Chapter 2

Sophia

I stare out my bedroom window, mind racing. The events of the last twenty-four hours have flipped my world upside down. I started the day on top. Everything was finally falling into place. Dad and I had worked too hard, sacrificed way too much to get here. This wedding was supposed to be the payoff. My happily ever after. Mine.

The countdown had officially started; five more days until I became Mrs. Damian Bernardi.

Yesterday morning began perfectly. Mom went to the gym like she always does, leaving Dad and I to have a nice quiet breakfast together. Afterward, he told me to go spend time with my fiancé. That was his way of saying: Lock this situation down. Make sure nothing gets in between you and Damian.

Dad wants this marriage almost as much as I do. Maybe even more. Once I marry Damian, dad’s spot as the future Underboss of Connecticut, will be sealed. Grandpa won’t have a reason not to pass it to dad when he retires.

So, I figured I’d surprise Damian at his office. I really wanted to see what he actually did all day.

Since he’s the ‘Romancer’ for the Familia, I already knew there are way too many thirsty whores circling around him, and I needed to remind everyone: he’s mine.

I arrived at Heaven to Hell just after eleven. The club was closed, but all the lights were on. The place is sleek, dark and seductive. In the center was a glass display case showcasing bondage toys and high-end kink gear. Some of it looked... intriguing.

Dad could make a killing with this inventory. His side business thrives on kinks, and dark web clients love novelty.

Once Damian and I are married, he’s done working in this place. Unless I’m on his arm, running it beside him. That thought sent a thrill down my spine. I wouldn’t mind sampling a few of those fantasies with him.

As I walked toward the back office, I heard it, very loud and very intense moaning. Someone was getting pounded. I paused to listen. Whoever was in there, really was enjoying herself. Curiosity won, and I needed to find out who it was. So, I cracked the door open a tiny bit and peeked inside.

There he was. Damian. He had Alyssa bent over his desk, slamming into her from behind. Her back was arched, her body naked, and she was screaming his name. He looked up, saw me watching... and just smirked. Didn’t stop. Didn’t flinch. Just kept fucking her like I wasn’t even there.

“Asshole.” I screamed. Then I turned and ran out and lit the match that could ruin the only thing I ever wanted.

Instead of going home, I found Tommy. He’s always been my release. Whenever my life spirals, he’s ready. Always hard and always desperate to please me. He also never asks questions.

I dragged him to the closest hotel; the ‘W’ in Times Square. I knew I should have waited, picked somewhere a little more discreet, but I was reckless. Rage was burning inside me, and I needed to feel in control.

I didn’t expect to run into Janelle, Carmen, and Marissa at the ‘W Lounge’. I should’ve ignored them. Walked away when they called my name, but I needed the distraction, and a stiff drink. Besides, rubbing my engagement to Damian in their jealous little faces always made me feel better. He was one of the most sought-after bachelors in the Familia, and they could never have him.

One drink turned into three. Soon, they were toasting to my last minute ‘stagette.’ They pretended to celebrate me... but I saw the glint in their eyes. They knew something, because I could tell they were mocking me. Quietly feeding off my misery, and that just made me drink more.

Tommy tried to take me home when I could barely stand, but I refused. Instead, I pulled him upstairs to the suite I’d booked earlier. If Damian could fuck a whore on his desk, I could take what I wanted, too. I needed to feel powerful. To reclaim control. To remind myself who the hell I am. I’m Sophia fucking Morelli. Damian needs to learn; he’s mine. And only mine.

But those three witches followed us upstairs. They waited for the perfect time. They watched; they filmed us and even took pictures. And then they posted everything to a group chat with all the young players in the Familia.

By the time I saw it, it was already spreading like wildfire. Shares, likes and comments. I couldn’t stop it. I tried damage control, denied everything. ‘That’s not me.’ I texted. ‘Doesn’t look anything like me.’ But no one cared.

The final blow came from Damian. The same man who has never responded to a single one of my messages in over a year and the same man who just betrayed our engagement. He answered in the group chat: ‘Wasn’t that the same outfit you were wearing when you walked in on me and my girlfriend fucking this afternoon? Security footage clearly showed you running from the building wearing it.’

That bastard turned it all on me. The shame was unbearable. But I’m not like other girls.

I don’t fall. I rise. I retaliate. And I erase my enemies.

By the end of the night, Dad had handled most of it. Those three bitches thought they had gotten the last laugh. They actually thought they humiliated me. But while they were still at the ‘W’; drinking and snorting coke at the bar, my father’s men were already moving in. A little something extra in their drinks. A little extra fentanyl in their lines.

By the time those three crawl out of the hospital, I’ll be married; and armed with blackmail footage of the three of them in an orgy with some of New York’s nastiest degenerates.

That’s not just payback. That’s how I survive. That’s how I win.

____

Mom’s shrill squeal from the kitchen snaps me out of my deep thoughts.

I step inside, completely irritated. How the hell can she be this happy while my life’s on fire?

Dad’s there too; smirking like the devil, but mom is practically glowing. “Sareena’s coming home!” she gushes. “She’s coming home for your wedding. Can you believe it? My girls will finally be together again.”

And just like that, everything clicks. Dad must’ve called Sareena back to take the fall. Perfect. She’s the one who left. She is the one who turned her back on our family, our family business and on me. Now she’ll wear the shame for the video. She’ll play the part I need her to and then she can disappear again; just like always. Her reputation never mattered.

“Go on, Sofie,” Dad says, eyes gleaming as he lights a cigar. “Text your friends the good news.”

“Your twin sister is coming home.”