Chapter 2

Bianca stayed the night.

Dante had told the staff in advance to prepare a room for her exactly the way she liked it.

I saw him walk her to that room.

He didn't come out all night.

The next morning, the dining table was covered with Bianca's favorite dishes.

She liked her food spicy. I liked mine plain.

I saw the awkward look on the maid's face and didn't blame her.

I knew Dante had ordered every dish.

I picked up the medicine beside my plate and drank it all in one go. It was supposed to help my body recover.

It was so bitter that I couldn't speak for a moment.

Dante used to have a little cake waiting for me every time I took the medicine.

Now he didn't even notice me taking it.

I swallowed the bitter taste and looked at the gown the maid had brought in.

Dante and I were supposed to attend the party that afternoon together.

It was supposed to be the first event I attended at Dante's side as the Donna.

But the second I picked up the gown, he spoke, "Vivian, that gown is Bianca's. Did you forget what we talked about yesterday?"

My hand froze, but I didn't put it down.

I ran my fingers over the fabric and the beading.

Neither the size nor the cut would have suited me.

I pictured it on Bianca. It had been made for her.

But the workmanship was intricate. A gown like that would have taken time to make.

Bianca had only been brought home yesterday, yet today, a custom gown in her size was already here.

Dante must have had it made a long time ago.

My hands began to shake.

I put the gown down and hid my hands behind my back.

Just then, a maid came over with the arrangements for the party.

I wasn't the Donna, but matters like this had always gone through me.

I reached out for the papers without thinking.

Bianca got there first.

"Vivian, you don't have to worry about any of this. I'll take care of it from now on."

Her face was all sweetness, but her eyes mocked me. She took Dante's arm, making her claim clear.

My hand stopped in midair.

Dante didn't say a word to stop her.

The air in the room grew tense. Every maid lowered her head and fell silent.

I pulled my hand back and sat down at the table.

A message came in on my phone.

It was Rafael.

"Got everything you sent. Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Before I came downstairs that morning, I had sent Rafael all the evidence against Dante that I had quietly collected over the years.

The files included the complete ledgers for his smuggling operation and the signatures to prove it.

When the time was right, it would all come out.

And after that, nobody would dare do business with Dante again.

Dante knew nothing about it. He was fixing Bianca's hair.

I watched him take a necklace out of a beautiful gift box.

It was the necklace he had given me three months ago, the one that marked me as the Donna.

Back then, he had placed it in my palm so gently.

He had promised to fasten it around my neck himself on our wedding day.

Now he was doing just that for another woman.

He put an arm around Bianca's waist and turned to me.

"Vivian, doesn't it look good on her?"

Bianca made a show of it, lifting the necklace so I could see it clearly.

I nodded. "It does."

The compliment made her smile even wider.

But Dante's face darkened.

He looked displeased, unease and anger flashing in his eyes.

The unease didn't last. He quickly pushed it down.

Then he led Bianca away, fully dressed and ready.

As he passed me, he leaned close and murmured in my ear.

"You'd better keep behaving."

I watched him walk away.

Bianca and I were nothing alike.

I was strong-willed and ambitious. She was sweet and compliant.

A woman like that was easy to control.

After the party, I could feel Dante starting to take away my power, one piece at a time.

He changed every deal I had negotiated, right down to the paperwork.

The changes were small, but I noticed them.

I had seen this coming three years ago.

After the first time Dante postponed the wedding, I had started building a way out.

All those years, every supply line had been managed by me.

The main contracts were still in the Moretti family's name.

But I had dealt with those suppliers for years, building strong relationships and unspoken understandings with them.

Sooner or later, Dante would run into trouble.

When he did, those suppliers would work with me because of the relationships I had built.