Chapter 4

"Carina, I'm the Donna. Watch your tone.

"Though since you did just take the North District for me, I'll let it go today."

I looked up coldly.

Angela leaned against the doorframe, waving the file at me with a smug look.

"That was close. You almost managed to win back your position."

A slow smile spread across her face.

"Lucky I found out in time to put a word in Victor's ear.

"With the way things stand for you and your father, why would he put either of you back in power?"

She approached one slow step at a time, then leaned down and prodded the gauze on my chest.

"So you see, Carina, instead of risking your life, you should learn to let someone else do the work while you reap the rewards..."

Snap.

The necklace broke apart in my hand.

Pearls scattered across the floor.

Angela clutched her throat, where the chain had left a red mark. "Carina! Have you lost your mind? Victor gave me this necklace!"

Still holding the chain, I stared at the scattered pearls. I wanted to kill her.

"Now that you have the North District, I hope you can hold on to it.

"Or it may end up like this necklace. Or..."

I clamped a hand around her throat. "Your neck could snap just as easily."

Angela's face flushed crimson as she struggled violently.

"Stop!"

Victor kicked the door open.

I let go. Angela collapsed to the floor, coughing.

She clutched Victor's pant leg and sobbed. "Don, you got here just in time. A minute later, and I might never have seen you again."

Victor pressed his lips into a tight line, furious.

Then he saw me sitting on the bed, my face drained of color. He forced his anger down.

"It's a small thing. Did you have to make such a scene?"

"A scene?"

I shot to my feet, grabbed his collar, and shouted in his face. "Making me take the blame for her wasn't enough? Now you hand her what I nearly died for!

"Victor, what am I to you?

"You said I owed her a life. I paid it. But my men were innocent!"

Victor faltered at the tears in my eyes. He'd never seen me so angry.

Finally, he looked away.

"The North District doesn't automatically belong to whoever takes it. This is how we assign authority in this family.

"Casualties are part of the job. Is that so hard to understand?

"Your own people won't take orders from you right now. Giving you the North District would only cause more unrest."

He paused, then gently drew Angela into his arms.

"Right now, Angela is better suited to that position than you are."

It was the biggest joke I had ever heard.

"Is she? You're telling me a stupid woman who causes more than three problems a month is suited to it?"

"That's enough, Carina! Remember your place!" Victor gave me a warning look.

"Don't listen to her. I've never once thought you were a problem."

Then he turned to me, his patience gone.

"The house on the west side. I'll put it in your name as compensation."

That house was worth more than thirty million dollars.

Years earlier, Victor had stood in that courtyard holding my hand.

He'd said we'd get married there and fill the courtyard with my favorite flowers.

Now he was offering it to settle a debt.

I looked at him, too exhausted even to be angry.

"I don't want it."

Victor's frown deepened.

"Then what do you want?"

"Then you can keep owing me."

I headed for the door. His cold voice followed me. "Angela is the Donna. If anyone else had seen what happened here, you'd already be dead."

My steps slowed.

"Remember that. Trying to kill the Donna is not a private matter between you and me.

"Don't let it happen again."

I didn't turn around. I brought my heel down on a pearl and ground it to powder.

Pain shot through the sole of my foot. My gaze stayed cold and numb.

"Understood, Don."

Victor went rigid.

Before, calling him that had been a way to keep my distance as his subordinate.

This time he heard the hate in it.

The guards outside lowered their heads. Not one made a sound.

Victor watched me go, his expression darkening.

Angela crouched down and ran her fingers through the pearl dust on the floor. Tears began to fall.

"I'm sorry. You bought this for me at the auction, and I didn't take care of it..."

"Get up."

That was all Victor said.

Angela stopped crying and stood at once.

He looked at the powder in her palm and wiped away her tears.

"You're the Donna. You shouldn't be on the floor picking things up."

Then he made a call.

"Call the Armand auction house in Geneva. Buy the Tears of Poseidon before next month's sale.

"Whatever it costs. I want it at the estate tonight."

30 minutes later, Victor stood behind Angela and bent to fasten the necklace around her neck.

His fingers brushed her throat. He leaned close to her ear and murmured, "Beautiful."

Angela turned into his arms. They kissed, their reflection filling the mirror.

At the other end of the estate, I clung to a sink.

With my teeth clenched, I peeled away the gauze stuck to my chest with dried blood. Little by little, I applied medicine to the ugly wound.

Once I'd bandaged it again, I lifted my head, exhausted.

The woman in the mirror was deathly pale. Fresh wounds covered the old scars on her chest. Her skin was barely recognizable.

I reached up and touched the reflection of that poor woman.

"Carina, hold on. It's almost over."

When I opened the door, someone was waiting with a file.

It contained the transfer papers for the house. My name was already listed as the owner.

A folded note was tucked inside.

[The house is yours. What I promised you will be yours too.]

[Carina, remember that I'm not just your Don.]

I stared at the last line for a few seconds, then dropped the note and the file onto the table.

I took out my notebook and turned to the page I'd marked.

[The last time.]

I drew a line through it.

[It's over.]

Then I opened the hidden compartment and took out a stack of original ledgers, transfer orders, and other paperwork.

Every document bore its original signature, plain to see.

From now on, no one would use my life to settle someone else's debt.