The Mafia Don's Regret

My parents died when I was ten, and I became an orphan. Darius Rossi, a mafia don, found me and took me out of the beggars' den. He wrapped me in designer clothes and raised me like a prized possession.

Everyone said I would grow up to be his wife, that I was the treasure he kept close to his heart.

Then came my birthday party. After a night of wild passion, he handed me a photo of his rival, Valerio Warren.

He said, "Monica Arden, I've taken care of you for ten years. Now it's time for you to repay me. I'm arranging a marriage alliance with the Costa family. This is the guy Gina Costa has been crushing on, and I need you to seduce him and create an opening for me. I want her to marry me willingly."

That was when I finally understood that I was never his treasure. I was just the most disposable piece on his chessboard.

I followed his orders and pursued Valerio, doing exactly as he commanded. Yet, on the wedding day, Darius lost his mind when Valerio slipped the diamond ring onto my finger.

When Darius Rossi pushed the photo toward me, I froze. He held me in his arms and kissed my cheek, his voice still hoarse from our earlier passion.

He said, "I'll arrange for you to meet him in the next couple of days. With your looks and charm, he'll easily fall for you. Gina Costa cares about her image, so once she sees you two together, she'll come running back to me."

Gina was the marriage partner Darius needed, the daughter of another mafia family in Paulirmo, and the woman he truly loved. They grew up together, and he harbored feelings for her.

However, Gina never gave Darius a second glance, seeing him only as a childhood playmate. No matter how much he did for her, she only had eyes for Valerio Warren, the most powerful man in Sirioli.

Maybe it was because of her indifference that Darius spoiled me twice as much. He thought that if he acted deeply in love with me and ignored her long enough, she would finally see his worth and accept him.

That was the moment he started to indulge my every whim, spoiling me rotten.

The latest collections from Meiran showed up in my closet before they hit the stores. If I casually mentioned craving a certain Tascian wine, a full row of bottles would appear in the estate's cellar the next day. He would have given me the moon if I had asked for it, no questions asked.

Everyone in the family called me 'Ms. Rossi' and said I would be Darius's wife someday.

After a while, I started believing he actually cared about me. Alas, it had all been an illusion.

My mind instantly cleared, and I pulled back all those foolish thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Darius asked, finally catching his breath as he reached out to touch my