Chapter 3

In my arms was a maid's uniform. Black skirt, white apron.

I looked up, staring at Darius in disbelief. "You want me to wear this to the birthday party?"

"This isn't just clothes." Darius's voice was calm. "You wear this tonight, and it means you're stepping out of the succession fight. You're backing Bianca."

He paused and gave me a once-over. "At least this way, you won't steal Bianca's spotlight tonight."

So in his eyes, this was already the perfect compromise.

My chest tightened, my fingers digging into the uniform.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you in advance." Darius pulled a crest from his inner pocket, one engraved with the Falcone family emblem. This was the badge of the heir's personal guard, but Bianca's name was carved into it.

"Starting tonight, I'll be Bianca's personal guard." Darius pinned the crest to his chest. "My gun and my blood will be loyal to Bianca from now on."

I froze.

Darius used to have the same crest once. Mine was the name on it.

When I was sixteen, after he rescued me from the kidnappers, he swore in front of the Don. He said he would protect me with his life, forever.

Now the person he would protect with his life had become Bianca.

Out of the three, Darius was the last one to turn to her. When Leon and Enzo drifted away, Darius's arms were my final refuge. I had prayed so many times in church, begging that he wouldn't leave me like the other two.

In the end, he pulled away more completely than anyone.

"The final part of the birthday banquet is the oath ceremony." Darius continued. "You'll need to swear in front of everyone too. As Bianca's personal attendant."

I almost thought I'd misheard.

"You want me to dress like a maid and swear loyalty to her?"

"It's just a formality."

"A formality?" I held up the uniform. "I will never trample my own dignity like this!"

"Elena, this is for your own good." Darius's brow lowered. "This is the only way you'll still have a place in this family!"

Even now, he still seemed to think I should be grateful for his arrangement.

I stared at him for a few seconds, then pulled with both hands.

The fabric ripped in my grip.

Darius's face went dark. He pulled out a radio and muttered a few words.

Moments later, the lounge door swung open. Bianca stood in front, Leon and Enzo right behind her.

Leon glanced at the torn uniform on the floor, then his gaze landed on me. "What are you causing now?"

"I'm not causing anything." I threw the torn dress to the ground. "I'm just refusing to be Bianca's attendant."

Leon let out a cold snort.

Enzo stood beside him, eyes like ice. "This is the family giving you a chance, Elena. I'd suggest you know when to take it."

I ignored them and looked straight at Bianca. "So this is why you invited me?"

Bianca walked up to me, her heel deliberately pressing down on my hem. She clutched her chest, her voice soft and frail. "Elena, you're misunderstanding me. I just wanted you to come to my party."

Her heel stayed on my dress as she spoke.

A faint tearing sound came from my feet.

I stared at her. "Move your foot."

She stepped half a pace closer and whispered, just low enough for me to hear, "Watch your tone. I'm the Falcone heir."

I bent down and yanked my hem back.

The fabric tore. Bianca lost her balance, let out a gasp, and fell backward.

Darius lunged forward and caught her smoothly.

The next second, Enzo twisted my arm behind my back, and Leon grabbed my shoulder, slamming me face-down against the vanity. My forehead hit the tabletop, pain shooting through me so hard my vision went dark.

When Leon's hand pressed down, I caught a glimpse of the pale scar on his palm. The one he got three years ago, protecting me.

Enzo's hold was still sharp and precise, just like the night he shielded me through that alley shootout a year ago.

But this time, they did it for Bianca.

Darius's furious voice crashed down from above.

"How much longer are you going to keep this up?"

"You actually dared to hurt Bianca right in front of us. Elena, I am so done with you!"