Chapter 2

Nico Ricci. My childhood friend. The young Capo of the Ricci family next to ours. And the only one who knew exactly how a Don's Blessing could be quietly transferred between siblings.

In my past life, he came to me with that same gentle voice and told me he had a way—a safe, quiet way—to hand my Blessing to Isabella. All I had to do was sign the withdrawal papers myself. I believed him. I believed every word, because he was my closest ally.

Now, looking back, I could finally see it clearly. He and Isabella had been circling me together from the very start.

I pressed the call button.

The line clicked open after two rings.

"Vita? It's late." His voice was still the same—warm, low, careful. The same voice that had once talked me into signing away my future.

The moment his voice came through the speaker, a strange, hollow tightness gripped my chest. In my past life, hearing that voice used to give me a sense of absolute security. Our families had an unspoken alliance, and everyone assumed we would one day marry to unite our territories. I thought he was the one person in this brutal life who wouldn't betray me.

I closed my eyes and forced that lingering memory of trust back down. Alliance or not, this man was one of the two who had helped push me to my death. Whatever loyalty I thought we shared, I would not let it blind me again.

"Nico, I want to ask you something," I said quietly, keeping my voice perfectly steady.

"Go ahead," he said.

"If I give up my Blessing, what would happen to it?" I asked.

There was a brief pause on the other end. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Weren't you set on taking it?"

"I just want to know," I replied.

"Normally, if you give it up, the Blessing just gets voided," he explained. "But if there are special circumstances, like if the Consigliere and the Don agree, the seat might go to someone else in the Family who qualifies."

Someone else who qualifies... like Isabella? I couldn't help but scoff inwardly.

"Nico, do you think Isabella has any shot at getting the Blessing?" I asked.

"Well... technically, her territory reports aren't quite strong enough," he replied, sounding hesitant. "But if you were to give it up, the Commission might make an exception. After all, you two share the Rossi blood, and she's been making a lot of progress lately."

As expected, he was using the exact same line.

That was what he said to convince me in my past life—always going on about how Isabella's weak position needed the protection more, and how I was so lethal I could survive the Consecration Night without even trying.

What a joke.

"I get it." I was about to hang up.

"Vita, wait!" Nico's voice suddenly turned anxious. "Are you actually thinking about giving up your Blessing?"

"No," I replied.

"Good. Getting a seat on the Commission is every soldier's lifelong dream. You have to treasure it," he said.

I sneered to myself. Funny, that was not what you told me in my past life.

"Nico, I have one last question," I said.

"Go ahead," he said.

"If I really gave up my Blessing, would you support me?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered right away. "No matter what you decide, I'll always have your back."

What a hypocrite.

In my past life, when I hesitated in front of the withdrawal papers, this same man had leaned in and whispered exactly the opposite. That a true older sister always put her Family first. That giving up my Blessing would make my life mean something.

I hung up without another word and walked to the window.

The city lights spilled through the glass, casting a cold glow over the dark waters of the East River. They said the Commission watched over all families, guiding the fates of the underworld.

But they had turned their backs on me once. Would they watch this time?

I stared out at the night sky, my heart as calm and cold as the river itself.

I had believed. In family. In loyalty. In the Omertà that was supposed to hold every member safe. All that belief had earned me was a bullet in the head, dumped in the river, alone.

This time, I would only live for myself.

And as for those who hurt me before, I wouldn't let a single one of them get away with it.