The Principessa's Gambit

My name is Sophia Colombo. I am the youngest daughter of the Colombo family, one of Newarke City's most powerful Mafia dynasties.

My father is the Don, and my three older brothers control most of the family's operations across the Rooklyn, Kings, and Canhatte boroughs.

On the Veste Coast district, the name Colombo commands power and fear.

My best friend, Jennifer, always says I've been too sheltered by my family, that I can't see through a man's lies or schemes. She even offered to "help" me put that to the test.

So, under the guise of looking out for me, she seduced my fiancé.

After winning him over, she stood there, smug and self-satisfied, watching me like I was the punchline to a joke.

"I told you—you're too naive," she said. "Those men are all cunning and full of tricks. If it weren't for me, you'd have been fooled into tears a hundred times over."

I was furious—so angry I could barely breathe—but I couldn't find a single word to argue back.

This time, I chose my fiancé in secret, keeping it from her entirely. He was the heir to the Lucia family.

And just as I expected, the moment she found out… she made her move again.

What she didn't know was that this fiancé was someone I had carefully prepared… just for her.

In an upscale apartment in Canhatte, Jennifer was holding up a photo of herself with my former fiancé, Marcello, flaunting it with undisguised pride.

"Back when he was chasing you, he swore he'd marry no one but you. And now? All I had to do was crook my finger, and he came running to me. Lucky for you I stepped in, right? Otherwise, you'd have been fooled all over again."

I clenched my fists, a suffocating pressure building in my chest.

"You knowingly went after someone else's fiancé and still act this self-righteous. Do you have any shame at all?"

Jennifer froze for a moment, then quickly put on a wounded expression.

"Sophia, I was trying to protect you from getting hurt. How can you not see that?"

Lucy immediately jumped in to defend her.

"Sophia, you're way too gullible. Is it really worth ruining your friendship over a man?"

"Exactly," Annie chimed in. "If it weren't for Jennifer, who knows how many times you would've been deceived? She's helping you filter out the trash. You should be thanking her."

I opened my mouth, but not a single word came out. It was true—none of my five former fiancés were decent men. But how much better was Jennifer?

Before breaking off each engagement, I had secretly checked their phones.

Jennifer had sent them countless explicit photos—every set of lingerie she wore was practically see-through. She even asked them, "Do you want to hear what I sound like in bed?"

The whole thing disgusted me.

Jennifer leaned closer, her voice laced with smug satisfaction.

"Sophia, you're not actually mad, are you? I didn't expect things to