Zahra covers her mouth in surprise, her beautiful eyes widened, her eyelashes fluttering like Papilio Ulysses wings in spring. Ansaldo used to love these eyes so profoundly that every time Zahra looked him in the eye and asked him to do something, he never said No.

Ansaldo is kneeling on one knee, holding a red velvet box of a diamond ring, and smiling. The crowd around was tumultuous. The ladies cannot hide their admiration, whispering words of envy to each other. The elegant men smiled fakely, secretly looking at the couple in the spotlight.

Ansaldo once thought this was the most beautiful moment of his life when the woman he loves says "Yes" and lets him put on a ring worth billions of dollars on her finger. But right now, he feels like everything around him is so tacky. Whether it is Zhara's heavy makeup face or the influential, wealthy people standing around, they all make Ansaldo nauseous.

For a mere moment, he doesn't understand what is going on. Ansaldo was dead. He was killed by the woman he is proposing to. He can recall exactly every single detail of that horrifying wedding like watching a slow-motion movie. He remembers standing at the podium, waiting for his bride to come down the aisle. Zahra showed up, not in her father's arms, but in a young man's. She had a gun in her hand, lifted it gently, and aimed it straight at him.

"Goodbye, Ansaldo." She whispered.

She stood there, the sun shining from behind her back was so bright that Ansaldo couldn't see her face. Before he could comprehend anything, an echoing gunshot shattered the air. Ansaldo's chest feels wet. He looked down and saw his white shirt had been stained with a dazzling red.

Screaming, swearing, chairs being pulled down, every sound at that moment seemed to echo from somewhere far away. The scene reeled, everything blurred. A soft arm caught Ansaldo's body when it was about to fall to the floor. He smelled the familiar scent of matcha green tea. Scarlett's favourite perfume.

"Ansaldo?", Scarlett shivered. "Ansaldo, stay with me, please. Someone is getting help, you have to stay with me."

Ansaldo frowned. He never saw Scarlett this scared. She is a powerful, independent woman, the leader of the Feline Brothers. Her gang is his family's arch-enemy. Scarlett is not scared. Yet now Ansaldo feels her tears falling down his face.

"Ansaldo, I love you, stay with me...", Scarlett tried to not crack her voice.

Ansaldo suddenly wanted to laugh. Scarlett loved him? This was either a joke or he was being illusional.

"I must be looking like a real clown right now", Ansaldo thought to himself and lost consciousness.

The next time he opens his eyes, Ansaldo finds himself proposing to Zahra. This is a magnificent ballroom, the beautiful lights are focusing on the two of them. The crowd dressing in evening gowns standing around is full of exclamations of delight. Zahra looks down at Ansaldo from above like a haughty queen, even though she is pretending to be surprised, her face is still so heartwarmingly beautiful. Everything is the same as the marriage proposal Ansaldo held for Zahra two years ago.

"Yes", said Zahra. She holds out her hand to Ansaldo.

His smile becomes brighter. He slowly puts the ring onto Zahra's hand and kisses it gently before standing up. Applause resounds throughout the hall. Everyone sends their best regards and congratulations on their tying the knot. Zahra looks very happy.

Ansaldo leans towards Zahra, his face looks quite pale.

"Darling, I'm going to the restroom."

"Alright", she looks at him. "Be quick, everyone will want to toast."

Ansaldo turns around and walks quickly to the door. On the way, countless times he is stopped by people coming to shake hands and say congratulations. He keeps his standard smile until he exits the room and leaves all the lavish behind the door.

Ansaldo is standing in front of a mirror in a private bathroom. He splashes water on his face and looks straight at the eyes in the reflection. Only Ansaldo knows he is shaking right now. Didn't he just... die? Didn't Zahra shoot him in the chest? What is going on? Ansaldo remembers dying, yet he can feel his heart jolting in his chest. He is very much alive.

He reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a black cell phone. This is his old phone from two years ago. He slowly unlocks it with his fingerprint. The screen lights up, showing the time clearly in front of his eyes: 20h17', September 19th, 2009.

It doesn't take long for Ansaldo to realize that he, heir to the biggest mafia clan of the European underworld, has resurrected. As a young leader from a dangerous family, growing up in a dangerous environment and encountering Death almost every day for the past 23 years, Ansaldo does not surprise that he could have been dead. What catches him off guard is that the culprit of his death is his beloved Zahra, his supposed-to-be spouse.

Ansaldo wants to throw up, but his time is tight. He cannot stay in the restroom for too long before people start asking questions. He needs to get back to the ballroom and perform this ridiculous play as if nothing was wrong. He will think about this tonight when he's alone. Ansaldo picks up the phone, and sends a text, "I need detailed documentation on Zahra Berger. Keep it discreet." Then he straightens up, takes a deep breath at his reflection in the mirror, and turns to leave the room.

The hallway is lined with a soft, wine-red carpet, and the walls are hung with abstract art paintings that Ansaldo does not understand. The light from the wall lamp system covers his beautiful statue-like body with a faint golden colour. No one would have guessed that this man had just been betrayed by his lover, killed at his own wedding, and then resurrected in his own body two years earlier.

Ansaldo grabs the gold-encrusted doorknob, about to push open the heavy door of the ballroom.

"Congratulations, monsieur. I wish Lady Berger won't become a widow anytime soon."

A sarcastic voice rings out. Ansaldo can feel the scent of matcha green tea in the air. He turns around. Scarlett is standing there in a glamorous red dress. She leans against the spiral staircase behind her, one bare shoulder in the dark. The warm light falls upon the sparkling wine glass in her hand - the hand that had just trembled pressed down on Ansaldo's chest to stop the bleeding.

Ansaldo's gaze moves upward and stops on her half-oriental, sharp-featured face. Scarlett is a hybrid of East-West, she is a ruthless leader, and her Feline Brothers gang has made the D'Errico family miserable many times. In business, Scarlett plays fair, but every time she sees Ansaldo, she becomes a little childish and always scoffs at him. It is as if teasing Ansaldo was an elegant pleasure that pleases her.

"I don't think Lady Berger would mourn if she ever did." Ansaldo laughs.

Scarlett looks at him in astonishment, as if she is trying to understand the meaning behind this joke.

But Ansaldo does not wait for her to say anything more, he suddenly withdraws his smile and slowly approaches her. He bents down, and the fresh scent of matcha becomes stronger.

Ansaldo's cold lips draw near Scarlett's cheek, and he whispers, "Don't let your father come to auction tomorrow. It's a trap."

Then he immediately straightens himself, takes two steps back like a proper gentleman, and finally turns and opens the door into the crowded ballroom.

Scarlett freezes in the hallway. She still seems to feel his breath brushing past her ear, and the scent of his burnt wood perfume lingering in the air. For a brief second, Scarlett thinks her heart skipped a beat.

---

Credit on Chapter 1 Cover: Samantha Gades on Unsplash.