Chapter 1

When Darius Rossi pushed the photo toward me, I froze. He held me in his arms and kissed my cheek, his voice still hoarse from our earlier passion.

He said, "I'll arrange for you to meet him in the next couple of days. With your looks and charm, he'll easily fall for you. Gina Costa cares about her image, so once she sees you two together, she'll come running back to me."

Gina was the marriage partner Darius needed, the daughter of another mafia family in Paulirmo, and the woman he truly loved. They grew up together, and he harbored feelings for her.

However, Gina never gave Darius a second glance, seeing him only as a childhood playmate. No matter how much he did for her, she only had eyes for Valerio Warren, the most powerful man in Sirioli.

Maybe it was because of her indifference that Darius spoiled me twice as much. He thought that if he acted deeply in love with me and ignored her long enough, she would finally see his worth and accept him.

That was the moment he started to indulge my every whim, spoiling me rotten.

The latest collections from Meiran showed up in my closet before they hit the stores. If I casually mentioned craving a certain Tascian wine, a full row of bottles would appear in the estate's cellar the next day. He would have given me the moon if I had asked for it, no questions asked.

Everyone in the family called me 'Ms. Rossi' and said I would be Darius's wife someday.

After a while, I started believing he actually cared about me. Alas, it had all been an illusion.

My mind instantly cleared, and I pulled back all those foolish thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Darius asked, finally catching his breath as he reached out to touch my face.

I quietly moved out of his reach. In that brief second, I saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

I said softly, "I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want."

Darius's expression softened. He pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on top of my head, his voice taking on that familiar tenderness. "Good girl. When this is all over, I'll give you a ton of money, and you can go wherever you want."

I silently nodded–and that was that.

"It's still early." Darius pressed closer, his hand sliding to my chest. "Let's go another round."

Discomfort stirred in me, and I pushed him away. "I'm not feeling well. Let's skip tonight."

Darius stared at me, the warmth in his blue eyes fading, leaving behind a darkness I could not read.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Then, he suddenly smiled again, messing up my hair like he always did. "Alright. Whatever my girl wants."

He turned to pour himself a drink, speaking with his back to me. "Now you're all grown up. Is there anyone you like? Maybe a doctor or a lawyer? When this is over, I'll set you up. My girl deserves the best kind of man."

My nose stung sharply, and I quickly got dressed. As I headed for the door, tears welled up in my eyes, but I forced them back down.

"Monica Arden." Darius suddenly called out to me. "Even if you get married, we can still see each other all the time. We're family, aren't we?"

"Yeah..." I agreed numbly, not daring to turn around.