Chapter 1

I shoved the receipt back into the drawer just as the front door clicked open.

"Scarlett. You finally decided to come home."

Cassius walked in and dropped onto the sofa. His tie hung loose around his neck.

His deep gray eyes were full of impatience. When he spoke, it sounded like he was scolding a disobedient puppy.

"Are you still throwing a tantrum over a thousand bucks? Grow up, Scarlett. Be more like Camilla. You're going to be the Donna of the Gallo family, not some crying street girl."

He sounded so self-righteous.

Like this was just tough love.

But the subtext was brutally clear. I had to be a flawless, absolutely obedient puppet before I was worthy to stand by his side and rule his empire.

He reached out to pull me into his lap. I instinctively stepped back, dodging his commanding touch.

Cassius froze. He stared at his empty hand, then narrowed his eyes at me dangerously.

In his mind, I was just throwing a childish fit over my little hospital drama.

He let out a sigh. Walking over, he carelessly brushed his thumb against my cheek.

"Alright, stop throwing a tantrum," he coaxed softly. "Just be a good girl, and I'll give you whatever you want. It's just a thousand bucks, right? I'll have someone send you a pricier set of jewelry tomorrow."

He cupped my face in his hands.

For a second, he looked at me just like he did five years ago—like I was the only woman in his world.

"But you have to understand," he murmured, "you're not some wild little girl anymore. You're the future Donna. You need to start acting like it and see the bigger picture."

Always the same speech. I’d heard those exact words a thousand times over the last five years.

Suddenly, my mind drifted back to the old days. Back before I ever knew who he really was.

When we first met, he was just a bartender at a rundown joint in Brooklyn.

Late at night, he would stroke my hair, kiss my face, and hold me like I was his entire world.

"Scarlett, I have nothing. I can't give you a stable life," he had told me, his eyes so sincere. "But we can build it together. We'll make it ours."

I bought his bullshit and said yes.

Then the truth came out. I watched him step out of a bulletproof SUV, flanked by heavily armed guards, walking into an exclusive club.

"Our marriage has to stay in the dark," he had said.

Because I had no background, no protection. Going public would put a target on my back.

So I had to endure. I had to take Camilla's degrading, abusive "Donna training" at the family company.

But he turned a blind eye to my pain.

Because every time, Camilla got to him first and spun the story.

Cassius's voice snapped me back to reality.

"If you really feel sick, just stay home. But stop testing me with these extreme stunts," he sighed, sounding condescending and tired. "If the Famiglia sees you crying and throwing a fit, they'll only look down on you more."

His words felt like a sick joke.

All I could think about was the tearing agony in my stomach and the doctor's cold words: No heartbeat.

I didn't want to explain a damn thing. I couldn't even stand to look at him anymore.

I stood up, ready to leave this suffocating room, but the front door opened again.

Camilla walked right in, punching in the passcode like she owned the place. She was dressed in full Chanel.

Seeing me, she let out a dramatic gasp and rushed to Cassius's side.

"Scarlett? You're actually home? I thought after you skipped your etiquette class, bailed on the merger meeting, and threw the financial reports at the executives, you ran away for good."

I looked coldly at Cassius.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this penthouse is our home. Why does she have the passcode? Why is she waltzing in here like this?"

Camilla instantly played the victim.

She sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Cassius, looking at him with hurt eyes. Her hand "accidentally" knocked over the financial reports I had stayed up all night organizing. Papers scattered all over the floor.

"Cassius, look at her... I just came out of the goodness of my heart to drop off tomorrow's merger files. I know because of her background, she hates those of us who grew up in the business. But I only want to help you. I want her to stand on her own two feet. How can she accuse me like this?"

God knows how much of this poison she had whispered in his ear over the years.

Cassius didn't see anything wrong with it. To him, Camilla was making perfect sense.

"Camilla is right. Scarlett, she's here to help you. Stop being so defensive and bitter. If you can't even show a little grace, how are you ever going to run this Famiglia?"