Chapter 1

The day the Don found me in the slums, he announced to the whole family that I would be its only heir.

Too bad I inherited none of the Norman family's head for numbers.

When I was eight, the Don started teaching me how to run the family's underground business.

He taught me for more than a month, but I still didn't understand a thing about gun running or drug deals.

The Don shook his head, at a loss.

The next day, he sent Oliver, the advisor he'd trained himself, to help me.

Oliver was five years older than me, and you could tell right away that he was sharp.

He knew the docks, the drug trade, and the arms trade inside out.

Whenever I wanted to slack off, I'd push all the books onto him.

So the Don simply set a rule.

The advisor would serve one year at a time. His appointment would expire the night before the annual meeting, and only a stamp from the golden lion seal could renew it for another year.

And just like that, ten years flew by.

Every year, Oliver came to me with the master ledger in his arms.

But I'd just flip through it and stamp it.

Oliver would shake his head and laugh.

"You don't even know how much the family's underground business made. If something goes wrong, you're the one the Don's going to punish, you know?"

I waved my bar of dark chocolate with almonds at him like the answer was obvious.

"Isn't that what I have an advisor for?"

Eventually, outsiders only knew Oliver, the advisor. To them, I was just a pretty figurehead.

The managers of all 13 docks were polite to him, and all 72 crews reported to him first.

I didn't think anything of it.

Until last spring, when Oliver said he wanted to marry Mia, the only daughter of the Nolan family.

At first, the Nolan family looked down on him. To them, he was just a distant relative who worked for the Norman family, and they kept stalling.

For the first time, Oliver came to me for help.

Without a second thought, I had the deeds to several Norman factories sent over to them.

The Nolan family changed its tune that same day.

To make sure Mia could marry with her head held high, I personally chose the three most profitable casinos and gave them to her.

When Mia found out, she was warmer to me than ever.

She went for walks on the coast with me, helped me pick out jewelry, and even gave me a bottle of expensive red wine she'd been saving for years.

It was a 1997 Barolo from the last case in the Nolan family's cellar. She'd written the label herself and sealed the cork with wax.

Before the wedding reception, she held my hand and smiled.

"Sofia, when Oliver's busy with work, I'll keep you company.

"We're going to be best friends."

I was over the moon.

On the day of the wedding reception, I picked out a ruby necklace from the family's jewelry vault.

The next day, I took the necklace to her.

There'd been a shooting at one of the Norman docks, and Oliver had gone to deal with it, so Mia was alone.

She smiled and pulled me inside, just like always.

But the moment I stepped in and the door closed, she slowly let go of my hand.

She took out a handkerchief and wiped the hand that had just touched me, her smile turning to disgust.

"Sofia.

"You didn't really think I humored you all this time because I liked you, did you?"