Reborn to the day my best friend, Victoria, and I were to be married off to the heirs of the Rossi mafia empire. Victoria snatched my husband from my past life, Carlo Colombo, without hesitation. In my previous life, Carlo was the one who ultimately took over the entire Colombo crime family. She wrapped her arm snugly around Carlo’s, leaning in to whisper in my ear: "Dearest Sera, it’s my turn to be the Mafia Queen. I’ll let you have the heir who’s destined to die young." So, she had been reborn too. But what she didn’t know was that Carlo only managed to conquer the mafia in our past life because of me. Because I could hear the inner voices of everyone around me. I woke up back on the day Victoria and I were choosing our partners. Across the mahogany table sat two men of similar age. One was Alessandro Rossi, the eldest son of the Rossi family—notoriously dubbed "Cold-Faced Alessandro". The other was Carlo Colombo, the son of the family's key business partner, who wore a deceptively gentle smile. [This time, the future Capo will be mine!] A sharp female voice echoed in my mind. It was Victoria. I looked over at her, but her lips weren't moving. Her eyes were locked onto Carlo. [The crown of the Mafia Queen belongs to me this time.] Her voice rang out again. I realized then: I wasn't just reborn. My mind-reading ability was back. And judging by her thoughts, Victoria had been reborn too. Otherwise, she couldn't have known Carlo would eventually seize power. Sure enough, the next second, she elegantly glided over to Carlo's side, flashing a sweet smile. "Hello, I'm Victoria. It's an honor to meet you." Our adoptive father, Don Lorenzo, who sat at the head of the table, spoke up. "Sera, since Victoria has chosen Carlo, you will marry Alessandro." At those words, smugness flashed in Victoria's eyes. She hugged me, whispering in my ear: "Dearest Sera, it's my turn to be the Mafia Queen. I'll let you have the heir who's destined to die young." She expected me to break down in despair, but all I felt was a cold, mocking laugh in my heart. In our past life, Victoria married Alessandro. Alessandro was the designated heir of the Rossi family, but his methods were too straightforward. He didn't play dirty. Victoria tried to help him, but her amateur schemes only made things worse. Eventually, Alessandro lost the brutal power struggle within the family and was sidelined. Victoria suffered endless humiliation alongside him, until they were eventually banished. Meanwhile, Carlo, whom I married, was initially just an insignificant partner's son. But I had the gift of mind-reading. I knew exactly what everyone thought—their deepest desires, their fears, and their darkest secrets. I used this gift to pave a golden path for Carlo. I knew who to bribe, who to eliminate, and when to make the perfect move. Within three years, Carlo climbed from a nobody to the seat of the Godfather. On the day he took over the family, he hugged me in front of the entire underworld. "Sera, I couldn't have done any of this without you." But that very night, I heard his true thoughts for the first time: [I don't need her anymore.] Only then did I realize he had long discovered my ability. All his warmth and affection had been a facade. He had been practicing suppressing his surface thoughts, only letting me hear what he wanted me to hear. Later, he drugged my food. My mind-reading became glitchy and unreliable. He locked me up, torturing me in various ways to "test" the limits of my power. Victoria, consumed by jealousy over my power and status, seized her chance during one of my rare supervised outings. She personally drove her car directly into mine, pushing me off a cliff... As I plummeted into the freezing ocean, her ecstatic, twisted smile was the last thing I saw.
