Chapter 2

The second Gianna moved into the Corsica estate, she began flashing her arrogance like the "future mistress of the house."

Citing a pregnant woman's need for abundant sunlight, she outright ordered the staff to gut Leo's south-facing bedroom.

The toys and books I had handpicked for my son were being carelessly tossed into black garbage bags by the maids.

"Madam..." Thomas, the butler, stepped up to me. He hesitated, his eyes brimming with unbearable pity. He had watched Leo grow up.

I bit down on my trembling lower lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood bloomed in my mouth, barely swallowing the sob of pure devastation rising in my throat.

"Let them move it," I said. "Thomas, oversee it personally. Pack away every single one of Leo's toys and clothes. Put all of it in my private storage."

"But Madam, that is the young master's room!" Thomas's tears finally spilled over.

"Leo is gone, Thomas." My eyes burned as if they were on fire, and I dug my fingernails violently into my palms.

Dragging legs that felt like lead, I walked back to my own bedroom and threw the deadbolt.

The moment the lock clicked, my reinforced shell finally shattered completely.

I slid to the floor, burying my face deep into my mud-caked knees, biting down on the back of my hand as I let out a muffled, agonizing wail of absolute despair.

But right in the midst of that gut-wrenching pain, a chilling shadow of suspicion began to slither through my mind like a viper.

I opened the laptop on my desk and rapidly typed in a string of complex commands. The screen flickered before pulling up a pitch-black chat box.

"K, I need you to look into something."

K was the top-tier hacker on the dark web, an informant I had saved during a past syndicate crisis. No one knew of his existence but me.

"Tell me, Donna," came K's rapid reply.

"Trace the Lucchese family's cash flow over the last half-month, along with all of Gianna Lucchese's communication logs. I specifically need to see if she had any contact with inside members of the Corsica family on the day Leo was hit."

"Understood. But this will take a little time."

"You have three days." I hit the Enter key and slammed the laptop shut.

A knock came at the door, followed by Gianna's sickeningly sweet voice.

"Sister, are you in there? Enzo said there's a family dinner tonight to officially introduce me to the syndicate. He asked me to come see what gown you think would be most appropriate."

I took a deep breath and yanked the door open.

Gianna was dressed in a silk nightgown, deliberately thrusting her stomach forward. "Enzo says we're family now. Even though I'm carrying his child, I know you're the true wife. I'm not going to fight you for the title."

"Save your cheap, manipulative tricks, Gianna," I sneered, dropping my cold gaze to her stomach. "What are you, really? Nothing but a trophy who spread her legs for a roof over her head."

Gianna's face instantly turned ugly.

"You're just jealous." She leaned in close, dropping her voice to a vicious whisper. "You're getting old, Katerina. Enzo has been sick of your ice-queen act for a long time. Your short-lived kid is dead, and the thing growing in my belly is the only hope for the Corsica family now. You'd better be nice to me, or else..."

"Or else what?" I stared right back at her, not giving an inch.

A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by pure malice.

"Just wait and see," she spat through gritted teeth, spinning on her heel and marching off with her guards.

I didn't attend the dinner that night.

Enzo sent men to fetch me three times before finally coming to my door himself.

"Katerina, open the door," he demanded, his voice thick with impatience.

I opened it, staring at him coldly. "What?"

"You are attending this dinner tonight," Enzo said, his brows furrowing. "This is a moment to show the outside world that the family is united. Your absence will make the Commission think we have an internal rift."

"United?" I let out a mocking laugh. "Enzo, you want me to sit there, watch you play house with the daughter of my son's killers, and raise a glass to those old men? Do you think I'm just some bloodless puppet?"

"Leo's death was a rogue hit!" Enzo's voice rose an octave, a flash of profound irritation crossing his eyes. "I already explained this to you. The Lucchese remnants did it. It has nothing to do with Gianna! She is carrying my child—why do you have to keep obsessing over the past?"

"A rogue hit? That Maybach had the highest level of security. How the hell could a bomb be planted in advance if there wasn't a mole providing our exact route and schedule? Enzo, is it that you can't find the truth, or that you just don't want to?"

Enzo grabbed my wrist, his grip so brutal it felt like he was going to crush my bones into dust.

"Don't push my boundaries, Katerina," he warned through clenched teeth. "You better play your part as the Donna. Don't go digging into things you shouldn't touch."

Watching his retreating figure, I rubbed my bruised wrist.

He didn't want me to investigate? Then I was going to tear the truth out by its roots.

Two days later, all hell broke loose on the estate.

Gianna was attacked in a dark alley within our syndicate's territory.

According to the guards, a group of masked men had ambushed her, plunging a knife directly into her abdomen.

By the time Enzo arrived on the scene, Gianna was lying in a pool of her own crimson blood, clutching her stomach and screaming in gut-wrenching agony.

Enzo rushed forward like a madman, scooping her up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Who did this?!" he roared.

Gianna curled into his chest, gasping for air as tears washed over her ghostly pale cheeks.

"It... It was the Donna. I heard the killers say... the Donna sent them... demanding a life for a life..."

Enzo's body instantly went rigid, his eyes igniting with an unprecedented, terrifying, and murderous rage.