Chapter 3

The charity gala's banquet hall glittered with raised glasses.

Bianca wore a couture velvet gown that made her pale skin glow and gave her a soft, graceful beauty.

She slipped her arm naturally through Rossi's, her expression soft and gracious, every inch the lady of the house.

I stood not far away, completely out of place.

The gown I wore had been rushed to me by a servant minutes before the gala began, and one look told me it was several sizes too small.

I didn't need to think twice. Bianca's handiwork again.

But I had no choice. I could not and dared not defy the Don's orders.

The tight fabric strangled my waist, putting every line of my body on display.

Even the hem was obscenely short. One stride too wide and I would expose myself in front of the whole room.

Whispers rippled around me. Every gaze in the hall clung to me, full of contempt, appraisal, and amusement.

The whispers reached Rossi.

He turned his head, saw what I was wearing, and his jaw clenched tight.

Bianca followed his gaze to me and smothered a soft laugh.

"What on earth are you wearing? It's completely indecent. This is a proper charity gala."

The mocking looks fixed on me, and humiliation kept my eyes on the floor.

Rossi strode toward me, his presence icy enough to cut.

His face was dark, and he made no effort to soften the rebuke.

"A charity gala is a solemn occasion. You show up flaunting yourself in that dress. Are you trying to humiliate me along with you?"

At this gala in my previous life, Bianca hadn't tampered with my gown. Instead she had gone after me in public, leaning close to whisper in my ear that someone like me had no right to stand in that room.

Back then I was proud and hot-blooded. I couldn't swallow the smallest insult, and I stood my ground against her on the spot.

Rossi stayed silent through all of it. Not one word.

But when the gala ended, he ordered me to kneel outside Bianca's bedroom door and forbade me to rise.

A whole night. My knees were ground raw and bloody.

Inside, the two of them were still in bed together.

That was also the night my heart finally went cold, and I collapsed unconscious on the floor.

When I woke, he had already handed me over to Luca, a devil in a gentleman's suit.

The agony of that life was burned into me.

In this life, maybe it was my endurance that had made Bianca bolder and bolder.

I lowered my eyes and offered not one word of defense.

"I've been improper. I'm sorry. I'll leave now."

Rossi paused, faintly startled. His narrow eyes lifted to mine, and a complicated expression crossed his face.

"You've been getting more and more obedient lately."

His gaze was intensely searching, tracing my expression inch by inch, as if hunting for proof that my indifference was an act.

That gaze was too sharp. My nerve wavered, and I didn't dare meet his eyes.

Bianca's eyes flashed with smug satisfaction.

She put on a magnanimous air, her voice honey-soft.

"It's nothing. Don't take it to heart. Let's not hold up tonight's real business."

With that, she walked quickly over and took my hand with false affection.

"Come, I want you to meet someone very important."

I followed her gaze.

At the entrance to the banquet hall, a familiar figure approached at an easy pace.

A refined suit. Mild, courteous features. A warm smile at his lips.

In my previous life, he had worn exactly that smile as he came toward me, step by step, a curved blade in his hand.

"A disobedient little leopard has to be punished..."

Memories of countless days and nights of torture slowly merged with the man before me.

My limbs trembled beyond my control, and cold shot from my heels to the crown of my head.

The man noticed our eyes on him and came toward us, smiling.

He stepped up with perfect composure and exchanged polite pleasantries with Rossi.

Bianca gave my rigid body a tug and pushed me in front of him.

I felt his gaze settle on me, casual on the surface but bright with a predator's excitement at finding its prey.

"Go on. Introduce yourself to Mr. Bellini."

Bianca urged me with fake sweetness.

Rossi stood by, watching coldly, quietly waiting for my reaction.

I drew a deep breath, slowly composed myself, raised my eyes, and pulled on a flawless smile.

"Hello. I'm Rebecca Hale."

The room around us went noticeably quieter.

I paused, then made every word crystal clear.

"I'm Rossi's girlfriend."

Rossi's expression darkened into something vicious.

Bianca's face filled with shock, and a shriek escaped her before she could think.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She raised her hand to slap me hard across the face.

My expression did not change. Under the stunned gaze of the entire hall, I continued, slow and steady.

"And I am already pregnant."