Chapter 4
A sharp pain shot through my wrist. I yanked back, trying to break free.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a sea of flashing cameras below. It hit me. Aurelio had staged this to ruin me today, in front of the media and every one of our peers in the Mafia.
I swallowed the rage and leveled a cold stare at him and Maeve. She smirked.
Aurelio seemed to realize he'd overreacted, but he still wouldn't let go. He hauled me to the center of the stage.
Reporters erupted and snapped pictures of me.
"Isn't that the Santoros' oldest daughter? She's actually bullying her stepsister at a launch event. What a disgrace to the Santoros."
Aurelio looked disgusted. "Wanda, apologize to Mae right now! How did I end up tied to someone like you? Unbelievable."
One of his men immediately handed Maeve an inhaler.
"Ms. Wanda, this won't fly. You can't even tolerate your own sister? Mr. Guerra will have plenty more partners going forward. Are you going to go after them one by one?"
"Maybe Ms. Wanda can throw the Santoro name around and chase off every woman around Mr. Guerra!"
Back then, to win Aurelio over, I turned down invitations to major international perfume competitions. I even said publicly that he was my only source of inspiration.
Looking back, I realized I couldn't have been more stupid.
As the whispers swelled, Aurelio leaned in close to my ear. His voice was icy. "Tonight, the elders will decide where the family fortune goes, based on who you choose as your husband. If you still want to marry me, remember what I told you.
"The star of this launch is your perfume, Reverie. I'm going to make it my masterpiece. And you? Behave, or I won't hesitate to make you disappear."
I stared at Aurelio in disbelief, wondering how anyone could be this shameless.
When I kept quiet, he took it as fear and got even cockier. "Be good. Do as you're told, and I'll make you my wife."
He was sure I'd give up everything just to marry him. All eyes were on me, waiting for me to crash and burn.
Just then, the main screen at the launch venue went dark. An audio clip started playing.
It was Maeve's voice. "That idiot. Just give her a little nudge, and she bites. In a minute, I'll fake an asthma attack. Aurelio will fuss over me, and the media will catch Wanda 'bullying' me."
Cesare stood behind the speakers. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit.
He stepped onstage without hurrying, passed Aurelio and Maeve, who both looked stunned, and came straight to me. Then he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
"Did they push you around?" he asked quietly.
Seeing him pulled me back to my last life. After I died, he quietly bought out every media outlet that smeared me and uncovered the truth about the fire. Then, he handed the evidence to Mom and Dad.
He never said he loved me, but he protected me in his own way.
Seeing that I was dazed, Cesare asked again, "Does it hurt?"
I looked up, meeting his fathomless eyes behind his mask. My nose prickled, and I shook my head. "No, it doesn't."
Aurelio's face darkened. "Cesare, what's that supposed to mean? She's my future wife."
Cesare's right-hand man had somehow gotten on the stage, too. He shot Aurelio a flat, unreadable look and said, "Let's begin. Don Guerra and the elders are here."
I took a deep breath, scanned the roaring crowd, and let my gaze settle on Aurelio.
With everyone watching, I spoke slowly. "I made up my mind back at the perfume sampling. The man I'd give up my past for and stake my future on was never you."
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