Honey, This Time, You Will Regret It!

It had been two days since that staged dinner, and I hadn’t heard about Vico getting hurt on the news, which was a relief. During these days, I kept to my room, dodging Felix and Priscilla, while I secretly snooped around regarding Felix's business. The household staff knew things, and though they didn’t spill much, they confirmed enough for me to piece together an ugly picture. Felix was knee-deep in dealings with the Agnosti family, one of the Silvestri family’s oldest rivals. They’d been dipping their toes into our business, even edging us out in the market using an alias to conceal their takeover.

A chilling memory struck me then. Felix’s words from my last life—something about “cutting down the old oak.” The Silvestri crest had always displayed a mighty oak, it was a symbol of the power and longevity of our family. I couldn't shake the feeling that something worse was gonna happen. If his plan was that far along, then I didn't have much time to fix it. I needed evidence, something that would aim his gun back at his head.

That afternoon, a package arrived for me, a rare enough event that drew Priscilla’s attention. She snorted when she saw the cheap chocolates. I shut her up with a quick glare and took the box back to my room. Once inside, I opened it, plucking out a truffle and feeling a small, magnetic device hidden beneath the wrapper with a tiny note attached. [Tap it to the computer. Red light means it’s working, and blue means it’s done. Plug it into your phone to access the files.]

I quickly burned the note in my bathroom sink. Felix and Priscilla would be gone from the mansion tomorrow, which was my only window to make this work.

When morning came, I busied myself in the kitchen, baking a batch of cookies, a quick cover in case I ran into someone. As soon as Felix’s car sped away, I slipped down the hall to his office, heart thudding, fingers brushing against the device in my pocket. I held my breath, checking the room before moving to his computer, the small red light from the device blinking reassuringly once it was attached. “Come on, come on,” I muttered as the minutes dragged by.

And then I heard the low rumble of a car outside. Felix was pulling back into the driveway. Why was he back already? He just left!

Panic shot through me as I stared at the still-red light on the device. I mentally urged it to finish up before he came in.

Finally, the light turned blue, and I slipped the device into my pocket just as the office door opened.

Felix’s voice cut through the room like ice. “What are you doing in here?”

I turned, offering him my best innocent smile, holding up the tray of cookies. “I thought I’d leave you a peace offering. I wasn’t feeling well the other night, and... well, I overreacted.”

He stared, suspicious, but didn’t argue. I took that as a yes, setting the tray down on his desk. Just as I turned to leave, he grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. The look in his eyes made my skin crawl.

“Giana, you’ve been acting... different lately,” he murmured, his voice too close. “Honestly, it’s starting to turn me on. Why don’t we…?”

I froze as he ran his hand down my back. I wanted to shove him as far away as possible but forced myself to play along. “Not tonight,” I said lightly, hoping my disgust didn’t show. “It’s that time of the month.”

He paused, his face twisting in irritation. “Then we can take it to the shower,” he insisted.

Bile rose in my throat. I managed a tight-lipped smile and shook my head. “No. Not tonight.” For a second, I thought he’d push harder, but instead, he released me with a frown, muttering complaints under his breath.

The second I was free, I went straight to my room and plugged the device into my phone. The screen flickered, loading folder after folder of files, and my stomach dropped as I saw the extent of what Felix had done. His years of dealing with the Agnosti family. Silvestri businesses, ruthlessly dismantled, our assets eaten away like carrion for the vultures. I hadn’t known how badly my family had suffered since I left them for Felix. But what truly hit like a knife to the gut was Felix’s file on me. It detailed all his moves, his tactics, and his ultimate plan. All along, I’d been a pawn to cripple my family from the inside out.

My hands shook as I scrolled through the files, each line another slap, another reminder of my mistake. Felix hadn’t just married me to control me; he’d done it to strip my family of its power, bleeding them dry with every deal he struck behind my back.

All I could think was how stupid I’d been, how blindly I’d walked into this trap, disregarding every warning, all to feed my ego.