Chapter 3

Outside the chapel, the sunlight glared harshly.

Leo's security team opened the car door for me with deference.

It wasn't Leo's wedding car.

A menacing black iris flower was emblazoned on the vehicle's side.

The Marcello family's emblem.

I lifted my gown and stepped inside.

Through the window, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Leo.

He was helping Isabella into another car.

He opened the door for her, adjusted her dress, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

Even from a distance, I could feel his devotion.

My heart sank to its lowest depths in that moment.

The car started moving slowly.

I took one last look at the chapel I had once dreamed of, then pulled the curtain shut with resolve.

Goodbye, Leo.

Goodbye, my pitiful, laughable love.

The convoy stopped before a heavily guarded estate.

This was Alessandro's domain.

The door opened, and a man in a black suit offered his hand. "Madam, the boss is waiting for you."

I placed my hand in his.

His grip was steady, his palm calloused from years of handling a gun.

He led me into a lavish hall.

The ceiling bore Renaissance-style frescoes.

The floor gleamed with polished marble.

The air carried the scent of cigars, laced with a faint trace of blood.

A man sat on a sofa in the center of the hall, his back to me.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, his tall frame imposing.

Even from behind, his presence was overwhelming.

"Boss, she's here."

The man didn't turn.

He toyed with a gold lighter, its clicks sharp and deliberate.

Each sound struck my heart.

"Lift your head." His voice was low and gravelly, like the deepest string of a cello.

I raised my head as he commanded.

He turned slowly.

A face so strikingly handsome it bordered on sinister met my gaze.

Deep blue eyes held the intensity of a stormy sea.

Beneath a sharp nose, his lips were full and alluring.

This was Alessandro.

The infamous madman who killed without blinking.

He approached me, his eyes roaming my face.

His gaze felt like a scalpel, slicing through me layer by layer.

I forced myself to meet his stare, showing no fear.

He suddenly smiled. "Leo's little fiancée? You've got some nerve."

My heart plummeted.

He knew.

He had known from the start that I wasn't Isabella.

Leo's so-called "protection" was nothing but a cruel farce.

"It seems the future daughter-in-law of Councilman Kennedy isn't worth much to him." Alessandro's fingertip grazed the diamond necklace around my neck. "Trading you for his true love's freedom. How does that feel, Ava?"

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. "Mr. Marcello, since you know everything, why..."

"Why play along with his charade?" he finished for me.

He leaned closer, his warm breath brushing my ear.

"Because, compared to that ordinary Isabella," he paused, his voice tinged with amusement, "I'm far more interested in you."