Chapter 4

I wasn't about to let them ruin my good mood, so I walked away.

To my surprise, Cersei followed me out of the ballroom.

She grabbed my wrist, her eyes fixed on the diamond necklace around my neck.

"Lilith, where did you get that necklace? It's pretty. There's no way you could afford it. It must be lab-grown. I'd say it's worth maybe 150 dollars. Let me wear it for a few days. You're working anyway, so it's not like you need it."

I instinctively reached for the necklace and stepped back.

Of course. Now she wanted my necklace too.

The Don had paid nearly three hundred million dollars for it at an underground auction.

It was his wedding gift for Raphael and me.

Growing up, whenever Cersei wanted something of mine, Mom and Dad made me give it to her.

Apparently, nothing had changed.

Before I could say anything, Mom lunged forward and tore the necklace from my neck.

"It isn't worth anything. Your sister wants it, so give it to her. What kind of older sister makes such a fuss over a necklace?"

The moment Mom turned to Cersei, her face softened. She carefully fastened the necklace around Cersei's neck.

"Darling, it suits you perfectly. It looks far better on you than it did on Lilith."

I swallowed my anger. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene.

"Cersei, give it back, and I'll pretend this never happened."

Cersei scoffed, then turned toward Antonio and Dad to show off her new prize.

Dad immediately started saying how good it looked on her.

But the moment Antonio saw the necklace, his eyes widened.

"Where did you get that necklace? That's the Don's three-hundred-million-dollar wedding gift to Raphael and his bride!"

Cersei burst out laughing. "Antonio, you've got it wrong. This was Lilith's. There's no way it could be the same necklace. It's obviously a cheap fake!"

Mom quickly agreed, "She's right, Antonio. You're worrying over nothing. How could Lilith possibly own a necklace that expensive? You must be mistaken."

Antonio visibly relaxed.

Then he pulled out a stack of bills and threw them in my face.

"Cersei likes it, so I'm buying it. Here's 300 dollars. Keep the change."

The bills scattered at my feet. My face burned with humiliation.

I clenched my jaw and looked him straight in the eye.

"The necklace is not for sale!"

Cersei immediately stepped in, pretending to play peacemaker. "What? Isn't 300 dollars enough? It's just a fake. If you need money, you can borrow from us. There's no need to rip us off over some fake necklace."

Antonio gave a contemptuous laugh. "Fine. Since you're Cersei's sister, I'll give you a little more."

He threw another 300 dollars at me.

"Is that enough?"

The commotion was starting to draw a crowd.

Mom noticed everyone staring and snapped at me, "Lilith, it's a fake necklace! How dare you charge your sister such a ridiculous amount for it? 600 dollars is enough to support you and Raphael for a month. Pick up the money!"

I ignored her and kept my eyes on Cersei.

"Give the necklace back. I told you, it's not for sale!"

Antonio's face darkened. He turned to his bodyguards.

"What are you waiting for? Help Lilith pick up her money!"

Before I could get away, they grabbed both my arms and forced me to my knees to pick up the bills.

I struggled, but their grip was too strong.

"Let go of me! Antonio, when Raphael finds out what you did to me, he won't let you get away with it!"

Antonio burst out laughing. "Raphael? You mean that penniless husband of yours who opens car doors? Just because he has the same name as the Don's heir doesn't mean he has the same power. Go ahead. I'm curious to see what he'll do to me!"

He had barely finished speaking.

Dozens of armed guards stormed toward us.

Before Antonio's men could react, the guards pressed guns to their heads and forced them to their knees.

Antonio knelt among them with a gun pointed at him too.

Raphael strode toward us, his expression murderous.

Antonio turned white and stammered, "Mr. Di Lauro, y-you've misunderstood. I wasn't trying to cause trouble. I-I caught a thief who stole your diamond necklace. I was interrogating her!"

Raphael walked straight past him and gently helped me to my feet.

Then he turned to Antonio, and all the warmth vanished from his face. "A thief?"

His voice was ice-cold. "Are you calling my wife a thief?"