Chapter 1

My brother, Andrei Moretti, had never mentioned in the information he gave me that my fiance Cassian Valdi, had a sister.

Vera Montes, however, seemed quite familiar with Cassian, as if she were more than just his godsister. If Cassian couldn't give me a reasonable explanation, I might as well just call off the engagement.

To my surprise, after the call went through, Cassian coldly questioned, "Who are you? Vera and I don't need a stranger to tell us what to do."

I was about to tell him that I was his fiancee from the Moretti famiglia, but he hung up on me.

I stared at my phone in disbelief. My eyes widened in shock before anger surged through me. I couldn't believe Cassian hadn't even saved my number.

Vera had already doubled over, laughing. "Did you seriously think Cassian would come over to help you just because you have his number? Oh God, you're hilarious!"

She seized me up before turning to the estate owner, Matteo Rossi, and sneering, "Next time, don't let such a shabbily dressed country bumpkin in. Does she look like someone who could ever afford to rent out the Bay of Eternity?"

I loved exercise and preferred comfortable, moisture-wicking activewear. I didn't care how much my clothes cost, unlike Vera, who was decked out in luxury brands. Yet, in this opulent estate, everyone seemed to assume Vera was the wealthy princess.

I frowned as I reached out to Matteo for the contract I hadn't managed to sign earlier. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I really like this estate, so I'm willing to pay twice the price. Let me sign the contract."

Matteo looked between us and hesitated. "Well… Signorina Montes is right. It costs five million dollars to rent the estate. Can you really afford it?"

Vera smirked and tilted her chin up before fishing out a gold card from her handbag and slapping it onto the table. "Quit pretending to be wealthy, you pauper. Scram!"

I didn't particularly like getting into conflicts with others, but she had genuinely managed to push every single one of my buttons that day. I pulled out a black card from my purse and slammed it right next to Vera's run-of-the-mill card.

Suppressing my anger, I spat out, "Charge it and sign the contract."

It was a card with no spending limit, and its holders were either immensely wealthy or highly influential.

Vera clearly realized that as well. Her expression darkened, but she still tried to disparage me. "Who knows whether that card is real! I'm in charge of this whole place. Don't you dare rent it to her. If you do, I'll have Cassian blow this estate to kingdom come!"

Cold sweat poured down Matteo's forehead as he pleaded with me. "Signorina, I don't want my estate destroyed, and I certainly don't want to cross the Valdi famiglia. Please spare me!"

Several other staff members at the estate had gathered around us. They tried to persuade me, their voice laced with fear.

"Signor Valdi spoils Signorina Montes rotten. Last month, someone accidentally crossed her, and that very day, that person's famiglia business went up in smoke. To make matters worse, that poor guy had both his legs shot and was crippled…"

"No matter how rich you are, you can't possibly compare to the thriving Valdi famiglia. You'd better apologize to Signorina Montes properly and beg her to let you off the hook!"

The crowd's submission fed right into Vera's vanity. She smirked ostentatiously, crossing her arms and looking down her nose at me.

"Did you hear that? Now, get on your knees and shout, 'I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'm just an ignorant, broke bitch. Please forgive me!' If you do, I might actually be generous enough to spare you."