The Stalker’s Gambit

Meanwhile, his mother used her family's influence to remain in the main house.

With his adult consciousness intact since birth, Rocco could fully grasp the cold treatment he received.

The scornful eyes and cold attitudes of the staff that was assigned to the annex nearly broke him many times.

Still, he managed to survive by desperately currying the favor of others.

Looking back, he felt he deserved some praise for hanging on.

Rocco was very careful every time he interacted with the servants and the family members who lived in the annex.

He always maintained a calm demeanor, exuding a quiet composure befitting a mafia child, and never acted spoiled.

He stuck to this behavior consistently for several years.

He'd occasionally present flowers he picked from the garden or make a point to greet people warmly when he passing by.

These small and diligent efforts yielded surprising results.

In fact, they worked far too well.

It might sound vague, but hear this: the success was overwhelming.

The servants began preparing Rocco's hidden favorite sweets every day, and the guards at the annex would smile and wave enthusiastically whenever they saw him.

Whenever intruders made their way onto the property and tried to attack him, the guards would spring into action with terrifying fury, leaving no one standing.

At the very least, Rocco had successfully avoided the scenario in the original story, where even the annex staff despised him.

On the surface, he now enjoyed a peaceful, privileged life as the son of a wealthy family—aside from the occasional assassin.

Having successfully escaped the worst-case scenario, Rocco resolved to keep up the good work and perhaps even grow closer to his father and brother.

…Or not.

The idea of interacting with mafia figures terrified him.

He wanted no part of it, even if he was technically one of them.

Rocco had refrained from being a brat and had become a quiet, obedient second son.

The future in which he was killed for being an insufferable child had almost certainly been averted.

His current wish?

To be quietly ignored and left alone—a scenario he hoped would lead to his personal happy ending.

But life doesn't always go as planned.

Inevitably, the time came when Rocco had to interact with his terrifying mafia father and brother.

That moment arrived on his sixth birthday.

Unaware that her schemes would lead to a disastrous ending, Rocco's mother, as always, began to concocting foolish plans that would ultimately backfire.

This marked the beginning of the story's next chapter.

At the start of the story, the first major event is clear: the downfall of Rocco and his mother, Layla, the obsessive stalker.

Layla sets the stage for their removal by trying to secure the Di Malvento family and her beloved husband for herself.

And what is her plan?

Her plan is to make her son, Rocco, the heir of the family, instead of his older half-brother, Sylas, who is the rightful heir and the main protagonist of the story.