13

The boom of the gunshots vibrated right through the floorboards. Giovanni’s posture shifted instantly, his eyes darkening as his predatory instincts kicked in. He didn't know who it was yet, but he sensed it was one of his opponents staging a coordinated attack on his home.

He turned to Rosa, his voice dropping to an absolute, commanding whisper. "Do not come outside. Stay in this room, Rosa. Do not move from this exact spot."

Before she could even nod, Giovanni strode over to a sleek mahogany drawer across the room. He pulled it open, reaching into the false bottom and pulling out a heavy, black handgun.

Rosa watched him, her eyes wide with a mix of terror and utter disbelief. How does this man have a gun stashed in almost every single corner of this house?

Giovanni racked the slide with a lethal metallic snap, then tapped his earpiece, instantly contacting his right hand. "Vivienne. Be on high alert. We have a breach."

Without another word, he vanished into the hallway, shutting the door firmly behind him and leaving Rosa alone in the suffocating silence.

Giovanni marched down the grand marble staircase, his weapon drawn, ready for a bloodbath. But when he reached the foyer and looked out through the shattered glass of the front entrance, the fury inside him mutated into something entirely different.

Standing in the courtyard, surrounded by a cloud of gun smoke, was Elena Marchetti.

On the manicured lawn lay three of Giovanni's prized guard dogs. She had shot them dead in cold blood, their bodies completely still.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Giovanni shouted, his voice echoing like thunder across the estate as he stormed out into the open.

Elena scoffed, a bitter, twisted laugh leaving her lips as she lowered the smoking barrel of her weapon. "What is wrong with *me*?"

"How dare you disgrace me like this? How can you do this in my own home?" Giovanni growled, stepping closer, his knuckles white around his firearm. He took a breath, trying to control the volatile situation. "Calm down, Elena."

In response, Elena whipped the gun up, pointing it straight at his chest.

On any normal day, Giovanni’s elite bodyguards would have obliterated anyone who dared to intrude into his home, let alone raise a weapon at the Don. But this was his fiancée they were talking about. She was a mafia princess, the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the syndicate. The guards stood frozen, terrified of sparking a full-scale clan war.

However, the second the barrel pointed directly at Giovanni, the guards' instincts overrode their hesitation. A dozen weapons clicked, pointing straight at Elena’s head.

Giovanni immediately raised his free hand, signaling his men to stand down. They slowly lowered their weapons, though their fingers remained on the triggers.

"Come inside, Elena," Giovanni insisted, his voice low and dangerous.

"Say whatever you have to say right out here!" Elena shrieked, refusing to budge. "You don't get to embarrass me in public and then expect to talk to me in private!"

"Inside. Now," Giovanni repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Upstairs, the sudden, eerie silence downstairs was driving Rosa insane. The gunshots had ended almost as quickly as they had started. Unable to take the suspense any longer, she defied Giovanni's explicit orders. She quickly shed the oversized white shirt and slipped into the stunning burgundy sundress he had picked out for her earlier.

Treading as softly as a ghost, Rosa stepped out into the hallway and walked toward the grand balcony overlooking the lower level. She took a quiet peep down toward the grand sitting room where the shouting was coming from.

Elena had finally marched inside, her chest heaving with rage as she faced Giovanni.

"This marriage is not happening," Giovanni said, his voice entirely flat, entirely cold. "It's over. I won't be going on with it anymore."

Elena stared at him, her face turning pale before twisting into pure fury. "Is this a joke to you, Giovanni? You wouldn't dare."

She stepped closer, her heels clicking sharply on the marble. "What is the reason? Tell me!"

Before Giovanni could even open his mouth to answer, the heavy double doors of the villa were slammed open. Rossi, Giovanni’s father, stormed into the sitting room, his face purple with rage. Walking right beside him was his close friend and ally, Antonio.

Rossi didn't even wait to close the distance. He pointed a trembling, furious finger straight at his son as he marched toward him. "You jerk! How could you do this in front of everyone?! Disappearing on your wedding day and being completely unreachable?!"

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Giovanni stood his ground, entirely unmoved by his father's explosive entrance. He looked between Rossi and Elena, his jaw set.

"I already said what I had to say," Giovanni repeated, his voice echoing up to the balcony where Rosa was hiding. "The marriage will not go on."

Antonio, seeing the absolute disaster unfolding, quickly faced Rossi, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Rossi, please. I apologize on Giovanni's behalf. Let's just breathe. I promise he doesn't even mean—"

"It doesn't matter what he wants anymore," Elena interrupted, her voice suddenly dropping its screeching tone, replaced by an icy, venomous confidence.

Everyone in the room froze. Up on the balcony, Rosa held her breath.

Elena looked Giovanni dead in the eye.

"Does it mean nothing to you that I'm carrying your child?"