Chapter 4

Riccardo turned and shoved open the glass door of the jewelry store. Then, he stormed toward the SUV parked on the street and yanked the door open.

After he jumped into the driver's seat, Elena paused briefly before quickly following and slipping into the passenger seat.

"Riccardo, just let it go. We shouldn't stoop to her level," she said softly.

But Riccardo ignored her and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The SUV roared onto the street, speeding straight toward the sidewalk where Violetta and I were standing.

"Marcella, watch out!" Violetta screamed, pulling me backward.

However, the SUV was moving too fast, its tires screeching sharply against the pavement as it hurtled toward us. Violetta and I were forced against the roadside barrier with nowhere to retreat, our hearts almost stopping in terror.

At the critical moment, a black Maybach sped in from the side and executed a precise drift to block the SUV's path. Riccardo slammed on the brakes with a piercing screech, and the SUV came to a halt less than three feet away from us.

My legs gave out, barely able to hold me up. Violetta steadied me, both of us gasping for breath and still shaking from the shock.

The door of the Maybach swung open, and a man stepped out, dressed in a black suit that accentuated his tall, lean frame. A pair of sunglasses sat perched on his nose, where a tiny mole was visible at its tip.

After making sure that Violetta and I were safe, he turned to face the SUV.

Riccardo jumped out of the car, his eyes bloodshot, and asked defiantly, "Who are you? Why don't you mind your own business?"

"You're suspected of attempted murder, and I've already called the police," the man replied coldly.

Riccardo froze.

Elena sobbed from inside the SUV. "Riccardo, let's go! The police will be here soon."

Seeing that I was safe, the man nodded to me and drove away.

Still shaken from the shock, it wasn't until he had left that I realized I hadn't gotten his contact information.

After being childhood friends with Riccardo for more than ten years, all it took was Elena whispering in his ear for a few months to turn him against me. Because of her instigations, he was even willing to see me dead.

From this moment on, I was cutting him out of my life for good.

The next morning, I put on the custom wedding dress sent by the Alonzi family and waited in my room, restless with anxiety.

The Alonzi family's bridal procession stretched imposingly in front of the main gate. Along with the betrothal gifts, they had added priceless jewelry and luxury cars that filled the entire street.

Meanwhile, Riccardo called a ride-hailing car and parked it by the side entrance of my house.

"Marcella, come out quickly! I don't want to be late!" he shouted.

Sofia flung a bucket of leftover dirty water from cleaning toward him.

"Dreaming, are you? Ms. Ricci has already left through the main gate in the Alonzi family's bridal car," Sofia said with a laugh.

Soaked and furious, Riccardo shouted, "Stop joking around! Get Marcella out of here now! How could she possibly marry that dying man?"

Sofia ignored him and closed the side gate.

Riccardo noticed the unusual commotion on the street, with fireworks booming and lighting up the sky. He drove to the main gate and saw the Alonzi family's wedding convoy lined up for blocks.

Rows of luxury cars gleamed, and a fortune in jewels glittered on display.

A sudden panic gripped him, causing his heart to race uncontrollably.

This couldn't be real, could it?

Dressed in a black suit and wearing aviator sunglasses that covered half of his face, Giovanni sat inside the stretched Rolls-Royce bridal car, his presence chillingly distant.

When he noticed Riccardo, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Riccardo stared at the wedding procession, watching as Violetta directed the line of cars into place. The panic in him swelled uncontrollably as he wondered whether I had actually gotten into the bridal car.

Staggering out of his car, he rushed toward the wedding procession and grabbed Violetta.

"Violetta, is Marcella really in there?" he shouted. "How is that possible? Stop this right now. Today is my wedding with Elena, so Marcella's not the bride. Why is she putting on such a show?

"Tell her to come out and leave with me now. I still have to pick up Elena at the hotel. I don't have time to waste on this nonsense!"

Violetta shoved him away and slapped him hard across the face. "Are you an idiot?" she roared furiously. "It's your fault Marcella had to marry Giovanni!

"On the day you registered your marriage with that manipulative pick-me, Marcella received the Alonzi family's betrothal agreement. You're the one who ruined her life, yet now you have the nerve to act clueless here?"