After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's Aunt-in-Law

She didn’t feel defeated by the news of the engagement. An engagement was just a temporary ring. They weren’t married yet. There was still plenty of time to orchestrate a reunion.

After all, men never truly knew what they wanted until they saw it resting in the hands of another man, right? Once Damien saw the radiant, powerful Vittoria again, he would instantly realize how utterly pathetic and cheap his little actress wife truly was.

”That is... wonderful,” Diana lied smoothly, forcing a tight smile. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. ”Tell me, Vittoria. When was the last time you spoke to Damien?”

Vittoria paused, taking a slow sip of her black coffee. The warm, affectionate glow faded from her eyes, replaced by a subtle, guarded shadow.

”It has been years,” Vittoria admitted, her manicured nails tapping a quiet, rhythmic beat against the porcelain cup. ”We only crossed paths once since the breakup. A brief, polite greeting at a business summit in London about four years ago.”

She lowered her gaze, staring into the dark liquid of her coffee.

”To be honest, Diana, things ended on very bad terms between us,” Vittoria confessed softly. ”We were young, we wanted different things, and we were both entirely too focused on our own futures. But I have grown. And I would very much like for us to be friends again.”

Vittoria looked back up, her dark eyes clear and pragmatic.

”That is actually part of the reason I made a recent acquisition,” Vittoria explained. ”My fiancé expressed interest in a specific production company for his next film, so I purchased fifty percent of Vale Entertainment for him.”

Diana’s eyebrows shot up.

”But I also knew,” Vittoria continued, ”that the company belonged to Damien’s new wife’s family. I assumed Damien would eventually be interested in securing the remaining shares. I hoped holding the other half of the board would serve as a professional olive branch. A way to open a dialogue and reconcile our past.”

Diana couldn’t suppress the massive, shark-like grin that split her face.

It was perfect. It was a literal golden ticket handed to her on a silver platter. Vittoria had effectively bought half of Aria’s family’s company, meaning she had immense leverage.

But when Vittoria looked up, Diana instantly dropped the grin, smoothing her features into a mask of deep, empathetic sincerity.

Diana reached across the table, placing her hand gently over Vittoria’s.

”Vittoria,” Diana whispered, her voice dropping into a solemn, convincing register. ”You don’t need an olive branch. Damien wishes to reconcile with you as well. He misses your intellect. He told me so himself.”

Vittoria’s perfectly arched brows shot up. A flicker of genuine surprise, followed by a tiny, hopeful glint, sparked in her dark eyes. ”Really?”

”Yes,” Diana nodded emphatically. ”In fact, you should come for dinner tonight. At the penthouse. It would be the perfect surprise for him.”

Vittoria smiled, gently withdrawing her hand from Diana’s grasp.

”I appreciate the invitation, Diana, truly,” Vittoria said politely. ”But I must apologize. I cannot tonight. Mateo and I already have dinner plans with the studio executives. Perhaps next time?” ℯℯ𝑙.

Diana hid her bitter, crushing disappointment behind a tight, flawless smile. ”Of course. Next time.”

They shifted the conversation, exchanging trivial small talk over exquisite lemon puddings and Earl Grey tea. Diana masterfully kept her annoyance buried, plotting her next angle of attack.

”Oh, by the way,” Vittoria said, dabbing her lips with a linen napkin. ”How is Lucas doing?”

Diana froze.

’Lucas?’ Diana thought, staring blankly at the Italian billionaire. ’Who on earth is Lucas?’

For three solid, quiet seconds, Diana genuinely had no idea who the woman was talking about.

And then, it hit her.

’Oh right. My son!’

”He is... he is wonderful!” Diana recovered flawlessly, waving a dismissive hand as if she hadn’t just forgotten her own child’s existence. ”He’s starring in a new film. Very busy. Very talented.”

”I’m glad to hear it,” Vittoria smiled, checking her sleek Cartier wristwatch. ”You know, if he is ever looking for international work, you should have him send his reel to my office. I could put a word in for him with Mateo. Mateo is always looking for fresh, American talent for his European projects.”

Diana literally could not care less about Lucas’s acting career, but the opportunity to brag to the other country club socialites that her son was working with a famous Italian director was too good to pass up.

”That is so generous of you, Vittoria,” Diana beamed. ”I will absolutely let him know. He will be thrilled.”

Diana had never actually seen a single minute of any movie or show Lucas had ever been in, so she had no idea if he was actually good at his job, but at least now the boy couldn’t whine that she had never done anything to support his career.

Vittoria stood up, smoothing the pristine lines of her white linen suit.

”I am so sorry to cut this short, Diana, but I have a board meeting to attend,” Vittoria said, picking up her bag. ”We should absolutely do this again soon. It was lovely catching up.”

”It was,” Diana smiled warmly.

She watched Vittoria glide out of the café, turning heads with her effortless, commanding presence.

The second the glass doors swung shut behind the Italian millionaire, the warm smile instantly slid off Diana’s face.

She sat alone at the table, her dark eyes narrowing as she stared at her empty teacup.

Vittoria was settling for an idiot director. Damien was married to a cheap, gold-digging D-list actress. They were both trapped with people who did not deserve them. They were both entirely blinded by their current, pathetic circumstances.

If Diana didn’t know better, she would’ve thought Aria and this Mateo person were co-conspirators in ruining the most perfect match in the world. She won’t allow it!

”Don’t worry,” Diana whispered to herself. ”I’ll fix this. I’ll fix both of you.”