My Mafia Fiancé Chose His Childhood Sweetheart Over Me, But I Am the Principessa

My mafia fiancé and I had planned to watch the World Cup together in the United States. But on the day of departure, I waited at the airport for three hours, and Giovanni never showed up. It was only when night fell that my phone finally rang. "Sorry, Bianca," he said, his tone as casual as ever. "I forgot to tell you. Carina was so excited to watch the World Cup, she couldn't sleep last night. So I took her ahead. We just landed." He paused for a moment. "You can make your own way here. We'll see you at the stadium tomorrow." I stood frozen. I had been looking forward to this World Cup for so long. We were supposed to take our wedding photos in Hawaii after the match. Yet with a single casual word from his childhood sweetheart, I was left behind. He had no idea that I had even turned down two major deals worth hundreds of millions just to be with him. After a long silence, I let out a soft laugh. "I don't want to go anymore. You two have fun." The next day, I came across Carina's social media post. In the photo, she stood arm in arm with Giovanni beside Messi, both of them smiling brightly. The caption read: "Thanks to Giovanni for getting me a photo with Messi! You never miss any important moment in my life." I calmly liked the post, then made a phone call. "Cancel the wedding in two weeks." I was done with this relationship. Time to go back to being a principessa. Chapter 1 It wasn't until three days before the wedding that Giovanni and Carina finally returned to Switzerland. His cousin and some friends had gathered at the estate for a small welcome-back gathering. Carina walked into the estate carrying a suitcase full of gifts. Almost everyone received something like premium cigars, aged red wine, limited-edition pocket watches. Except me. As she unpacked her luggage, she smiled and said, "These are the pink gem earrings Giovanni picked out for me. They are amazing." She shot a smug glance in my direction before picking up a pearl necklace. "And this one too. He said pearls just make me look so elegant." Then she carefully took out a jersey that Messi had signed on it. Her eyes curved in delight. "Giovanni pulled so many strings just so I could get his autograph. Without him, I never would have gotten this close to my idol in my lifetime." It reminded me of last year, when I had asked Giovanni to get me an invitation to an art exhibition sponsored by his distant uncle. I had something important to take care of there. But he told me the tickets were sold out and there was nothing he could do. "Don't worry," he said, patting my head. "It's just a casual art exhibition. Nothing important." Compared to Messi, this was nothing. So he simply hadn't been willing to put in the effort for me. At that moment, Giovanni's cousin spoke up with a smile. "By the way, Giovanni, didn't you bring anything for Bianca?" Giovanni replied naturally, without a hint of unease. "Bianca has never liked these little trinkets. No point wasting money." I lowered my eyes and gave a quiet laugh. So buying me a gift was a waste of money. "True," his cousin nodded, his words pointed. "Bianca has always been like that, as if there's nothing she really likes. Yet Carina always loved these fun new things since she was little." Giovanni's family and friends had never really liked me. They thought I was too cold, that I didn't know how to please them. Unlike Carina, who had grown up around them, knew how to act cute, and spoke as sweetly as a nightingale. More importantly, they saw me as a useless person. If it weren't for our campus romance in university, an ordinary girl like me would never have made it to the engagement with him. Giovanni was an Italian-American heir to the powerful and rising Vitale crime family. He was one of the strongest contenders to become the next Don. They had only tolerated me because of his insistence. Carina often threatened me in private: "You don't belong in this mafia family. You'll be eaten alive, bones and all. So behave yourself." But in front of the others, she was always delicate and pitiful. So every time Carina and I had a conflict, their expressions turned impatient, as if they were one second away from feeding me to the sharks. At first, Giovanni always stood by my side. When I was wronged, he would speak up for me and defend me in front of everyone. He would fly halfway across Europe just to buy a glass handicraft I had mentioned in passing, and even gave me his kitten he had raised for three