Chapter 1

My ex, Luca Romano, had a rival family on his tail, so he begged me to hide him at my family's private estate for five days.

For old times' sake, I agreed and gave him a temporary passcode that would work for five days.

Five days later, I finished my work out of town and returned to the estate.

When I entered the passcode, the door wouldn't open. Someone had changed it.

I rang the doorbell. A woman I had never seen before came out wearing my nightgown. She yawned as if she owned the place.

The moment she saw me, she looked at me with disgust.

"So you're the ex-girlfriend who won't leave Luca alone?

"You two already broke up, and now you're showing up at his place in the middle of the night? Don't you have any shame?"

Chapter 1

I glanced at the old family crest on the gatepost and wondered for a second if I had come to the wrong estate.

I'd been away on business for five days. Now some woman I'd never seen before was standing in my home, wearing my nightgown and yelling at me like I was the intruder.

I pushed past her and walked toward the front door.

She stumbled back. "What, now you're trying to break in?"

She waved her hand, and four men in black suits stepped forward and surrounded me.

They had even replaced my guards.

I looked at her coldly. "Move. This is my property."

Something in my voice made them hesitate. They exchanged uncertain looks.

The woman looked me up and down, then laughed like I'd said something ridiculous.

"Your property? The only reason you were ever allowed through these gates was because you were dating Luca. Now that he dumped you, you don't belong here anymore.

"Actually, let me correct myself. You never belonged here."

She stepped aside and waved the guards toward my car. "Search her car. Some valuables have gone missing from the estate recently."

I took a step toward them. "Touch my car, and you'll regret it."

Before anyone could move, Luca's voice came from inside. "Bianca, who's out there?"

He walked outside and stopped dead when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?"

I almost laughed. "This is my property. Why wouldn't I be here?"

Luca frowned, clearly annoyed. "I told you I'd be staying here for a while. Why did you come here and start causing a scene?"

I stared at him. He was staying in my house. He had changed the passcode and locked me out. Yet somehow, I was the one causing trouble.

I wasn't going to waste time arguing with him. I pulled out my phone and opened our messages.

The agreement was right there: five days. No guests. No changes to the estate. And absolutely no entering the study in the main house.

I held up the screen. "You changed my passcode. You replaced my guards. And you even brought another woman into my house. Who gave you the right?"

Luca avoided my eyes. He clearly knew he'd crossed the line.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "You're seriously upset over something this small? No wonder Luca dumped you."

Something this small? Was she serious?

I shoved the phone toward them. "Are you blind?"

Bianca slapped my phone away. "Those messages don't prove anything. I could fake a dozen of those in a minute. Do you really expect me to believe you?

"You're nothing but a junior clerk who runs errands for the Moretti family. You were only allowed on this estate because you were Luca's girlfriend."

She raised her right hand, showing off the diamond ring on her finger.

"I'm the lady of this house now. So stay away from Luca, and don't come back here again."

I ignored her and looked straight at Luca.

"When exactly did my estate become yours?"

Luca shifted awkwardly, unable to give me a straight answer.

"Alessia, it's complicated. Just leave. We can talk another day."

I stared at the two of them in disbelief, then called the Council's neutral officer.

"The access code to my family's estate has been changed. I need you to come here and confirm who is officially registered to manage the property."

Bianca snickered. "Still pretending? This is going to be embarrassing when it blows up in your face."

Luca remained on the steps, silent as ever.

About fifteen minutes later, footsteps sounded outside the estate.

Daniel Ferraro, the Council's neutral officer, walked toward us in his long black robe with a tablet tucked under his arm. He gave us a small nod.

"I've checked the records. Mr. Romano currently has valid management access to the estate."

Of course he did. I was the one who had given him temporary access for five days.

I stepped forward. "What about me?"

Daniel tapped his tablet a few times. "Ms. Alessia Moretti does not currently have a valid identity record linked to this estate in the standard system.

"The family registry hasn't been updated yet. We won't be able to confirm your status until tomorrow morning."

I silently cursed myself. Of course. Members of the Moretti family's inner circle were never listed in the standard database. Their identities required higher clearance. How had I forgotten that?

The courtyard went completely silent.

Then Bianca burst out laughing. "Oh, this is priceless! You're not even listed in the system, and you still have the nerve to claim this estate belongs to you?

"And you actually called a neutral officer all the way out here!" She flicked a finger at the guards. "Look at her carefully. She doesn't even have permission to enter this estate. If she comes back, don't let her through the gates."

I looked at Luca one last time. "Fine. Just remember you chose this."

One of the guards stepped toward me, making it clear I was being thrown out of my own estate.

I tightened my grip on my phone. Luca was still standing on the steps, watching everything happen without saying a word. I turned, opened my car door, and got in.

Bianca smugly called after me. "If I ever see you within fifty yards of these gates again, I'll have you tossed into the ocean for the sharks!"

I held back my anger and shut the door. In my rearview mirror, the wrought-iron gates slowly closed behind me.

