Chapter 1

I drove home.

The moment I parked in the garage, Lorenzo's call came through.

His voice was gentle as always, though today it carried a hint of apology.

"Giulia, I'll show up late today. One of my men got into trouble; I need to handle it. You..."

"Oh, fine." I cut him off, barely hiding my disinterest.

Lorenzo paused.

Before, I would have been upset, thrown a fit, and demanded to go find him.

But now I was perfectly calm.

An unease crept into his voice as he tested the waters.

"Did someone upset you? You don't sound happy."

"I just don't want to see you." I slammed the car door, letting my words drip with undisguised contempt as I vented the fury I could barely contain.

Lorenzo sounded almost relieved. He laughed.

"I knew you'd be upset. I ordered a 21-carat red diamond from South America for you to decorate your sports car. Think of it as my apology."

He always accepted my temper without complaint.

Even though he was the heir to a mafia family, he would carry my shoes for me on summer beaches.

He understood my preferences, once having tens of thousands of roses airlifted in to fill every street in the city during winter.

But the moment I remembered that all this tolerance and patience had been for Elsa, I felt sick.

I hung up and walked into the villa.

The second I stepped through the door, I saw my father waiting in the living room for me.

"There's something I need to discuss with you."

His expression was cold as he toyed with a golf club. He got straight to the point.

"I'm getting remarried to Mina. I expect you two to get along."

Mina was Elsa's mother.

She was also the woman my father had been cheating with.

I stopped in my tracks, a cruel smile curling my lips.

"Sure. I can end her life with a single bullet. I promise I won't let her suffer for long."

Father's hands stilled.

He barked, "How long are you going to keep this up? Your mother is dead. Why can't I remarry?

"Mina and I have been together for twenty years. She gave me her youth and love. Why can't you just accept her?"

Refusing to back down, I looked him straight in the eye and shouted, "Because my mother has only been dead for five years! You were married to her for more than twenty years, and you cheated on her almost the entire time.

"As long as I'm alive, your mistress and her bastard daughter will never walk through the Ferrari front door!"