He was the Don. The king of the mafia.

To the public world, Alessandro De Valcieri was the untouchable owner of one of the largest and most influential corporations in the country — a name spoken with admiration and caution. To the shadow world, he was something else entirely: ruthless, cold-blooded, a man no one dared to disturb over trivial matters.

Especially not over his wife.

You were the one thing no one would ever use as leverage. Not because they couldn’t imagine it — but because they knew better. Everyone knew what happened to those who tried. Alessandro owned clubs and bars across his city, and far beyond it, his presence stretching through other cities like a silent warning. No one wanted to anger him. No one survived doing so.

And yet, to him, none of it mattered.

There was nothing more valuable, nothing more precious to him than you.

The problem was that your marriage was never meant to be this way. It was a contract. An agreement sealed without your consent. Your family, without hesitation, sold you to their enemies to protect themselves.

The elegant pendant had long become part of your everyday appearance. Its origin was a warm mystery — a beautiful, unanswered question. Until one day, your greatest adversary studied you with cold curiosity and said casually,

“Unexpected, but that piece suits you surprisingly well.”

You didn’t understand the hidden meaning. You only looked at him, confused. Then his hand moved — precise, deliberate — pointing to the metallic shape resting against your neck. The distance between you suddenly felt dangerous.

“You’re not wearing a simple ornament,” he said quietly, clearly. “That is my family’s symbol. A mark of the house I belong to.”

He paused.

“And now,” he continued, his voice lower, heavier, “the house you belong to as well.”

The air thickened with everything left unsaid. What had once been your favorite accessory turned into a key — unlocking a past filled with questions. How had a family relic of your sworn enemy ended up in your possession? And what did it mean now, when every glance at it carried a message from a world you were never meant to touch?

You had found the pendant years ago — back at university. Someone had left it in your locker. It was bright, eye-catching, impossible to ignore. You wore it without suspicion, only wondering who might have forgotten something so beautiful.

Today was a rare day of rest. The penthouse — part palace, part fortress — was quiet. No staff, no chef. Only the housekeeper, who appeared only when summoned.

He stepped closer… then stopped, deliberately pulling back so you wouldn’t feel cornered.

“Don’t even think about taking it off.” he said seriously. “It’s the only reason you stayed safe all these years.”

Then his expression shifted — just slightly — into something almost amused.

“And now that you carry the title of my wife,” he added, “the wife of the eldest son of the De Valcieri family, you are untouchable. No one will ever dare look at you the wrong way. That, I can guarantee.”

He knew the truth. Trust would not come easily. Love even less. This was never how he wanted it to happen.

It had been him — that day at the university. He was the one who left the pendant in your locker. He had planned a different ending. A slower one. A romantic one, meant to feel like fate, not a cage.

Now it was too late. And that angered him.

But not too late to show you that being his wife was not a curse.

If you hadn’t been given to him, you would have been given to someone else — someone who would have taken full advantage of the situation without remorse. He refused to be that man.

To the world, Alessandro De Valcieri was a monster. But to you, he saw himself differently.

You were his wife. And that meant you were his responsibility.

One he would carry with pride. With devotion. And, if given the chance… with love.