The Serpent on Her Skin

Rocco glowered at me, then ordered his men, "Take her to Mr. Griffin. Let him deal with this insolent woman!"

Immediately, a group of men in black suits closed in, roughly escorting me to the hotel's penthouse suite.

When Lorenzo saw me, a flicker of disdain crossed his face. "I knew you wouldn't give up on becoming my wife. Have you come to your senses about the agreement?"

My expression was frigid. "You're mistaken," I said, my voice as cold as my gaze. "I haven't changed my mind. I will never sign that agreement."

Lorenzo sized me up impatiently. "So stubborn. Since you have no intention of obeying, then as the heir to this family, I am ordering you to sign it!"

His words left a bitter taste in my mouth. I asked, word by word, "Lorenzo, do you remember me? When we were children, by the lake—"

He cut me off before I could finish, his displeasure obvious. "You're lying! You're not from Chicago. How could I have ever met you? I'm warning you, the Griffin family hates being deceived more than anything. Tell one more lie, and I guarantee you'll pay the price!"

He took a step closer, his tall frame casting a shadow over me, his eyes locking onto mine like a predator.

What was I even expecting from him?

A fresh wave of disappointment crashed over me.

Lorenzo was indeed handsome, the epitome of Italian-American masculinity. I would have been happy to have him as my husband.

However, he had forgotten our past. He'd told me he liked me, that he'd marry me when we grew up.

My mother was right. You can't trust a man's promise, not even a boy's.

I had planned to tell him my identity, but now it seemed pointless.

The man before me only saw a gold-digging opportunist.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself against the storm raging inside me.

"Even if you've forgotten me, I am still your fiancée," I said calmly. "You have no right to treat me with such disrespect on the eve of our wedding."

Hearing this, Lorenzo took half a step back, though his eyes were still filled with contempt.

"You still dare call yourself my future wife. You and your family buttered up my father, convincing him to agree to our union and make it a condition of my inheritance. If it weren't for that, do you think you'd even have the right to set foot on Chicago soil?"

"Don't think you'll have any say in this family's affairs once we're married. You will stay in the manor and go nowhere. As for who I choose to bear my children, that's my decision to make. You will obediently raise my heir. Understand?"

I clenched my fists, staring at him coldly. "Since you're so dissatisfied with me, why force yourself to marry me? Let's cancel the wedding. Don't worry. I'll speak with your father. The Griffin family won't be affected—"

Lorenzo cut me off furiously. "Enough, you cunning woman. Don't play me for a fool. You're just trying to use my father against me. Our world respects strength. A scheming woman like you... you would be a disgrace to this family."

I almost laughed. His imagination was running wild.

My suggestion had been sincere, but he'd twisted my words and given them a different meaning.

I sighed helplessly. "How about this. Let's go find your father right now. We'll tell him we're canceling the wedding, and that I'm the one refusing to marry you."

Everyone else was stunned by my words.

They finally understood that I wasn't joking about giving up the marriage.

"Oh my God, she really refused Mr. Griffin. How dare she?"

"I've never seen such a stupid woman. If I could be the Donna of the Griffin family, I would never give it up so easily."

My good intentions were completely misinterpreted.

I am my father's only child, the Principessa of the Vipera Syndicate. He intended for our children to one day rule the united syndicate. However, it seemed that was no longer on the table.

I wasn't meant to be some man's Donna; I was born to be a Queen.

Still, what a shame. It was Salvatore who had gone to great lengths to meet my father. He had convinced my father to agree to my marriage with Lorenzo in order to use the Vipera Syndicate's influence to further solidify the Griffin family's position.

And all his efforts were for nothing.

Lorenzo turned to me, his eyes red and filled with surprise. "You really want to cancel the wedding? To give up being my wife?"

I smiled, tossing the expensive brooch that served as our engagement token onto the marble table.