My parents died when I was ten, and I became an orphan. Darius Rossi, a mafia don, found me and took me out of the beggars' den. He wrapped me in designer clothes and raised me like a prized possession.

Everyone said I would grow up to be his wife, that I was the treasure he kept close to his heart.

Then came my birthday party. After a night of wild passion, he handed me a photo of his rival, Valerio Warren.

He said, "Monica Arden, I've taken care of you for ten years. Now it's time for you to repay me. I'm arranging a marriage alliance with the Costa family. This is the guy Gina Costa has been crushing on, and I need you to seduce him and create an opening for me. I want her to marry me willingly."

That was when I finally understood that I was never his treasure. I was just the most disposable piece on his chessboard.

I followed his orders and pursued Valerio, doing exactly as he commanded. Yet, on the wedding day, Darius lost his mind when Valerio slipped the diamond ring onto my finger.

When Darius Rossi pushed the photo toward me, I froze. He held me in his arms and kissed my cheek, his voice still hoarse from our earlier passion.

He said, "I'll arrange for you to meet him in the next couple of days. With your looks and charm, he'll easily fall for you. Gina Costa cares about her image, so once she sees you two together, she'll come running back to me."

Gina was the marriage partner Darius needed, the daughter of another mafia family in Paulirmo, and the woman he truly loved. They grew up together, and he harbored feelings for her.

However, Gina never gave Darius a second glance, seeing him only as a childhood playmate. No matter how much he did for her, she only had eyes for Valerio Warren, the most powerful man in Sirioli.

Maybe it was because of her indifference that Darius spoiled me twice as much. He thought that if he acted deeply in love with me and ignored her long enough, she would finally see his worth and accept him.

That was the moment he started to indulge my every whim, spoiling me rotten.

The latest collections from Meiran showed up in my closet before they hit the stores. If I casually mentioned craving a certain Tascian wine, a full row of bottles would appear in the estate's cellar the next day. He would have given me the moon if I had asked for it, no questions asked.

Everyone in the family called me 'Ms. Rossi' and said I would be Darius's wife someday.

After a while, I started believing he actually cared about me. Alas, it had all been an illusion.

My mind instantly cleared, and I pulled back all those foolish thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Darius asked, finally catching his breath as he reached out to touch my face.

I quietly moved out of his reach. In that brief second, I saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

I said softly, "I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want."

Darius's expression softened. He pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on top of my head, his voice taking on that familiar tenderness. "Good girl. When this is all over, I'll give you a ton of money, and you can go wherever you want."

I silently nodded–and that was that.

"It's still early." Darius pressed closer, his hand sliding to my chest. "Let's go another round."

Discomfort stirred in me, and I pushed him away. "I'm not feeling well. Let's skip tonight."

Darius stared at me, the warmth in his blue eyes fading, leaving behind a darkness I could not read.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Then, he suddenly smiled again, messing up my hair like he always did. "Alright. Whatever my girl wants."

He turned to pour himself a drink, speaking with his back to me. "Now you're all grown up. Is there anyone you like? Maybe a doctor or a lawyer? When this is over, I'll set you up. My girl deserves the best kind of man."

My nose stung sharply, and I quickly got dressed. As I headed for the door, tears welled up in my eyes, but I forced them back down.

"Monica Arden." Darius suddenly called out to me. "Even if you get married, we can still see each other all the time. We're family, aren't we?"

"Yeah..." I agreed numbly, not daring to turn around.

The next afternoon, Darius handed me a ticket to an art exhibition. He said, "It's a private collection showing. Take a little break."

I was about to take it when a sharp voice suddenly cut in.

"Where did you get that ticket?"

Gina appeared in the doorway out of nowhere. She walked straight over and snatched the ticket from his hand. "These tickets were impossible to get. I've been looking everywhere for one."

She did not even glance at me. Instead, she just smiled at Darius. "Valerio's been trying to find one too. If I give it to him, he'll definitely be grateful."

I saw Darius's expression darken for a split second before he masked it with a smile. "You've been pursuing him this long and still haven't caught his attention? Guess he really isn't into you."

Gina furiously stomped her high heel onto Darius's foot.

My eyes widened, and I instinctively started forward to check if he was hurt. However, he just laughed, hopping on one leg a couple of times.

"Alright, my bad for saying that. But this approach isn't going to work." He leaned closer to Gina, lowering his voice. "With men, the more they can't have something, the more they want it. Ignore him for a few days, and he'll come around."

"Really?" Gina's eyes lit up.

Darius did not answer. He simply took the ticket back from her and handed it to me.

He said, "You deliver it. Tell Valerio that Gina heard he was interested in this exhibition and got the ticket just for him."

I took the ticket, my fingers gripping it until they turned white. "Okay."

As I turned to leave and shut the door behind me, I heard Gina's voice ring out from inside, dripping with disdain.

"It's been ten years. Aren't you tired of this little game yet? What, are you actually planning to marry her?"

Darius spoke up, his tone teasing. "What's wrong? Are you jealous? Why don't you consider marrying me instead? I'll have her gone immediately."

