Guess Wrong, Die Again

In the fifth year of my marriage to Don Viktor Santiago, both of his mistresses became pregnant.

He ordered me to ensure their well-being. If anything went wrong, my family would pay the price.

This was my third lifetime, and my third time facing this mission.

In the first life, everyone said he was deeply in love with Vivian Cross. I took Vivian to the hospital for a check-up, and sure enough, she was pregnant. I poured my soul into caring for her until she went into labor, but before I could even prove my worth to Viktor, his Soldati dragged me away. After seven long days of torture, I bled to death.

Before I died, a Soldato told me that the person Viktor truly loved wasn't Vivian at all. Because I had wasted my efforts on the wrong woman, his real love and their child had bled out on the operating table.

In the second life, I learned my lesson and personally tailed him. I saw Viktor place his most prized watch on Luna Hayes's wrist. I acted decisively, assigning a hundred bodyguards to her around the clock and even stooping to serve her personally. But on the day Luna gave birth, Viktor flew into a rage, shot me through the temple, and then gouged out my eyes.

"If you can't even tell who the right person is, then those eyes of yours are useless!"

"My sweetheart and my child are dead. Now you can go to hell and answer for it!"

Recalling the gruesome ways I'd died in my past two lives, I grew dizzy, nearly crushed by a tidal wave of rage and confusion.

If it wasn't Luna, then who could it possibly be?

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1

When I didn't answer, Viktor Santiago's already thin patience finally snapped.

He pulled the custom Beretta from his waistband, expertly loaded it, and slammed it onto the table with a heavy thud.

"Lana, I'm talking to you. If your ears have gone deaf, I don't mind ripping them off and getting you a new pair."

"Don't forget your place. If you lose this last shred of usefulness, your family can go to hell with you."

Rage burned in my gut, but I had no right to let it show.

I could only swallow my anger and feign fragility, hoping to counter his cruelty with weakness.

"Viktor, you're being too harsh. Your mistresses are pregnant, and I'm your wife. Can you blame me for being upset?"

"Look, you've scared me so much my heart has almost stopped…"

I truly couldn't figure out who the woman was, so I had to fish for clues.

I reached for the gun, but before my fingers could even brush the cold steel, he snatched it away.

"Don't play games with me. This is a transaction. Don't tell me you were stupid enough to develop feelings for me?"

"If I didn't need a target to draw the enemy's fire, did you think I would have married you?"

"Save the performance for when we're in public. In this house, you'd better know your place."

My eyes reddened, tears instantly streaming down my face. I took off my coat, about to inch closer to him, when he kicked me squarely in the abdomen.

"Get away from me. The sight of you makes me sick."

"Did you hear what I said? I only give my orders once."

I cursed him under my breath. Seduction was useless on him.

But I couldn't directly ask him who he wanted me to protect, either.

First, although this mansion was guarded by Soldati twenty-four hours a day, there was no guarantee it wasn't bugged by rival families. Viktor was pathologically cautious; he never spoke of important matters at home, refusing to expose a single weakness.

Second, if I asked now, it would be an admission that I hadn't been listening. The consequence of angering him was, again, a death sentence.

I wiped my tears, looked up with red-rimmed eyes, and asked tentatively,

"Alright, I understand. I'll arrange for two nannies and a detail of twenty Soldati to protect Vivian. If she runs into any danger, the detail will handle it, and her daily needs will be seen to."

Viktor was fiddling with a new silencer, not even lifting his head, utterly uninterested.

"Mm."

I was confused. If Vivian wasn't the one, why agree to my arrangements?

The next second, he spoke again. "And then?"

"And then… I'll send four nannies to look after Luna. She appears with you in public more often, so her risk is higher. I'll put fifty Soldati on her detail. Is that acceptable?"

He nodded nonchalantly. "You handle it."

Then he added, "But Vivian has always been frail; she absolutely cannot have any accidents. Resources are limited, so you'd better think carefully about how to allocate them."

"And keep it quiet. No one outside the family finds out."

Hearing these contradictory statements, identical to my last life, I nearly broke down.

He was so obviously favoring Vivian, yet she wasn't the "sweetheart."

Just as I was about to indirectly ask if he had a new lover, his phone rang.

At the sight of the caller ID, the frost on his features thawed into a rare gentleness.

As the call connected, Vivian's delicate voice floated through. "Viktor, am I bothering you? I have some good news to tell you!"

Viktor wore a faint, indulgent smile, but his words were chillingly cold. "I'm busy. We'll talk when I'm done."

Vivian immediately pouted. "How can you refuse me, Viktor? Have you found someone new?"