Chapter 2

The truth was, I was supposed to be the Donna.

Then Victor's family ran into trouble. To secure Angela's father's backing, he had to marry her.

The day their engagement was announced, I fought with him for the first time.

I smashed everything in the room, sobbing as I told him to get out.

Victor dragged me into his arms like a man possessed and wouldn't let go no matter how hard I hit him.

"It's a marriage on paper only.

"Carina, I won't touch her. There has never been anyone but you."

For a long time afterward, he kept his word.

He loved me even more fiercely to make up for what the marriage had cost me.

He even chose me without hesitation during the explosion.

And from that day on, everything changed.

At family council meetings, he would overturn my decisions simply because Angela said so.

One after another, he canceled the dinners he'd promised me.

Sometimes I'd go to him and he'd move out of reach without even thinking.

And there were marks on his neck that weren't mine.

I finally went to confront him. With my hand on the door handle, I heard voices inside.

"I'm the one who neglected you. I'm going to make it all up to you."

Then came Angela's breathless voice. "And Carina?"

The room went quiet for a few seconds.

Those few seconds felt endless.

And then I heard him say, "She's already gotten more than enough."

I let go of the handle.

That same day, I wanted to walk away from everything and leave the Castellano family.

But I had my own family to think of. If I left, Victor wouldn't leave them alone.

So I stopped making trouble. I did my work and forced myself to forget what we'd once had, little by little.

What I hadn't expected was to take the blame for every mistake Angela made after that.

It destroyed the reputation I'd spent years building in the family and brought endless humiliation on my own family.

It couldn't go on.

So that night, I contacted a black-market forger and had him create a new identity for me.

Then I went to a doctor who owed me a favor and had him prepare a death certificate good enough to fool anyone.

Three days later, I attended another family council meeting.

I limped into the council room.

Victor and Angela sat side by side at the head of the table. My seat had been moved to the far corner.

I braced a hand on the table as I sat down. Angela raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised.

"Carina, you came. Healed already?"

I didn't look at her.

"Council meetings matter. Of course I came."

"True enough."

Angela picked up a file from the table.

"There's a job no one has taken on yet. I think it would suit you."

"Her?"

One of the captains laughed out loud.

"Donna, find somebody else. I have no interest in cleaning up after her again."

Everyone laughed, and Angela frowned and put on a show of defending me.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Carina should get another chance."

The man across from me gave a cold laugh.

"There was a rat in her casino last month. She mishandled it, and we lost close to a million dollars.

"She can't run what she already has, and now she wants somebody else's work?"

"Right. Chances go to people who can deliver. She's lucky we haven't thrown her out of the family."

"If you ask me, take back everything she runs now and reassign all of it."

My father shot to his feet and slammed a hand on the table.

"She won every one of those businesses herself. Who are you to divide them up?

"She made a few mistakes, and she's been punished for them. You're just looking for an excuse to take what's hers!"

"A few?"

Somebody laughed at that.

"How many times has your daughter screwed up? Or have you lost count?

"If she was capable enough to win them, she should be capable enough to hold them."

My father's face darkened with fury as he argued with them.

I didn't hear a word.

I looked past them at Victor, seated at the head of the table.

They'd refused to work under me and proposed taking my businesses and my people. Through it all, he hadn't said a word.

His expression never even changed.

I laughed bitterly at myself, then tapped the table twice.

"Enough."

The council room went silent.

I swept a cold gaze around the table, then fixed it on Victor.

"None of you gets to decide whether my people and my businesses are taken away.

"Don, what do you say?"

Victor finally raised his head.

Our eyes met across the table.

Then he looked away and said flatly, "As of today, Carina is stripped of all authority in the South District. Her businesses and her people will be reassigned."

"Don! Carina paid for the South District with her..."

"Dad, let it go." I put my hand over his and cut him off.

"It doesn't matter.

"The Don has decided. So that's how it is."

Victor froze. He frowned at me, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something.

But I'd already looked away. I didn't look at him again.

After a long moment, he looked away too and awkwardly adjusted his cuff.

"That concludes today's council."

Before the meeting had even ended, they were excitedly dividing up what had been mine.

"I'll take the casino in the South District."

"The docks are mine."

At that, my father sank into his chair, one hand pressed hard against his chest.

I scrambled for his pills and helped him take them. Only when the color returned to his face could I breathe again.

Then I took the asset transfer agreement I'd prepared out of my bag.

"Dad, sign it."

He looked at me, confused. "Why are you putting all of it in my name?"

I gave a small, bitter smile.

"So the next time I make a mistake, they can't use it as an excuse to take these too."

My father's eyes reddened as he pulled me into his arms.

"Carina, I failed to protect you."

I didn't say anything. I just put a hand on his back.

It wasn't his fault.

It was mine, for blindly trusting one man for so long.

I'd give the Castellano family back what belonged to them.

But I wouldn't let anyone take what was mine.