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.

Valerio was even more approachable than I expected. I barely had to put in any effort to get close to him. He never had his guard up around me, and no matter how busy he was, he always made time to see me.

On the day of the art exhibition, a few days later, I wore a black cocktail dress and waited for Valerio at the gallery entrance. Before long, a black car pulled up in front of me.

Valerio stepped out and naturally wrapped his arm around my waist.

The moment we walked into the gallery, I spotted Darius and Gina. Gina wore a red evening gown, her arm linked through Darius'. Her eyes instantly lit up when she spotted Valerio, but when she noticed me standing beside him, her smile vanished.

Darius' gaze landed on Valerio's hand around my waist, and a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes before he quickly masked it. He simply said, "Valerio, it's been a while."

Valerio did not shake his hand, just gave a slight nod. "Mr. Rossi."

His tone was distant, making it clear he did not think much of Darius.

I clenched my fists and, following Darius' instructions, tugged on Valerio's sleeve. "Mr. Warren, could you come look at something with me over there?"

Valerio looked at me, his deep brown eyes probing. "Have you decided?"

My heart lurched as it felt like he knew something.

I looked up just in time to see Darius gazing tenderly at Gina.

"Yes." I bit my lip and pulled Valerio toward the back of the gallery.

We walked behind a curtain where no one else was around. I took a deep breath, turned to face him, and pressed my hand against his neck before kissing him hard.

Valerio froze for a second, then closed his eyes and pulled me closer, kissing me back even more intensely.

His kiss was rough, tasting of tobacco, but it was not…unpleasant. After a while, I felt my breath catch, my whole body trembling against his.

In that moment, we lost ourselves completely, the tension between us unraveling into something uncontrollably raw.

The next second, the curtain suddenly dropped, and Valerio and I, half-undressed, were instantly exposed to everyone.

The music in the gallery stopped at the same time, and a piercing scream shattered the silence.

"You skank! What the hell are you doing?!" Gina charged over, her face livid.

Everyone around us turned to look, camera shutters clicking rapidly.

I held onto Valerio tightly, trying to cover myself.

This was Darius' master plan: to expose the 'scandal' between Valerio and me so Gina would finally give up on him.

That being said, Darius barely looked pleased. He stood at the edge of the crowd, staring at me with a strange mix of anger, frustration, and something else I could not name.

Then, a sharp smack rang out as my cheek instantly burned with pain.

Gina had slapped me across the face, pointing at my nose as she screamed. "You filthy orphan! Do you even know who you are? How dare you seduce Valerio! You think sleeping with him will make you queen of Sirioli?"

I held my stinging cheek, ready to speak when Valerio pulled me behind him. He held me close, his eyes cold as ice as he glared at Gina.

"Who I'm with is none of your business."

Gina stumbled back a step at his gaze, tears instantly streaming down her face. She mumbled, "Valerio, how could you treat me like this? I've loved you for so long..."

Valerio ignored her and turned to his assistant instead. "Lock this place down and delete every photo the media took just now. Anyone who leaks anything damaging about my future wife is making an enemy of the Warren family."

He added, "Also, I have good news to share with everyone. In two weeks, you're all invited to attend my wedding to Monica."