Chapter 2

A tall, imposing man stood at the entrance of the corridor, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

He was indeed handsome, but his eyes showed nothing but annoyance at this spectacle before him.

His gaze skipped over me and landed on Carla beside me.

"Did she scare you, my little kitten?" he said to her in a low voice, his fingers tracing the curve of her waist, his tone filled with performative affection.

Carla immediately leaned into his arms, masking a practiced vulnerability.

"Matteo," her voice trembled with a feigned distress, "I was just trying to defend your authority, but she..."

Matteo finally turned his attention to me, the false tenderness vanishing from his eyes instantly.

"Carla," his voice was steady, "I trust you, not to start fights like some street thug."

Carla took his cue immediately, lifting her chin. "It's all because of that woman. Can you believe the nerve showing up to our wedding with something so cheap?"

She contemptuously kicked at the intact watch on the ground.

Matteo finally settled on me with a critical eye. "You're the one supposed to be my bride. "

I had to admit, his looks were indeed impressive enough to make many women swoon.

"Matteo Leonardo," I began, dropping the honorifics, "I'm Anita Rossi, the fiancée your father personally approved."

"Save your introduction. I have zero interest in you, or in that irrelevant little family of yours hiding away in some corner of Sicily. Even though you're marrying me, I'll never touch you."

His words were a blatant challenge and slap in the face.

I took a small step forward, "This marriage is an agreement carefully reached between the Leonardo family and mine. "As your political wife and partner in alliance, I deserve your basic respect！"

My words made his expression instantly darken.

"Respect? " he scoffed, "Anita, look at you, then look at me."

He spread his arms as if presenting his kingdom, "The Leonardo family? We just opened a direct arms route to Eastern Europe! Know what that means? Means a flood of cash, means more firepower, means in Naples—hell, all of Southern Italy, no one dares say 'no' to us anymore!"

His voice was filled with pride, and the guests in the corridor showed expressions of either awe or envy.

His gaze fell back on me, full of contempt, " But, you wear rags, without a single decent piece of jewelry. What makes you think you have what it takes to stand by my side?"

He raised his voice, "If it weren't for my father being old and senile, threatening me with disinheritance, I wouldn't even spare you a second glance! Don't think that after the ceremony, you'll be the mistress of the Leonardo family. I'll never acknowledge you. You're nothing but a tool my father is using to make a deal!"

"Since you've made your position so clear," I said calmly, yet with a tone of decisive finality, "there's no need to maintain this farce of a marriage. So—"

I paused, my gaze sweeping over the triumphant Matteo and the woman in his arms, then over the surrounding faces of shock or mockery.

"—today's wedding is called off."

Matteo froze for a second, then as if he'd heard the world's biggest joke, he brushed past Carla, took a step forward.

"Anita, don't play these little games with me," he said in a low voice, threatening.

My voice turned cold, "I simply want nothing to do with someone who treats a family alliance as a joke."

"And as for your precious Leonardo family and that Eastern European arms route you were just bragging about..." I dragged out my words, "they mean absolutely little to me."

Everyone around me froze at my words. Matteo's arrogance vanished, replaced by pure disbelief.

Seeing this, Carla immediately stepped forward to try and calm him. "Matteo, don't listen to her lies! She's just some hick from the sticks—has no clue about the real value of that arms shipment, that's why she's acting all nonchalant!!"

But Matteo was clearly stung by my words. He ignored Carla, his eyes locked on me, looking as if he could devour me alive.

His meticulously planned, hugely invested channel, the capital he relied on to boast about, had been casually mentioned by a woman he'd looked down on.

His earlier composure and arrogance were completely gone, replaced by frantic rage.

"I'm giving you one last chance! Are you sure you want to call off this wedding?!"

I met his furious yet slightly panicked gaze, my eyes unwavering, and gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"Absolutely sure."