Blurb：
After rebirth, Rosa Shaw decides to completely cut ties with Mafia heir Carlo Gutierrez. In her previous life, Carlo humiliated her at his party by having his golden retriever take her seat, forcing her to stand while everyone mocked her. He complained about her voice, made fun of her smell, and ultimately blamed her for Gemma Moreno’s death – even though Gemma later returned alive as the Moreno Family’s new Donna.
This time, Rosa makes opposite choices. When Carlo orders her to stand while his dog sits in her chair, she realizes she’s back at the beginning of his cruel game. Remembering how Carlo tortured her for three years in the basement before dumping her body in the sea, Rosa now sees this humiliation as her chance for freedom.
As the unwanted girl from the slums, Rosa was only kept by the Gutierrez Family because her father took a bullet for Don Vinnie. But Carlo and his cousins see her as a stain on their reputation. This time, instead of enduring the humiliation that would lead to a forced marriage and tragic death, Rosa plans her escape from the mafia world that destroyed her once before.
Content：
After my rebirth, I decided to draw a hard line between myself and the heir of the Mafia Family, Carlo Gutierrez.
He had his golden retriever take my seat and told everyone I wasn’t even fit to touch dog food at his party. After that, I never sat at the main table again.
He complained that my voice was giving him a headache and got in the way of his business, so I muted myself in front of him.
He sneered that I reeked, so I packed up and went back to my rundown apartment in the slums, never setting foot on his territory again.
In the end, he said just having me around would ruin his marriage alliance with the Moreno Family’s Principessa.
I nodded, then accepted someone else’s proposal without hesitation.
I made the choices opposite to what I made in my last life.
After I married him in my previous life, the Moreno Family’s Principessa was killed in a shootout. Carlo concluded I was the culprit and threw me into the basement for torture before finally throwing my body into the sea.
Later, when he saw me with another man, he confronted me with red eyes.
“Rosa Shaw, you’ve had your fun. Come back with me, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened!”
Chapter 1
Carlo Gutierrez pointed at the golden retriever wagging its tail by the head seat, and gave me a cold order.
“The dog sits there. You can stand.”
I stared at the dog lounging lazily across the dining chair that was supposed to be mine, so happy that I almost cried.
Because I had gone back in time.
I returned to the day Carlo humiliated me in front of everyone.
Everyone knew I was the unwanted baggage the Gutierrez Family picked up from the slums.
The reason? My father had died taking a bullet for Don Vinnie, Carlo’s grandfather. However, I also ended up being tethered to Carlo because of that.
Carlo was the only heir of the Gutierrez Family, the kingpin who ruled both sides of the law. Meanwhile, I was nothing but a stain on his otherwise perfect record.
Everyone thought it was a pity for Carlo, and he thought so even more.
That was why he had the golden retriever sit in my seat, while every underling and made man watched me being humiliated like some show.
“Rosa, Carlo’s already being nice to you by just making you stand. If it were up to me, I would have made you eat from the dog bowl on the floor,” Carlo’s cousin said as he picked his teeth.
Laughter from the surrounding guests echoed around the table. Even the servants, with their heads down, were shaking with amusement.
This whole thing was a carefully staged spectacle just to humiliate me. Everyone knew how much Carlo hated me.
During my last life, I didn’t dare to move a muscle. I just stood there, taking the insults one after another until the banquet ended. Eventually, I ended up collapsing from hunger and stomach cramps.
What happened reached Don Vinnie, who was recovering overseas. Later, he personally ordered that I marry Carlo.
On the day of our wedding, Gemma Moreno, the Principessa of the Moreno family, died in a shootout. She was also the woman whom Carlo loved.
From the perspective of Carlo and his underlings, it was my fault that his beloved died. The reason being? I had supposedly leaked out information.
Carlo then threw me into a basement and tried every method to torture a confession out of me to avenge Gemma. I begged him repeatedly to just kill me, but he refused with a sneer. Instead, he promised to make me suffer until the moment I die.
He cracked my bones piece by piece, then soaked me in salt water.
I endured that pain for three years.
In the end, my corpse was dumped into the sea.
