Chapter 1

I was the Sorrento heiress. Daughter of the country’s most feared mafia patriarch. Two months ago, my family sent me out to survive on my own. No money. No guards. No name.

Now I sat under a bridge. Wearing cheap clothes and eating a cheap corndog.

That was when a black sportscar stopped in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Alaric Mancusso.

Don of the Mancusso Syndicate. Billionaire. President of Mancusso Corporation, which handled real estate, hotels, finance, shipping, private security, and other major businesses.

"Be my girlfriend," he said. "I'll take care of you. You won't have to worry about anything anymore."

I looked at my corndog, then back at him.

Was this man serious?

Apparently, he was.

And that was how I became Alaric Mancusso's girlfriend. For six years, he spoiled me rotten.

He gave me a luxury mansion, a supplementary credit card, expensive clothes, jewelry, and anything else I wanted. Once, at one in the morning, I casually said I wanted strawberry cake. He actually drove across the city to buy them for me.

Yet there was just one thing he never gave me.

A ring.

He never talked about marriage.

I knew why. As far as he knew, I had an alcoholic addict father, a sick mother, and a rundown home. I was poor and I could never be good enough for the Mancusso family.

So I waited until my six year training was over.

Finally, I could tell him the truth. I was going to reveal that I was the Mafia heiress Freya Sorrentino and give him the surprise of his life.

But when I reached his usual private room, I heard cheers from inside.

"Congratulations, Don! You have two sons and a daughter now!"

"Your parents and grandparents can finally relax!"

"Come on! Drink up!"

I froze.

A twin son and a daughter?

I pushed the door open slightly. Alaric was sitting inside with his friends, holding a glass of wine and wearing that same lazy smile.

One of his supremo laughed and slapped his shoulder. "Don, you're seriously something else. You've got a Donna at home and Freya outside, and that girl is completely crazy about you. She actually thinks she's the only woman you have."

Another man laughed.

"And you kept Alice's second child a secret too? If the Richard family hadn't announced it today, we'd still have no idea you already had three kids."

My fingers slowly tightened around the door.

Alice?

Alaric swirled his wine. "My family needs an heir. Alice and I have known each other for years, and our families trust each other. It was the right choice."

Someone asked, "Then what about Freya?"

"I love her. I really do. That won't change. She's a good girl, and I'll keep taking care of her." He took another sip. "But marriage is different. I'm the Don of the Mancusso Syndicate. My wife has to come from the right family. The same goes for my children."

"So you're never marrying Freya?"

"No. Her background is too poor. She can stay by my side, and I'll give her whatever she wants. But when it comes to marriage and children, I already have someone else in mind."

I stood outside the door, staring at nothing.

So that was it. He loved me. He just didn't think I was good enough to marry.

I almost laughed. If only he knew.

I wasn't poor.

I turned and walked to the fire escape before my legs gave out. I slid down against the cold wall, covered my face, and cried until my chest hurt.

For six years, I'd hidden who I was.

The Sorrentino family had a rule for its heir. Before taking over, the heir had to disappear and live as an ordinary person without money, power, or the family name. So I rented the cheapest room I could find, ate cheap food, worked for a small salary, and learned to count every coin before spending it.

I was supposed to finish training and go home.

Then I met Alaric.

And I fell for him.

He chased me for three months before I agreed to date him. He'd cover my head with his suit whenever it rained, even if he got soaked. When I had a fever, he'd stay beside me all night, changing the towel on my forehead and checking my temperature.

Once, I casually told him that I liked tulips. The next morning, my entire room was filled with them.

I stared at him and asked, "Did you lose your mind?"

He simply smiled and said, "You said you liked them."

That was Alaric.

I remembered our first kiss. He'd been slightly drunk when he backed me against his car, but his eyes were clear. He said, "Freya, don't keep running from me. If you don't want me, tell me now. But if you do, then stop pretending you don't."

And I didn't run.

On my birthday, he booked an expensive restaurant. Give me fireworks and bought me everything I want.

I let my guard down. I thought it was real.

Once my training ended, I'd tell him the truth… take him home, and marry him properly.

What a joke. The man who loved me had another woman.

I cried until I was exhausted.

My phone vibrated. I pulled it out.

"Freya?" Dad's voice came through. "Your training period is finally over. You can come home now. It's time for you to take over the Sorrentino family."

"Okay, Dad. I'll come back soon. I just have a few things to deal with here."

"There's something else. Once you inherit the family, you need to think about marriage. You know our rules. Your husband won't just be your husband. He'll become part of the Sorrentino family and stand beside its heir."

I closed my eyes. Of course.

Dad continued, "Several powerful families have been asking about you for years. Have you met anyone suitable?"

Alaric's face appeared in my mind.

My heart twisted.

"Nobody," I said quietly. "Dad, let's hold the husband-selection banquet on the day I inherit the family."

"The same day?"

"Yes. I'll choose my husband myself. I'll choose someone worthy of standing beside the Sorrentino heiress."