Chapter 1

I was about to hail a cab when Andre caught up and grabbed my wrist.

"Don't be unreasonable. You know the Cardona Family made major concessions for this marriage."

"They gave us a year of duty-free access to the East District docks and shared their South American drug route with us."

I stared at him. "We could've gotten all of that without the marriage. You know I was already working on opening other shipping routes."

"All I needed was a little more time..."

Andre cut me off. "Time is exactly what I don't have. I need these concessions now to shut the elders up."

The old Don had died suddenly. Andre's rise to power had been anything but smooth.

Even after a full purge, the elders still seemed far from satisfied with him.

I remembered how, before my hospitalization, he'd promised to discuss everything once I was discharged.

I couldn't help a bitter smile. "Then what about me?"

Andre faltered. His composed, gentle expression gradually turned cold.

"So what do you want me to do? Send Daisy back and let the entire Family think I'm a spineless man who breaks his word?"

"Ash, it doesn't matter who stands beside me. It won't change what we have."

"You accepted staying hidden for ten years. For the sake of a better future, can't you just be a little more understanding?"

I met Andre when I was nineteen. Back then, he was just one of the old Don's adopted sons.

He didn't even qualify as an heir.

But I loved his fierce ambition and was willing to be the blade he wielded in the shadows.

We clawed our way up from the very bottom together.

Back then, he would have risked his life just to go back for a pendant I'd left behind.

When he fastened the blood-stained necklace around my neck again, I pulled him into a kiss in that dark alley.

At nineteen, Ash was Andre's weakness.

I chose to become his secret lover.

Waiting for the day he'd become Don, secure his footing, and finally propose, making our relationship public.

But I'd forgotten that people change.

I clenched my fists. "I won't be anyone's other woman."

He cupped my face, those beautiful eyes brimming with tenderness. "In my heart, you are the Don's wife."

Andre's gaze deepened.

He leaned in to kiss me. "Isn't having me enough?"

All I felt was revulsion. I pushed him away. "No, Andre. You married someone else. We're done."

He froze for a beat, then let out a soft laugh. "You don't mean that."

"From your very first hit at nineteen until now, you've made enough enemies to fill a book."

"Without me, who's going to protect you?"

I stared at him.

My chest burned as if a brand had been pressed against it.

I still remembered my first hit. A bullet had shattered my shoulder.

Andre didn't have the authority to call the Family doctor back then.

I bit down on my sleeve and used tweezers to dig the bullet out myself.

Andre knelt at the bedside, pressing my wound with hands soaked in my blood.

His eyes were red. He made me a solemn vow. "One day, I'll make everyone who ever hurt you pay."

"I'll give you the dignified, respected life you deserve."

"If I ever betray you, let me die a miserable death."

I believed every word.

But now, the dignity that should have been mine had been given to another woman.

I smiled coldly, already imagining what kind of miserable death he deserved.

His phone rang. A distinctive ringtone.

I'd heard it every time Andre came to visit me in the hospital.

He said it was some demanding business contact.

I'd never thought twice about it. Only now did I realize how blind I'd been.

I'd trusted him so completely that his betrayal had been right in front of me and I hadn't seen it.

Andre noticed me staring at the phone and didn't pick up right away.

"Daisy is nothing more than a fling. Stop giving her a hard time."

"After ten years together, you'd really throw it all away over a title?"

"Ash, you're an orphan. You came to this Family with nothing and no one. I was the first person to take you in."

"I love you, and I'll provide for you. So stop testing my patience."

I wrenched free of his grip. "I'd rather die out there."

"Suit yourself." Andre raised a finger, and his men shoved me into the car.

He braced one hand on the door frame. "Think about what I said. I have to go pick up Daisy now."

The door slammed shut like a slap.

Durand texted back: "Good that you've come to your senses. The plane will be there tonight."

I replied: "I changed my mind. I want to bring Andre down."

Durand's reply was instant. "Even better. You'll have my full support, dear sister."