Chapter 1

Tonight, the family was hosting a dinner party at the estate.

While the gala was thrown in Matteo Colombo’s honor for his return from Sicily, the true purpose was to show all members who the Donna was.

There was a time when I would have been buzzing with anticipation for this day.

Though Matteo and I attended many events as husband and wife, I hadn’t been formally introduced to the family.

I was supposed to be the belle of the ball. Yet, Juliana Ricci stole my spotlight.

She wore a skin-tight red number, her chest threatening a nip slip from the plunging neckline. Her thighs were peeking through the high slit.

Sitting on the far end of the long table, Juliana fixated on Matteo the whole time.

“Matteo.” She raised her glass. “A toast to you for an incredible job in Sicily. Don Colombo would be proud of you.”

Juliana paused, her eyes sweeping over me. “But you seem distracted. Is Alessia not doing it for you? It makes sense. Your pretty Donna doesn’t have my assets. I bet she can’t give you what you want.”

Several young made men let out snickers.

I set my cutlery down.

This was all too familiar, right down to the littlest detail.

In my previous life, this was how Juliana chipped away at my standing in the family.

It started with a joke, a lingering look, then an “accidental” brush of touch.

Matteo would always say, “She doesn’t mean any harm. Don’t read too much into it.”

However, he was blind to the smirk Juliana would give me in the hallway after each of her little games.

The smile on her face basically told me that Matteo would choose her every time.

In the end, Matteo named Juliana’s brother as his successor.

Meanwhile, I was cast aside like a useless chess piece and disposed of without a trace.

Right then, Juliana rose to her feet and made her way around the table to get to me.

Putting her hand on the back of my chair, she spoke in a tone that carried well across the room.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Alessia. Matteo and I have been through hell and back together. If something was going to happen, it would’ve happened already/ Besides, we even shared baths as children. He’s been blessed with a huge package from way back then, so I’m not surprised that you can’t handle or keep up with him.”

While talking, Juliana wasn’t even shy about keeping her eyes on Matteo’s crotch.

Juliana leaned into my ear. “Even if you’re the Donna, I’m the one who matters the most to him. You’re nobody to him.”

With that, she beamed at everybody. “If things were different, this marriage wouldn’t even have happened. Am I right, everyone?”

Some people echoed her sentiment with a smile, while others buried their heads in their drinks.

Furrowing his brow, Matteo simply said, “Juliana can be blunt.”

I didn’t even look at him.

Picking up my wine glass, I stood up and turned to Juliana. “I’ll keep that in mind, Juliana.”

Juliana was taken aback for a while.

Raising my glass, I uttered clearly, “A toast to the jewel of the family for her boldness, openness, and zero concerns for boundaries.”

The laughter came to an abrupt end.

I kept it going, my tone flat.

“But you might want to keep your mouth shut in the next event because around here, loose lips can get you killed.”

Silence hung heavily in the air.

I downed the rest of my drink, took my seat, and went back to cutting my steak.

Juliana’s glass was stuck mid-air.

This time around, I was done making concessions for anyone.