My Second Life to Tame the Don.

My sister and I were betrothed to the twin sons of the O'Sullivan family.

In my past life, Celeste, desperate to secure her position, chose the eldest son, Cade—the powerful and feared heir to the family. But his brutality and coldness turned her marriage into a living hell. His frequent, savage beatings left her bruised and in constant agony.

I was married to the younger son, Vincent. On the surface, he was frail and sickly, but he treated me with a tenderness that belied his fragile appearance. But it was Vincent, a serpent in disguise, who patiently feigned weakness until he could eliminate his own brother and seize the title of Don.

On the day I became the new Donna, she murdered me in a fit of jealousy, poisoning me with her own hands.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that fateful night.

This time, Celeste eagerly seized Vincent's hand.

I watched her, a cold, knowing smile playing on my lips.

Did she really think Vincent was a harmless lamb?

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1

In the drawing room of the O'Sullivan estate, a lavish crystal chandelier cast a cold, sharp light.

The family’s matriarch, Donna Regina, approached Celeste and me with her twin sons, Cade and Vincent.

"These are my sons. Choose one." Her voice was glacial, as if she were appraising livestock.

I snapped my head up.

On the left was Cade, powerfully built with a glacial expression, the family's recognized Underboss and future Don.

On the right was Vincent, slightly built with a pale complexion, who had been frail and sickly since childhood due to a heart condition.

I had to look twice to be certain they were truly standing before me. This was no dream.

I had been reborn, returned to the day Celeste and I were to choose our husbands.

Without a moment's hesitation, Celeste reached out and clasped Vincent's hand, her eyes filled with a deliberate tenderness.

"Vincent, from now on, I'm yours," she cooed, shooting me a provocative glance over her shoulder.

In that moment, I knew she had been reborn too.

Our family had served the O'Sullivans for generations, and we were sent to marry into their ranks to cement the alliance.

In our past life, she coveted the power of the Donna and had unhesitatingly chosen the formidable Cade.

She didn’t know that Cade was incapable of love, his capacity for affection supplanted by a savage temper. No matter how she tried to please him, her only reward was his brutal fists.

Meanwhile, I married the outwardly gentle and considerate Vincent, who treated me like a queen. He took me to all sorts of lavish parties and important family meetings. Later, with cunning and intellect, he eliminated Cade and seized the title of Don.

I became the Donna of the O'Sullivan family, wielding supreme power.

Consumed by jealousy, Celeste laced the perfume in my room with poison. I'll never forget the look in her eyes—cold and venomous.

"Aria, you think being the Donna makes you untouchable? I'm going to kill you today!"

With my last ounce of strength, I pulled out the dagger I always carried and took her down with me.

But fate had other plans, sending us both back to the beginning.

Seeing her grab Vincent's hand, I calmly strode toward Cade.

"Then my choice is Cade."

Soon after, a priest conducted a simple ceremony for us in the family's small chapel.

During the ceremony, Vincent was everything Celeste could have wished for, doting on her meticulously—one moment arranging her train, the next adjusting a stray strand of her hair.

Cade, on the other hand, looked utterly impatient, barely glancing at me. He just wanted the whole damn process over with.

Seeing me so thoroughly ignored, Celeste was practically glowing with glee. After the ceremony, she pulled Vincent over to flaunt him in front of me.

"Aria, if you can't win your husband's heart, you won't last long in a family where weakness is a death sentence," she purred.

I glanced at Vincent. The look he gave my sister was one of sickeningly sweet devotion. It was then that I noticed the custom watch on his wrist.

I instinctively took a step back, my heart hammering as a chill shot down my spine.

Only I knew that on the side of the watch face was an intricate mechanism. With a light press, a sharp blade would pop out. In my past life, whenever I was disobedient, he loved to use that blade to slice my skin and watch the blood bead on the surface.

I suppressed my terror and plastered an impeccable smile on my face.

"Don't worry about me, Celeste. Just take care of yourself," I said, turning to leave.

Even though it was a memory from a past life, my body still trembled.

Celeste thought she had found the perfect husband, but she had no idea what she'd truly snared.

I would rather face the brutal Cade than ever again be in the clutches of that serpent Vincent.