Chapter 2

Elena's POV

Three seconds of dead silence.

Then the room exploded with laughter.

"Godfather Moretti? She said she's marrying the GODFATHER?"

"Is this bitch out of her mind?"

Luca laughed so hard tears nearly came out. "Dante Moretti? The LEGENDARY Godfather? Elena, do you even know who the fuck he is? He's the KING of this city! Even the mayor bows to him!"

"You think making up some bullshit name will fool us?"

I didn't bother explaining. The wedding was starting in twenty minutes. If Dante thought I was running away...

That man would burn this place to the ground.

Just as I turned to leave—

"WAIT!" The woman in the evening gown suddenly shrieked. "The ring on her hand!"

Every eye in the room instantly locked onto my left ring finger.

Under the crystal chandelier, the ring glowed blood-red. Platinum setting. Pigeon-blood ruby. Skull and rose crest.

The woman covered her mouth, voice trembling. "That crest... that's the Moretti family's Death Rose..."

The banquet hall fell into another brief silence.

Someone said shakily, "Could she actually be telling the truth?"

Luca's smile froze on his face. The next second, he grabbed my hand roughly, yanking the ring up to his eyes. He stared at it for a full five seconds, his expression unreadable.

Then he suddenly sneered. "FAKE! Knockoff bullshit!"

"With today's counterfeiting tech, even skull emblems can be copied. How much did you pay for this piece of crap? A hundred bucks? Two hundred?"

The crowd immediately relaxed, laughter returning.

"I knew it. How could she possibly marry the Godfather?"

I rubbed my wrist where he'd squeezed it. "This is the engagement ring Dante gave me."

The entire room gasped. In the Mafia world, ordinary people had no right to address the Godfather by his first name. It was disrespectful. It was suicide.

Luca's face turned dark red. He raised his hand for a slap— "You got a DEATH WISH? You got no right to say that name! Don't drag us down with your stupid ass!"

But his hand stopped mid-air, never falling.

He took a deep breath, forcing down his rage, that fake smile creeping back onto his face.

"Elena, I don't want to deal with your shit. For old times' sake, I'll give you one last chance."

His tone shifted like he was doing me a favor. "Take off that fake-ass ring, admit you're lying, and I'll pretend today never happened."

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Otherwise, you know what happens to people who impersonate the Godfather's fiancée. The Moretti family will chop you into little pieces and feed you to the fishes."

I stepped back in disgust and glanced at the clock on the wall.

Fifteen minutes until the wedding.

"I ain't got time for this shit." I turned to leave.

Luca grabbed my shoulder hard enough to hurt.

I immediately shook him off, saying coldly, "Don't touch me."

Luca froze for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell's wrong with you? I'm trying to give you a way out—"

"Your way out?" I cut him off with a mocking laugh. "Luca, you really think I need your charity?"

His face darkened, but I was already brushing off the spot where he'd touched me in disgust.

If Dante saw this, he'd cut off Luca's hand. My fiancé's possessiveness was terrifying—he couldn't stand any man laying a finger on me.

Luca took a deep breath and changed his expression, as if he'd suddenly figured something out.

"Alright, I get it." His tone softened. "You've been gone for a year. Things must've been rough."

"Tell you what—if you're really in trouble, I can help you. You don't need to make up these lies to get my attention."

He pulled out a checkbook and picked up a pen. "How much do you want? Just admit you're lying your ass off right now."

Watching him play the generous benefactor, I almost laughed out loud.

"You think money solves everything?"

"Of course." He said it like it was obvious. "Elena, wasn't it debt collectors chasing you because you had no money? Now I'm offering you cash. You should be grateful."

I thought of Dante's low, husky voice in my ear last night.

"Darling, what do you want? All of New York? Or the whole world? Just say the word."

That man never offered me charity with a checkbook, because his black card had no spending limit.

"Keep your check," I said flatly. "You might need it someday. After all... your business hasn't been doing so well lately, has it?"

Luca's expression froze. "How did you—"

The elevator doors opened.

Sofia stepped out in a pink rhinestone-studded dress, holding a glass of red wine, followed by six bridesmaids.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She linked her arm through Luca's, and when she saw me, her eyes lit up.

"Well, well, if it isn't Elena. Haven't seen you in forever. Your outfit..." She looked over my wedding dress, a snide smile playing at her lips. "Still so... unique."

A bridesmaid immediately chimed in. "Showing up to your ex's engagement party in a wedding dress? That's fucking shameless!"

Another bridesmaid giggled behind her hand. "Maybe she's still fantasizing about Luca taking her back."

Sofia laughed lightly, putting on a concerned act. "Elena, you're not still mad at Luca, are you? It's been a year."

"Actually, I've been meaning to apologize to you. What happened back then... it wasn't intentional. Family alliances, you know. We had no choice."

She sighed. "Tell you what—after the engagement party tonight, I'll take you to dinner. We can talk it out and clear up any misunderstandings."

Looking at that two-faced bitch, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Misunderstandings?" I said softly. "Sofia, are you talking about the misunderstanding with that drink a year ago?"

Sofia's smile instantly froze. "I... I don't know what you're talking about..."

"No?" I stared into her eyes. "Then maybe I'm remembering wrong. After all, I don't remember that night very clearly."

I paused. "But I should still thank you."

Thank you for leading me to Dante.

Luca frowned, turning to Sofia. "What's Elena talking about? What drink?"

"Nothing! NOTHING!" Sofia cut him off, her voice sharp.

Then she looked at me, forcing a smile. "Elena, I know you're still bitter. How about this—stay for the engagement party tonight. I'll make sure everyone treats you well, so you can see how happy Luca and I are."

"Maybe seeing how happy we are will help you move on?"

"No need," I said flatly. "Like I said, I'm not here for your engagement party."

"I'm here for my own wedding."

Just then, a lackey rushed over to Sofia and whispered something in her ear.

Sofia's expression shifted from confusion to shock to mockery.

"HAHAHA!" She doubled over laughing. "Godfather Moretti? Elena, you're saying you're marrying Godfather Moretti?"

"You? Calling yourself Mrs. Moretti?" A bridesmaid said dramatically. "The real Donna is supposed to be nobility—from SICILY!"

"I heard the Godfather absolutely adores his fiancée. He booked out the entire top floor for her."

"And I heard the Godfather's possessiveness is legendary. Last time some poor bastard looked at the Donna too long, he got both his legs broken the next day."

Sofia put on a worried expression. "Elena, you better not be impersonating the Donna. If the Godfather finds out, the consequences would be... unthinkable."

"He'll dump you in the Hudson River."

Another round of laughter.

I ignored these idiots and walked past Sofia, but she suddenly blocked my path.

"Wait." She stared at my wedding dress, her face changing. "This dress..."