Chapter 3

They quickly stripped me of my authority.

By now, they were keeping me out of most of the business.

I didn't fight it. The few exclusive distribution agreements that really mattered were still beyond their reach.

I had bled for the family for five years, and the moment I lost my baby, they threw me aside like a worn-out tool.

If their reputation mattered that much, I would ruin them in front of everyone, right there on their own ground.

I would bury the entire family with my child.

I went to the study and found the wedding plans.

The date was set for two weeks later.

The guest list was full of their business partners.

It was going to be a huge wedding, and every family would be watching.

I memorized every key time on the schedule.

Then I went back to my room and messaged Rafael.

"Two weeks from now, at Dante's wedding, send your people in with the evidence. Cut off his lines of communication first so none of his men can warn him that day."

Rafael answered right away.

"Relax. It's all set. There's one more thing. That woman's baby isn't Dante's."

My eyes widened slightly. That got my full attention.

A second later, Rafael sent me a file.

Bianca had paid one of the Moretti family's doctors a hefty bribe.

I had no idea what she'd done on the day of the exam.

But she'd managed to get the other doctors out of the way beforehand.

My miscarriage had thrown the family into chaos, giving her exactly the opening she needed.

I laughed out loud before I could stop myself.

I lost everything because of a baby, and Bianca got everything because of one.

Fine. Then I would settle everything at once.

Rafael and I worked out the details.

It was already getting dark when I went out.

Bianca was choosing her wedding gown.

She saw me, her face lighting up with smug triumph.

"Vivian, there are just so many choices. Would you help me choose?"

I watched her sweet, innocent act and laughed inwardly.

I walked over, leaned close to her ear, and lowered my voice.

"That baby got you everything you have. You'd better take very good care of it."

Bianca went rigid, and her face changed in an instant.

She stared at me in horror and went deathly white.

I ignored the look and went to the study.

For the next few days, I kept catching the maids huddled together, talking about something.

The second they saw me, they would fall silent in fear.

Their guilty faces reminded me of the suspicion in Dante's eyes whenever he'd looked at me over the past few days.

I started to suspect something.

I had caught them whispering my name.

Then, one day, I walked into the sitting room.

Bianca was curled up against Dante, cooing and playing innocent.

I knew at once that something was wrong. Dante looked irritated.

When he saw me, he fixed his eyes on me and wouldn't look away.

Rosa and the butler stood off to the side. They both looked worried when they saw me.

I frowned and was about to ask what was going on.

But Dante moved first, dragging me roughly into my room.

The door shut, and he pinned me against it.

"Bianca says you've been threatening her behind my back. She says you told her to leave, or you'd make her and the baby pay for the child you lost. Is that true?"

I laughed to myself. Suddenly, I understood.

No wonder everyone had been acting so strange.

I had called Bianca out, so she had started spreading rumors.

"I didn't."

Dante gave a cold laugh.

"Drop the act. You're furious that Bianca used a baby to take your place, so you went after her."

He gripped my face and leaned in close.

"Vivian, you've spent days walking around like none of this bothers you. But you do care about me after all.

"You want to know why I love you and still chose Bianca? Because you're too ambitious. I can't let a woman with that much ambition become the Donna. The capos certainly won't allow it. I like knowing that everything is in my control."

I stared at him and dug my nails into the hand holding my face.

I drew blood from the back of his hand, and he still didn't let go.

"The family's reputation depends on that baby. Don't try anything like this again. As long as you obey me, I'll keep treating you well."

He threw me onto the bed.

He gave me one warning look and walked out.

I watched him go without a word.

I knew the capos had been pressuring him.

They would never allow a woman as capable as me, with control over the Moretti family's money, to become the Donna.

They were afraid I would use that power to push Dante aside or even seize control of the family myself.

Dante had always been wary of me. He put power ahead of everything.

So in the end, he made Bianca the Donna and stripped me of any real authority so he could control me more easily.

Half an hour later, the three capos came.

They saw me standing there, and their eyes were full of hostility.

Bianca had gone crying to the capos about this too. I was sure of it.

For them, the family's interests came before everything else.

Bianca understood that, which was exactly why she was afraid I'd expose her lie.

So she rushed to pin the blame on me first.

That way, even if I told the truth later, most people wouldn't believe me.

I knew what these capos were like, so I went straight back to my room.

I confirmed the timing and every detail with Rafael again.

I made sure nothing would go wrong that day.

I told him everything that had happened and everything that was likely to happen next, so he could prepare for every possibility.

Sure enough, I didn't have to wait even ten minutes.

A guard pushed my door open. The capos and Dante stood outside.

"Don Moretti, Vivian must be severely punished for this. The family's reputation is on the line. We cannot risk anything going wrong."

One capo spoke, and the rest immediately backed him up.

Dante frowned and didn't answer right away.

He looked at me in silence, then called the guards.

They locked me away in a sealed-off side wing of the estate under heavy guard.