A second later, my estate security app sent me an alert. "Administrator access changed. Current administrator: Bianca Orsini."

I set my phone face-down on the dashboard and sat there for a moment. Then I remembered the Orsini family crest I'd seen on the guards' suits.

I picked up my phone again and called the family steward.

"Find out what you can about the Orsini family."

I heard the sound of typing on the other end. "Ms. Moretti, the Orsinis are a regional family that operates under the protection of the Five Families. Their casino equipment, protection routes, and part of their funding are all controlled by the Moretti network."

I frowned. "A regional family? Then why have I never heard of them?"

"They're too far below the Morettis. There's no reason you would've heard of them."

Interesting. Bianca certainly didn't act like someone from a family that answered to mine.

I changed the subject. "Have Marco meet me at the estate tomorrow morning. Tell him to bring all the documents for the property.

"And find out which Moretti is closest to the area. I want someone with me tomorrow."

After what happened tonight, I wasn't about to face these people alone again.

He answered immediately. "Of course, Ms. Moretti."

Chapter 2

Early the next morning, I arrived at the estate with the only Council representative in the area—Anthony Conti, the Council secretary.

The guards clearly recognized him and immediately let us through.

I never thought I'd need someone to escort me into my own home. I couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought.

I pushed open the front door. The moment Luca saw me, he frowned.

He hurried over and lowered his voice. "I told you I'd only be here for a few days. Why can't you just let it go?"

After last night, I had no interest in arguing with him anymore.

I gave him a cold look and walked straight into the main hall.

Two middle-aged people were sitting in the dining room, and they looked a lot like Bianca. They had to be her parents. They were calmly eating breakfast as if they belonged there.

And they were eating from the antique set my grandfather had left me. We only used that set for special family occasions.

Now two complete strangers were using it for breakfast.

As they drank, the Moretti crest at the bottom of each cup occasionally showed through the milk.

Four huge suitcases lay open in the hallway, stuffed with clothes for every season.

They clearly weren't planning to leave anytime soon.

I hurried further into the house. In the servants' quarters, I found three open cardboard boxes stacked against the wall.

My clothes and personal belongings had been thrown inside them like junk.

I turned and glared at Luca. "This is your idea of five days?"

Before he could answer, the middle-aged woman at the table slammed down her fork and stood up. It was Bianca's mother, Elena Orsini.

"So you're Luca's ex-girlfriend? A girl should have some self-respect. Luca's about to get married, and you're still coming to the home he's preparing for his future wife. Don't you have any shame?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "What did you just call this place? Their future home?"

"That's right. My daughter is about to marry Luca and become part of the Moretti family. Naturally, they'll live here after the wedding."

Since when did my estate belong to Luca?

He was only a captain in the family's security team. How did that make him part of my family?

"Ma'am," a workman called out to Elena. "Where do you want these hung?"

A ladder leaned against the archway. Next to the family crest on the wall, someone had already nailed up a new plaque.

Luca and Bianca's names were written across it in fancy letters, with a large wreath between them.

The wreath covered half of the eagle's talon on the family crest, making it look as though someone had stepped all over it.

Elena pointed toward the east wall. "Take those photos down. They're old, dusty, and ugly. Put the engagement photos there instead."

A row of old black-and-white photographs hung on that wall.

There was my grandfather, the former head of the Moretti family. Beside him was my father, Vittorio Moretti. Then there was my mother at nineteen, standing in profile in the rose garden.

"Ma'am." Anthony's voice stopped her.

Anthony stepped forward and gave Elena a small nod. "Under the temporary management rules of the Moretti family trust, nothing inside this estate may be changed or removed until ownership and access have been verified."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "Says who?"

Anthony stood a little straighter. "Family law."

Bianca walked slowly down the long staircase in high heels. She placed a hand on her mother's arm and smiled at Anthony. "Does family law also say the lady of the house isn't allowed to rearrange her own home?"

Anthony paused and glanced at me, not sure how much he was allowed to reveal.

Bianca smiled and continued. "My father is the Don of the Orsini family, and I'm his only daughter.

"Once Luca and I are married, I'll become a Moretti. So you're standing in what will soon be my property. Are you trying to enforce rules for a woman who isn't even registered in the system?"

Anthony's expression hardened. "Ma'am, I only recognize the people officially named as beneficiaries of the trust."

"Good," Bianca said, turning toward me with a smug smile. "Because in a few days, I'll decide whose faces deserve to stay on these walls."

My jaw tightened with anger. "I'm warning you. Touch those photos, and you'll regret it."

Bianca's father, Carlo Orsini, finally walked over.

A cold smile spread across his face. He looked at me like I was some maid who had wandered into a room where she didn't belong.

He pointed at the photos. "Take every one of them down. Burn them. Let's see who has the nerve to stop me."

Carlo hadn't been a Don for long enough to recognize my father.

He probably thought the people in those photos were nothing more than my relatives.

A few workmen immediately reached for the frames. I rushed forward to stop them, but Carlo's guards grabbed me and held me back.

