Chapter 2

On the day of my perfume sampling, the place was packed with socialites.

Aurelio sauntered in, fashionably late, with Maeve on his arm. Her cheeks were flushed, and there was a lipstick smear on Aurelio's collar that definitely wasn't his.

Anyone could tell what they'd just been doing.

If this had been before, I would've fallen apart. I would've marched over, torn off their pretty little masks, and demanded to know why they had to do that to me.

He was the man I loved, and she was my stepsister. Did my dignity mean nothing to them?

Now, I just let my gaze slide over them, cool and steady. Then, I turned back to my guests and kept the conversation going as if nothing had happened.

Aurelio noticed my gaze pause on the two of them, and, on instinct, eased Maeve behind him. He waited a long beat, but the meltdown he expected never came. Annoyance flickered across his face.

He forced a scornful smile. "Wanda, you're not putting on this little 'tolerant' act because you're afraid I'll back out of marrying you, are you? Works for me. After all, I'm the future Don of the Guerra family.

"I can't be tied to just one woman. There will be plenty more around me. You behaved yourself today, so I'll give you a small reward."

As he spoke, he took a beautifully wrapped gift box from one of his men.

He was about to hand it over when Maeve jumped in. "It smells amazing! Isn't this Phantome's new limited release, 'Enthrall'? I heard they used a special synthetic musk."

Aurelio pulled it back. "Mae, you like it? Then it's yours."

Maeve wore a conflicted expression. "I really shouldn't. It's for Wanda. How could I take it from her?"

But her eyes flicked my way. She was openly gloating.

"It's fine. Take it. As for her, I'll pick up something for her later. She'll treat anything from me like a treasure."

That line landed like a slap, drawing a ripple of stifled snickers around us.

Old, dusty memories surged up and knocked me off balance for a second. I really had been that woman once. I had treated everything he gave me like treasure.

Once, I gave him a perfume I'd spent months crafting as a gift. Later, I found it in the club restroom, being used as an air freshener.

He caught me looking at it and spat, "What you make is only good for this."

All my work and all my love were trampled upon, and the room started to spin.

When Don Guerra found out, he was so furious he nearly brought the full weight of family discipline down on Aurelio. "You worthless brat! How dare you trash someone's heart like that?"

Aurelio just shrugged and later told the story to his men like a joke. After that, I became the punchline, a woman who thought too highly of herself.

Just thinking about it made everything taste flat and dull.

I slipped a small perfume vial out of my clutch. "Mr. Guerra, your gift is too generous. I can't accept it. Why don't you try the blend I'm showcasing today, as a warm-up for the sampling?"

I pressed the atomizer. Cool, clean, deeply layered woody notes unfurled and drifted through the room. Even the most ruthless killer would have felt a moment of peace.

The scent from the store-bought perfume in Aurelio's hand disappeared without a trace. His face darkened.

"Stop acting like you're above it all. Do you think this changes anything? Weren't you the one who couldn't live without me? We're going to be stuck together anyway. Who are you putting on a show for?"

"Who said I can't live without you?" I shot back.

The room went dead quiet, then the chatter roared back even louder.

"Then who are you planning on marrying? Everyone knows you're in love with me. Could you really settle for anyone else? Besides me, the only single person in our family is Cesare.

"But his face was scarred in the fire. He wears a mask all day like a freak and doesn't even have the nerve to show his face. You want to spend your life married to a shadow?"