Chapter 3

I bent down and picked up the wet garment bag. I unzipped it. Inside was a red dress.

It wasn't a dress. It was a cheap maid's costume. The kind you find in a sex shop. The neckline plunged to her navel and the skirt was a postage stamp. The polyester felt like sandpaper against my frozen skin.

Tommy grinned, his voice oozing superiority. "Boss says this is your last chance. Put this on, go to Gia’s send-off party for Paris Fashion Week tonight, and serve drinks. You do a good job, maybe your bank accounts get unfrozen tomorrow. He'll even save you a seat at the wedding, so you can watch from the audience."

He paused, a vicious glint in his eye. "It's a huge honor, Miss Oriana. Other girls would kill for this opportunity."

The blizzard whipped at my face, stinging like a thousand tiny knives. My body was shaking from the cold, but my back was ramrod straight.

My voice was a blade against the wind, sharp and clear. "You tell Maximo to go to hell."

Tommy's face darkened. "You ungrateful bitch!"

He waved his hand. Two massive bodyguards jumped out of the car. "You want to do this the hard way? Fine."

They grabbed my arms, twisting them behind my back.

"Let me go!"

I struggled, but after two hours in the snow, I was too weak.

Tommy shoved the muddy maid outfit into my arms. "Maximo's orders. You're wearing this one way or another."

He shoved me violently toward the car. "Get in!"

I was forced into the back seat. The door slammed shut like the lid of a coffin.

The Escalade sped through the blizzard. The driver had the AC blasting, turning the car into an icebox. I was soaked to the bone, my teeth chattering so hard my jaw ached. My lips were purple.

Tommy sat in the passenger seat, glancing back at me, his face smug. "Why make it so hard, Miss Oriana? A woman just has to be a little obedient in bed, and she can have anything. You go against the boss, and you're the only one who suffers."

I closed my eyes, refusing to engage with this scum.

One thought echoed in my mind: Maximo, you will pay for tonight.

Half an hour later, the car stopped behind a luxury casino hotel. The door was ripped open.

"Get out!"

I was shoved out of the car, nearly falling. Through the glass of the back entrance, I could see the glittering party inside.

In the main hall, Maximo was with Gia, laughing with the city's elite. Gia was wearing a priceless Chanel gown, and my "Heart of Sicily" ring sparkled on her hand under the lights. She clung to Maximo's arm, blooming like a flower. Maximo was in a custom Armani suit, handsome and charming.

They looked so perfect together. So happy. Like I never existed.

Maximo saw me being dragged in. He excused himself and strode toward me. He looked at the muddy maid outfit in my hands and frowned.

"Why do you look like such a mess?" He took off his own cashmere coat, trying to drape it over my shoulders, his voice full of that same fake concern. "Oriana, you're just too stubborn. If you'd just listen, I'd never let you suffer like this."

Nausea rose in my throat. I turned away from his touch. "Don't touch me."

Maximo's face went dark. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then cornered me.

"That's enough, Oriana." He grabbed my chin, squeezing so hard I could barely breathe. "Go change. Now. Be Gia's waitress. This is your last chance."

I struggled, but his grip was a vise. "I won't serve anyone. Especially not his whore."

A dangerous light flashed in Maximo's eyes. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled something out.

My heart stopped.

It was a gold cross necklace. Engraved with my family's crest. The only thing my mother ever gave me.

"Recognize this?" He dangled it in front of my face, like bait for a caged animal. "Your mother gave it to you. Right before she died. You never took it off. Not until I told you it was tacky."

He smirked, his fingers tracing the cross.

"Maximo! Give it back!" I lunged for it.

He held it high, his eyes cold.

"Be the waitress, and you get it back. Otherwise, I melt it down. Right now."