On her first day at the Genovese estate, Jessy began bossing the household staff around.

She was making a grand show of redecorating the main living room.

"This Altorian handmade solid wood furniture is so heavy," she said, running a dismissive hand over a tabletop before turning to Santino with a seductive smile.

"Santino, can we replace it with those gilded imperial-style sofas? Something that suits your status as the Don of Veridia."

Santino didn't even bat an eye, simply instructing the butler beside him, "Do as Jessy says."

I stood there like a ghost, numbly watching as several family soldiers in black suits took down the art prints I had personally selected from the artistic capital of Solaria just six months ago.

They were Renaissance-era antiques, gifts I had spent over half a month acquiring at auction to celebrate their acceptance into a top-tier private school.

Leo and Sofia trailed behind her silk skirt like two loyal puppies.

They pointed excitedly, "Auntie Jessy, the carpets and curtains have to go too! The things Mother picked are so old-fashioned and boring, it's like living in a museum!"

Jessy bent down and kissed their foreheads gently. "Of course, darlings. We'll change everything to be just the way you like it."

My hands gripped the cold marble banister so tightly my nails threatened to snap, but just as quickly, my grip went slack.

Those prints and art pieces were things I had scoured galleries across the continent for, things I had chosen for them by hand. Some I had even designed myself, brushstroke by brushstroke.

While I was pregnant, I endured the discomforts of carrying them, wanting only to give them a home filled with culture and taste.

The pieces were made with the most expensive pigments and infused with calming lavender oil, because when they were little, they were allergic to many common decorative materials.

And now, they were being tossed into a junk truck in the courtyard like cheap trash.

Over the next few days, the once tranquil estate was transformed into something unrecognizable.

Santino and the children indulged Jessy's every whim, as if she were the true Donna of the family.

"Jessy, put that down." Santino caught her wrist as she made a show of directing the workers moving a vase.

His long fingers rested lightly on her delicate skin. "Your hands are for playing the piano and caressing the children, not for this."

"Auntie Jessy, I'll get your bag for you!" Leo scurried over, taking her handbag like a little gentleman.

I had never seen such a fawning expression on the face of this spoiled Mafia heir.

"Miss Jessy just needs to relax and take care of herself, to prepare for the family's future," the butler said obsequiously, handing her a freshly poured glass of champagne.

"Leave the heavy lifting to us."

The irony was laughable. I once thought I was the rightful mistress of this family, so I had always treated them with the utmost respect, conducting myself with grace.

But the moment I was out of favor, they seamlessly moved on to a new Donna, rendering all my efforts worthless.

Jessy had simply walked in, done nothing, and become the pampered princess everyone doted on and protected.

Their hushed whispers were not as quiet as they thought.

"The Don is so generous with Miss Jessy. Look at the way he looks at her, like he could eat her alive. He barely even spares a glance for the Donna."

"Tell me about it. And look at the young master and young miss, always clinging to her. I bet we'll be calling her the new Donna soon enough."

The last flicker of feeling in my heart died.

I retreated to my bedroom, quietly packing the few old clothes I had left, and waited for the right moment to leave for good.

That afternoon, my phone buzzed incessantly with messages from Jessy.

It was a series of photos and short videos documenting her and the children's "family time" at the equestrian club.

She had shamelessly paraded them around the parents' lounge at the club.

In the video, Leo and Sofia were surrounded by the children of other mob bosses and wealthy businessmen.

They proudly held Jessy's hand, boasting, "This is our... new mom! She's the hottest woman in all of Veridia!"

The other children let out feigned gasps of awe. "Wow! Your new mom looks like a silver-screen movie star! Her perfume smells amazing!"

"Your Papa is the Don, and your new mom is so beautiful and stylish. Your family is so cool!"

"So, does your new mom cook for you and help with your homework?" another wealthy kid asked, clearly not understanding the situation.

In the video, Leo and Sofia froze for a second.

Then they mumbled, "Oh, that's all our nanny's job. You guys have seen her before, she's the one who used to come pick us up."

My fingers trembled violently. The cup slipped from my trembling hands, shattering on the floor and splashing black coffee across the expensive carpet.

I slowly knelt, picking up the shards with my bare hands, and suddenly, I laughed. It was a laugh filled with nothing but sorrow.

So, all these years, in the hearts of my own flesh and blood, I was never a mother. I was never worthy of being the Donna.

I was nothing more than a glorified nanny.

But it didn't matter anymore.

This "cheap nanny" was about to resign, permanently.

From now on, their charming, beautiful "real mom" could deal with their tantrums and homework.

A week later, the family bodyguards brought Leo and Sofia back to the estate from the equestrian club.

The two children burst into the hall and ran straight for the study, eager to stir up drama.

"Mother!" Sofia gasped, out of breath. "Auntie Jessy hurt her wrist while she was riding with us, and Papa was so worried!"

