An Underboss's Priceless Regret

I had been secretly dating my brother's best friend, Lucian Valachi, the Underboss of the Marchetti family, for seven years. But our relationship was a secret, always kept in the shadows.

One day, Lucian came to me, his breath smoky with whiskey. He whispered, "Loraine, Reyan's pregnant with another man's child. If she doesn't have a fiancé, the Carusos and our family will have a serious problem. I need to get engaged to her. It's just for show, a means to an end. Please, can you do this for me?"

I answered in a calm tone he had never heard from me before, "Okay."

In my past life, I hadn't agreed. I had insisted that he make our relationship public.

A few weeks passed, and Reyan Caruso’s pregnancy could no longer be hidden. The truth came to light. An angry rival family declared war, and in the fallout, Lucian grew to resent me, then abandoned me completely.

After he left, I never saw or heard from him again.

I knew he blamed me for the disaster that had torn his family apart. Not long after, I died in an "accident."

As my eyes were about to close forever, I saw Lucian rushing toward me, his face a mask of panic. And Reyan—the one who was supposed to have been caught in the crossfire—followed safely behind him, holding a baby.

It was only then that I finally understood: Lucian was Reyan's savior, but he was never mine.

Now that I've been reborn, I won't refuse his request. Instead, I'll cut all ties with him. Let him and Reyan have each other, and whatever fate they've woven for themselves.

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1

I nodded obediently. My quiet agreement stunned Lucian Valachi. He hadn't expected me to give in so easily.

Under the dim light of the wall sconce, his cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, but his obsidian eyes were exceptionally clear, without a trace of drunkenness. As always, I sat beside him on the velvet sofa, as still and silent as a porcelain doll.

Lucian leaned closer, his presence filling the space between us, his expression unusually serious. "Loraine, do you understand what I just said?"

I nodded again, still docile. "I understand."

In my past life, I had grabbed his arm and vehemently refused, telling him not to even think about it. I was madly in love with him and could never let him be engaged to another woman.

But in this life, my heart was unnervingly calm. It felt as trivial as discussing the odds of rain in Chicago tonight.

Lucian frowned, clearly unhappy with how easily I had agreed. He was about to say something more when my brother, Lucian Marchetti, burst through the door. "Guess who I just saw downstairs—Reyan Caruso, your childhood sweetheart! Those bastards from the Falcone family are trying to get her drunk—"

Before my brother could finish, Valachi shot to his feet. "They have a death wish. Reyan's pregnant, she can't be drinking."

With that, he stormed out of the private room.

My brother was shocked. "Hasn't he spoken to her in seven years? How does he know she's pregnant? Could he be the father?"

I nodded, playing along. "Probably. Looks like the Marchetti family will be having an engagement party soon."

A chorus of shouts erupted outside, followed by the sharp crack of shattering glass. I remained in my seat, calmly picking up a fork to spear a strawberry from the fruit platter, as if I couldn't hear a thing.

My brother looked even more surprised, a teasing glint in his eye. "Loraine, your precious Lucian is out there fighting. Aren't you going to help?"

In the past, I was Lucian's shadow, following him everywhere. My own brother had complained about it more than once.

Whenever I was about to blurt out the truth, Lucian Valachi would gently ruffle my hair and cut me off. "In Loraine's heart, I'm more of an older brother than you are. It's my honor. You can't be jealous of that, can you, Marchetti?"

Over time, I had come to understand what Lucian truly wanted. He didn't want our relationship public. I was destined to be his secret, hidden in the shadows.

I savored the sweetness of the strawberry and then shook my head. "I'm not a fighter. Even if I went out, I couldn't help. I'd only get in the way."

If it were the past, I would have rushed out without a second thought, never caring about my own safety.

My brother said with relief, "That's my girl. You're not built for that kind of trouble. You should stay where it's safe."

He told me to stay put and went out to help. I sat there for a long time. It wasn't until the commotion outside finally died down that I rose and stepped out of the room.

Outside the private room, Valachi was carefully cradling a woman in his arms. It was his childhood sweetheart, Reyan. She leaned weakly against him, her eyes red-rimmed and wide with fright.