Chapter 5

The crowd abruptly parted for an elderly man to walk through.

It was none other than the Costa family's Consigliere, Antonio Marino. He was also my adopted father and the only family I had in the world.

"Mr. Marino!" Isabella's eyes lit up as she greeted him sweetly.

Antonio passed her an intricate jewelry box, a warm smile softening his features. "Bella, this is a wedding gift for you. I can sleep easy knowing you'll be by Matteo's side, taking care of him.

"Luciano was right about Francesca. She's always been an unscrupulous and devious woman, a blight on the family. Like a ticking time bomb, it was only a matter of time before she caused trouble for us all.

"Thankfully, the Costa family had you, and we were able to stop more significant losses from happening. If she ever reveals herself again, I'll be the first to take a gun to her head."

I stared at the elderly man who had raised me since I was a child. A laugh tickled my throat, yet all I could feel was a soul-crushing despair.

Once upon a time, he had stroked my head while saying, "Franci, my daughter, you truly are the greatest pride of my life."

Now, however, I had become an "unscrupulous and devious woman" in his eyes.

Matteo replied, "Don't worry, Antonio. I've already increased the bounty price to 50 million. Only death awaits Francesca."

Antonio patted Matteo's shoulder with a nod of satisfaction. "Good job. You don't need to hold back on my account. We should never have mercy on traitors."

Isabella spoke up worriedly. "Mr. Marino, don't you think that's too merciless? At the end of the day, Francesca is your daughter…"

In response, Antonio scoffed. "I don't have a daughter like her. Anyway, I still have one more gift for you, though it's more Matteo's idea than mine."

Clearing his throat, Antonio then declared solemnly, "I hereby announce that Francesca Marino has been exiled, her name removed from the family. From now on, Bella is the only Donna I acknowledge."

What a wonderful show it was that was playing out before me now. One was the man I loved the most in the world, while the other was the adopted father I respected most. In their bid to curry favor with my murderer, they were all so eager to wipe away every trace of my existence.

I was an orphan, so Antonio held an even more important place in my heart compared to my biological father.

In the past two years, I had fantasized countless times about how he would definitely find me after he discovered I was missing. I was certain that he would seek justice on my behalf and avenge me.

Now, I realized how wrong I had been.

To them, I was nothing but a cold-blooded, disloyal traitor. Not a single one of them was willing to believe in my character, to believe that I was innocent.

Both Matteo and Isabella inclined their heads at him in gratitude. "Grazie, Antonio. This is the best wedding gift I could receive."

I let out an incredulous scoff. It seemed that Matteo's biggest wish was to see me dead.

Isabella had a hand clamped over her mouth while tears shimmered in her eyes. "Mr. Marino… Matteo… you both are just too good to me. Actually, if Francesca were to return—"

Immediately, Matteo cut her off. "She has no right coming back. The only thing a bitch like her deserves if she dares to return here is to be chopped into minced meat."

At that moment, Matteo's phone started ringing urgently in his pocket.

Brow furrowing into a frown, Matteo answered the call with impatience oozing from every pore.

From the other end of the line came Paolo's voice, sounding strangled and off. "D-Don Costa … the DNA test results are out. The body… It's Francesca Marino…"

I watched as Matteo's fingers squeezed the phone tightly while he demanded in an annoyed tone, "What did you say? Was there a mistake?"

Paolo swallowed, the sound almost audible through the phone. "Don Costa, there wasn't a mistake. That body belongs to the ex-Donna who disappeared two years ago, Francesca Marino!"