Leo chimed in, "Papa immediately called the entire family's private medical team. He bandaged Auntie Jessy's wound himself and fired her top-tier instructor on the spot."

"He even postponed an urgent meeting with the Commission and stayed by her side to comfort her!"

I sat at my desk, silently listening to my children's grating boasts, calmly working on a drawing.

Seeing no reaction from me, Sofia grew impatient and kicked the leg of the desk. "Mother, are you even listening to us?"

"Papa is so much nicer to Auntie Jessy than he is to you—"

My paintbrush paused, interrupting her endless complaints.

A rich, sweet scent of paint and paper filled the study.

The children's attention was immediately drawn to it.

They craned their necks, peering at the desk.

"It's our custom storybook!" Leo stood on his tiptoes, trying to see the images on the paper. "It's the exclusive gift for the Genovese heirs! I want to see!"

I picked up the stack of drawings.

They were a series of exquisite watercolor paintings documenting their childhood, but the ink on one of the pages had smeared, and the edges were blurred.

I frowned, tore out the imperfect page, and tossed it into the nearby trash can.

"Ah!" Sofia lunged forward. "Why did you throw that away! That's our story!"

"The ink smudged, and the lines blurred. It isn't fit to be a gift from this family, so it can't be kept," I explained calmly, my usual practice when I painted.

"You did it on purpose!" Leo shouted angrily, reaching for the trash can.

The sharp edge of the paper cut his hand, and he snatched it back, glaring at me with even more venom.

"You're jealous that we like Auntie Jessy more, so you won't give us the book! Your drawings are ugly, and we don't want them anyway! You're a bad mother!"

Sofia's face was flushed crimson. "I don't have a mother like you! You can't even do your job right, let alone have any artistic talent!"

I put down my paintbrush.

Though I had tried to prepare myself, I still couldn't accept what was happening.

The two children I had carried for ten months, who had my blood running through their veins, now seemed so strange and cruel.

"Fine," I said softly. "Then I don't have children like you."

"From now on, go find your perfect Auntie Jessy. Let her draw you a storybook you'll be happy with."

Without another glance at them, I turned and walked toward the study door.

Behind me, I heard their childish shouts. "You're so mean! We're going to tell Papa you went crazy and ruined our gift!"

My steps faltered for a moment, but I didn't stop.

Just as I was about to leave the study, Leo charged at me from behind in a fit of rage. "You're not allowed to leave! You have to replace our storybook!"

He tried to stop me, grabbing the hem of my skirt with both hands and yanking it backward with all his might.

Caught off guard, I twisted instinctively, but his reckless pull threw me off balance. I stumbled sideways, slamming hard into the enormous, floor-to-ceiling mirror beside me.

The deafening crash brought Santino rushing in.

A sharp shard of glass sliced deeply into my arm, and blood gushed out, instantly staining my sleeve.

Blood gushed from the wound, covering me before I could even react.

The excruciating pain sent me collapsing into the pile of broken glass, warm blood dripping from my fingertips onto the cold, expensive wood floor.

Leo clearly hadn't expected such a serious accident. He was terrified, standing frozen as he stared at the gruesome gash on my arm. His face went pale, and he stumbled backward.

Behind him, Sofia bit her lip, still defiant. "Serves you right! You ruined our things first! This is your punishment!"

The deafening crash brought Santino rushing in.

"What's going on? What's all the shouting?"

He wasn't alone. Jessy was with him, a perfect smile on her face.

They both froze when they saw the scene before them.

"Papa!" The children, as if they'd found their savior, immediately dropped their panic and put on expressions of pure innocence, running to Santino in tears.

"Mother... Mother went crazy! She tore up our storybook, then broke the mirror on purpose to scare us! And she said... she said she doesn't want us anymore, boohoo!"

Santino's gaze fell first on the smeared drawing in the trash can, then shifted to me, covered in blood and looking utterly wretched.

"Alessia, have you no decency? They're just children!"

"To say that to your own children, then resort to this... this pathetic act to frighten them? Are you even fit to be a mother?"

Leaning against the cold wall, I slowly, painfully, pulled myself to my feet.

The blood had completely soaked through my white dress, and he hadn't even asked if I was alright.

I looked at Santino, at the face that had once so thoroughly captivated me, and suddenly, I wanted to laugh.

"In your eyes, I've never been fit for anything."

My voice trembled with pain, but I enunciated every single word.

"I see it all clearly now. I understand my place in this family."

Santino's dark eyes narrowed, surprised that his normally submissive wife was talking back to him.

"Since Jessy is the only Donna in your heart," I said, wiping away the blood that trickled down my arm.

With every word, the knife in my heart twisted deeper.

"And the children only want her as their mother. Then I will give her everything. I will grant you your perfect family of four."

"The divorce papers have already been finalized. Let's get a divorce."

The air in the study went cold.

Santino's face grew darker and darker.