Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Night Before the Wedding, He Wanted a Different Bride: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

"Elena!"Consigliere Luca's voice pulled me back.He placed a parchment document on the ebony desk in front of me, sealed with wax stamped with the family's golden crest."The Council of Elders approved your marriage application unanimously. Welcome to the Gambino family, officially.""After all these years, he's finally giving you the title you deserve. Congratulations, child."My eyes locked onto that crest—the symbol of ultimate power. And when I saw the date, I froze.I had been reborn.In my past life, I'd been overjoyed at this moment, thinking I would finally stand beside him, sharing his power and glory.But that very night, Vincent's call came.He asked me to give it all up—the wedding, the title—to his first love, Sofia.A sharp ring from the internal phone shattered my memory.Luca answered immediately, his posture respectful. "Don, yes, the documents have been delivered... Miss Elena is right here."He covered the receiver, nodded at me, and lowered his voice. "It's the Don

I opened the desk drawer and started writing my formal declaration of severance from the family.Early the next morning, I walked into Consigliere Luca's office with the signed document."Elena, have a seat." Uncle Luca was smoking a cigar. He gestured for me to sit. "The Elders have already signed off on the ceremony changes. The family will give you appropriate compensation—""Uncle Luca, I don't want compensation." I placed the parchment on his wide mahogany desk. "I'm here because I need you to stamp this with the family seal."Uncle Luca put down his cigar, picked up the document, and scanned it."Declaration of severance?!" He shot up from his chair, the leather swivel bumping into the bookcase behind him with a dull thud. "Elena, you're leaving the family? You're leaving Vincent?!"In a world where blood and loyalty were the iron law, voluntarily severing ties with the core family was practically a declaration of war—an act of betrayal.And the family I was leaving happened to b

Vincent spent the whole night at the private hospital with Sofia and her son. By the time he dragged his exhausted body back to the villa, it was morning.He pushed open the door expecting to find me waiting with a hot breakfast, the way I always did—caving in, as usual.Instead, the place was cold and empty.On the dining table, last night's steak had congealed into dark grease. The wine in the glasses had gone sour.And right in the middle of that cold, leftover mess lay a declaration of annulment and a Cartier bracelet."Elena, you've really got some nerve now!" Vincent yanked at his collar in irritation, dropped onto the couch, lit a cigar, and settled in to wait—ready to give me a piece of his mind.But he waited all day, and I never showed.The next day was when he was supposed to take Sofia and her son to the harbor villa to get them settled.Sofia had already packed her things and was waiting by the curb with Louis.When she saw Vincent's car pull up, she rushed over, her eyes

Without Vincent's protection, Sofia couldn't keep up her fancy lifestyle at the harbor villa. Before long, she and her son Louis slunk out of that wealthy neighborhood with their tails between their legs.A month later, Vincent was back at the harbor to handle some paperwork for the family's properties there.That evening, he happened to pass through a narrow alley near the docks—and caught a voice he recognized.It was Sofia. But the tone—flirtatious, sleazy—was nothing like he'd ever heard from her.Vincent frowned and stopped in his tracks.He followed the sound and saw Sofia leaning against a wall with some lowlife. They were standing close, way too intimate.Sofia patted the guy's chest and cooed, "Oh, what's the rush? Vincent just got into trouble—I need to lay low for a while. Let things cool off first."The punk grabbed her waist, planted a kiss on her cheek, and grinned. "Cool off? Screw that. I've missed you like crazy. That idiot had no idea you were playing him the whole ti

Not a few days later, he showed up again, still refusing to take no for an answer."Elena, just look at me..." His voice was thick with begging, almost cracking into a sob. "I really know I was wrong. These past two years have been hell for me. I think about your coffee every day. I think about you sitting by the fireplace reading..."He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box, flipped it open—and there it was, the same Cartier bracelet he'd never given me back then."See? I still have the bracelet from our engagement. Elena, can we start over? Sofia's gone—I got rid of her! There's no one in the way anymore. Please, just give me one chance to make it up to you?"He looked at me, hope hanging on his face."Vincent." I looked down at him from where I stood. "You still don't get it. The problem between us was never Sofia."He froze. "Then what was it?""Your arrogance. Your selfishness. And the way you always, deep down, looked down on me."My smile faded, my eyes turning s