Apis Fortis
My father died saving Conrad Nelson, the Don of the Nelson family. Conrad took me in to repay that debt and raised me alongside the three most promising boys in the family.
From then on, I was the family's little princess. Those three boys would give me anything I asked for.
I loved afternoon tea at the Ritz, so they chartered a private flight just to take me there.
To make me smile, they spent three million dollars on a fireworks show.
They swore they would protect me with their lives, and I trusted them with everything I had.
I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with one of them.
Then, during a gang war, they saved Serena Blake, a street flower seller caught in the crossfire.
She barely had to do anything. Every day, she brought them a bouquet and a few soft, caring words.
Two weeks later, Eli Warren scolded me for the first time. He called me spoiled because I'd thrown out the flowers Serena sent.
The other two immediately defended me. "Violet's allergic to pollen! How can you hold that against her?"
Eli was Conrad's most trusted advisor, the one who always thought everything through. It was the first time he'd ever taken a side against me.
The next day, I walked in on Serena dressing Tristan Cole's wounds.
Tristan ran security for the family. He was usually cold and ruthless, but now that hard edge was gone. He sat there and let Serena tend to him.
In tears, I went to Christian Hayes, the family heir. He held me tight. "Violet, I'll always be here for you."
But on my 18th birthday, Christian got a text from Serena. She said someone was harassing her. He left me without a second thought and ran off to save her.
That was the last straw. I went and knocked on the door of Conrad's study.
"Don, I'm ready to marry the man in Italy."