Chapter 1

I went back to the bedroom and pulled the document out from the bottom drawer.

The black wax seal was still perfectly intact.

But beside it, where the family council's certification should have been, there was nothing.

Luca's call came in while I was still standing in the bedroom, staring at that marriage registry.

"Baby, I have to go to Italy tomorrow," he said, his voice low and lazy, like he was coaxing me. "The wedding may need to be pushed back a few days. When I come back, I'll give you an even grander ceremony. Okay?"

The rain outside was heavy.

I held the edge of the document and suddenly remembered the final deadline my father had given me last month.

If the Moretti family still refused to publicly acknowledge the marriage by this holiday, the partnership between Castellano and Moretti would be terminated immediately. And I would have to go home and accept the alliance marriage my father had arranged.

After a few seconds of silence, I answered softly, "Okay. I have other plans for the holiday anyway."

Luca seemed to pause. He probably had not expected me to agree so easily.

But soon, he gave a low laugh. "I'll make it up to you when I'm back."

After the call ended, the room went quiet again.

Agnes was still standing by the door, looking awkward. "Ma'am, I didn't mean to say the wrong thing. I really thought you knew."

I slid the document back into the drawer and said calmly, "It's fine. You can go."

The old woman looked like she wanted to say more, but in the end, she left.

Not long after the door closed, my phone rang again.

This time, it was my father.

Cedric Castellano never liked wasting words. The moment the call connected, he asked, "Have you decided?"

I leaned against the edge of the bed and looked out at the blurred New York skyline. My voice was very quiet.

"I'm coming home."

There was silence on the other end for two seconds.

"And the Moretti partnership?"

"Cancel it."

My father clearly paused.

Three years ago, because of Luca, I had nearly broken with the entire Castellano family. Everyone had told me Luca Moretti was too ambitious, too desperate to climb, and not suitable as a husband.

But I had refused to believe them.

Now, thinking back, maybe they had been right all along.

After hanging up, I was about to go downstairs when the doorbell rang.

Vanessa stood outside with a dessert box in her hand, rain still clinging to her coat. She wore a beige trench coat, her long hair loose over her shoulders. The Tiffany key necklace at her throat caught the light sharply.

Luca had given it to her last week for her birthday.

"Selene!" She smiled and threw her arms around me. "I brought your favorite tiramisu."

I stepped aside and let her in.

The way Vanessa changed her shoes was so familiar, it was almost as if she lived here too.

I used to think nothing of it.

Two years ago, I was the one who introduced Vanessa into the port operations line under the Moretti family. It was not her first time in this world. She had followed Evelyn in and out of the Castellano estate since she was young. She knew which drink to pour for which Capo, and when to keep quiet while men discussed business. But her real entry into Moretti had come through me.

Later, Luca began taking her to family gatherings and underground casinos. He said she knew the accounts and understood how to deal with difficult port managers. Gradually, the passenger seat stopped belonging to me.

Vanessa always said she got carsick in the back. Luca never refused her.

Whenever the three of us went out together, I sat in the back seat and listened to them talk about the southern route, permits, and dock transfers. Sometimes, when I added a sentence, I sounded like the unnecessary one.

"Selene? You okay?" Vanessa waved a hand in front of my eyes.

I came back to myself and said lightly, "The dress is in the walk-in closet. Go try it on."

She smiled and hurried inside.

Not long after, her excited voice came from the closet. "Selene, come look. Does it look good?"

When I walked in, she was standing in front of the mirror, turning in a slow circle.

The pale gold bridesmaid dress hugged her waist. It did look beautiful.

Vanessa looked at herself in the mirror, then suddenly sighed. "Too bad I probably won't be able to be your bridesmaid this holiday."

My heart tightened slightly, but I still asked, "Why?"

She lowered her head and smiled, the tips of her ears turning pink. "Because I have another important arrangement."

As if afraid I would keep asking, she quickly changed the subject. "By the way, have you tried on your wedding dress yet?"

I shook my head. I had fought for this wedding for a long time, but Luca had always been busy. The date had been delayed again and again. Even that custom wedding dress had to wait until tonight before I could go to the boutique and try it on.

Vanessa, however, seemed to remember something. Her tone turned bright. "The last time I went to try on wedding dresses, the designer said that couture piece suited me perfectly. Luca thought it looked beautiful too."

I said nothing.

A while ago, Vanessa had suddenly said she was getting engaged, but every time I asked who the man was, she brushed it off. Later, she simply dragged Luca with her to try on wedding dresses and smiled at me as she said, "Come on, Selene. I just need a man who actually understands how a suit should fit."

She said it so naturally, as if she were borrowing a jacket.

Not my fiancé.

Luca had not even hesitated. He only laughed and ruffled her hair. "You're always trouble."

They stayed at the bridal boutique for the entire afternoon.

When they came back that day, Luca was in a good mood. For once, he brought up the dress himself and said it really was beautiful.

Thinking about it now, maybe he had not been praising the dress at all.

And I, the woman who had been "registered" to him for three years, had never once truly worn a wedding dress.

Every time I brought up the ceremony, Luca said he was busy. He had been busy for three years. The wedding date was set, then postponed, then set again. At some point, even I lost count of how many times it had happened.

"Selene?" Vanessa leaned closer and looked at me. "Why do you look so pale?"

I looked at the necklace around her throat and suddenly smiled.

"Nothing."