Chapter 1

A week after the engagement was finalized, I boarded the most luxurious private yacht in Chicago.

As I reached the entrance of the banquet hall, I happened to see Leonardo sitting on a sofa with a voluptuous woman in his arms. He was fastening an emerald necklace around her neck.

"This is too expensive. Can I really accept it?"

"My sweetheart, I bought this just for you. My woman should wear only the best," Leonardo Vittorio said indulgently as the woman snuggled against him coquettishly.

"I'll change into a dress that matches this beautiful necklace," she said.

Just then, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Leonardo’s friends exchanged a knowing look before bursting into laughter.

"Leonardo, your shadow is here!"

"She’s like a guard dog, watching you every second!"

"The engagement is already set, and she’s still keeping such a close eye on you? It’s just a friends' gathering, and she had to show up?"

Leonardo held his wine glass and frowned at their words, the impatience in his eyes barely concealed.

"Madeline, you just couldn’t wait, could you?" His tone was laid-back, but it was as cold as ice.

"You had our families finalize the engagement without my consent. Now, everyone in Chicago knows you’re marrying into the Vittorio family. Well played."

I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

In my past life, though he had been indifferent, at least he had maintained the facade of a dutiful husband in public. Now, he couldn’t even be bothered to pretend.

I spoke calmly. "Your consent was never needed because I’m not marrying you."

For a brief moment, silence filled the room. Then, the banquet hall erupted into laughter.

Leonardo’s friends laughed so hard they could barely stand straight. They looked at him with mock surprise.

"Leonardo, your fiancée is mad! You’d better coax her, or she might start threatening to kill herself again!"

"Madeline, so now you’re playing hard to get?"

Leonardo stepped closer to me. His presence was suffocating.

"This is a marriage alliance between our families. If you're not marrying me, who else could you be marrying?"

Just as I was about to reply, he suddenly leaned in close, his breath brushing against my ear.

"I can overlook this engagement stunt. I'll give you a grand wedding, but I'll never allow your name to be registered in our family records. Don't ever forget this," he murmured.

Every member of a mafia family knew that only a recognized wife would be added to the family album, officially becoming a part of the lineage. Without that, even if a wedding took place, the bride was nothing more than a disposable attachment.

My heart clenched.

In my past life, Leonardo had obediently followed the family's arrangements and married me without hesitation. Was it possible that he, too, had been reborn?

Just as I was about to respond, a delicate voice interrupted.

"My dear Leonardo, my lion..."

I frowned. The voice belonged to none other than Dora Cassidy, my father’s adopted daughter and my dearest childhood friend.

Ten years ago, I had personally begged my father to take in the little girl who had been wandering the red-light district. I never imagined that in my past life, she would be the one to kill me with her own hands.

The moment she saw my expression change, she clenched the hem of her dress tightly. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her voice trembled.

"I just heard you’re getting married soon.

"I wish you both happiness."

Before the words had even fully left her lips, tears began streaming down her face. She then turned and ran out of the banquet hall.

The next second, Leonardo slammed down his wine glass. His expression was gloomy. Without hesitation, he chased after her.

"Satisfied now? Does making her cry make you feel accomplished? You vile woman!"