

This is the ninth year Dante and I have honored the Month of No Masters. The Corinni family's heir apparent believes this will make our relationship last longer. For one month after our dating anniversary each year, he is free, and we stay out of each other's lives. If either of us finds someone more suitable, we are to wish them well. If not, we go back to the way things were after a month. Around me, the men of the family are spraying champagne with abandon. "To another year of freedom! Congratulations to our Underboss on reclaiming his bachelor status!" "The family betting pool is open! Place your bets on the left if you think they'll still get married, and on the right if you think it's over for good!" Through the hazy cigar smoke, I sat on the corner of a leather sofa, a cold observer, as if this whole farce had nothing to do with me. Dante's hand was curled around Scarlett's waist as he brushed past me, whispering, "Don't get any ideas. You'll always be my only Donna." "I'm a kite. No matter how far I fly, the string is always in your hand." I pressed my cold fingers against the gentle swell of my belly, my expression a blank mask. Dante, this time at the family's betting table, I'm putting my money on "the end." I'm going to vanish from your world completely. That kite string you're so proud of? Tonight, I'm cutting it myself.

In the 21st century, Nobel Prize winner Blaire Elliott extracted a key element from meadow fescue that advanced modern medicine. Unfortunately, she was struck by lightning and found herself in the body of another Blaire Elliott—a notorious troublemaker living in a rural village in the 1980s. The bully had done countless wicked deeds, yet her family still adored her unconditionally. Furious at her predecessor's waste of affection, Blaire swore to use her medical skills to lead her new family to prosperity.

Xandra Quinn has only ever had her grades. So when school heartthrob Robert Miller confesses publicly, she shocks everyone by saying yes. She knows it's a trap set by her jealous rival Amelia Moore, but why refuse? Xandra stops studying, openly wasting time with Robert, while Amelia celebrates her "victory." What she doesn't know—Xandra already has a Harbard offer. On exam day, Amelia mocks her, only to find Xandra revealed as the national top scorer—with a perfect score.