Chapter 3

My father’s men arrived quickly.

Half an hour later, Dante and I returned to the Marino estate.

I had been gone for three years, but almost nothing had changed.

My father did not come out to greet me.

I knew he was still angry about what I had done.

The butler led us to the study.

When we entered, my father was standing by the window. He heard our footsteps but did not turn around.

“So you finally decided to come home?”

I stopped in front of his desk.

“Dad.”

He turned and looked me over.

“Don’t be so quick to call me that.”

“Three years ago, you ran from your engagement to Dante. You removed the heir’s insignia with your own hands and abandoned the entire family.”

“For Ryan, you hid your identity and even refused to use the Marino name.”

He looked at me without any softness in his eyes.

“Now that he has betrayed you, you’ve come back because you want the family to protect you?”

“Someone who refuses to carry the family’s responsibilities has no right to become its heir. This family is not a place you can leave and return to whenever you please.”

I could not deny a single word he said.

Three years ago, I believed leaving the family meant freedom.

For Ryan, I gave up my identity and rejected everything my father had arranged for me. I only wanted to live as an ordinary woman.

In the end, the man I chose treated me as property and handed me over to another man.

I raised my head.

“I admit I was wrong.”

My father stared at me coldly.

“What good does admitting it do?”

“I didn’t come back to ask you to protect me.”

I met his eyes.

“I came back to reclaim everything I gave up, including my responsibilities as heir.”

The study fell silent for several seconds.

My father looked at Dante.

“What about your engagement to Dante?”

“I’m willing to honor it again.”

My father did not agree immediately.

“The engagement does not concern you alone. You ran away for three years. If you want it restored, Dante must be willing too.”

Dante had not spoken since we entered.

Only then did he answer.

“The Leone family does not need a marriage alliance. I agreed three years ago because I chose her. That has not changed.”

My father remained silent for a moment.

Then he picked up a file from his desk and tossed it in front of me.

“The engagement can be restored. But you must prove that you deserve to inherit this family.”

I opened the file.

It contained information about the port logistics contract the Marino family was preparing to award.

Every company that had reached the final review was on the shortlist.

“This is your test if you want your position as heir back,” my father said. “Review every company and choose the final partner.”

I turned through the pages.

It did not take long to find Ryan’s company.

I picked up a pen and crossed out its name.

My father raised an eyebrow.

“You just came back, and you’re already settling old scores?”

“This isn’t personal.”

I removed Ryan’s company file from the stack.

“Ryan has massive gambling debts. He has been embezzling company funds for a long time to keep the business running.”

“He falsified the financial records he submitted to the Marino family. His real cash flow dried up months ago.”

“For the past six months, he has also been paying Vincent under the table through Sophia’s father. He wanted Vincent to use the Leone family’s influence to get him an introduction for the contract.”

My father’s expression darkened.

I continued.

“Last night, he even tried to trade me to Dante for a chance at the contract. A man who can trade away his own fiancée is not someone the Marino family can trust.”

My father did not question me again.

Over the next week, I returned to the family business.

During the day, I reviewed the contract files. At night, I handled reports from each territory.

On the third day, two shipments went missing from the east warehouse.

The manager blamed the dockworkers. I pulled six months of inventory records and found evidence that same night that he had been reselling cargo under the table.

On the fifth day, the dockworkers’ union suddenly demanded higher rates.

Several senior family members wanted to compromise. I changed the shipping route instead.

Less than twenty-four hours later, the union returned to the negotiating table on its own.

At first, some people believed I had only returned temporarily because a man had broken my heart.

One week later, no one at the conference table questioned my decisions.

My father placed the final review results in front of me.

“You passed.”

“Tomorrow night, we’re holding a contract award banquet. You will announce the chosen company yourself.”

After speaking, he opened the safe behind him.

Inside was the heir’s insignia I had removed three years ago.

“Tomorrow night, I will also formally restore your position as the Marino family’s sole heir.”

At the same time, Ryan received notice that his company had been rejected.

He stared at the email as his expression grew darker.

“Why were we rejected? This was the company’s last chance!”

Sophia pulled out an invitation.

“Don’t worry, darling. The Marino family is holding a contract award banquet tomorrow night.”

“Once we meet the person who made the decision, we’ll still have a chance.”