Chapter 1

George Costa’s words hit me suddenly. A sharp pain pierced my heart, making it hard for me to breathe.

He was still on the phone. On the other end of the line, the person paused for a brief second before speaking up again. “Well, you’re the true heir to the Costa mafia family for a reason. A woman with Annie’s incredible background, and she’s nothing more than practice to you. You know exactly what kind of power the Alfonso mafia family wields here in Solaria. The empire her father commands is basically going to be hers one day.”

George let out a casual, indifferent chuckle. “Being with me is a privilege for Annie, too.”

The person on the line quickly chimed in. “But even though Annie has those gorgeous features, her figure isn’t nearly as voluptuous as Julie’s. Honestly, you’re the one getting shortchanged here.”

George’s voice turned a fraction colder. “I must have lost my mind for a second back then. She looked so incredibly pathetic and helpless that it caught my attention. At the family council meeting that day, she was sitting right across from me. Her hand was shaking so badly she could barely hold her wine glass, yet she was desperately trying to play it cool in front of all those senior members. It was actually a little endearing.”

The man laughed out loud. “I never would have guessed Annie had a side like that. But seriously, you’ve got some charm. Even a girl like Annie is throwing herself at you. She’s been obsessed with you for years, so I guess she finally got her wish.”

At that, they both burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, I stood there, biting my lip, trembling all over. It took every ounce of strength I possessed just to keep my legs from buckling as I listened to the rest of their conversation.

So, that was the truth. The way he had waited for me in the parking garage last night, whispering all those sweet nothings, was all a cold, calculated setup. He knew exactly how much I loved him and that I was most easily swayed.

Suddenly, George started to turn around. Terrified of being caught, I sprinted toward the nearest stairwell, ducking in there to hide. Before I even realized it, tears were streaming down my face.

Their conversation kept looping in my mind like a twisted curse, destroying me from the inside out. I had trusted George with everything. It was because of that absolute trust that I had given myself to him, holding nothing back.

My father had warned me that the Costa family boy operated in the shadows and had a mind far too deep, telling me never to lay all my cards on the table. He said that for people born into our world, talking out of both sides of your mouth was pure survival instinct. To give our hearts to someone like that was the equivalent of handing them a loaded gun pointed directly at our heads.

However, I hadn’t listened. I foolishly believed that because we grew up in the same environment, surrounded by gunfire, blood, and lies since childhood, we would at least be fiercely honest with each other. Yet in the end, I was nothing more than a stepping stone to him.

I lost track of how long I cried in that dim stairwell. When I finally checked my phone, I saw a text from George.

[I’m heading out. I need to go down to the docks tonight to oversee a major shipment.]

Looking at the message on the screen, I chuckled bitterly.

A moment later, another text popped up.

[By the way, don’t forget to get the morning-after pill. Once this crazy week is over, I promise I’ll spend some quality time together. Be good.]

There it was again. “Be good.”

Whenever he looked at me, those were the words he used the most. He told me to be good and not ask about his business dealings. He told me to be good and not pry into who Julie was. He told me to be good and keep whatever was happening between us a complete secret from my father.

I stared at George’s contact name and fell silent. The intimate memories of last night were still fresh in my mind. I could still perfectly recall him whispering gently in my ear with his arms around me, “I wasn’t fully prepared this time, sweetheart. I’ll get the pill for you tomorrow.”

I even remembered how he explained the health risks of not taking it. Last night, I was drowning in happiness, but looking back now, it was nothing short of pathetic.

I wiped the tears from my face, composed myself, and finally stepped out of the stairwell.

I didn’t dare go to any of the major pharmacies in the city, terrified that someone would recognize me. The elite circle in Solaria was incredibly small. If word got out that the heiress of the Alfonso family was buying that kind of pill, the gossip would spread to every powerful family within twenty-four hours, and my father’s reputation would be ruined.

Eventually, I tracked down a run-down, obscure little pharmacy at the very edge of town, bought the pill, and snuck back home to take it.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I stared at the faint, bruising love bites visible on my neck. In an instant, a suffocating ache squeezed my heart.

I had loved George for a very long time. Ever since I first laid eyes on him at the sixteenth-birthday party my father held for me, I hadn’t been able to look away. He had been standing directly behind his father back then, a concealed pistol tucked neatly beneath his tailored suit jacket. He had turned around and flashed me a devastating smile, and I had carried the memory of that smile for years.

From that day forward, I followed him wherever he went. When he started taking over his family’s mafia business, I begged my father to let me get involved in our own family operations just so I would have a legitimate excuse to see him. However, today, I felt tired.

Unnoticed, the sky outside had darkened. Suddenly, my best friend Sophie called.

“Annie, why aren’t you at the Costa family banquet tonight? Your father has been looking all over the venue for you, and he looks absolutely furious. That Julie girl is here too. Apparently, George invited her personally. She’s basically glued to his side.”

With that, Sophie sent over a photo.