Chapter 1

I paid a high price to have Martina Conti assist me in giving birth.

However, she barely glanced at what lay beneath me before her knees gave way, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

She traced a cross over her chest, praying in a low voice incessantly.

"You didn't tell me you weren't giving birth to a human," she said hoarsely.

I bit my lip and looked down, my heartbeat slowly spiraling out of control.

There were three dazzling, smooth, crimson eggs lying silently on the bedding.

Martina stepped back two paces, pressing her back against the wall as her chest heaved violently.

"The whole Terella knows Don Fontana is waiting for an heir. But you've given birth to three monsters. To bring such things into the world in a place like this… Alessia Romano, do you know the consequences you will face?"

My throat tightened, rendering me unable to speak.

"No, impossible. This can't be real," I muttered under my breath.

I pinched my arm hard—it hurt terribly. I wasn't dreaming.

The three eggs seemed startled by my movement. They huddled together and gently rubbed against the back of my hand.

A wave of heat shot through me, causing me to tremble violently.

It was over! All over!

Lorenzo Fontana would definitely throw me off the cliff.

Just last month, another woman gave birth to twin baby boys in the delivery room.

The entire estate was preparing for the celebration. The butler, Pietro Colombo, even had champagne flown in.

However, Lorenzo took one look at the twins and turned away.

"They're not of my blood," he said coldly.

The woman broke down on the spot, kneeling in the snow with her babies in her arms, sobbing. She swore over and over that she had never betrayed him.

But Lorenzo paid them no more attention. Instead, he merely gave a casual, indifferent lift of his chin.

His Soldati dragged the three of them out into the blizzard, as if they were nothing but trash. Several gunshots sounded, and the pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt.

The stench of blood drew vultures, which circled the sky all night.

If that was the fate of giving birth to humans, what would happen to someone who laid three eggs?

Among these mafia men who worshipped ancient family bloodlines, they'd surely think I had defiled the family honor.

"Alessia, open the door."

Suddenly, a man's voice sounded from outside the door. It was languid and casual, yet it sent a chill down people's spines.

My heart gave a sudden lurch.

It was Lorenzo, the youngest Don in Bajadoro. He controlled the underworld arms trade across most of Terella.

In this mountain estate sealed off by a blizzard, he'd said the same thing to 15 candidates.

"Whoever bears me an heir will become the Donna of the Fontana family."

To be honest, I never wanted to be the Donna of the Fontana family.

Nine months ago, I was still the owner of a bar in Bajadoro, secretly making my fortune by selling intelligence.

And intelligence on Lorenzo was the most expensive.

I often kept close surveillance on him through various means. But one time, I happened to catch him drinking spiked liquor.

He was clearly not himself at that moment. His face was flushed, his breathing was rapid, and he kept yanking impatiently at his shirt buttons.

When he saw me, he locked onto me like I was prey.

The moment his scorching hot hand landed on my lower back, my entire body froze.

"Y-You're drunk." I pushed against him with trembling hands, but it was like pushing against a wall.

Instead of letting me go, he just looked at me and smiled.

"I'm not drunk," he said in a terribly raspy voice, his fingers sparking heat beneath my skin. "It's just that you smell too good."

In a daze, I ended up on the bed with him.

He kissed me without any finesse, his sharp teeth knocking against my lips. But his hands moved precisely to my back, fingers finding the clasp of my bra and flicking it open with ease.

In the throes of our most intense passion, I thought I saw his pupils narrow into golden vertical slits.

The next morning at dawn, I threw on my clothes and ran.

When I found out I was pregnant, I cursed at the pregnancy test for a full five minutes.

This reward came at just the right time. I'd leave the baby with Lorenzo, take the money, and run.

Never did it cross my mind that I'd end up laying three eggs!

The guard's report from outside the door pulled me back to reality.

"Don Fontana, Ms. Romano is inside. And the door is locked from the other side."

As soon as Martina heard Lorenzo was at the door, she rushed over to tell him the truth.

"Don Fontana, I'm in here! I'll open the door right now!"

"No! You can't tell him! Come back!"

I tried to stop her, but I'd just given birth and didn't even have the strength to stand up. In fact, I barely lifted myself before collapsing back down.

"I have to tell him," Martina said. "He'll find out sooner or later!"

She grabbed the door handle tightly. However, her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't press it down no matter how hard she tried.

More footsteps sounded from outside the door. They belonged to the Fontana family's Soldati, the armed kind.

I held my breath in fear.

"Why is the door still closed? Are you hiding something from me?"

Lorenzo's voice drifted down lightly, like a demon beckoning a soul.

"T-The lock is stuck. I might not be able to open it right now."

Martina's compassion had ultimately won out, and she lowered her hand.

But Lorenzo wasn't one to listen to nonsense.

"Break the door down," he commanded without hesitation.

The door shuddered violently, and a huge crashing sound echoed through the room.

The three eggs on the bed seemed to sense the danger outside as well. They actually rolled over to my side, pressing tightly against my belly as if to comfort me.

The gap in the door grew wider, and I closed my eyes in despair.