Twice Crowned in Crimson

My personal maid assumed my identity and secretly bound herself to Sebastian Vitale, who had been living under our roof.

On our wedding night in my previous life, Sebastian discovered I was not the woman he loved. From that moment on, he began a quiet investigation and convinced himself that, driven by jealousy, I had forced the maid to her death.

Over the next ten years, he used the power of my Mafia family to rise steadily through the ranks, eventually becoming the new Don. On the surface, he treated me with tenderness and care. Behind my back, he destroyed my entire family.

As for me, after years of enduring his calculated cruelty, I met my end beneath the icy surface of a lake on a bitter winter night.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Sebastian knelt and begged for our marriage alliance.

I gazed into the mirror at the face staring back at me, far too young to look this haunted. The icy grip of the lake water still scorched my lungs, a chilling reminder of my past. My fingers brushed against my ghostly pale cheeks as my teeth chattered uncontrollably.

God gave me a second chance at life, and I was dead set on turning Sebastian Vitale's world upside down.

"Principessa," came a soft tap on the door, the voice of our head maid.

"Are you feeling okay? The banquet's about to kick off, and Don Caruso sent me to tell you to get ready to head down."

A banquet?

Right, Dad's big sixtieth birthday bash!

It was all going down today!

Sebastian, the broody outcast who had been mooching off the Caruso family for two years, was going to pop the question to Dad tonight, asking to tie the knot in front of everyone.

In my previous life, I was the girl behind the velvet curtains, eavesdropping on his every word, my heart racing like it was trying to escape my ribcage.

I actually believed that bashful boy, who could not even look me in the eye, had a thing for me.

Talk about a rookie mistake: a deadly one at that.

His heart belonged to Anna all along.

Anna, with her honey-blond hair that fell in soft waves, those downcast green eyes, and that whispery voice of hers–always there to help me get dressed or whatever.

When she took that dive into the lake, she was not alone. Sebastian's baby was with her.

A double tragedy.

What did Sebastian say when he gave me the same cold plunge?

Oh, right.

He spat out, "Your jealousy's like a venomous snake, Isabella, and it's killed the most innocent soul."

Well, in this life, I was going to show him what a real snake looked like. That was the plan, at least.

I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and descended the sweeping staircase to face the music at the banquet hall.

The Caruso family's clout was enough to bring together the