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GIANNA POV

“You cannot do that, Father!” I said angrily, slamming my hand against the table while trying to control my rising anger, but I was failing.

My father looked up from his papers, adjusted his glasses, then went back to his work, completely ignoring me. After a moment, he set his papers aside, settled into his seat, and picked up a cigar. One of his guards standing behind him lit it for him.

He took a drag, blowing smoke into the air while staring at me. Finally, in the most nonchalant tone, he asked, “What is it, Gianna?” My jaw clenched as I tried to suppress my growing anger. I took a deep breath and said,

“First of all, why did you crown Miguel underboss? I have been the one by your side during dangerous missions and life-changing deals, but for some reason, Miguel deserves that title and I don't? He basically does nothing, Father!” He stared at me, saying nothing, before taking another drag of his cigarette. He exhaled the smoke and said,

“It doesn’t matter what you do or how you feel, you are a female.” Those words shattered my heart. “To think I would let a female assume the role of underboss in my organization is almost laughable. Do you want the other dons to laugh at me?”

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, trying to calm myself. His sexist remark annoyed me. It wasn’t my fault I was female, and he certainly wasn’t making life any easier for me. Miguel was my younger brother, who rarely did anything productive. All he knew was how to change girls like outfits and lavishly spend money. Yet, somehow, he was always favored by our father. “You know I deserve this father, you do. Why does it matter if I am a woman? What is so embarrassing about that?”

"Listen, Gianna, your opinion means nothing here. Your brother is the clear choice for the position—he's a real man, not some weak, emotional woman like you. You can try to pretend to be strong, but at the end of the day, you're just a fragile little girl playing dress-up. Don't expect any special treatment from me just because you're my daughter. Your brother is the future of this family, not you." He spat our coldly.

I nodded, understanding just how cruel and hurtful my father could be in his decisions. With that, I turned on my heel, storming out of his study and closing the door with a loud bang. I knew I could get in trouble later for that, but I didn't care; I was far too angry to worry about the implications of my actions.

I got into my car and drove straight to Mike’s place. He was my fiancé, the man I was supposed to marry in the coming months. Whenever my father frustrated me like this, I always found some kind of comfort with him.

I pulled my car over, finally arriving at his house. I took a deep breath, got out of the car, and walked to the door. I pressed the doorbell, tapping my feet gently on the ground while waiting for a response from him. There was none, which made me impatient, so I pressed it again.

In a few seconds, the door opened, and I saw Mike, smiling at me. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him as if preventing me from coming in. He looked nervous. I arched my brow in confusion. “Gianna, you didn’t tell me you were coming today.”

I looked at him, trying to figure out if he was okay. I always dropped by whenever I wanted, and he never had a problem with it before. “Look, baby, you have no idea how stressed I am,” I said, kissing him gently on the lips before walking past him into the building. I let out a sigh, settling into the couch. “My father is a monster.”

“I understand, Gianna, but you need to leave, please,” he said, his tone almost pleading. It was then I noticed his behavior. He appeared nervous and scared, sweat rolling down his forehead as he gulped. What is wrong with him?

“What do you mean to leave? I just got here. Didn’t you hear what I was saying about my father?”

“Yes, I heard, but I have plans to travel now,” he said nervously, glancing up the stairs repeatedly. I looked up the stairs too, prompted by his behavior, but saw nothing.

“You never mentioned to me that you would be traveling. What do you mean?” My eyes traveled up and down his uneasy frame, and it was then I began to realize something was wrong. I really hoped it wasn’t what I was thinking. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Just as he was about to speak, I heard a woman's voice from upstairs. The sound of her heels clanged against the stairs as she said, “Hey, honey, what are you doing down there?”

The look on Mike's face was like he had seen a ghost. I immediately sprang to my feet and turned to see who it was. The girl and I made eye contact, both confused, before we stared at Mike, expecting an answer.

Mike smiled nervously, while I waited for an explanation, knowing things were about to get very ugly. “What is going on here?” I asked. Mike ran his fingers through his hair and said,

“Well…” He paused, growing increasingly nervous, and took a deep breath. “Maya, meet Gianna, my friend. Gianna, meet Maya, the woman I am going to marry.” The look on Maya's face immediately changed when Mike introduced me as his friend. Is this man okay?

Maya walked up to me, her hand stretched for a handshake, but I didn’t return it. I simply looked at Mike, who showed no trace of remorse. “Did you just say Maya is the woman you are supposed to marry? And then you called me your friend? Is this a prank or something? How could you be getting married to someone else when you are engaged to me?” I asked, trying my best to control my anger.