But what I found laughable was that at the moment my soul was fading away, I saw Gemma return in all her glory. She didn’t die at all. Instead, she had become the new Donna of the Moreno Family.
They put on a public display for the media, feigning a reunion after a tragic love story and reveling in everyone’s blessings. Meanwhile, I was just the foolish sacrificial lamb in their tale of love.
Now, I was given a second chance in life. I was determined to live for myself and stay far away from Carlo.
In the middle of all the laughter, I quietly turned and went upstairs.
Back in my tiny attic room that wasn’t even fit for a servant, I took off the dress that was never fit for my frame.
Everyone said I was Carlo’s most loyal hound. Whenever something happened to him, I would be the first to rush in.
Carlo had complained about my voice being nothing but noise that had given him headaches while he was dealing with the Family’s messy firearms business accounts, so I played the role of a mute. I stayed up through several nights and sorted out those mishandled accounts without making a sound.
He had once said that he would grant a wish for whoever managed to solve this problem for him. In my last life, I handed him the accounts and asked him to celebrate my birthday with me.
Instead, he handed my work straight to Gemma so she could shine in front of Don Vinnie. Then, he took her to Attania for a vacation.
And me? He sent me to clean up a mess after a shootout.
I barely made it out alive after getting shot in the stomach. I almost didn’t make it as I lay on the operating table.
I never wanted to experience the feeling of being exploited to the point of having nothing left in me ever again.
I need to escape from Carlo’s side, and I need to do it now.
Chapter 2
I pulled out my duffel bag and quickly packed up my few belongings.
Suddenly, Carlo kicked the door open in anger. Seeing the bag by my feet, he sneered and kicked it over.
I frowned and glared at him. “What’s your problem?”
“I should be asking you that, Rosa! Are you pulling that same trick again? You didn’t die last time you jumped into the river, so where are you planning to go this time? Are you going to send another suicide note again?”
Carlo was breathing hard, his expression twisted with contempt.
“Don’t bother, Rosa. Even if you’re not sick of threatening me with suicide, I am!”
I bent down and stuffed my old clothes back into the bag, then shot back at him, “Who said I’m going to kill myself?”
If people as cold-blooded and brutal as him and Gemma could thrive in life, why should I lie down and die when I had a rare second chance in life?
Carlo snorted, silent, the disdain in his eyes almost spilling over.
Gemma followed him in and spoke up at just the right moment.
“Rosa, you should have spoken to Carlo if you wanted to eat at the table. You two grew up together, so he won’t really stop you from eating at the table forever. But suicide? You’ll get some pity the first time you try it, but more than that, and no one will believe you anymore.”
Her words were just as venomous as ever. Carlo’s eyes on me filled with even more disgust.
Then, I remembered something.
On my coming-of-age day, Carlo had announced in front of everyone that he would only ever marry a Principessa like Gemma. I was so heartbroken that I drank too much and accidentally fell into the villa’s man-made river.
This was enough to alert Don Vinnie.
He berated Carlo harshly and ordered Carlo to distance himself from Gemma, reminding him of the debt he owed my father.
Carlo started to hate me then, humiliating me every chance he had. Gemma’s friends also targeted and harassed me. Carlo never lifted a finger to stop them despite seeing the harassment himself.
I looked Carlo in the eye and explained, “You’re thinking too much. I never planned to die. I’m packing up because I’m moving back to my place.”
Carlo scoffed, not buying the excuse I came up with at all.
Gemma tugged on his sleeve and said, “Why don’t you let her stay? It’s so sad for her to be out there alone on her own.”
Carlo frowned, looking like he might actually give in.
I spoke up again. “It’s fine. I’m going home.”
Carlo’s handsome face turned cold in an instant, and he sneered, “Hear that? She wants to go home!”
“Don’t be so stubborn now,” Gemma said with a sigh as she walked over, reaching for my hand.
Her sharp diamond ring jabbed hard into my palm from an angle that was hidden from view, and that was enough to make me yank my hand away in pain.
Gemma stumbled back a few steps and struck the wall. She held her arm, eyes instantly red with tears as she stared at me in disbelief.