years. He once held my hand and told me, "Bianca, I was the one who pulled you into our world, so I will spare no effort to protect you." Back then, he truly put me first. So no matter how much prejudice and ridicule I faced, I stayed firmly by his side. But at some point, he began to accept Carina's coquettish behavior as normal. He accepted his family's bias against me. And he accepted that every time someone was wronged, it was me. Everyone raised their glasses, laughing and chatting, as if I was an outsider who had wandered in by mistake. I said quietly, "Giovanni, about the wedding in three days, there's something I want to..." "Giovanni!" Carina suddenly cried out. While unwrapping a gift, she had pricked her fingertip on a brooch. A tiny bead of bright red blood appeared. Giovanni rushed over at once. "Don't move." He took her hand and examined the wound carefully. The servants immediately brought the first-aid kit. "Quick, stop the bleeding." In an instant, everyone crowded around her, disinfecting the cut and offering comfort as if she had suffered a grave injury. I became invisible again. Chapter 2 After a while, I turned and left the estate. It was only when the sky grew dark that my phone rang. It was Giovanni. "Bianca, why did you leave so suddenly? What were you trying to say earlier about the wedding?" I gazed at the distant lights along the street. My voice was soft. "Nothing. You should take care of Carina. She's hurt." Giovanni chuckled indulgently. "She's still in some pain. Still as delicate as when she was little." Then, as if remembering something, he added, "You wanted to discuss the wedding, right? Just let Carina handle it. She's great at these things. She'll make it beautiful." "But I..." He had already hung up. Never mind. He would find out soon enough. All afternoon, my phone kept buzzing. Carina was constantly posting photos in the family group chat. In them, she wore a white gown, Giovanni stood beside her in a suit, smiling at each other by the Hawaiian seaside like a real couple. "Bianca, Giovanni originally planned to shoot the wedding photos with you. But since you didn't show up, and we brought the dress and suit all this way, it would be a waste not to use them, so I borrowed them for a few shots." Everyone praised how lovely she looked. Giovanni even replied, "Very beautiful. It suits you perfectly." He seemed to have forgotten that the wedding gown was one he had personally designed at nineteen. He also had held my hand and made a solemn promise, "Bianca, on the day we get married, I want everyone to know that you will be the happiest bride in the world." Now that same gown was on Carina, and he said it suited her perfectly. Carina tagged me again, "Bianca, you don't mind, do you?" What could I say? That I minded? I had minded before. Two years ago, when Carina set her eyes on the cat Giovanni had given me and cried until she got her way, everyone sided with her. They called me petty and said I should be more understanding because she had lost her parents. Even Giovanni had urged me, "It's just a cat. I'll get you another one later. Can't you be a little more patient with her?" Yes, I was supposed to yield. Then I'd yield my fiancé to her too. My phone buzzed with a message. "Bianca, I've got you a VIP box for the World Cup. See you in three days." I typed back: "Okay." Giovanni wouldn't take me, but I had never needed to beg for someone who would. That evening, I returned to the family estate. Giovanni was still there. The moment he saw me walk through the door, he approached carrying two elegantly wrapped gift boxes. "Bianca. These are the favor gifts for the wedding. Carina got them from that old shop in Palermo. They're custom-made. I tried one earlier, and it was excellent." As he spoke, he unwrapped a piece of nougat and held it to my lips. Without thinking, I took a bite. The next second, the taste hit my tongue and my expression changed. I immediately spat it out. Giovanni paused, startled. "You don't like it?" I lifted my gaze to meet his. "It contains almonds." "What's wrong with almonds?" He frowned slightly, looking genuinely confused. I simply stared at him in silence. I am severely allergic to almonds. I had eaten them by mistake once and ended up with a high fever, unconscious for two days. The person who had stayed by my bedside the entire time was Giovanni. Now, he had forgotten. Carina suddenly looked as if she remembered something. Her eyes turned red in an instant. "I'm so sorry, Bianca. I forgot about your almond allergy. It's