Maya withdrew her hand, her expression shifting. Mike rolled his eyes, trying to compose himself. “Look, Gianna, I didn’t mean for you to find out this way.” He walked towards Maya, standing beside her as he held her waist close. “Let me officially introduce you to the love of my life and the woman I am going to marry.” He placed a kiss on her lips, smiling at me before saying, “Maya…”

At that moment, putting a bullet right through his head was becoming pretty tempting. I looked at him for a while, my expression cold, but his was hardened. Mike knew just who I was and he knew I could decide to kill him on the spot and still walk free, so what was giving him this much courage?

“Look, Gianna, isn’t it?” Maya finally spoke, gently tucking her hair behind her ear as she stepped forward, staring at me with confidence. “I know who you are—daughter of Don Salvatore, isn’t it?” She smirked before adding, “The daughter who is simply trying to find favor in her father's eyes but still hasn’t gotten any. I’ve heard you’re like a little puppy, always begging for scraps from Don Salvatore's table. Pathetic, if you ask me. I know all about you, but I don't think you know about me.”

My jaw clenched as I stared intensely at Maya, her words slowly getting on my nerves. “You can't blame him if he decided to come to a real woman. I am the daughter of a don too, one more powerful than your father. But here’s another thing that makes a difference between us: I don’t have to beg Daddy for scraps, and I don’t have to work my butt off for my father to notice me. Funny how yours hasn’t noticed you. That useless brother of yours is certainly making sure of that.”

I glared at her before forcing a smile. “I see you did your research. Good.” I tried to control my anger because she was right, and it hurt. I inhaled deeply, my eyes traveling to Mike. “You…” I had to try my best to prevent myself from crying at that moment. I was trained to be strong, not weak, but why the hell was this hurting so much? “You were supposed to marry me, weren’t you? We’ve been dating for four good years, and now this is what you do?”

“Stop the drama, Gianna, and stop embarrassing yourself,” he said, rolling his eyes. He tightened his hands around Maya's waist. “I was never going to marry you. Maya has been the one on my mind all along. You and Maya might be Dons' daughters, but you are not even in the same league as her.” He paused for a while, a small smile on his face before saying, “She is a real woman with brains, beauty, and power, while you… you're too soft and too stupid to be anything unique. Let's be honest. Save your drama for when your father is dead and your brother, who did nothing, becomes Don. When the dust settles, women like Maya will be standing, while you will be nothing but a forgotten whisper in the wind.”

I looked at Maya, who smiled at me before placing her hand on her tummy and saying, “And I am glad to announce that I am carrying his child…” This announcement broke my heart almost immediately. She looked at him and said, “If you’re done, can you leave now?”

Mike was just a bodyguard in my father's organization whom I took an interest in, and he reciprocated. My father had gotten angry, telling me that I wasn't supposed to be with an ordinary bodyguard, but I didn’t mind. I rebelled against him. I had helped Mike a lot through his bad days. I supported him financially, and used my connections to get him high-profile jobs. I tried my best to place him somewhere high, and this is what I get? Ultimate betrayal just a few days before our wedding? Is this what I really deserved?

Then, out of nowhere, I saw two able-bodied men appear, dressed in black suits. Maya folded her arms and said, “Will you leave now, or should they throw you out?” I stared at Mike, glaring at him as I tried to control myself.

“I will not rest until I end your life, Mike, just keep that in mind,” I threatened.

He smiled at me in response and said, “You are going to do no such thing, Gianna. At the end of the day, victory is mine.”

I lost control of my anger and ran towards him in an attempt to attack, but the guards grabbed me, one of them slamming me aggressively against the wall. I groaned in pain as my back collided with it.

Without warning or time to recover, another guard grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder. I couldn’t even fight back because of the pain. I saw Maya and Mike holding each other closely, evil smiles on their lips as they watched me being taken away.

The guards took me outside, slamming me aggressively against the floor. I winced in pain as my knees scraped and bled from the impact. Tears rolled down my eyes as the guards walked away. I sniffed, standing on my feet and getting into my car.

I got into my car and rested my head on the steering wheel, unable to handle the torture that is my life anymore. I broke into full-blown sobs, my body doubling over. This was all too painful, and I couldn’t handle it. Mike was the comfort I had expected to find amidst my pain, but just like everyone else, he ended up betraying me too.

“I think I need a drink,” I said to myself, wiping my tears as I started the car.