The Betrayal Before Our Vows

My dad, Carlos Cecere, sounded excited on the phone.

"Have you really thought it through, Katerina? The D'Angelo family is declining, and if it weren't for your insistence back then, I would never have thought that a marriage alliance with them would have been a good choice anyway.

"You're my only daughter, and I'm really happy that you can shoulder the family responsibility instead.

"I'll be sending a convoy to pick you up and bring you back to Chitchily in three days, back to your birthplace, the headquarters of the Cecere Famiglia."

After ending my phone call with Papa, my phone suddenly began ringing again, and this time, it was a call from my best friend, Delila Rusconi.

I stared coldly at the blinking phone screen and didn't answer her call.

I had known her for more than half of my life, and I'd always thought of her as my "best friend". She came from the slums, but now, she was acting like a leech that I could never get rid of. In fact, she didn't even have mercy on my fiance and attached herself to him as well.

I could feel the tearing pain in my heart as I recalled the scene at the office a while earlier.

My fiance, Luca D'Angelo, pushed the door open slowly and walked in with a bouquet of roses. He gathered me into his arms and said, "What are you still doing here, Cara Mia? Have you been waiting for my present all along?"

He set down the roses and suddenly produced a beautiful jewelry box out of thin air like magic. A Panthere de Cartier bracelet lay nestled in the satin cloth inside.

"Do you like it? This is a one-of-a-kind commemorative piece—a gift for my one and only true love."

His sky-blue eyes were filled with deep affection, as if I were his whole world.

The diamond panther coiled around my wrist, and its emerald eyes sparkled dazzlingly under the light.

I was dazed for a while. Could it be that what I'd seen just now was just a misunderstanding after all?

Perhaps I should just give him a chance to explain himself.

I relaxed my body and leaned back into his embrace, feeling aggrieved. He patted me on the head and spoke in an utmost gentle voice. "Why don't you put on the sparkly crystal dress I got you for the bachelorette party tonight?"

I nodded obediently. Just as I was about to speak, however, Luca suddenly pulled out a cargo ship passage contract and casually said to me, "Cara Mia, the D'Angelo Famiglia's cargo ship will be arriving at the port tomorrow. Let's sign the passage contract before going to the party."

My gaze landed on the contract, and I could feel my heart sinking to my stomach.

When Luca noticed that I was staying silent, he hugged me tightly again and said, "The D'Angelo and Cecere Famiglias will be officially merging at our wedding in three days. A trivial passage contract won't change anything."

If I hadn't overheard his conversation with Delila earlier, I wouldn't even have thought much about it. However, now, I cautiously said, "Since we're going to be merging into one family after our wedding in three days, there's no need for me to sign this passage contract now."

If I wasn't mistaken, this was a permanent free-passage contract for the D'Angelo cargo ships. Once the contract went into effect, all of the Cecere Famiglia's ports would be permanently open to them, completely free of charge.

Our wedding was in three days. Could Luca not even be bothered to wait these three days after all?

Luca looked down at me with a disapproving expression on his face.

"Katerina, you might not understand business matters. A brand-new line of Birkin bags has just been released in Furlance, and the market price for them has already doubled. This is the perfect time to be selling them. How could we afford to wait another three more days?"

He then lifted my chin and kissed me lightly on the corner of my lips.

"Trust me, Cara Mia. This is a win-win situation for both of us."

I took a step back, picked up the passage contract, and hid my face in the shadows by the window so that he wouldn't be able to read my face.

"Do you love me, Luca?"

My voice was entirely devoid of emotion.

Luca immediately swore, "Of course, Katerina! I swear on the honor of my Famiglia that I will only love you for the rest of my life!

"My last name, my Famiglia—everything I have belongs to you!"

I didn't say another word and silently signed my name on the contract.

Luca thought that I was completely unaware of his tricks. I was just going to let him think that way, though. He would soon learn the price he would have to pay for deceiving me.