Chapter 3

B I A N C A

My eyes burned and my cheeks heated. Anger rose in my chest, but I forced myself to control.

Don't lose it, Bianca. You can't. Not here, not now.

"Hi, Bianca," Natalia said. "Nice to see you again. Lucas has told me a lot about you. All good things, of course."

“New hair, I see.” Lucas added, as his narrowed eyes at my now shorter and brown hair. 

Before I could respond, the door opened and Lucas’s mother and sister rushed out, with a few of their friends following closely behind them. They had always disliked me from the very beginning.

"Lovely to see you, Natalia! Welcome home, dear!" Lucas’s mother cooed, completely ignoring me.

It wasn't a surprise. I had never been good enough for their family.

"You're glowing!" Lucas's sister, Clara, gushed, pulling Natalia into a hug. "We are so happy you're back."

They acted as if I was invisible.

Then finally, as if just noticing my presence, their eyes flickered over me. "Oh, it's you," Lucas’s mother said, her lip curling in disgust. "What are you still doing here? Haven't you caused enough damage? Can't you see Natalia and Lucas are busy? You're not welcome here."

"I am here for grandmother," I said, my voice shaking with suppressed rage.

Clara laughed, a cold and cruel sound. "My grandmother? Please. She probably feels obligated to invite you out of pity. Stop clinging to Lucas, you gold digging whore! Your time is over! Go and find your next victim and stop hovering around my brother and his future wife."

Before I could say anything, I heard a gentle, but firm voice. "I personally invited Bianca. And I will not have you speaking to my guest with such disrespect."

It was Nonna. She looked regal, standing there with her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing with fury. "Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Bianca has been nothing but a loyal and loving girlfriend to my grandson for the past three years. She has stood by him when no one else did. And this is how you repay her? By humiliating her in front of everyone?"

They both looked ashamed, but not enough to apologize.

"Natalia, dear," Nonna said, as she turned to the pale woman. "Welcome home. I'm so glad to see you're well. But let's not forget the sacrifices Bianca made for Lucas when you were gone. We must be grateful for her."

Natalia looked like she wanted to say more, her eyes darting between me and Nonna. A flicker of something unreadable crossed her face before she smoothed it over with a fake smile, "Of course, Nonna. We're all… very grateful."

Nonna didn't look convinced. She turned to me, her expression warm and genuine. "My dear Bianca, thank you for honoring my invitation. I knew I could count on you." 

"It’s nothing, nonna. I wouldn’t miss it for the world," I said, my voice still a little shaky. "And…" I brought out the gift and presented it to her. "Happy eightieth birthday, nonna."

Nonna gasped as soon as she saw the bag. She took it, her hands trembling. "This is… this is a Vittorio Moretti. The limited edition 'Stelle' bag! Child, this must have cost a fortune!"

Lucas’s mother and sister stared, their mouths agape. The room went silent. The bag was a legend in the world of high fashion, a piece known only to the truly elite. They knew the name, even if they couldn't afford it.

Natalia suddenly stepped forward, her eyes wide as she looked at the bag. "This is crazy because I got the exact same bag for you, nonna! What a coincidence!"

She turned to one of the staff members. "Could you please bring my gift for nonna from the car?"

A few moments later, the maid returned with a box. Natalia opened it. Inside was the same bag I had just gifted to nonna.

She continued, "Where did you get yours from, Bianca? Because it’s obviously a fake one! This is a limited edition bag and there are only two of them in the whole world. One is in this box, and the other is with Vittorio himself. I should know, I am close friends with him. You’re so poor, how could you possibly afford this?"

A smug smile played on her lips. Everyone was staring at me. Lucas looked at me, his expression a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment. His mother and sister looked at me with pure disdain, obviously believing Natalia’s lies. 

Lucas immediately stepped forward and snatched the bag from my hands. He inspected it carefully, his expression darkening. "Bianca, what is the meaning of this?" he said, his voice cold. "Did you really try to pass off a fake as a gift? Are you that desperate to impress my grandmother?"

They thought they had me. They thought they had cornered me, proven me to be a cheap, lying gold digger who brought a counterfeit to impress them.

My heart ached that even Lucas, the man who supposedly ‘loved’ me for three years, would think so little of me. That he wouldn't even ask. He would just assume the worst.

But they had made one mistake.

Underestimating me.

"Actually, you’re loud and wrong, Natalia." I started, my voice calm and clear. "Firstly, if you were 'close friends' with Vittorio like you claim, you would know that this specific bag, the 'Stelle', was commissioned by me.”

“This piece is the only one in the whole world, and not two like you claim. Secondly, I own legal rights to this design. And the bag in your box, Natalia, is fake. And I could actually sue you for owning and trying to gift a counterfeit product."

The smirk on Natalia’s face faltered. "You're lying! There's no way that’s possible!"

"It's the truth, Natalia. And I have a way to prove it," I said, pulling out my phone. I found the number I was looking for and dialed. "Vittorio? It's me, Bianca. I have a bit of a situation here."

I put him on speaker and watched as Natalia’s face paled.

"Bianca, my little star! How are you?" His cheerful, accented voice filled the tense silence. "I trust you are enjoying your travels."

"I'm fine, Vittorio. I'm sorry to bother you, but I need your help," I said, my eyes never leaving Natalia’s pale face. "I'm at a party. There's a woman here who claims to be a close friend of yours, and she also claims the 'Stelle' bag I bought as a gift is a fake. She says there are only two in the world, and that you have the other one."

A short, sharp laugh came from the phone. "A fake? My Bianca's bag? Impossible! That girl is either gravely mistaken or a very good liar. Let me guess, she is trying to pass off a copy she bought on some shady website as the real thing? This happens. People try to replicate my genius."

Vittorio's tone sharpened. "Who is this woman, Bianca? Give me her name. I will have my lawyers speak to her about trademark infringement and defamation. You cannot claim friendship with me to legitimize a forgery."

I looked directly at Natalia. "There will be no need for that, Vittorio. I just wanted to clear the air. Her name is Natalia Rossi."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Natalia Rossi? The name means nothing to me, mia cara. I have never heard of her. And anyone who truly knows me, knows that I designed the 'Stelle' exclusively for you. The design was your idea, was it not? That bag is yours. Only yours."

The finality in Vittorio's voice hung in the air. Lucas’s face went from a stormy gray to a sickly white. His mother and sister looked like they’d seen ghosts.

And Natalia? Oh, I could pass out from her absolute mortification.

"Thank you, Vittorio. You've been a great help," I said, my voice dripping with sweetness.

"Anytime, stella mia. You know you only have to call."

I ended the call and slipped my phone back into my purse. The silence was deafening.

"So," I said, my gaze sweeping over the speechless family. "Natalia, who's the gold digger now?"