Chapter2

That night, I locked myself in the guest room.

I locked myself in the guest bedroom and didn't sleep all night.

The mattress was too soft, the pillows too high, everything irritated me. Scenes from the past kept flashing through my mind.

Three years ago, before the Rossi family fell.

Christopher was famous in New York as a gentleman. He remembered every restaurant I liked, stayed by my side all night when I was sick, held my hand and said:

"Elvira, when we get married, I'll take you to Sicily to see the ocean."

Back then, Logan was just an emerging heir to the MacKetti family.

He grew up in Sicily, only came to New York as a teenager.

The first time I met him was at a Rossi family banquet.

He threw a guy who'd been getting handsy with me out the window, then walked up to me, staring straight into my eyes.

"Girl from the Corsica family, what's the point of being with that weakling? Come with me."

I hated him then, thought he was nothing but an uncultured thug. Until the Rossi family fell apart.

Christopher's father was caught colluding with the FBI. All the evidence came out overnight.

Looking back now, that evidence was too neat. The transaction records matched up perfectly, witness testimonies connecting seamlessly, like a rehearsed script.

But back then I was terrified. The Rossis were finished, Christopher was going to prison, all I could think about was how to save him.

I cried and begged my father for help. Finally, the Corsica family intervened and got Christopher out.

He knelt before me, forehead pressed against my knees, his voice hoarse.

"Elvira, I owe you for the rest of my life. I swear, I'll spend my whole life being good to you."

I believed him.

But I never imagined he'd turn around and get involved with Mia.

I discovered them while in Miami on business.

The video came anonymously. On screen, Christopher had his arm around Mia's waist, the two of them kissing on a balcony.

Christopher said, "Once I get my hands on the Corsica port route maps, I'll dump Elvira. Then we can be together openly."

Mia smiled sweetly, leaning in to kiss him.

"Don't go soft, cousin. A spoiled princess like Elvira has had it coming for a long time."

Watching that video, I felt like ice water had been poured over me. I booked the earliest flight back to New York, planning to confront him at the wedding.

If it was true, I'd shoot him myself.

But I never expected Logan would strike first.

He hung Christopher's head from the church spire, then walked to my side, his voice soft like he was coaxing a child.

"Elvira, that kind of traitor doesn't deserve to marry you."

Back then, I thought he and I were the same kind of people. Neither of us could tolerate betrayal. Both of us would go for the kill.

Now I know I was wrong.

Christopher's affair drove me crazy back then. I easily believed those videos, believed that evidence.

But now I'm slowly realizing—all that supposed cheating, those videos, that betrayal—it might have been a setup by Logan and Mia from the very beginning.

Logan never had good intentions when he first approached me.

What he wanted wasn't me—it was the Corsica family's ports and shipping routes in New York.

Mia had always hated me. She always said why should I be born the heir, why should everyone have to listen to me.

Her seduction of Christopher wasn't just to humiliate me.

She wanted to get the Corsica family's business secrets through Christopher, to help Logan swallow our family business faster.

So they'd been working together all along.

One doting on me openly, one undermining me in the shadows.

The new port contracts got signed by Logan's people. All the shipping route managers were replaced with MacKetti family loyalists.

Even the bodyguards around me were spies Logan had planted.

Like a fool, I wore the title of Corsica family heiress while holding no real power.

The more I thought about it, the more I hated. Hated myself for being so stupid, fooled by Logan for three years without seeing through it.

But regret was useless. Mia and Logan had to pay.

I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in three years.

"Antonio," I said. "It's me, Elvira."

Silence for a few seconds on the other end, then a lowered voice came through.

"Miss? How did you... Are you alright?"

"No." I said directly, "I need you to help me investigate two things. First, how much in assets and business has Logan MacKetti transferred from the Corsica family over the past three years. Second, all of Mia Corsica's bank accounts, especially the ones in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands."

Antonio was my father Vittorio's most trusted lieutenant, managing the family's East Coast operations. He'd never liked Logan.

"Miss, investigating this will take time. And if Mr. MacKetti notices..."

"He won't notice." I cut him off. "Use your most trusted people, go through the safest channels. Money's not an issue—I'll transfer whatever you need from my personal trust."

Antonio went silent again for a moment.

"Miss, are you in some kind of trouble?"

I looked out the window. New York's lights blazed blindingly bright.

"Antonio," I said, "I'm going to take back everything that was taken from the Corsica family, piece by piece. Will you help me?"

This time he answered quickly.

"I'll start tomorrow. I'll contact you the moment I have information."