☆Chapter 40:The Suitors’ Suicide Mission☆

"Another one?" Matteo's voice echoed through the grand hall, laced with pure disbelief.

"That's the fifth today." Lucian's jaw clenched, his knuckles turning white as he tossed another velvet envelope onto the growing pile.

"Correction." Nonno walked in with his usual smug grin, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. "That's the sixth. The fifth was the prince from Spain."

Silence.

"What?" Lucian's eyes widened.

"A prince?!" Matteo snapped, grabbing the envelope and scanning it. "Who the hell sends a marriage proposal through a handwritten letter?! This isn't the 1800s!"

"Apparently, it is," Nonno chuckled, amused by their reactions.

☆☆☆

Ever since Seraphina's extravagant debut, the marriage proposals started flooding in.

Princes. CEOs. Politicians. Mafia heirs.

Men of power and influence, all vying for Seraphina's hand in marriage.

Day 1: The King of Monaco sent a diamond tiara and a proposal.

Day 2: A Russian oligarch offered a fleet of yachts and a private island.

Day 3: The heir to the Japanese Yakuza sent an ancient katana as a sign of his devotion.

Day 4: A famous Hollywood actor even offered to retire from acting for her.

"This is insane," Lucian muttered, pacing back and forth. "Sera's only 18!"

"They don't care." Matteo gritted his teeth. "They just want to secure power by marrying into the De Luca family."

And then there was Lorenzo.

The calm before the storm.

The ticking time bomb.

He hadn't said a word.

Not. A. Single. Word.

But his icy aura was suffocating.

Sitting at his desk, Lorenzo's fingers tapped rhythmically against the mahogany surface.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A marriage contract sat before him, untouched.

A proposal from a prominent mafia family.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Sir?" Lucian called softly, but Lorenzo didn't look up.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Boss?" Matteo tried, but there was no response.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Lorenzo…" Nonno finally spoke, walking in with his usual calm demeanor.

Lorenzo lifted his gaze, his cold, piercing eyes meeting Nonno's.

"Burn them all."

Dead silence.

"Excuse me?" Matteo blinked.

"The proposals."Lorenzo's voice was cold, detached.

"Burn them."

"All of them?" Lucian asked carefully.

Lorenzo's jaw tightened.

"Every. Single. One."

☆☆☆

While chaos unfolded downstairs, Seraphina sat with Nonno in the library, sipping tea.

"Marriage proposals, huh?" Seraphina sighed, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"It was bound to happen, bambina." Nonno chuckled, watching her with amusement. "You're the future of the De Luca family. Every man in power wants a piece of that."

"A piece?" Seraphina raised a brow. "I'm not a damn pie, Nonno."

Nonno grinned.

"You're much more valuable than that."

"And that's exactly the problem." Seraphina leaned back, her expression thoughtful.

"What are you thinking?" Nonno asked, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

"I don't want to marry for power, Nonno."

"Then don't."

Seraphina's brows furrowed.

"But—"

"Sera." Nonno's voice softened, his eyes filled with warmth. "You're a De Luca. You hold the power. Don't ever let anyone make you think otherwise."

"But what if they keep pushing?"

"Then you push back harder."

"So… what should I do?" Seraphina asked, her tone laced with frustration.

Nonno smirked, his mischievous eyes twinkling.

"Give them a taste of their own medicine."

"What do you mean?"

"Make them beg for your rejection."

Seraphina's eyes widened, her lips curling into a grin.

"You're evil, Nonno."

"You learned from the best."

Seraphina laughed, her mood instantly lifting.

"Alright. I'll play their game. But on my terms."

"That's my girl." Nonno raised his glass.

☆☆☆

Meanwhile, Downstairs…

Lorenzo stood in front of the roaring fireplace, watching the pile of proposals go up in flames.

Matteo stood beside him, arms crossed.

"You know this won't stop them, right?" Matteo murmured.

Lorenzo's jaw clenched, his eyes never leaving the flames.

"Let them come," he whispered coldly.

"And when they do…"

A sinister smirk tugged at his lips.

"They'll wish they hadn't."

☆☆☆

Lucian stood a few feet away, watching the flames with conflicted emotions.

Marrying Seraphina?

The thought had never crossed his mind.

Not because she wasn't the most amazing person he'd ever met.

But because…

He didn't want to trap her.

Seraphina deserved to choose her own path.

And if that path led her away from him…

He would protect her choice.

Even if it broke him.

☆☆☆

"Alright, Nonno." Seraphina stood, her confidence radiating through her every move.

"Time to show them that a De Luca doesn't get pushed around."

Nonno's grin widened.

"Atta girl."

And with that…

The game had just begun.