The words hit me like a knife to the chest. My whole body went stiff as I leaned against the cold wall, tears finally spilling down my cheeks.

I was not even a backup. Instead, I was just a bargaining chip he used to flirt with someone else.

...

The car dropped me off in front of a tall office building, and a secretary led me to the office on the top floor.

When I saw the stern, ice-cold man sitting behind the desk, I took a deep breath and approached.

"Didn't I say not to interrupt me when I'm working?" Valerio looked up with a frown when he heard me approach.

However, the moment he saw me, his cold demeanor melted away. "What are you doing here? Is Mr. Rossi here with you?"

I shook my head and held out the ticket. "This is from Ms. Costa. She heard you were interested in this art exhibition and went out of her way to get you a ticket."

Valerio did not take it. His eyes stayed fixed on me. "You look like you've been crying. Who upset you?"

Hearing his words, I froze. Valerio always seemed to pick up on my moods faster than anyone else. He understood me even better than Darius did.

"No one." I thought of the task Darius had given me and pulled myself together, keeping my voice calm.

Valerio did not press further. He simply opened a drawer, took out a book, and set it on the desk.

"This is for you. I missed your birthday, so consider this a belated present."

My eyes immediately lit up. It was a signed collector's edition by my favorite author, a book I had wanted for three years.

I had mentioned it to Darius once at an auction, but he said Gina was not into books, so I should not be either. He even told me that I could find a digital version easily, that it was not anything special.

Eventually, someone else bought the signed copy at auction. I never expected to see it here with Valerio.

I quickly waved. "This is too expensive. I can't accept it."

"Then I'll just throw it away. I don't need it anyway." Valerio's face remained cold as he moved to toss it in the trash.

"Don't!" I rushed forward and grabbed the book, hugging it to my chest. "I want it."

I looked up just in time to catch a flash of amusement in Valerio's eyes, like a kid who had just pulled off a prank.

"You'll be at the exhibit too, right?" he asked suddenly.

Seeing the subtle gleam in his gaze, I was about to say no when Darius's words suddenly echoed in my ears. Remembering I still needed to find opportunities to get close to him, I nodded.

Valerio raised an eyebrow and took the ticket. "Since you want me to go, I'll be there."

As I saw the faint smile in his eyes, my heart started to race. Even after leaving the building, I could not calm myself.

What was wrong with me? This was Valerio Warren, Sirioli's underground king, and yet… He was so much gentler than I had ever imagined.

While I was lost in thought, a voice suddenly came from beside me.

"Monica, get in the car."

I looked up, surprised to see Darius. For some reason, though, I no longer felt happy seeing his face.

When I got into the car, his gaze immediately landed on the book in my hands. His voice was cold as he asked, "Did Valerio give you that?"

I nodded.

Darius’s face darkened instantly. He reached over, snatched the book from me, and tossed it into the back seat.

"Why do you even want that useless thing?" His eyes burned with an anger I had never seen before. "I’ll have someone return it to him. You only accept gifts from me, understand?"

I stared at him, confused. He told me to seduce Valerio, so why was he angry all of a sudden?

Darius noticed my expression and thought I was upset. He took my hand, and his voice softened as he spoke coaxingly.

"You're mine. If anyone's giving you gifts, it should be me. Monica, I need you to understand that."

I pulled my hand out of his grasp and murmured, "Okay."

"By the way, Gina came to me to tell me that she's been fighting with her family lately and wants to stay at my place. It wouldn't look right if she saw us living together. So you need to move out of the master bedroom and into one of the guest rooms."

My heart sank, but I nodded obediently.

Darius stayed silent for the rest of the drive. Before long, the car pulled into the Rossi estate, and he led me straight to the bedroom.

Some of Gina's belongings had been moved in; her luggage was piled on the floor.

I was about to start packing when Darius shoved me onto the bed. He was rougher than usual, violently tearing at my clothes.

"Darius, stop!"

However, Darius looked genuinely furious. His eyes were bloodshot as he gripped my chin, growling, "Monica, you need to remember that until you're married, you belong to me and only me. Even if you fall for someone, it can't be Valerio."

I almost laughed at that. If this were before, I might have been happy, but after everything that happened, I just felt disgusted.

I said coldly, "Gina is going to be here any second. Are you sure you want the first thing she sees when she walks in to be us in bed?"

Darius froze, the madness in his eyes quickly fading as reason returned to him in an instant.

By the time I stood up, he had straightened his clothes. It was as if nothing had happened.

"I've already made arrangements for the art exhibition. Let the housekeeper pack your things and get some rest. I'm heading out."

The moment the door closed, I collapsed onto the bed. I stared at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling and suddenly found it all ridiculous.

I realized that for these past ten years, I had been living in a gilded cage.

I started packing my things.

I did not take a single piece of those designer dresses and jewelry Darius had given me. Instead, I took what truly belonged to me: my own clothes, as well as the book Valerio had given me, the one I had always wanted.