Chapter 1

The people in the black market weren't lying. The drug worked fast.

By the time my adopted sister, Rita Lawson, was wheeled out of the ER, the excruciating pain in my body had finally subsided.

My parents, Mattia Neri and Ausilia Amodeo, hovered anxiously by her bedside, showering her with concern.

Mamma even had tears in her eyes.

Rita, pale and weak, reassured them, "I'm fine. As long as Elisa is okay, I don't mind drinking poison."

Papa's face twisted with anger. "You're still defending her? If it weren't for the antidote our family had, you'd be dead right now!"

I stood at the elevator door. My heart was breaking.

They didn't have to worry. She wouldn't die. I would be the one dying.

Papa spotted me first. He immediately stepped between Rita and me. "How dare you show your face here?"

Mamma wiped away her tears. "If you're here to cause trouble, just leave. Rita almost died for you. Can't you show some decency?"

Rita, who was still pale, gave me a faint smile, but there was a glint of triumph in her eyes that I knew all too well.

She said softly, "Mamma, Papa, don't say that. Elisa came because she's worried about me."

"Worried about you?" Papa snorted.

"If she really cared, she wouldn't have hidden behind you during the abduction! If you hadn't rushed to drink that poison, it'd be her lying here! And she even dared to leave you and run off on her own!"

So this was how the story had been twisted.

Rita and I were both attacked by a rival family.

However, at the critical moment, she shoved me aside, which led to my abduction. I was forced to drink the poison.

I passed out from the pain and woke up in the middle of nowhere, with no memory of what had happened in between.

The old me would have fought to explain myself.

However, now, it didn't matter. Mamma and Papa wouldn't believe me anyway. They only believed Rita's side of the story.

I forced a smile. "Mamma, Papa, I didn't come here to argue."

Mamma finally looked up at me with a wary gaze. "Then, why are you here?"

"To give you a gift." I pulled a folder from my jacket pocket and handed it to Papa.

"I'm transferring the Brynley casino, the smuggling route at the port, and my shares in Jesselyn's three nightclubs to Rita."

The doctors and nurses immediately disappeared from sight.

Papa stared at the folder, as if he suspected it might explode.

Rita's breath hitched for a moment, and a flush of excitement spread across her pale face.

"W-What did you say?" Mamma asked, incredulous.

I smiled. "You've always said my businesses should go to Rita. Well, I'm giving them to her now."

Rita reached for the folder but quickly pulled her hand back. "Elisa, a-all this is your hard work. I can't take them—"

"You can!"

Mamma seemed afraid I might change my mind, so she snatched the folder and handed it to Rita. "They were always meant to be yours."

A bitter feeling washed over me.

Yeah, Rita had always wanted everything that was mine—my room, my parents, and my husband. And now, my businesses. Everything I had.

Once Rita had the folder, Mamma finally softened her gaze on me. "Forget it. We're all family. You've been abducted, and you must be shaken up. Go home and rest."

I forced a smile and cast one last long look at Mamma and Papa. "Addio, Mamma, Papa."

I had a lot to do. This might be the last time I saw them.

Mamma gave a perfunctory nod as I stepped into the elevator.

Just as the doors were about to close, I heard Mamma's voice. "She's finally come to her senses."

Papa said, "She should've done this earlier. Rita is much more suited to running those businesses."

Rita softly replied, "Mamma, Papa, don't worry. I'll handle them well."

The elevator doors slammed shut, sealing their smiles for Rita outside.

They were so worried about Rita when she almost died. How would they react if I actually died?

I pulled out another document and called my husband, Enrico Fulci. "Hello? I need to talk to you."