Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After the gathering ended, Nina saw that I was upset and came to my room in the middle of the night, trying to act sweet.

"Mommy, can you tell me a story?"

I said gently, "Mommy's tired and needs to rest. I'll tell you one tomorrow."

Nina pouted. "Then can you play a story for me?"

"Nina, it's already one in the morning. You need to go to sleep."

Her pout deepened. "Other kids all get bedtime stories. You don't love me at all."

I'd just scrubbed off a full face of makeup, and the woman in the mirror looked utterly exhausted. I lost my patience and snapped, "Yes, yes, you're right. I don't love you because you're not really mine."

Nina froze for a second. Then, without another word, she pattered back to her bedroom.

I thought she'd finally settled down.

I never expected everything to blow up the next day.

Nina flooded the Family group chat with messages. "Don, please help me find my real mommy! Sophia treats me horribly. She won't even let me sleep at one in the morning. She locks me up and won't let me do anything! Bring Daddy home. I want Daddy... Boo-hoo..."

My husband was the Don's right-hand man and the Family's chief executive.

He also controlled every personnel move in the middle and upper ranks.

If our enemies found out that our own household was divided, they would know exactly where to strike.

Sure enough, Nina's messages reached Don Marlow. He brought Vincent home himself. "Did you really abuse the girl? Vincent is one of my longest-serving underbosses. I don't want a scandal ruining his future."

My husband shot me an awkward look.

Before I could explain, Nina jumped in. "It's all true! Mommy yells at me every day! I don't like her!"

Marlow frowned. "Why would your mother treat you that way, little girl? I don't believe any mother would do such a thing."

Nina planted her hands on her hips and shouted as if she had every right to. "Because Mommy stole me!"

Then she gave me a sly look.

My mind went blank.

I remembered the careless words I'd thrown at her the night before.

I never imagined my daughter would use them to make accusations against me.

Marlow's brow furrowed. He turned to my husband and bit out each word. "This is your household business. I have one request. Don't bring me trouble I don't need."

I forced an awkward smile. "She was acting up last night. I said something in anger without thinking, and she took it seriously. You know how children are."

The Don's frown eased a little.

I let out a breath, ready to promise it would never happen again.

But Nina spoke up.

All wide-eyed confusion, she asked:

"But Don, Mommy can't have babies. If she didn't steal me, then where did I come from?"

Marlow turned a doubtful look on me.

I explained quickly, my nerves fraying.

"I was hurt not long after we married, and I never conceived again. That's all she means when she says I can't have children."

I tugged at Nina's sleeve, signaling her to stop.

She yanked her arm away. "That's not right! Mommy and Daddy only got married six years ago, but I'm already seven!"

Marlow's voice had gone flat with impatience. "Sophia, bring out her birth certificate. The Family does not tolerate trafficking in children. An accusation like this could bring serious trouble down on us!"

My stomach dropped.

Nina's birth certificate... I didn't have one.

All I had were adoption papers.

And I didn't want to hand them over.

Because then Nina would know that she really wasn't mine by blood.

I'd pulled her back from the edge of death seven years ago, in the middle of a job gone bloody.

The first time I saw her, I was horrified by what her parents had done. Only one thought filled my head: if she stayed with her birth parents, living might be worse for her than dying.

I couldn't leave her there. I talked Vincent into it, and we brought her home.

It had never been convenient to tell the Don who she really was.

Nina kept using my angry words to embarrass me, never knowing they were also the truth.

I kept my face calm and raced through excuses in my head.

Before I could speak, Nina suddenly clapped her hands and laughed.

"Oh, I get it now."

"Mommy's one of those single moms everyone talks about. She had me first, then married Daddy."

She turned to me, sweet as anything. "Mommy, your personal life is really disgraceful, isn't it?"

I froze.

I stared into those flat black eyes of hers and went cold all over.

In that moment, I was the farmer from the fable, and she was the snake I'd saved.

Certain she'd gotten even with me, Nina's smile only grew brighter.

"Mommy, I'm only telling the truth. You're not mad at me, are you?"

Marlow's heavy gaze moved between Vincent and me. "Enough. Do I have your word? No more dragging the Family's name through the mud."

Nina's sly eyes filled me with dread.

Still, I forced everything down. "...You have my word."