You Want My Ring? Get on Your Knees

In all 26 years of my life, no one had ever dared to talk to me like that.

"Say that again. What exactly do you want me to shout?" I asked.

"Are you deaf? I said, 'I'm broke, and I know I was wrong.' Got it now?" Sofia said sharply.

The corner of my mouth curled. "Loud and clear. Since you admit you're broke, hurry up and get out of here before you drag down the Marino name."

Sofia's face flushed as she finally realized what I'd done. "You! You twisted my words? How dare you make fun of me?"

She screeched and hurled herself at me, arms flailing like a furious chicken. It would've been funny if she weren't so noisy.

I had trained with my family's bodyguards in Corvina for ten years. I wasn't about to be intimidated by a woman whose punches were nothing but a performance.

I drove a clean side kick into her ribs. Sofia went down hard, folding onto the carpet with a pained groan.

Gasps rippled through the hall.

"Oh my God, she actually hit Ms. Lopez!"

"When Mr. Marino hears about this, he'll have her chopped up and thrown into the bay!"

"She's done. Not even God can save her now."

I tuned their chatter out.

The Marino family only stood where they did today because my father had pulled them up when they were nothing. In this city, there wasn't a single person I needed to be afraid of.

I slapped my black card on the podium again. "Like I said, whatever she bids, I'll pay double. Wrap the ring and hand it over!"

The auctioneer's knees visibly buckled. Hands shaking, he hit the authorization button and personally presented the velvet box to me.

I put it into a bag and turned to leave, only for Sofia to drag herself upright and stumble back into my path. "Don't you dare leave!"

I tapped the toe of my heel against the floor and glanced down. "What is it? You want another practical demonstration?"

She instinctively took a step back.

I let out a soft, dismissive laugh and pivoted toward the exit.

But I didn't get far. A wall of men in black suits suddenly filled the doorway, blocking every way out.

Before the guests could even process what was happening, the line of bodyguards split cleanly down the middle. A man walked through the gap they made.

I looked up, and for a second, my heart actually skipped. The overhead lights fell across him, outlining every inch of his frame. He had the kind of build tailors dreamed about—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs.

His face was all sharp planes and clean edges, so perfect it looked like someone had carved it out of stone.

Sofia immediately switched on the waterworks and ran to him, tears glistening. "Luca, she stole my ring and hit me..."

So, this was my fiancé. No wonder my father had sworn up and down that I'd like him. He knew me too well.

I was hopelessly shallow when it came to looks, and Luca fit my taste a little too perfectly. Seeing that face alone, I almost felt like forgiving his earlier attitude on the phone.

I straightened, gave him my most confident smile, and introduced myself, "Hi. I'm Isa Borgia, your fiancee."

A ripple of shock moved through the crowd.

"What did she say? She's Mr. Marino's fiancee?"

"Well, obviously, the fiancee matters more than a godsister!"

"Not really. It depends on who Mr. Marino actually favors."

Luca's cold gaze settled on me. "Don't flatter yourself. That engagement was my father's decision. I never agreed to it."

Sofia leaned into Luca with her head on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with a challenge she wasn't bothering to hide. "Look at you in those cheap clothes! You really think you deserve to marry him? You're not even qualified to shine my shoes!"

Someone in the crowd eagerly piled on. "Exactly. If Mr. Marino ever gets married, it'll be to a real heiress. Why would he choose a nobody from the countryside?"

"She looks dirty! I feel like the air smells worse already! She's nowhere near Ms. Lopez's level!"

I'd worn something simple. There was nothing "dirty" about it. But in their mouths, I'd somehow turned into a walking trash heap.

People always did love kicking whoever they thought was at the bottom.

I lifted my eyes slowly and let my gaze sweep the entire auction hall before bringing it back to Luca's face.

"In that case, go home and tell your father to call off the wedding. And the reason? I don't want you."