"Of course, Father. I actually quite like Alessandro," I smiled gracefully, walking over to sit beside Alessandro. I had to admit, the man's aura was terrifying. Just sitting next to him, I could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from him. I tried to read his mind, but I got nothing. Complete silence. This was different from my past life—back then, I could at least hear brief, fragmented thoughts from him. But when Carlo smiled at Victoria, I caught his inner voice. [Another plaything.] The voice was warm and gentle, exactly like it had been at the start of my previous life. But I knew it was all an act. Right now, he was calculating Victoria's worth, planning how to exploit her. I knew his mask too well. Instinctively, I reached out and took Alessandro's hand. Though his exterior was freezing, his hand was surprisingly warm. Startled by my sudden touch, he glanced down at me. I quickly let go, and he remained silent, offering no objection. Even though he seemed difficult and completely unreadable, I knew one thing: Carlo didn't deserve that throne. It belonged to Alessandro, and I was the one who had built Carlo's path. In this life, I would use my power to put the right man on the throne. Victoria and I had a double wedding. Just like in our past life. Back then, Alessandro hadn't bothered to show up for the morning ceremony, whereas Carlo had arrived early, looking like a prince. Everyone praised Carlo for being a doting husband. As expected, this life played out the exact same way. Carlo, dressed in a sharp white tuxedo, eagerly walked up and took Victoria's hand. As they passed me, Victoria gave me a triumphant look. "Sera, why hasn't Alessandro come to pick you up yet?" I simply smiled. "Don't worry about me. You should focus on yourself." My words choked her, and her face fell. [Keep laughing. Let's see if you can still smile when you're being discarded later.] She sneered in her mind before walking toward the priest with Carlo. But it was too early to celebrate. Who would have the last laugh was still undecided. Alessandro's absence, just like in our past life, sparked whispers and pitying glances from the crowd. Victoria's smile grew wider. She couldn't wait to whisper to Carlo, "I love you, darling." Then, she pressed her lips to his, looking at me with absolute smugness. I knew she wanted to see me humiliated. But I wasn't stupid. I wasn't going to storm off in a rage like Victoria did in our past life. Doing that would only embarrass the family and make me look weak. I remembered how the elders had whispered back then that Victoria was too unstable to be the wife of the Rossi family's eldest heir.
I picked up the microphone and smiled graciously at the guests. "Alessandro is currently closing a vital business deal for the family. I will be handling the toasts on his behalf today. I hope you all enjoy yourselves." The moment I spoke, the whispering stopped. Donna Marta, sitting at the head table, gave me an approving nod. The Rossi family held immense power, and their reputation was everything. In moments like this, a wife couldn't panic. She had to show the poise of a true matriarch. Victoria noticed Donna Marta's look, and a flash of irritation crossed her face. [Disgusting b*tch. Just wait, I'll make sure you embarrass yourself during the toasts!] Honestly, mind-reading was the best cheat code ever. It made everything so much easier. During the reception, I elegantly lifted my gown and walked toward Donna Marta's table. Victoria approached me under the guise of offering a toast, but her hand "slipped," and a full glass of red wine was about to splash all over my white dress. Thanks to my mind-reading, I anticipated it. I turned naturally to speak to a guest, flawlessly dodging her. The wine splashed onto the floor. "Oh my god, Sera, I'm so sorry! I was just so happy for you, my hand shook," Victoria apologized instantly, her voice dripping with fake concern. "It's fine," I replied coldly. Carlo rushed over to support her. But in his mind, he hissed: [What a useless idiot!] All eyes were on us. Donna Marta looked utterly displeased. "Clumsy and embarrassing. Is this how a Colombo lady behaves?" "I'm... I'm so sorry, Mother. It was an accident," Victoria stammered, though her eyes burned with resentment. If I were her, I would keep my head down and live quietly in this life. But since she wanted to make my life miserable, I wasn't going to sit back and take it. Because of Victoria's little stunt, the wedding ended abruptly. Donna Marta didn't give her a single warm look for the rest of the night. But when she looked at me, her eyes were filled with pride. She squeezed my hand and said, "Sera, I will make sure Alessandro comes home to be with you tonight." Sure enough, Alessandro returned that evening. He opened the door, loosening his tie, exhaustion written all over his face. I quickly stepped forward to take his coat. "Tough day, Alessandro?" He only spared me a glance and didn't say a word. In our past life, the servants whispered that Alessandro hadn't returned on his wedding night at all. Victoria had spent the night alone in the bridal suite, becoming the laughingstock of the estate. She had gone to Donna Marta to complain, only to get scolded for her own lack of charm. While Alessandro was in the shower, I made the bed and poured him a glass of scotch. Then, I grabbed some blankets and began fixing up the sofa for myself. When Alessandro walked out of the bathroom, he stared at me, a hint of surprise in his eyes. I quickly spoke up. "You take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch." "Sera, what kind of game are you playing?" He narrowed his eyes at me. Since his bathrobe was loosely tied, his muscular chest was slightly exposed. I had to admit, he was incredibly fit. I quickly averted my eyes. "No game. We don't have feelings for each other. Sleeping in the same bed would just be awkward for both of us." "If possible, I'd like to propose a partnership." "What do you mean?" "Our marriage is purely for family alliance. Many couples like us live separate private lives while keeping up appearances in public. I only married you for a stable life. I don't expect love." Hearing my words, a smirk played on his lips. "You're smart." "Fine by me. I agree." I was just an ordinary girl. I didn't have the grand delusion that I could easily control a powerful man's heart. Besides, in this family, his attitude toward me dictated how others treated me. I didn't want to end up like Victoria in our past life—ostracized and hated by everyone. That would serve me no good. And considering how ruthless he had been to Victoria back then, I had no desire to provoke him. A peaceful coexistence was the best path. In this life, I just wanted to make my own money, build my own empire, and rely entirely on myself!
