Twice Crowned in Crimson

The hall was eerily quiet.

The smile on my father's face slowly disappeared, his grey-blue eyes turning sharp as he examined the young man kneeling before us.

He did not immediately take the parchment scroll. Instead, he stayed quiet, a heavy silence filling the space.

I stepped forward.

"Mr. Vitale, I see you're a man of deep loyalty. Anna may not come from much, but she's sweet and caring. She's always looked after me with dedication. You don't care about her humble background and truly want to marry her. That's pretty rare. You two are..."

I locked eyes with him, mine blazing with hatred.

I had planned to keep my feelings hidden, but his face brought it all back: the previous life where he shot my father, slit my brother's throat, and left my mother to die in a fire.

I forced the words out through clenched teeth. "A perfect match."

Sebastian froze for a second.

He looked up, and I saw a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.

He knew I was onto him.

However, it did not matter to me.

I took Anna's hand and held it out to Sebastian.

"Your love is so pure. Who am I to break you apart? Today, I'm entrusting Anna to you."

Sebastian's face was a mix of confusion and doubt, but then he saw Anna, her head bowed like a scared little creature, and his heart softened. He quickly took her hand, pulling her close and whispering words of comfort.

He apologized to my father and prepared to leave with Anna.

However, I was not done yet. "Wait," I said.

Sebastian turned, his eyes cautious.

"Anna has been by my side for years, as close as a sister. Now that she's about to walk down the aisle, it's up to me, her big sis, to hook her up with the most epic wedding gift ever, so she can make her exit in style," I said, my voice steady and clear enough for everyone up front to catch every single word. "And now that Anna's expecting, she needs extra care and protection. All the prenatal vitamins, baby clothes–nothing's going to be missing from the Caruso household."

The moment I finished, the silence in the hall shattered like glass.

"She's what? Pregnant?"

Eyes darted around, filled with a mix of mockery and scorn, bouncing between Sebastian, Anna, and my father.

Here was a guy with no real place in the family, barely tolerated, who knocked up the maid in the very house that took him in, and then had the nerve to propose on the spot.

That was not just some fling. It was a full-blown betrayal, a slap in the face of decency!

Dad's gaze at Sebastian was ice cold, stripped of any old family friend warmth, just pure, offended fury.

Sebastian was a statue, his grip on Anna so tight his veins were on the brink of bursting.

His eyes locked on mine, dark and stormy, swirling with shock, fury, and a touch of the humiliation of being exposed in front of everyone.

He never saw it coming, that I would not only see right through him but also play him like a fiddle, nailing him to the wall of shame in one fell swoop!

Anna was a wreck, tears streaming down her face, trembling like a leaf in a storm, practically trying to vanish into Sebastian's chest.

"Principessa Isabella, thank you." The words came out of Sebastian's mouth like they were being dragged over gravel. "Anna will be just fine with me. No need for you to... bother yourself."

"That's great." I flashed him a smile, nodding contently as my eyes briefly caught the sight of his and Anna's hands locked together.

"Well then, you two better hang on tight to each other and hope that this happiness you've snatched up..." I trailed off, giving Sebastian a mischievous look, "weathers the storms that are bound to come."