Chapter 2

I'd been alive for 26 years, and this was the first time someone had jabbed a finger in my face and ordered me to get down on my knees. Looking at the haughty Vera, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Say that again. What did you want me to shout?"

Vera thought I'd been intimidated. She tilted her head back, practically beaming with pride. "Are you deaf? I'll only repeat myself once! 'I'm just an ignorant, broke bitch, and I know I was wrong!'"

The corners of my lips slowly curled upward. "I heard you loud and clear. Since you know you're a bitch, hurry up and get out of my face!"

Vera's expression instantly changed. It hit her that she had been played. "You must have a death wish!" she shrieked before raising her hand to slap me across the face.

I stepped aside to dodge her attack and caught her wrist in one smooth motion. I'd learned self-defense from mi famiglia's bodyguards. It was a walk in the park dealing with a woman who only knew how to throw her weight around.

I tightened my grip slightly, and Vera cried out in pain. "Let go of me!"

The moment I released my grip, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

The people around us immediately gasped.

"Jesus, she actually laid a hand on Signorina Montes!"

"Does she have a death wish? Signorina Montes is Signor Valdi's most cherished godsister!"

"Oh, she's done for. If word reaches Signor Valdi, she won't make it out of this manor in one piece!"

After listening to their murmurs, I didn't feel a thing.

Everyone here seemed to have forgotten that the person who truly struck fear into people's hearts in Sicity had never been anyone from the Valdi famiglia. I was a Moretti, and my brother, Andrei Moretti, was one of the most dangerous men in the city.

However, the power struggles between mafia famiglie were perilous, so Andrei had sent me abroad to protect me, where I lived under an assumed identity. I had just returned to the country this year, so most people in Sicity didn't know of my existence.

I slapped the black card back down on the table and told Matteo, "Charge it. No matter what, I'm renting this estate today!"

He trembled as he immediately handed me the contract.

As soon as I signed it, Vera sprang to her feet and planted herself right in front of me. "Who gave you permission to rent this estate? Listen here, this is the Valdi famiglia's territory!"

I leisurely flexed my wrist. "What, do you want me to beat you up again?"

Instinctively, she shrank back. Her jaw clenched as she burned holes through me with her eyes.

I paid her no mind and headed outside, only to find a black Bentley parked at the entrance of the estate.

The door swung open, and a man emerged, leading with long, elegant legs. Dressed in a crisp bespoke suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and tapered waist, his chiseled face looked lethally handsome under the sun.

I was caught off guard. I had to admit that Cassian was exactly my type. I was even willing to forgive his earlier rudeness. The fiance Andrei had arranged for me didn't seem so bad after all.

However, the very next second, Vera charged at him in tears. "Cassian!"

She latched onto his arm, her eyes teary with grievance. "She not only stole my estate, but she also slapped me!"

Cassian looked down at the red mark on Vera's wrist and scowled before lifting his gaze to meet mine.

I took the initiative to step forward, flashing him a smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Selina Moretti, your fiancee."

I'd even prepared myself for him to look taken aback, to size me up, or perhaps even take an interest in me. After all, I was quite confident in my looks and status.

Yet, the man merely looked at me coldly and jeered. "Fiancee? Whose?"

The smile on my face stiffened. Did he not know that he was going to marry me?"

Cassian slipped his hands into his pockets and said nonchalantly, "Oh, right. I remember now. My papa did tell me that I was getting into an arranged marriage, but I can't remember that woman's name, nor can I remember which famiglia she belongs to because I had no intention of taking her as my wife."

Slowly, the smile faded from my face.

For the sake of this union, I'd left behind my life abroad early and returned to Sicity. I'd even personally chosen the place where we would exchange our vows and promise to spend our lives together. Yet, he couldn't even be bothered to remember my name.

As it turned out, I was the only one who had seriously tried to figure out how to share a life with a stranger.

Vera immediately tightened her grip around his arm and leaned against him, looking at me provocatively. "Did you hear that? Cassian doesn't like you at all."

The onlookers began whispering among themselves.

"Wait, she actually is Cassian's fiancee?"

"So what if she is? Signor Valdi clearly cares more about Signorina Montes."

"Exactly. Everyone knows Signorina Montes is the apple of the Valdi famiglia's eyes."

I watched as Vera clung to Cassian intimately and suddenly found the whole situation laughable.

The very first time I met my fiance, he was standing beside another woman, disavowing our engagement without a second thought. In that case, I had nothing left to say.

I wiped the smile off my face and looked Cassian in the eye. "Fine. Go home and tell your papa that I'm calling off our engagement. The reason being you're simply not good enough for me."