Chapter 4

"Very well." I handed Vincent the documents and a pen. "These are the family's asset audit report for this quarter and the transfer lists for several offshore funds. Take a look."

For the past five years, I had handled everything myself, from the family's tangled accounts and money laundering operations to the movement of its assets.

Vincent had never once questioned any document I had put in front of him.

He flipped through a few pages without much care, then signed his name where I pointed.

His signature was as bold and showy as he was.

Vincent handed the folder back to me. He never noticed the thin agreement tucked among the stack of business documents.

I gathered the documents without saying a single word.

Then he drew me into a gentle embrace and leaned down to kiss me.

A sudden, urgent knock came from outside.

"Don Salvi, Ms. Vance suddenly complained of chest pain. She's crying and asking to see you."

Vincent rubbed his temples and frowned. The conflict in his eyes was plain to see.

I watched him in silence, waiting for him to decide.

He stood up, walked over with an apologetic look, and planted a half-hearted kiss on my forehead.

"Lilith is in poor health. I'll check on her and be right back. You should get some sleep."

He didn't even wait for my reply. Vincent grabbed his coat and strode out of the study.

The smile on my lips slowly vanished.

I walked to the window and watched his car speed away. Then I picked up a discreet-looking listening device and gently switched it on.

Vincent's voice came through, followed by that of his trusted aide.

His aide sounded worried. "Don Salvi, are you really handing the shipping route over to Ms. Vance? What about Donna Salvi?"

Vincent chuckled, his voice warm and confident.

"You don't understand Cecilia. She's my wife, and we've been through life and death together. Our fates have been tied together for years. She's just throwing a fit because she's jealous.

"Lilith is the sister of the man who saved my life. All I can give her is money and power. Cecilia is different. She has all my love and the entire Salvi family.

"Once Lilith earns the family's respect by proving herself, and I repay the debt I owe her, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to Cecilia. She loves me too much not to understand."

Hearing his words didn't make me angry. Instead, they finally set me free.

My love for him had been worn down over the years by his endless demands that I be reasonable and give in.

If his favoritism toward Lilith depended on my willingness to keep making sacrifices, then I no longer wanted to be the donna.

I tossed the listening device into the fireplace and watched it burn to ashes.

I pulled out the divorce papers Vincent had just signed.

I placed them in an elegant black velvet gift box along with the Star of Hope necklace he had given me that night. Then I tied the box with a ribbon.

Early on the fifth morning, I slipped out through the estate's back gate with nothing but a plain suitcase.

I took nothing from the Salvi family's fortune.

A black sedan was already waiting.

"Take me to the airport. I'm flying to Belloria," I said calmly.

I was going to the little town I had always dreamed of visiting.

The sedan glided into the thick fog.

I rolled down the window and tossed the encrypted phone I had used for five years into a roadside storm drain.

With that, I had cut off every possible means of contact with Vincent.

I closed my eyes.

Donna Salvi no longer existed.

…

Meanwhile, Vincent stumbled into the estate's study, looking worn out after spending the night dealing with Lilith.

"Cecilia?"

The study was empty, but he immediately spotted an elegant gift box tied with a ribbon. It was sitting in the center of his large desk.

A note in my neat handwriting rested on top.

It read, "A gift to you. Best of luck with your deal with Ms. Vance."

Vincent's tired features relaxed at once, and a tender smile spread across his face.

He knew I loved him too much to stay angry. All he had to do was give me a little room to come around, and I'd take care of everything like I always did.

Vincent eagerly untied the ribbon.

But the next moment, his smile froze.

Inside the box lay the pink diamond necklace and a set of divorce papers.

Just then, the tablet on his desk flashed red and blared a piercing alert.

On the surveillance feed, a deep, prolonged horn sounded across the western coast.

The black freighter belonging to weapons tycoon Nikolai Voskov had docked right on schedule.