all my fault." Only then did Giovanni freeze. Yet the first person he comforted was still Carina. "It's okay." He gently patted her shoulder. Only afterward did he turn to me. "Bianca, these favors are meant for the guests anyway. Carina spent an entire month preparing for this wedding. Don't disappoint her." "Okay." I gave a slight nod, and headed upstairs without arguments. Because I knew this wedding would never take place. Chapter 3 It wasn't long before Giovanni pushed open the door to my room. "Bianca. There's something I need to discuss with you." He paused for a moment before speaking. "Carina wants to go to an auction. The timing conflicts with our wedding. So..." "The wedding is off." I cut in calmly. "What?" Giovanni clearly didn't follow. He explained with forced patience, "What I'm saying is, the auction starts in the morning. I'll take her there first. You can wait for me at the estate. I'll be back before noon, I promise." I looked at him quietly. Finally, I couldn't hold back the question. "Giovanni, is our wedding really less important than an auction?" "That auction only happens once a year," he said flatly. "And there's an emerald ring being auctioned that Carina has wanted since she was a child." I let out a soft hum of acknowledgment. Then I lifted my head and met his eyes. "Giovanni...let's call off the wedding." Giovanni thought I was just throwing a tantrum. He pulled a photograph from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and held it out to me. "You've always wanted to meet Messi, right? I managed to get his autograph for you this time." He reached out and gently ruffled my hair, just like he used to when comforting me. "Happy now, amore?" I glanced down at the photo. The signature on the back was genuine. But I didn't take it. "Not really." I pushed the photo back toward him. "Giovanni, I've always liked Ronaldo." There was a time when he remembered everything, what I liked, what I hated, who I wanted to meet. But at some point, that changed. Now he remembered what sweets Carina liked, what jewelry she preferred, which race car driver she admired. His world had slowly been filled by someone else. "Bianca," Giovanni rubbed his brow, his voice tinged with impatience. "Can't you learn from Carina? No matter what I give her, she accepts it happily. She never nitpicks." I let out a soft laugh. "If she's that perfect, then you should get married to her instead." "Bianca!" Giovanni cut me off sharply. "Why do you always have to make things difficult? I deal with so many family matters every day. How am I supposed to remember every little thing about you? Ronaldo and Messi, aren't they basically the same?" I looked at him and shook my head gently. "They're not the same." Before I could finish, Carina's tearful voice came from outside the door. "Giovanni, my wound seems to be acting up again. Could you take me to the hospital?" "Coming." Giovanni barely hesitated before turning and walking out. Watching his retreating figure, I finished the sentence in my heart. Ronaldo and Messi were obviously different. Just like Carina and I had never been the same. Half an hour later, my neck started itching. Soon, a fine rash spread from my collarbone up to the side of my face, and my breathing grew labored. I grabbed my coat and went downstairs. The sprawling estate was empty. Everyone had gone with Carina to the private hospital. I hailed a car by myself and headed there too. After getting the antihistamine medication, the nurse told me to start an IV drip. As I walked down the hallway, familiar figures came into view. Giovanni was kneeling on one knee in front of Carina, carefully bandaging the wound on her hand. Uncle stood nearby and patted her shoulder gently. "It's okay, don't be scared. Just bear with it a little longer and the pain will pass." Carina spotted me first. Her eyes lit up and she waved at me with a smile. "Bianca! What are you doing at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?" I was about to speak when Giovanni's cousin jumped in. "What could possibly be wrong with Bianca? She's just worried about you and came to check on you." Giovanni nodded faintly. "She's always been strong. Is this for Carina?" He casually took the medicine bag from my hand. He glanced at the packaging and handed it straight to Carina, his voice softening as he coaxed her. "Look, Bianca cares about you so much. She even came all this way to bring you medicine." That was my medicine. The rash had already spread to the corners of my eyes. The itching was