Chapter 1

My name is Vittoria.

As the Chief Counsel for the Rossi family, I risked my life for them for four years. When the new operations launched, the Don slashed my promised twenty-five percent cut to three.

I didn't cause a scene. I just started clocking in and out exactly on time. I refused to take on any extra work.

Two weeks later, the family business was completely paralyzed.

The Don cornered me at my desk with bloodshot eyes and demanded answers. I glanced at my watch. "Five thirty. I'm off the clock."

Four years wasn't a long time. But it was enough for me to take a tangled mess of illegal contracts and tear them apart line by line. I rebuilt them into the network that now sustained the entire family.

On the day of its completion, a lavish banquet was held at the family estate.

A champagne tower dominated the room. A red carpet stretched from the iron gates straight into the main hall.

I stood in the corner, clutching a warm glass of champagne.

Leo leaned in and lowered his voice. "Vittoria, the cuts are set. Your share is definitely at the top."

Leo was a junior lawyer on my team. He was the only one among these street thugs who could actually understand the contracts I wrote.

I didn't say anything. I just took a sip of my drink.

Twenty-five percent.

That was what Christian personally promised in front of all the core capos at the family sit-down last year.

"The Rossi family owes its success to Vittoria. When the new operations go live, I'll personally give her a twenty-five percent cut to reward her loyalty."

The whole room applauded, and I smiled along with them.

That was the most relaxed smile I'd shown in this estate for years.

For four years, I hadn't had a single peaceful night of sleep.

When deals went south, I covered for them. When allies turned on us, I smoothed things over. When calls about messy money laundering accounts came in at three in the morning, they were always for me.

Twenty-five percent. I felt I'd earned every penny of that cut.

As the banquet kicked off, Christian stood on the stage in a perfectly tailored suit. Not a single hair was out of place.

He raised a glass to our allies first, and then to the family elders.

Then, he spoke.

"The glory of the Rossi family never belonged to just one person."

I froze with the champagne glass in my hand.

"This is everyone's blood, sweat, and tears. Every single person who bled for this family is our foundation."

He paused. A deep smile reached his eyes.

"Today, I want to give special recognition to one person."

I stood up a little straighter.

"Carlotta."

Applause erupted across the room.

Carlotta stood up from the main table, smoothed her skirt, and stepped forward. She took Christian's hand, turned to the crowd, and gave a small bow.

"Ever since Carlotta took over as Head of Legal, she's completely streamlined our operations. She's the absolute hero behind this new network."

I almost crushed my champagne glass. I quickly pulled my foot back.

Carlotta taking over Legal?

I finalized those complex backdoor contracts one by one during endless, sleepless nights.

By the time she took over, the contracts had been running smoothly for two years.

They were perfectly stable. All she did was hold a weekly meeting, read what I wrote, and change the signature at the bottom from Vittoria to Carlotta.

I knew all of this.

But I never brought it up.

Because I thought Christian, being the Don, knew the truth.

"Carlotta, thirty-five percent."

"The street bosses, fifteen percent."

"The casino managers, twelve percent."

Then, he finally read my name.

"The family's Chief Counsel, Vittoria, three percent."

The room went dead silent.

Leo whipped his head around to look at me.

Not twenty-five percent. Three percent.

I looked straight through the crowd at Christian on the stage.

His gaze rested on me for a mere half-second before shifting away to read the next name.

I looked down at my knuckles. My grip was entirely white.

They were stiff and sore.

Leo's eyes turned red with anger. "What kind of joke is this? The Don personally promised twenty-five percent at the sit-down last year. Everyone was there. How is it down to three?"

"Shut up," I said.

"But..."

"I said, shut up."

The banquet reached its climax.

The champagne tower was poured, the golden liquid flowing down the sides of the glasses.

Carlotta made her rounds, clinking glasses. When she reached me, she stopped.

"Thanks for doing the heavy lifting, Vittoria."

She smiled. She looked bright and stunning.

I knew that smile. She wore the exact same expression when she was handed the job just for being a mafia Principessa from an allied family. She dumped all the legal messes on me and used my proposals to claim credit from Christian.

I ignored the glass she offered.

She didn't care. She just shrugged and walked away.

After the banquet ended, I went to find Christian.

The door to his study was open a crack. Laughter drifted out from inside.

I pushed the door open. Carlotta was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, swirling a glass of Christian's private reserve red wine.

They both looked at me.

Christian spoke first. "Vittoria, is there a problem?"

"You know exactly what it is," I said calmly.

Christian didn't bat an eye.

"I figured you'd come."

He stood up, walked over to me, and placed his hand on my shoulder.

He always loved patting people on the shoulder. After four years, my shoulder was practically calloused from it.

But this time he was closer than usual. Close enough for me to smell the tacky cologne on his collar.

Four years ago, I would have taken this as a sign of trust.

Now, I just saw it as a cheap trick.

"Vittoria, I know your skills better than anyone. But the family business has grown, and we have to keep different factions happy. You're a genius at drafting contracts. But for a public role like Chief Counsel, we need a full-blooded Italian to command respect."

"Carlotta really has shielded you from a lot of trouble. Besides, the outside legal team she brought in promised they can handle the routine work from now on."

I glanced at Carlotta on the sofa.

She was looking down, wiping the rim of her glass. A faint smirk played on her lips.

I brought my gaze back to Christian.

"At the sit-down last year, in front of the entire family, you promised twenty-five percent."

Christian chuckled softly.

It was a calculated laugh.

"That was an incentive. The final cut has to consider the big picture. You lack two things. Blood ties and managing rival families."

Blood ties.

Managing rival families.

These were bullshit rules that just popped up last month. When they were added, I was rushing to draft a massive contract for the northern smuggling ring. I didn't have time to read the fine print.

"Who added the new rules?" I asked.