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Chapter 2

Autor: Cookie
The day after I was discharged from the hospital, I went to the vet to pick up Luna's vaccination records.

Luna was a stray cat our group had rescued the first time we all hung out.

It was pouring rain that day, and she was hiding in an old storm drain.

I was the only one who crawled in and got her out.

Afterward, we agreed to adopt her together.

Allen would buy her food, Leo would bathe her, and Damon would play with her.

But within a month, one by one, they'd all forgotten their promises.

When Luna got sick, I was the one who took her to the vet.

When she shed, I was the one who brushed her.

Every month, the bills for Luna's food, parasite treatments, and insurance came out of my account.

The vet handed me the records.

"Are you taking her abroad?"

"No."

I didn't know whether my parents and brother would be okay with me bringing a pet.

I'd planned to leave Luna with someone I could trust.

But when I returned to the estate, Vera was holding her and picking out a collar.

The three men were gathered around her, and the floor was covered with brand-new cat beds and toys.

"Perfect timing, Eva."

Allen slipped the vaccination records from my hand.

"Vera's new apartment feels too empty, so we figured Luna could keep her company."

I looked at Damon.

"When did you all decide this?"

"Last night." He didn't even look at me.

"Did I ever say I was giving her to you?"

The living room went quiet.

Vera tightened her grip on Luna, and her eyes reddened.

"If Eva doesn't want to part with her, forget it.

"It's fine if I live by myself. I just might get a little scared at night."

Allen frowned at once.

"Don't overthink it. Eva isn't saying she won't let you have Luna."

Leo picked up a pair of scissors and cut the old tag off Luna's collar.

It had my name and number engraved on it.

"She's going with Vera now. It'll be easier if the tag has Vera's number."

Luna meowed several times and struggled to reach me.

My heart twisted.

"Luna's shy around strangers. If you suddenly move her to a new place, she'll get stressed."

Damon slid the pet carrier over to Vera's feet.

"It's just a cat. I'll have someone get you a purebred Maine Coon later. Let Vera have Luna. Vera likes her.

"Besides, you're always saying that having a cat means being responsible. You can't stop Luna from keeping someone else company just because she's attached to you."

They said it as if it were obvious, as if I were the selfish one.

Vera put Luna in the carrier.

Luna began yowling and clawing at the carrier door over and over.

I was about to crouch beside her when Damon stepped in front of me.

"Stop comforting her. The more you respond, the more she'll depend on you."

He knew Luna was afraid of enclosed spaces.

When I took her to be spayed, she cried in the carrier the entire way.

Damon had felt so bad for her that he kept asking me to pull over and swore he'd never put her through that again.

Now Luna's meows were hoarse, but Damon only cared about reassuring Vera.

"She'll warm up to you soon. Don't worry."

Allen sent me a list.

Luna's food brand, parasite treatment schedule, and insurance renewal dates were all laid out neatly.

"You know all this better than anyone. Don't stop now."

"Vera just started working. She doesn't have any money yet. You're still covering the costs."

I stared at him.

"She gets the cat, and I pay for everything?"

Allen's face darkened.

"We're all friends. You don't have to keep score.

"Weren't you the one who said you'd be responsible for Luna? What are you getting so worked up about?"

I almost laughed.

So they did remember my promise.

They only remembered the part they could use to keep me in line.

I didn't fight them for Luna.

I simply took the vaccination records back from Allen and returned to the vet to update her information.

I listed Vera as Luna's owner and emergency contact, then canceled the automatic payments for Luna's insurance and food.

That night, Vera sent me more than ten voice messages in a row.

Luna was hiding under the bed and wouldn't come out.

She wouldn't eat or drink, and she'd scratched Vera's hand.

Allen told me to go over right away and calm Luna down.

Leo kept insisting that I bring over Luna's usual blanket.

Damon said, "You raised her. You need to see this through.

"She listens to you better than anyone else. Come over. I'll wait for you here."

I put my phone on silent.

They'd chosen a new owner for Luna.

From that day on, she was no longer my responsibility.

And soon, the same would be true of all of them.
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  • Beneath the Last Card Lay My Ticket to Sicily   Chapter 10

    On Christmas, the family hosted a dinner party at the estate.The center of the long table was covered with flowers and holly, and a fire roared in the fireplace.Light snow fell outside the window, and the distant hills had turned gray-white in the dusk.After dinner, Matteo brought out a deck of cards.I hadn't touched a deck in years.Matteo held it out to me. "Do you know how to play?"I smiled. "A little."Five of us sat around the table.No one had decided in advance who would win, and no one deliberately played a card they knew I could beat just because I was the Don's daughter.In the first hand, I made one mistake, and the underboss blocked me with a higher card.He grinned, pleased with himself. "At work, I answer to you. At the card table? Not a chance."The others joined in and teased me.I laughed, too.So this was how a card game was supposed to feel. If I lost, no one called me dramatic. If I won, I didn't have to thank anyone for handing it to me.In the last hand, I wa