“Rosa, you…”
“How dare you hurt her!” Carlo roared.
He immediately grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall. The back of my head hit the wall so hard that my vision almost went black from the pain. All I could hear was him roaring in rage.
“Touch her again, and I’ll throw you into the basement! You’re just a filthy street rat from the slums! Even the air smells disgusting when a lowlife like you is around!”
I leaned against the wall to stop myself from falling despite the dizziness I was feeling.
“I’ll be out of here soon. Don’t worry.”
“And you better scram now!” Carlo growled.
Chapter 3
Carlo was bottling all his anger in his chest as he glared at me, before finally scooping Gemma off the floor and leaving without looking back.
Ha! He wanted to throw me into the basement already? We did have some good memories together, didn’t we?
I remembered things between Carlo and me weren’t this bad when I was sixteen. I liked to shadow him wherever he went because I knew about the engagement between us and how we would become a family.
Once, he took me along to handle some family business, and we ran into an ambush from a rival family. He shielded me and took a knife to the back. It was cut so deeply that his bone was exposed. I was terrified and burst into tears, but he turned around and comforted me, saying it didn’t hurt at all.
Back then, he was the type of man who would risk his life to protect me.
Now, he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me or yell at me for another woman.
But
None of that mattered anymore.
Once Don Vinnie came back, I could finally end this ridiculous engagement.
I looked at the butler walking toward me, and said with a hoarse voice, “Can you call the family doctor in? My head’s bleeding, and I think I have a concussion.”
The old butler looked at me with pity, but he just shook his head in the end and walked away.
Soon, a maid walked over with a dog bowl filled with leftovers from the kitchen.
“Mr. Carlo’s orders, Ms. Shaw. Here’s your dinner,” she said, shooting me a look of contempt before leaving.
I stared at the so-called dinner that was worse than animal feed, and my stomach churned.
Don Vinnie was rarely here throughout the year, and Carlo was the one who was calling the shots in this place. He had said it more than once that I wasn’t part of the Gutierrez Family, and my life had nothing to do with him.
That was why everyone kept their distance from me. While he treated me like any other underling and sent me to handle dangerous family business, no one would care if I got hurt from it. I had to drag myself out to see a doctor to get my wounds treated.
But I was already used to it.
I cleaned my wound as best I could and packed everything up. The servants just watched coldly as I carried my things back and forth.
That night, I hauled all my luggage back to a rundown apartment building in the slums. This was where I was going to stay for the time being. Once I saved enough and severed the engagement, I would leave this city for good and leave everything behind.
It hadn’t even been two days since I left the Gutierrez Family when Carlo called, giving out orders.
“Where are you? Handle the shipment at Warehouse Three right now.”
I knew exactly what he meant. These were all jobs that I had handled so far, but I didn’t want to do it anymore.
“I’m not going.”
Carlo was stunned. Even his underling, who was reporting to him, fell silent.
I repeated myself, but no one was answering me. Just when I was about to hang up, Carlo’s voice came through. I could tell the anger that was bubbling underneath it.
“Come again, Rosa?”
I closed the job site on my phone and brought my phone closer.
“I said, I’m not going to handle your business anymore. Didn’t you call me a filthy street rat? That I pollute the air around you? That’s why I left. Get someone else.”
He was so angry that all he could manage was to laugh coldly.
“You’re growing a backbone, huh? Bold enough to defy me now? Did you forget how you used to shadow me like a dog? You’re leaving, right? Fine. Get out and stay far away! Stay out of my territory for good and never come back! I dare you! Don’t think you can get my attention by pulling this stunt! I’m warning you… If you lay a finger on Gemma again, I’ll throw you in the ocean and feed you to the fish!”
Throw me in the ocean?
My knuckles turned white as I squeezed my phone. It took me a while to find my voice again.
Meanwhile, Carlo simply thought I was scared and kept mocking me.
“What, scared now? These childish games will only make me look down on you even more. Go handle the business at the harbor and apologize to Gemma, then I’ll pretend nothing happened.”
