Chapter 1

My dear daughter Rosie has been begging to go to Disneyland for months. My husband Colin promised we'd take her together for her sixth birthday—then bailed last minute.

I handed him the keys to my family's empire after my father died—made him the Don of the Devlin family myself—and now he can't even show up for his own kid.

But fine. He's busy. Rosie and I can still have a perfect day.

Rosie's bouncing on her toes at the gate, clutching her little Mickey ears headband, when the attendant scans my VIP card and frowns.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. This membership has been canceled."

I blink. "That's impossible. Run it again."

She does. Same result.

"It's showing as deactivated, ma'am. As of this morning."

Before I can even process that, my phone rings. A number I don't recognize.

"Mrs. Devlin, this is Tessa Nolan. Your husband hired me as Rosie's childcare consultant. I canceled the membership. From now on, all of Rosie's activities and expenses need to go through me for approval."

I open my mouth, but she keeps talking.

"Disneyland is excessive. It encourages wasteful habits. Going forward, Rosie is not allowed to participate in any recreational activity costing over a hundred dollars. Twice a month, maximum. I've calculated her monthly allowance for snacks and entertainment—two hundred and fifty dollars. I've already sent it."

She hangs up before I can say a single word.

My phone buzzes. A bank transfer. $250.

I stare at the screen.

Two hundred and fifty dollars. For my daughter. My daughter, who has never wanted for anything because everything she has comes from me. From my family. From the empire my grandfather built and my father died protecting.

And some woman I've never met just put a price tag on my child.

I call Colin. Straight to voicemail.

I text him.

"Colin, what the hell is going on? Who is Tessa Nolan, and why is she making decisions about OUR daughter? Get rid of her. Now. Don't forget—that seat you're sitting in? I put you there. I can take it back just as fast."

No reply.

I call again. And again. Nothing.

Rosie tugs my sleeve. She's watching the other kids stream through the gates, one by one, laughing and skipping. She looks up at me with those big brown eyes.

"Mommy, does this mean I can't go in?"

My heart cracks right down the middle.

This trip was supposed to make up for all the times Colin wasn't there. For all the dinners he missed. For every promise he broke. And now I can't even get her through the Disneyland gate.

I crouch down and brush the hair from her face.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. Something came up. But I promise—Mommy will bring you back tomorrow. I swear."

Disneyland is all digital tickets now. The VIP card was our fast pass to everything. I never thought I'd need a backup plan because I never imagined anyone would dare do this.

And that makes me even angrier.

But Rosie just tilts her head and smiles.

"It's okay, Mommy. I've been here lots of times. And Daddy's not here today anyway, so let's just come back with Daddy next time. The other kids can have my turn."

She's six. Six years old, and she's the one comforting me.

My chest aches. Since the day this little girl was born, I have never once broken a promise to her. Not once. And now, because of some woman named Tessa Nolan, today is the first time.

I squeeze her hand and force a smile.

"You're the best girl in the whole world, you know that? Okay, how about this—you go home with Marco first and have some lunch. Mommy has to go see Daddy real quick. And I'll bring you back a cake. Deal?"

"Deal! A unicorn cake. The sparkly kind!"

"The sparkly kind. Got it. One unicorn cake for my princess, coming right up."

I buckle Rosie into the back seat. Marco is one of the few men left from my father's days—loyal, solid, been driving this family since before I was born. I trust him with my life.

I watch the car pull away. I watch until it disappears around the corner.

I call Sal.

"Send me a car. Now. I'm at the Disneyland parking lot and I need to get to Colin."

The car shows up fast. One of our guys, no questions asked.

The VIP card is registered under my name. If Tessa canceled it, she needed authorization from the account holder—which means Colin gave it to her. He knew we were coming to Disneyland today. He knew, and he let this happen.

He let some stranger humiliate me and disappoint our daughter without even a heads-up.

He's going to explain this to my face.

But before I even make it halfway, my bracelet starts screaming.