The Mafia Bride Makes Her Choice

On my 20th birthday, my father hosts a dinner for our allied families.

He lifts his glass with a smile and turns to his old friend, saying, "It's time my principessa chooses a husband from your sons."

Without hesitation, I choose the youngest—Salvatore Carlo.

Everyone is stunned.

After all, I'm Estella Vinci, the eldest daughter of the Vinci family. I was born into wealth and power, with a father from a long-established Virellian mafia family and a mother from Montavira's ruthless DeNucci bloodline.

And yet, I was hopelessly in love with Giovanni Carlo, third son of the Carlo family.

In my past life, I got exactly what I wished for. I became his wife.

He got what he wanted too. With my father's power, he became the heir of the Carlo family.

But after we got married, my adopted sister Eleanor Vinci became his mistress.

When my father found out, he was furious. He sent her far away in marriage to Norland.

From that day on, Giovanni hated me with everything he had.

He drowned himself in nightclubs, night after night, always bringing home women who looked just like Eleanor.

He let them mock me and humiliate me.

On my birthday, one of them poisoned my cake. I died with hatred in my heart at eight months pregnant.

Now that I am reborn, I decide to let them have each other.

But the moment I choose Salvatore, Giovanni loses his mind.

I was walking out of the Carlo family's parlor with my father when we ran into Giovanni Carlo and his brothers.

The others quickly dispersed, leaving Giovanni standing there alone.

"Estella's here for Giovanni again?"

They sneered as they left. "She really doesn't hold back when it comes to chasing a guy. Guess the Vinci family's heiress has no shame."

Giovanni looked at me coldly. "This is business between our fathers. What are you doing here? Trying to get my father to talk me into it again? Give it a rest.

"You've been clinging to me, using every trick you can to force me to marry you. You've embarrassed me enough. Whether I'd even consider marrying you is still up for debate. No one can change my mind."

His disgust was just as strong as it was in my past life. I let out a breath, realizing how ridiculous I'd once been for obsessing over a man like him.

"What does it have to do with you? Uncle Michael invited me. Tomorrow is my 20th birthday. Once they're done discussing business, he and Papa are going to plan my party," I said.

The air grew heavy with tension.

They might have looked down on me, but the Carlo family elders had always treated me kindly. That was especially true for their boss, Michael Carlo.

He had promised long ago that when I turned twenty, I could choose one of his sons to marry, and that man would become the heir to the Carlo family.

The others wasted no time offering Giovanni their insincere congratulations.

"Giovanni, don't forget us once you take over the family."

"Giovanni's clearly the most capable one here. No doubt he deserves to be heir. Shame he has to marry her, though."

Giovanni shot me a mocking glance. "You're probably more excited than I am. You finally got what you wanted after chasing me all these years."

He stepped forward and casually lifted my chin. "Let's get one thing straight. After we're married, we each live our own lives. You don't get to question what I do or who I'm with. That's the only way I'll agree to this."

His words caught me off guard. This wasn't how he reacted in my past life.

Just then, my adopted sister Eleanor Vinci appeared, coughing weakly as she walked toward Giovanni.

"Why are you here? Weren't you sick?" he asked worriedly.

Giovanni quickly reached out to steady her, and Eleanor conveniently fell into his arms.

"Papa asked me to keep Estella company," Eleanor said softly, playing innocent. "He was worried she might get lonely."

Giovanni pulled her closer, his eyes full of concern.

He shot me a furious glare. "How could you be so selfish? You knew Eleanor was sick and still made her come?"

He lifted Eleanor into his arms and walked away right in front of me. Before leaving, he threw one last threat at me. "Estella, if you keep being this unreasonable, there's no way I'm marrying you."

The resentment I'd carried through two lifetimes finally exploded. "Unreasonable? Giovanni, I brought my sister here and gave you the perfect chance to take her to your bed. Wasn't that considerate enough?" I said coldly.