Chapter 2

I headed upstairs.

Twenty years ago, the Ferrari family had been a small family on the verge of bankruptcy.

It was my mother who married in with a massive inheritance and built the family into what it was.

Once Father had power and money, he wasted no time taking on one lover after another.

Over the past three years, I had gathered countless pieces of evidence proving he had embezzled my mother's assets.

This arranged marriage wasn't just about publicly embarrassing Lorenzo.

I was going to use Dante's power to take back every last cent of my mother's inheritance.

The next morning, after staying up all night organizing documents, I had just fallen asleep when the noise downstairs woke me.

Father had his arms around Mina. Lorenzo and Elsa stood side by side nearby.

They looked like one happy family, laughing and directing the servants to rearrange the furniture.

The sunflower oil painting my mother had done by hand was replaced with a portrait of Mina.

The green curtains my mother had loved were swapped for the white ones Elsa preferred.

The pottery vase my mother and I had made together was tossed carelessly into a corner...

Every trace of my mother's life was being erased, piece by piece.

Rage exploded in my chest. I rushed downstairs.

"What do you think you're doing? Who let you in here, and who gave you the nerve to touch my mother's things?"

Father watched me warily.

Elsa ducked behind him, but a flash of provocation crossed her eyes.

"Daddy, I'm scared."

Lorenzo stepped in front of her, his tone flat.

"Giulia, you've always said you feel lonely. I brought your sister home for you. Aren't you happy?"

I nearly laughed from the sheer absurdity.

"Did a seagull make off with your brain? Her mother is the reason my mother is dead. What makes an illegitimate daughter like her think she deserves to be my sister?"

Lorenzo frowned, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.

Elsa's eyes instantly welled with tears.

"Please don't be angry. If you don't like me, I'll stay out of your sight. But you can't deny that I'm Daddy's daughter."

She spoke as she walked toward me and grabbed my arm.

The warmth of her palm against my skin abruptly dragged me back to a memory from fifteen years ago.

I had been ten years old, hiding in the bushes, crying.

Elsa appeared before me for the first time, asking why I was crying.

I answered without any guard up.

"My daddy has another family. Mommy is so sad, and I can't do anything to comfort her."

Elsa smiled.

She took my hand and coaxed me.

"I know a place that will make you stop feeling sad."

I believed her.

She led me to the rooftop and shoved me off.

Elsa stood at the edge of the roof, looking down at me lying in a pool of blood, and sneered.

"If you're so sad, then you and your mommy should just go die. Stop taking the place that belongs to me and my mama."

Luckily, the servants found me in time and rushed me to the hospital.

Otherwise, I would have bled to death right there.

Afterward, my mother tried to report Elsa to the police.

Father insisted it was nothing more than children playing around.

He locked my mother away, worsening her depression until she nearly took her own life.

Now, Elsa's hand was on my arm.

It felt like a snake crawling up my skin. I shook her off by instinct.

"Don't touch me!"

The next second, Elsa let out a shriek and stumbled backward.

Lorenzo shoved me aside almost on reflex and caught Elsa.

I lost my balance and toppled backward. The back of my head hit the floor hard.

A sharp breath hissed through my teeth.

I couldn't help but cry out in pain.

But everyone crowded around Elsa.

All I got was disgust and cold stares.

Mina spoke through her tears.

"Miss Giulia, Elsa just wants to be your friend. Why did you hit her?"

Father looked at me with disappointment.

"You're just as vicious as your mother. Elsa has bent over backward to be kind to you, and you still treat her with nothing but malice!"

Finally, Lorenzo helped Elsa to her feet. His gaze cut across me like a blade of ice.

"Giulia, I always thought that beneath that temper of yours, you were still a good person at heart.

"I was wrong.

"How could you raise a hand against a girl who's done nothing but try to be nice to you?

"To make up for what you did, Elsa and her mother will be moving into this villa. Otherwise..."

He paused before continuing.

"Otherwise, I won't help you get your mother's sapphire necklace back."

My head snapped up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Lorenzo Ricci, you're using my mother's keepsake to threaten me?!"