so bad I could barely keep them open. Couldn't they see that? Chapter 4 Uncle looked at Carina with deep affection. "You really must be more careful from now on. Your parents sacrificed themselves for the family. If anything happened to you, how could we face them in heaven?" Giovanni added in a low voice, "Your skin is especially delicate. Don't let it get wet for the next few days." I finally couldn't take it anymore. "Giovanni, I didn't come to see her. These are allergy meds. Can't you tell?" Giovanni paused, then finally looked up at me properly. His gaze landed on the rash covering my face, and his expression shifted. "You had an allergic reaction?" He handed the medicine bag back to me. "Sorry, I didn't notice earlier. Once I'm done here with Carina, I'll come over and sit with you." I took the bag and walked into the infusion room. The nurse inserted the IV and frowned deeply at the rash on my face. "Miss, your allergy is already quite severe. Didn't anyone come with you?" "They had something to take care of." I said quietly. The nurse sighed. "You should have come in sooner, and with someone accompanying you. If you'd waited any longer, your breathing could have been in danger." I gave a small, bitter smile. Through the glass door, I saw Giovanni helping Carina out of the hospital. He gently ruffled her hair, his voice impossibly tender. "All better now, little crybaby. Let's go get some dinner. The doctor said you can only have light food until the wound heals." Uncle shook his head with a chuckle. "Giovanni, you really do spoil her. One day she'll be completely spoiled rotten." Giovanni laughed softly. "Even if she is, it's fine. I'll always be here to clean up the mess." Carina smiled and clung to his arm. "I knew it. Giovanni is the one who loves me the most." Their voices faded into the distance. I looked away, a sour ache rising in my throat. By the time the final bag finished dripping, Giovanni still hadn't appeared. As I left the hospital, my phone vibrated. It was a message from him. "Sorry, Bianca. I took Carina to dinner and forgot you were still at the hospital. Is your allergy better? If you're feeling okay, just head back to the estate by yourself." He had forgotten again. How many times was this now? Soon another message came in. "By the way, Carina says it's bad luck to see each other before the wedding. I won't come over these next few days. See you at the wedding in three days." "There is no future for us anymore, Giovanni." I answered silently in my heart. Three days later. The entire estate was empty from early morning. A message from Giovanni lit up my phone. "Bianca, we all went with Carina to the auction. I've arranged a car for you. Go ahead and get ready for the wedding. We'll be there before noon." Two cars waited outside the estate gate, one black sedan arranged by Giovanni, the other a Rolls-Royce. Without hesitation, I walked straight toward the Rolls-Royce. Meanwhile, at the underground auction. Carina was excitedly bidding on items, raising her paddle again and again. Giovanni, however, remained distracted. He glanced down at his phone. The chat window still showed his last message. Bianca hadn't replied. For some reason, a vague sense of unease crept into his chest. Had she made it to the church yet? Was she angry about skipping the traditional pickup ceremony today? Just then, his friends called. "Giovanni, where the hell is your wedding? We're at the church, but there's no one here." Giovanni frowned. "I'm running a little late. Bianca went ahead. Try calling her." "We can't reach her! Her phone's been off the whole time!" Giovanni's heart dropped. Seconds later, someone shouted on the other end. "Giovanni, we just asked the priest. He says there's no wedding scheduled here today!" Giovanni immediately shot to his feet and bolted out, ignoring Carina’s attempts to hold him back. Carina’s face twisted and she rushed to follow him. By the time Giovanni arrived, Vitale family guests had begun gathering outside. Everyone stood there, looking confused. The priest stood at the entrance, repeatedly explaining to the crowd. "I'm sorry, but there's no wedding taking place at the church today." "That's impossible," Giovanni said. "You must have made a mistake. We booked this date a month ago." "Sir, there was indeed a reservation for today," the priest replied, checking his records. "But it was canceled two weeks ago." "Canceled? Who canceled it?" "The name is Bianca, the same young lady who made the original booking." Giovanni stood frozen in place.