Chapter 2

The next morning, I was still in bed, having barely slept all night. My throat was so dry it hurt.

The door opened, and Mother appeared, tapping her fingers against the doorframe. "Get up. Go to the new estate and help your sister get her pet room ready. She needs some furniture moved, too. She doesn't trust the men who work for us."

I gripped the edge of the bed and sat up, my vision swimming as hunger gnawed at my stomach. "Mamma, can I have some breakfast first?"

"After that stunt you pulled last night? Your Papa and I barely got any sleep because of you, and you still have the nerve to ask for food?"

She turned and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor as she headed down the hall.

I got dressed and forced myself downstairs despite the dizziness, then had the driver take me to the new estate.

It was on the outskirts of the city, more than an hour away. When we passed a gas station, I asked the driver to stop so I could buy something to eat.

But when I reached into my coat pocket, I found it empty. Mother must have taken my wallet.

When I arrived, Bettina was already lounging on the living room couch with several floor plans spread out in front of her.

"Oh, there you are!" She nudged a metal box beside her with her foot. "Take this safe up to the second floor first. And the cabinets in the pet room need replacing. Get the old ones out today."

The safe was heavier than I'd expected. As soon as I wrapped my arms around it, something near my shoulder blade gave a painful pop. Cold sweat ran down my back.

I gritted my teeth and heaved it up. But halfway up the stairs, my vision blurred, and the bannister seemed to double before my eyes.

I struggled to brace the safe against the wall and waited for the tightness in my chest to ease.

Downstairs, Bettina had started a video call. Her laughter floated up from the living room. "Look at my little sister. She may be a stray we took in, but she sure knows how to work hard."

A woman's voice came through the phone. "Wait, isn't she the Moretti family's top female assassin?"

"Yep. And now she's my personal moving crew."

I set the safe down. Its metal edges had rubbed two bloody blisters into my palms.

Only then did Bettina look up, wrinkling her nose. "Alessia, you look terrible. Want to sit down for a bit?"

She barely glanced at me before looking away again. "Actually, never mind. You're tough. A little hard work won't kill you."

I straightened up, pushing against my knees for support. "Where's my room?"

"Hmm..." Bettina tapped a finger against her lips, thinking for a moment before pointing down the hall.

"That one. It's close to mine, so if I have a nightmare, you can come protect me right away." She gave me a sweet smile.

I walked down the hall and opened the door. The room was packed with old boxes and junk. It didn't even have a window, and the whole place reeked of mold.

I stood in the doorway, fighting back the taste of blood rising in my throat.

Bettina called out from behind me. "You don't mind, do you, Alessia? Papa and Mamma just love seeing you take care of me!"

In the past, those words would have made me try even harder to protect her. I'd have given her anything she wanted, just to earn my place in this family. But now, I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.

I said nothing and headed back downstairs.

Just then, my phone lit up with a message from my black-market contact. "We've secured the emergency heart stimulant you ordered. You can pick it up tonight."

I'd asked him to track down the medication last month. My doctor had told me it could buy me a little time before my heart stopped.

I grabbed my coat and was heading out when I spotted Father coming out of the underground passage. He was carrying a silver medical case bearing the black market's insignia.

My stomach dropped. I stopped, my voice trembling. "Papa, is that the heart stimulant?"

Before he could answer, my phone rang.

It was my black-market contact. "Ms. Alessia, I'm sorry. Someone took your medication. We heard the order came from the Don himself. We couldn't refuse."

I rushed over to my father. "Papa, that's the medication I ordered from the black market!"

"It's for Bettina." He finally looked at me. "Her heart palpitations have been getting worse. Her doctor wants her to keep it on hand."

"I need it, too."

"Alessia, don't make this another competition with your sister." Father looked at me with weary frustration. "You know she's always had a weak heart. Stop acting like you're dying just to get attention."

I coughed up a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva and grabbed the case. "Papa, I've been coughing up blood for days!"

Just then, Mother came down the stairs, her face darkening at the sight of us. "Alessia, do you have to compete with your sister over everything? Now you're trying to take her medication, too?"

Bettina hurried over and ducked behind our mother. "It's okay, Mamma. Maybe Alessia just wants you and Papa to love her as much as you love me."

"Enough! Stop making a scene!" Father snapped with a frown.

I stared at the silver case, and it finally sank in. They were never going to believe me, no matter what I said.

Even with the truth right in front of them, all Bettina had to do was say a few words, and they would decide I was lying.

I let go of the case, allowing it to slip from my grasp. "I'm sorry, Bettina. I won't be jealous of you anymore."