At my father's wake, with all Five Families gathered to pay their respects, my betrothed dropped to one knee before my father's illegitimate daughter and pledged his loyalty to her in front of every made man in attendance.
Then he ordered the footage to be played.
There they were, locked in each other's arms, their intimacy projected onto the screen for the entire underworld to witness.
That night, I became the greatest joke in Wildore. From private clubs to Family backrooms, my humiliation spread through every corner of the Five Families.
Just as I was on the verge of breaking, my betrothed's older brother, Lorenzo, stepped forward.
He personally had the two of them thrown out of the wake before every capo and underboss present.
Then he knelt before me on one knee and made a solemn vow.
"As long as I live, no blade will ever reach you. I will be your shield for the rest of my life."
Moved by his devotion, I accepted him.
Three years later...
One week before our union ceremony, I happened to pass the study and overheard Lorenzo speaking with his Consigliere.
"There are far easier ways to seize the Marchetti territory," the Consigliere said quietly. "Is entering a blood-bound union with Signorina Adriana really worth the risk?"
Lorenzo answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Only by becoming her husband will Adriana lower her guard completely. Vittoria deserves the place that should have been hers all along. If marrying Adriana is the price I have to pay to put Vittoria where she belongs, then so be it. For Vittoria, there is nothing I won't sacrifice."
In that instant, every illusion I had clung to shattered.
The man I believed had saved me had only been carrying out a carefully orchestrated deception.
The union I had waited three long years for was never a promise of salvation.
It was simply another grave waiting to bury me.
If that was the future they had chosen for me...
Then I would be the one to grant their wish.
……
Inside the study, Lorenzo held the signed agreement in his hands, a smile of quiet devotion softening his features, the very expression I had once believed belonged to me.
"The Signora doesn't have long," he said evenly. "Before she dies, Adriana will insist on having her attend the ceremony. Once the old woman is buried, the Marchetti name dies with her. Adriana will have no one left to rely on except me."
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"And that's when we make our move."
"Has the transfer agreement been finalized?" he continued. "Make sure nothing goes wrong. Every inch of Marchetti territory comes into my hands first. Once every obstacle has been removed, I'll transfer everything to Vittoria."
Standing across from him, the Consigliere looked down at the stack of documents spread across the desk, unease written plainly across his face.
"Don Falcone, Vittoria was born outside the Family. Doesn't this seem... too cruel to Signorina Adriana? These past three years, she's truly fallen in love with you. If she ever discovers that this entire union was nothing more than a scheme to hand her Family's empire to someone else..."
Before he could finish, Lorenzo's expression hardened.
"That's enough."
His voice dropped, cold enough to freeze the room.
"I've warned you before. Vittoria is the Marchetti Family's second daughter. If I ever hear you call her a bastard again, you'll answer for it."
Silence settled over the study.
After a long moment, Lorenzo spoke again, his tone noticeably softer.
"Besides, this marriage is compensation in its own way. Even after losing the Family, Adriana will still have me. She'll never have to live a difficult life."
He slowly brushed an invisible crease from the lapel of his suit.
"My brother has always envied everything I've had. Now Vittoria has chosen him instead. As the older brother, the least I can do is clear every obstacle from their path."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"As long as they're happy, nothing else matters."
The Consigliere quietly removed his glasses and folded them in his hands.
After a long silence, he sighed.
"...Very well. I'll review the agreement one last time. I only hope you never come to regret this."
As he reached the door, Lorenzo spoke again.
"One more thing."
"The footage from the wake three years ago... destroy every copy."
His gaze turned icy.
"Adriana must never see it."
Footsteps echoed toward the hallway.
My heart lurched.
I stumbled backward, hurrying to my room before either of them could open the door.
The tea in my hands splashed across my fingers, scalding my skin.
I felt none of it.
Only a coldness so deep it seemed to seep into my bones.
So...
The footage shown before every Family at my father's wake had never been Matteo's doing.
It had been Lorenzo.
Every humiliation.
Every carefully timed act of heroism.
Every promise.
All of it had been planned from the very beginning.
Three years ago, when Matteo abandoned me before the Five Families, I became the greatest disgrace the Marchetti name had ever known.
Everyone believed Lorenzo had appeared to save me.
How laughable.
He hadn't come to pull me out of the fire.
He had simply delivered the final push.
I thought of my mother.
With her last breath, she had placed my hand in his, believing she was entrusting me to the safest man alive.
He had sworn before every Family that he would protect me for the rest of his life.
Every word.
Every look.
Every promise.
Performed so flawlessly that even the oldest Dons at the sit-down had believed him.
For three years, I had trusted him without question.
I had placed the Marchetti territory in his hands.
Its businesses.
Its laundering routes.
Its soldiers.
Its fortune.
Never once realizing that every decision he made was another stone laid beneath Vittoria's feet, paving her road to the throne that should have been mine.
And I...
Like a complete fool...
Had treasured the love he pretended to give me.
Believing that, after losing everything else, I had finally found someone who would never betray me.
How utterly ridiculous.
The study door clicked open.
The Consigliere left first.
A moment later, Lorenzo walked toward me with hurried steps.
His hands gently cupped my face as though I were something precious, and he pressed a tender kiss against my forehead.
His eyes, faintly clouded with wine, were filled with what looked so convincingly like concern.
"Adriana?"
"What are you doing standing out here?"
I slowly turned my father's heavy signet ring around my finger.
The metal felt colder than ever.
"It's nothing," I said quietly.
"I wanted to bring you some tea."
A faint smile touched my lips.
"But I accidentally spilled it."