  • Beneath the Last Card Lay My Ticket to Sicily   Chapter 9

    Three years later, I was running the family's overseas operations.My first deal in that role was in the city where I'd spent more than 20 years of my life.Matteo was going to handle it for me, but I took the files from him. "I'll go myself."Matteo nodded. "Then I'm coming with you."The negotiations went smoothly.As we left the building, one of my men told me, "Ms. Caruso, that white cat you used to have is at a pet boarding facility."I stopped. "Go get her."The boarding facility was tiny. Luna was in a cage at the very back.She had grown much thinner, and her coat had lost its luster. At the sound of the door, she gave only a listless glance.That changed when I crouched in front of her cage.She got to her feet, walked to the door, and rubbed her head against the bars again and again.I lifted Luna out.She was lighter than I remembered. She curled up in my arms, her claws hooked tightly into my sleeve as if she were afraid I'd set her down again.Matteo stroked her fur. "She

  • Beneath the Last Card Lay My Ticket to Sicily   Chapter 8

    After Damon returned home, the four of them had a bitter falling-out.Leo contacted me first. He sent me a recording.Damon had used his private intelligence network to investigate Vera's communications over the previous six months. He found a recording of a call between Vera and her best friend.In the recording, Vera sounded nasty and spiteful."Those 13 shots of vodka? I set that up on purpose. Isn't Eva the one who can handle anything? I wanted to see how long she could keep taking it!"And the cat? I knew she was wary of strangers. I wanted to stress her out. I wanted her to scratch me. Those three guys fall for it every time. All I have to do is shed a few tears, and they believe me without question."The recording cut off there.I wasn't surprised. Vera really did love being the favorite.She had played them perfectly. All it took was a few tears, and the three men did whatever she wanted.But in the end, they were the ones who forced those 13 shots on me.They were also the o

  • Beneath the Last Card Lay My Ticket to Sicily   Chapter 7

    A month later, Damon showed up outside the estate.He stood at the foot of the stone steps, his hair a mess and his eyes bloodshot.When he saw me come out, he rushed forward and grabbed my wrist. "Why didn't you answer my email?""There was nothing in it that needed a response."His expression shifted. He pulled a box out of his bag.Inside was a brand-new deck of cards."Before you left, didn't Allen tell you to get a new deck? I bought one."I looked at the deck, still sealed in plastic. "So?""Let's play again." Desperation filled Damon's eyes. "This time, we won't throw the game for Vera or team up against you. You can play however you want and win as many hands as you want. Just don't leave me."It all seemed ridiculous.He thought one new game could erase every choice they'd ever made.But this had never been about a few card games. They'd left me alone when I was in pain. They'd given away my cat without my consent. Again and again, all three of them had decided that Vera deser

  • Beneath the Last Card Lay My Ticket to Sicily   Chapter 6

    On my second day back with the family, my father called me into his study.On his desk were three transfer agreements, each for a different territory.Beside them sat a family ring and a pistol custom-made for me.My father said, "These are the three territories the family's negotiating for right now. Eva, which one do you want to take over?"My hand went still for a moment.Which one did I want?In my entire life, I couldn't remember anyone ever asking me that.Back in our group of five, my place had always been decided for me.My stomach medicine. Luna, who I'd raised. My time. My plans for the future.They never thought they had to ask me first.They were sure I'd never leave, so they decided everything for me.The moment I stopped going along with them, I became selfish, cold, and ungrateful.My father saw me hesitate and slid the pistol toward me. "This is power, not obligation."Matteo stood beside me. "Choose whichever one you want. If you close the deal, it's yours. If you don'

  • Beneath the Last Card Lay My Ticket to Sicily   Chapter 5

    When the plane touched down in Sicily, a cold rain was falling outside the window.As soon as I turned on my phone, Damon called.When I answered, he didn't ask if I'd landed safely. He didn't ask about the weather."Why didn't you tell us you found your birth parents?" His voice was low and urgent, barely hiding his anger.I wheeled my suitcase toward the exit. "I didn't hide it. You just never asked."The line went quiet for a moment.Then Allen grabbed the phone, sounding impatient. "So we didn't ask. Couldn't you have told us?"You found your birth parents and took off without a word. Did you ever think about us?"Do you even think of me as your brother anymore? Or of them as your friends?"I tightened my grip on the phone and forced myself to stay calm. "If I'd told you, would you have listened?"That night, after 13 shots of vodka, my stomach felt like it was on fire.Even after I'd drunk every one, not one of them asked what my good news was.Allen shot back, "How would you know

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