"She’s not Stella!!!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the side of the hall—sharp, amused, and dripping with mockery. A man stepped forward, laughing uncontrollably. "I can’t believe this... the most dangerous mafia boss was fooled by this little act? Hahaha!" He clutched his stomach, doubling over in laughter that echoed through the hall like thunder.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd like fire across dry grass. Heads turned. Curious eyes widened.
Jessica’s entire face twisted in horror, the polite mask she wore all day cracking completely. Her hands curled into fists at her sides, and her jaw clenched as she glared at the laughing man. She knew exactly what kind of storm was about to break. Leonardo Moretti wasn’t someone who forgave betrayal. He destroyed it.
Sam, who had remained composed through the ceremony, now looked pale and tense. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he subtly reached out to grip Jessica’s arm, his jaw tight.
Leonardo slowly turned his head, his icy eyes locking onto the loud intruder. His face didn’t move, but the air shifted, he didn’t need to speak for the entire hall to feel the change in pressure. Danger pulsed in the silence.
Then, like a switch flipped, another voice joined.
"Oh, you really thought you could fool my brother?"
Everyone turned again as another man sauntered in through the side door, his aura wild and unbothered. His light pink hair was styled messily, his cool leather jacket full of pins and patches, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His ripped black pants showed just enough skin to make the older mafia families raise their brows, and his hands sparkled with multiple rings as he waved playfully.
"Hehehe... what a show. Jessica, Sam," he said with a wide, mocking grin, "My brother already knew the moment your precious daughter Stella ran away."
Jay. Leonardo’s younger brother. The contrast between them couldn’t be more dramatic. While Leonardo was silent, cold, and calculated, Jay was all fire and fun reckless on the surface, but razor-sharp underneath.
As Jay laughed loudly again, several members of other mafia families leaned in to whisper among themselves, clearly entertained by the scene unraveling before them.
Isabella, caught in the middle of it all, stood frozen, but her eyes flicked toward Jay’s hair. Pink? Her lips parted slightly in surprise.
She liked it.
Even in this tense, terrifying moment, her gaze lingered on his bright, unusual hair color. She’d always dreamed of dyeing hers..maybe something soft, or bold like that but her uncle would’ve never allowed it.
A small, almost guilty thought crossed her mind: I wonder what color would suit me...
Leonardo, who had remained silent throughout the chaos, shifted his gaze.
He wasn’t looking at Jessica.
He wasn’t even looking at Sam or Jay.
He was watching her.
Isabella.
And what he saw made his brows furrow slightly.
While the entire room was caught in tension and murmurs, she was... lost in thought. Her expression was soft, almost out of place in such a dangerous setting. Her big brown eyes weren’t filled with fear like before—they were looking at Jay. But not with alarm. No. She was staring at his ridiculous, candy-pink hair, her lips gently pursed, cheeks puffed out ever so slightly, lost in some deep innocent thought.
She looked like... a bunny.
A tiny, harmless, wide-eyed bunny caught in a world of wolves.
But what annoyed him was the question that popped into his own head—
Why is she thinking about hair dye?
Why does she look like she’s imagining that silly color on herself?
And why, out of all things, was he focusing on that?
Her hair was already soft. Pretty. Long, rich brown, it didn’t need change.
The thought struck him like a snap of cold air.
He blinked once.
And then immediately looked away, jaw tightening.
This wasn’t the time to get distracted. He had bigger problems standing across from him...Jessica, Sam, lies, betrayal.
And yet, for a fleeting moment...
That bunny had managed to steal his attention.
"Leo! Please—we’re sorry!" Jessica suddenly blurted out, stepping forward in panic. Her carefully applied makeup was starting to crack with sweat and fear. "I didn’t even know Stella had a boyfriend until she ran away! We were betrayed too! But we fixed it, right? We married you to my other daughter. She’s young, she’s pure, she—"
Isabella turned her head slowly, her face twisting with quiet disgust as she stared at the woman who claimed to be her mother. Her daughter? She had never seen her once before this week. Never held her. Never hugged her. Now she was throwing words like "pure" around like she was selling a product, not a person.
I don’t like her, Isabella thought sharply. I’ll never like her.
"Please, forgive us," Sam added, his voice lower, trying to sound reasonable. "This was all for the family. The business. There was no harm meant."
For a moment, Leonardo said nothing.
And smiled.
It wasn’t a warm smile.
It was that smile—the one that made even hardened criminals feel like the floor beneath them was about to vanish. The kind of smile he only gave when something wicked was already forming in his mind.
Jessica and Sam visibly relaxed, their faces brightening.
"Oh thank God," Jessica breathed.
"But..." Leonardo said, his voice smooth and quiet, "our deal is canceled."
The air snapped tight like a pulled wire.
Jessica’s face went pale. "W-What?"
Leonardo’s smile didn’t waver. "I only agreed to lend you that amount if and only if—you married me to Stella." His voice grew colder as he shifted his gaze to Isabella. "And I can see with my own eyes... that this little women is clearly not Stella."
All eyes turned to Isabella, who stood there stiffly in her wedding dress, her wide brown eyes taking everything in. She looked overwhelmed, unsure whether she was free or still trapped in something worse.
Leonardo’s gaze flicked to her face.
She was staring at his brother again.
And not in horror or fear like she should’ve been.
No..
She was still staring at Jay’s ridiculous pink hair, like it was the most fascinating thing in the room.
Leonardo’s jaw twitched.
She really was... childish.
Soft. Dreamy. Probably the type who’d get distracted by shiny stickers or clouds shaped like animals. And now... now she was his wife.
Great.
He didn’t like childish things.
He didn’t tolerate childish things.
And now, somehow, he had married the most bunny-faced, hair-dreaming girl he’d ever seen.
Leonardo gave another slow blink, sighed deeply through his nose, and turned back to the stunned couple before him.
"Well," he said flatly. "Looks like you’ll have to find another way to pay your debts."
Jessica opened her mouth, eyes wide with desperation.
But Leonardo had already turned away. His hand slid into his pocket, his voice cold and final—
"Take your lies. Take your broken deal. But the girl stays."