I took a deep breath and said slowly, “Carlo, I’m not going to the warehouse, and I won’t apologize to Gemma. I’m leaving your territory for good.”
With that, I immediately hung up.
Chapter 4
I quickly had my eyes on a job at a library.
The pay wasn’t great, but it was enough for me. Best of all, the library was in the next city, squarely on the Perez Family’s territory.
In my last life, having a job of my own was all I had wanted. Now, just the thought of it filled me with hope as I boarded the bus for a new start.
Luckily, the interview went smoothly, and I was officially hired.
I worked hard to familiarize myself with the position, feeling a peace I had never known before. Finally breaking free from Carlo made me giddy.
But just as I was about to change into my uniform, Carlo called again. The second I answered, his commanding voice roared through the line.
“Rosa, where are you?!”
The good mood I had just disappeared in an instant. “What do you want?”
Carlo’s voice was cold as he demanded, “So, you’re not really trying to leave. You’re just trying to bring my grandfather back to force me! I won’t let you have your way.”
When I returned to the villa owned by the Gutierrez Family, the mood was suffocating. Don Vinnie was there, his expression icy. Carlo Gutierrez glared at me in anger while Gemma stood to the side, sobbing like she was the victim. Neither of them dared to let loose their emotions with Don Vinnie around, so they had no choice but to bottle them up.
I walked in with a calm expression.
When Carlow saw me, he let out a mocking smile.
“Oh, you’re finally back? You’re getting more and more proficient in this, Rosa. Never expected you to drag the old-timer out to force the marriage.”
Carlo said his piece, then grabbed Gemma and walked away without looking back.
I acted like I hadn’t even seen them and went straight to Don Vinnie, bowing deeply to him.
This was the man my father had died to protect.
Last time, when he heard Carlo had locked me up, he sent his men to rescue me. But by then, the Gutierrez Family had already fallen under Carlo’s complete control. His people never even made it through the villa’s gates.
I never blamed him, though.
I only blamed myself for loving the wrong person.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me all these years, boss. Carlo and I We really aren’t right for each other. He has someone he loves, and I don’t want to be involved in his mess anymore. It’s better for both of us to let go now than to end up hating each other later. So, I would like to ask for our engagement to be annulled,” I said gently.
Don Vinnie’s face darkened, his eyes filled with various emotions. “Did Carlo force you to say that, Rosa?”
I shook my head.
With that weight finally off my shoulders, I felt lighter than I had in years.
Before leaving, I went up to the attic to pick up the only photo my mother had left me, but Gemma was blocking the stairs.
“Rosa, can you give Carlo back to me? I’m pregnant with his child. The baby needs a father.”
She looked at me with red eyes, acting so fragile.
I frowned, trying to step around her.
Suddenly, Gemma flashed a twisted smile and slid a knife out of her sleeve. She grabbed my wrist, forced the handle into my hand, and then slashed her own arm with the blade.
“Ah! Help! You’ve gone mad, Rosa! You’re trying to kill me?! It hurts! No! Save my baby!” Gemma screamed as she collapsed on the floor, blood pouring from her arm and pooling beneath her.
Carlo came running when he heard the noise. When he saw what supposedly happened, his fury exploded. He rushed over, pulled Gemma behind him, and kicked me hard in the chest.
I flew backward, tumbling down the stairs.
“Rosa! Are you mad? How dare you hurt Gamma?! People always say you were heartless. I never believed it until I saw it with my own eyes now! What do you have to say for yourself? If it weren’t for you, Gemma and I would’ve been married by now! Why do you always have to ruin everything for us?”
Don Vinnie moved from the dining hall toward the commotion when he heard it. When Gemma saw him, she only cried louder, clutching her stomach.
Carlo pointed at me, his voice full of hatred. “Grandpa! I don’t care what you say! I will never marry this vicious woman!”
Pain crushed my chest, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.
I looked at Carlo, his face twisted with self-righteous anger, like he was some tragic hero fighting off a forced marriage.
I suddenly let out a chuckle as I tossed the knife at his feet.
“Enough with the drama! I’ll make this clear… Starting today, you’re not my fiance anymore! I’ve just dumped you!”
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