You Replaced Me, so I Got an Upgrade のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The night Giovanni Rossi became the Don, he took me hard and without mercy.By the time it was over, my legs were still trembling. Staring at my slip dress lying on the floor, one strap torn clean off, I asked, "Giovanni, is this the end of us?"He leaned back against the headboard and lit a cigarette. The smoke blurred his eyes and the scar on his wrist, which he'd gotten from protecting me."Serena." He exhaled slowly and asked as calmly as if we were discussing the weather, "If I say it's over, will you make a scene?"His words were light, yet they sent a chill down my spine.I'd been with Giovanni for ten years. I knew the meaning behind every shift in his expression.I took the cigarette from between his lips and inhaled deeply to steady my trembling voice. "Giovanni, do you still think I'm that young lady who didn't even know how to fire a gun?"If I were still 19 years old, I'd have torn his world apart if he dared to abandon me. I'd force him to either kill me or go mad

I held the keys and the access card to the family archives and headed to the Rossi family headquarters.In no mood for dressing up, I simply wore a white dress.When I pushed open the door, the usual greetings were gone. Those who once called me "Donna" now fell silent, as if by unspoken agreement.But whispers still reached my ears."She still suits Don Rossi best. Ten years, and she's been the only one by his side…""Hah! You don't get it. You need a crutch only when you have a broken leg. First thing you do when it heals? You throw it away. Seeing it reminds you of when you couldn't stand!"I forced a small, bitter smile.Ten years with Giovanni, and no one had ever dared speak to me like that.A business partner had dared to touch my hand once. The very next day, Giovanni had his fingers cut off.If I frowned, he would drop every meeting just to calm me.All the privileges that came with being favored had now turned into jokes.Suddenly, a loud bang echoed. A shot ripped

The black umbrella tilted slightly, revealing Vincenzo Bellini's sharp, sculpted features.Giovanni's face paled at once. As the Don of a minor family affiliated with the Bellini family, he had clearly recognized who stood before him."Serena." Giovanni looked at me, his hand twitching. "When did you meet someone like him?"Vincenzo chuckled and rested his hand on my waist. "Much earlier than you think. It's been ten years since I last saw her. And you've done a terrible job taking care of my fiancée."Giovanni swayed as if struck in the chest."How could she be your fiancee?" His voice turned hoarse. "She was with me for ten years!"I felt Vincenzo's grip tighten. His tone cooled. "Oh, so you knew?"Giovanni's expression shifted from pale to livid. His hand moved toward his gun more than once, then stopped.No one drew a weapon in front of Don Bellini unless they wanted their family wiped out overnight.Just then, Lisa came running over, breathless. She froze when she saw Vin

By the time Vincenzo and I returned from the opera, it was late at night, so we checked into the nearest hotel. But the moment we stepped into our suite, Giovanni's and Lisa's voices drifted in from the room next door.What a small world."Why are you still keeping that necklace?" Lisa cooed. "Doesn't it make you feel sick just looking at it?"Giovanni's tone was icy. "I just want her to remember how wet she was under me. That old Vincenzo is sheltered by family wealth and has barely ever seen blood. He can never satisfy her. She just wanted so-called worthy support to piss me off."I scoffed. I wasn't the kind of woman to need a man to play a show just to provoke an ex.When I turned, I ran straight into a solid chest.Vincenzo had somehow appeared behind me. His impossibly deep blue eyes were staring at me."Drink this and rest early." He pressed a glass of milk into my hand, then started to turn away.His deep voice alone was enough to reveal his sour mood.Feeling mischiev

I pushed open the study door. Vincenzo sat there, reviewing documents with glasses perched on his nose. The blue of his eyes behind the lenses was sharp as knives. No trace of the usual warmth remained.I suddenly realized maybe everything I thought I knew about his calm, controlled nature had been wrong.I walked over and held out my hand. "Give me your phone."Vincenzo didn't ask why. He simply unlocked it and handed it to me.I opened the gallery.There were countless photos of me. The most recent ones were from the terrace when I was drinking coffee.When I scrolled back further, I saw pictures of me facing off against Giovanni.Further…My eyes widened.There was the 19-year-old me, in my school uniform, struggling to carry an injured Giovanni.The scene of the day Lisa first appeared by his side was almost identical.I had dug into her background before leaving Novrath. Wearing her school uniform, she got cornered by some thugs in the alley and, in a flustered rush, ra