Chapter 2

Rhett stood outside the door, holding a gift box.

"Come out and eat."

I had barely slept all night. When I heard his voice, I did not even bother looking up.

He walked in and placed the box on the bed. Inside was a long black dress.

"The anniversary banquet is tonight. Representatives from every district will be there. Come with me."

I lowered my head and continued flipping through my book.

"What about Lauren?"

"Of course she's coming too. We'll make a public appearance together to show our support for her."

My fingers froze between the pages.

Lauren again.

Rhett walked over and took the book from my hands.

"Still angry?"

I raised my eyes to meet his.

"You locked me up all night yesterday. Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"You were acting like that yesterday. What else was I supposed to do? Let you run around freely?"

He said it as though his decision had been perfectly reasonable. The next second, he bent down and wrapped his arms around me.

"All right. I'll make it up to you when we get back tonight."

I did not respond.

Rhett lowered his head and kissed the corner of my mouth, just as he always did after one of our arguments.

He probably believed that as long as he held me and kissed me, everything would go back to normal.

Keeping my expression stern, I said, "What if I simply refuse to go?"

Rhett paused.

"All right, be good. Once this is over, I'll get your mother's brooch back for you."

He gently stroked my cheek, his voice still warm and tender.

By evening, I had changed into the black dress after all.

The anniversary banquet was being held at the Wilson Family's old estate. When I entered with my arm linked through Rhett's, the hall was already packed.

"Boss."

"Donna."

People rose to greet us as we passed. Rhett rested a hand against the small of my back and guided me all the way to the head table.

As we passed the South District's section, I spotted the Guardia.

All 24 men were standing behind Lauren.

They had served under me for six years. No matter how chaotic a situation became, all it had ever taken was a glance from me for them to know what to do next.

Now, when they saw me, all they could do was bow their heads in accordance with family protocol.

"Donna."

Then they returned to their positions behind Lauren, who wore a smug smile.

The banquet had barely begun when a commotion broke out at the South District's table.

A Capo nearing 60 set his wineglass down.

Lauren had only recently taken over the South District, and tonight was her first official appearance at a family banquet as its leader. Yet when she approached the South District's table with a glass of wine, the man did not even bother to stand.

"When your father was alive, I respected him." The old man raised his eyes to look at her. "However, the South District isn't an inheritance that automatically belongs to whoever comes next. If you want me to take orders from you, you'll have to prove you're capable of leading."

The hall fell silent.

Lauren gripped her wineglass, her face paling.

Rhett sat at the head of the table without showing any anger. He simply raised a hand and beckoned to Lauren.

"Come here."

Everyone froze in surprise.

There were two seats beside Rhett, one on either side. According to Wilson Family tradition, Donna sat on his right, while the other seat was usually reserved for the heir.

Rhett and I had been married for seven years, but we had never had children, so that seat had remained empty all this time.

Tonight, however, Rhett signaled to a waiter in front of everyone and had him pull out the chair.

"Sit here."

The entire hall went utterly silent.

For one brief second, Lauren hesitated. Then overwhelming delight flooded her eyes.

This was practically a public declaration that Lauren stood on equal footing with Donna.

As she walked over, she shot me a smug look and curled her lips into a smile, as if to say, "You held that seat for seven years. I can take it from you whenever I want."

Once she sat down, a few people around the table exchanged knowing laughs.

Several guests raised their wineglasses and looked Lauren over with newfound interest. Even the Capo who had refused to stand a moment earlier seemed to change his mind.

Everyone understood what Rhett was telling them.

Whether Lauren had earned her position was one question. The fact that he personally protected her was another. With her seated in that chair, no one could continue treating her as a little girl who had risen through the ranks solely on the strength of her dead father's reputation.

Before long, the people who had been holding back began to rise one after another.

"Miss Lauren."

Wineglasses lifted around the room. Just like that, Lauren had established her authority.

I sat motionless beside Rhett, my fingers digging painfully into my palm beneath the table.

On the drive home, I remained silent. The luxurious interior of the car felt suffocatingly tense.

Rhett studied my profile and sighed. Then he reached over and pulled me against him.

"Nancy, about tonight... I didn't mean anything by it. I was just helping her save face."

I looked at him for several seconds, my eyes red, before finally turning away.

He probably thought he had managed to soothe me again. Satisfied, he kissed the top of my head.

What he did not know was that in just one more day, I would disappear without a trace.