Chapter 3

Liz didn’t reply until the next morning.

“What do you mean?”

“Help me trick Lucius into signing the divorce papers. Once he does, the position of Donna will be yours.”

There was a long silence before another message finally came through.

Her reply was dripping with smug contempt.

“Merope, have you finally realized that you’re past your prime? That you’re no longer good enough for Lucius?”

“I heard he went to great lengths to win you over back then, but I think that was only because he hadn’t met me first. Now that I’m here, you should have stepped aside a long time ago.”

I wasn’t angry. I only found it ridiculous.

She thought she had won, but a man whose attention wandered so easily would never be short of another woman to replace the last.

“Beg me.”

“If you ask nicely enough, maybe I’ll help you.”

I had no intention of indulging her.

“You’re the one in a hurry, not me. If you don’t want to do it, I don’t mind staying in the position you’ve been dreaming of.”

She fell silent for a moment before her reply came through, clipped and furious.

“Fine. But you’d better keep your word.”

“Of course.”

Another day passed before Lucius returned with Liz.

She followed closely behind him, the dazzling pink diamond ring still gleaming on her hand.

Lucius settled onto the sofa and looked at me, his gaze once again holding the tenderness it used to.

“Darling, have you thought it over? Do you understand what you did wrong now?”

I lowered my eyes, unwilling to cause any unnecessary trouble before I left.

“I do.”

His brows lifted slightly, as though he hadn’t expected me to agree so readily.

Then he reached behind him and pushed Liz forward until she stood in front of me.

“Then apologize to Liz. You walked out halfway through the party that night and frightened her so badly that she hasn’t slept properly for two days.”

“Liz is my most capable personal assistant. As Donna, you should be making an effort to get along with her.”

I looked up at her.

Liz put on a startled, flattered expression, as though she couldn’t believe Lucius was defending her like this.

But the triumph in her eyes when she looked at me was impossible to hide.

Lucius waited for two seconds before impatience entered his voice.

“Well?”

I bit my lip.

“I’m sorry I frightened you that night.”

Liz immediately put on a flustered expression and waved her hands.

“Please don’t say that, Donna. For the Don’s sake, I would never hold it against you.”

Lucius finally smiled.

He rose from the sofa, walked over to me, and rubbed the top of my head approvingly.

“See?”

“Apologizing wasn’t so difficult. I spoiled you too much before, so consider this a lesson.”

Just as he finished speaking, the butler knocked and entered.

He gave a respectful bow.

“Sir, an invitation has arrived from the Rina Family. They are hosting a dinner tomorrow evening and have invited you and the Donna to attend together.”

Lucius’s hand stilled.

His gaze moved between Liz and me before finally settling on her.

“Liz will come with me.”

Then he turned to me and explained,

“You know I can’t let too many people see you. There are always men with ulterior motives who would try to take you away from me.”

“Besides, the fewer people who know what you look like, the safer you’ll be.”

I had heard those words countless times over the past three years, and every time, they had brought tears to my eyes because I believed they proved how deeply he loved me.

Now, they only seemed cold and absurd.

He had never allowed me to appear in front of anyone outside the Camorra Family’s inner circle, nor had he ever given me the equal respect I deserved as his wife.

All those claims of protecting me had only been pretty words designed to keep me willingly trapped inside a gilded cage.

I gave the faintest tug of my lips.

“Fine.”

Lucius paused, clearly surprised that I had agreed so readily.

In the past, I would have pouted and sulked over it for quite a while.

Liz, however, immediately brightened, a wide smile spreading across her face.

She came over at once and slipped her arm through mine, her voice sweet.

“Donna, there are a few things I’d like to tell you in private. Shall we go somewhere we can talk alone?”

Lucius said nothing, apparently assuming it was simply a private conversation between women.

I calmly pulled my arm free.

“Sure.”