I had Alessandro post a photo of us holding hands on his Instagram. The caption was simple: [Newlyweds.] My reasoning was to convince everyone that our marriage was perfect. I also noticed his Instagram was incredibly clean—aside from that post, there was nothing. A man like him probably lived a highly disciplined and boring life. That night, he actually took the bed and left me to sleep on the sofa. Zero gentlemanly instincts. Whatever, at least this arrangement worked. The next morning, Alessandro woke me up. At the crack of dawn, he was blasting music while doing push-ups. They say men who aren't interested in women have boring private lives. But looking at his muscular, powerful frame... he was leagues ahead of Carlo. "Stop staring. I'm not interested in you," he suddenly said, pushing himself up from the floor. "Get dressed. We're having breakfast." Translation: let's go play the happy couple. Honestly, he wasn't that hard to deal with. Why had he been so brutal to Victoria in our past life? Once I got ready, we walked out together. Almost immediately, we ran into Victoria and Carlo walking hand-in-hand. Victoria rushed over, grabbing my hand with fake concern. Her voice was just loud enough for the nearby servants to hear. "Sera, why is your wrist so bruised? Did you trip? Did Alessandro... do something to you?" She glanced at Alessandro, heavily implying I was being abused. Meanwhile, her own high-neck collar parted slightly, revealing dark purple handprint bruises on her throat. She looked incredibly smug as she sized me up. [Wrapped up so tightly, she must be hiding bruises from being beaten.] Her thoughts echoed in my head, followed by a triumphant laugh. "Sera, how was your wedding night?" Today, I was wearing a classy, modest maxi dress. Victoria seemed to have forgotten that Donna Marta despised any vulgar or overly revealing outfits in family areas. But I wasn't about to correct her. I simply smiled. "Victoria, according to family hierarchy, you should address me as your superior." Her face instantly soured, and she gritted her teeth. "Alessandro hasn't even demanded that. What makes you think you have the right?" She then turned to Alessandro. "Alessandro, tell her!" I could feel the temperature around Alessandro instantly drop. In his mind, Carlo was roaring: [Stupid b*tch! Just wait till tonight, I'm going to ruin you!] Carlo yanked Victoria's hand, signaling her to shut up. But she was still completely oblivious to the danger. "Carlo, what is the first rule of this family?" Alessandro asked, his voice low and dangerous. Carlo immediately bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I'll correct her immediately." The next second, a loud *SLAP* echoed as Carlo struck Victoria across the face. "Greet your superior right now!" Victoria's face burned bright red from the blow. She looked like she was about to explode with rage. But knowing Alessandro was not someone to be messed with, she could only grit her teeth and mutter, "Good morning, Sera." With that, Carlo dragged her away. I knew the rules. The absolute first rule of the Rossi family: never show disrespect to the heir or his wife. And Alessandro was the sole heir. In my past life, I had memorized every single rule just to survive. Back then, Victoria had bullied me constantly because I obeyed the rules and didn't dare fight back. She probably thought she could do the same in this life, completely ignoring the family laws.
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