, and when he saw how happy she was, he let out a satisfied smile.

I let out a snort and turned to head upstairs. Marco followed behind me and said gently, "Tomorrow is the Christmas gala organized by Lady Carla, who was from a powerful family on the West Coast. Are you really not going?"

Usually, I would have spent weeks preparing for a night like this. But with my wounds still fresh, I had no desire to join the party.

"Do you want me to go?" I asked.

Marco nodded. He was probably thinking of Leonora.

As the sole heir to the Rosa family, I was required. If I didn't attend, an illegitimate daughter like Leonora wouldn't be allowed to enter.

I was about to refuse, but a thought struck me. I had agreed to the Santis family's marriage, so I needed to maintain my connections with the most influential family on the West Coast.

It seemed I needed to attend the gala.

"I'll be there," I replied.

At the gala, news of the Santis family's younger son's extravagant gifts to Leonora had already spread like wildfire. The socialites surrounded Leonora, trying to flatter her.

"The Santis family is a powerhouse in Darvent. I heard that the current heir to the Don is a sickly man and won't live long. The younger son is sure to inherit the title. If you marry him, you'll be the future Madre!"

Leonora covered her mouth shyly and said, "Oh, stop it! Nothing is official yet. Besides, how could I get married before Viviana? No one has proposed to her yet."

The other socialities shot me mocking glances.

"Viviana's Mamma left her a strict order when she was alive—Viviana can only marry a future Don."

"Only the Santis and Fabbri families fit the criteria. The Fabbri heir is a playboy, and the Santis family has two sons. The younger son is in Darvent and is head-over-heels for you, while the older son is dying. She's only left with one choice…"