As I struggled against them, Luca appeared at the top of the stairs. An obsidian ring gleamed on his finger.

I froze. That was my father's ring—the symbol worn by the head of the Moretti family.

I had kept it locked inside a hidden safe in the study. Luca had broken in and stolen it.

When Bianca saw me staring, she grabbed Luca's hand and raised it in front of me, making sure I got a good look at the ring.

"See? This belongs to the owner of this estate."

I stared at the ring as fury burned through me.

A second later, I charged forward, grabbed Luca's hand, and squeezed his fingers hard.

"Take it off. Now!"

Chapter 3

Luca quickly hid his hand behind his back, his expression tightening as he looked at me. "Vittorio gave this ring to me himself."

Nonsense!

My father hadn't even known Luca existed when he was alive.

He lowered his voice. "Keep it down. If anyone finds out you stole the late Don's ring, you won't have enough lives to pay for it."

He seriously thought I was the thief.

Bianca, clinging to his other arm, burst out laughing.

"Alessia, you couldn't take the estate, so now you're trying to steal Luca's ring too?"

I ignored her.

"That's Vittorio Moretti's obsidian ring," I said quickly, struggling to control my anger. "There's a V engraved inside the band, and the inheritance registry number is engraved underneath: MOR-0407."

Before Luca could answer, I turned to Anthony. "Take the ring as evidence and verify it, please."

Bianca immediately stepped in front of Luca and raised her voice so everyone could hear.

"How does an outsider like you know the registry number of a Moretti family heirloom by heart?

"Sounds to me like you've been planning to steal it all along."

I forced down my anger and stared at Luca.

"I'll ask you again. Who does that ring belong to?"

He looked away. "Alessia, enough. You're only making a fool of yourself."

I'd had enough. I reached out to take the ring myself.

Bianca grabbed my wrist, digging her nails into my skin.

"Don't touch Luca."

Two Orsini guards charged forward, grabbed me, and yanked me back.

I lost my balance and fell backward, slamming my back against the edge of the dining table.

A wine glass fell to the floor and shattered. One of the broken pieces cut the outside of my forearm.

Bianca suddenly screamed.

She pulled out her phone and called the guards before I could. "Guards! There's an intruder! She attacked me and tried to steal our family's ring!"

I forced myself to stay calm and called security too.

Elena pointed angrily at me. "What terrible luck, having a shameless woman like you show up at our door."

Ten minutes later, three uniformed guards entered through the side door.

Bianca pointed at me, then at the broken glass scattered across the floor. "She attacked first. Our guards were only trying to stop her."

They had taken over my home, stolen my family's ring, and now they were pretending to be the victims.

The estate manager followed the guards inside. His expression changed the moment he saw the blood on my arm.

The guard captain turned to the estate manager. "Please tell everyone who this estate really belongs to."

Bianca tilted her chin up in contempt, expecting the answer she wanted.

But the answer wasn't what she expected.

The estate manager spoke calmly. "Ms. Bianca, this estate has always been registered under Ms. Alessia's name. She is both the legal owner and the first beneficiary of the family trust."

The entire room fell silent.

Bianca's smile disappeared.

For a moment, I thought she had finally realized Luca had been lying to her.

Instead, she stared at the manager. Her mouth opened, but it took her a moment to find her voice. "She bribed you, didn't she?

"That ring belonged to Vittorio, the former Don. And now you're saying it belongs to her? Has anyone asked whether she even deserves it?

"Once Luca and I are married," Bianca said loudly, "the first thing I'll do is kick you out."

The estate manager didn't even flinch. "I don't believe you'll ever have that authority."

Then he looked at my bleeding arm. "Ms. Moretti, would you like me to get someone to bandage your wound?"

"Not yet. Mr. Conti needs to photograph it first."

Anthony took photos of my injury, the shattered glass, Luca's ring, and every guard in the room.

Luca shifted nervously. "Why are you taking all these pictures?"

"I'm required to document everything and report it to the Council. Just doing my job, sir."

Carlo and Elena immediately jumped in. "Let him report it! Let the Five Families decide who's right. Imagine having the nerve to come to someone else's home and try to steal it!"

Bianca and Luca looked at each other, and for the first time, I saw a hint of worry on their faces.

I sat quietly in the corner and looked toward my father's study. The door had been left half open. On the floor beside it was an open keepsake box, its velvet lining exposed for everyone to see.

That was the box where I'd kept my father's obsidian ring.

Chapter 4

My chest tightened.

The ring had been locked away deep inside my father's study, yet they'd somehow found it.

"Officer, I'm worried they may have gone through the rest of my father's belongings too."

I hurried upstairs, but the moment I reached the study, Bianca ordered her guards to block my way.

"Everything in there belongs to Luca. If you step inside, you're stealing from him."

Elena pointed at me and shouted, "Exactly! This is our property. What makes you think you can walk in and out whenever you want?"

I was trying to check my own belongings in my own home, yet the people who had taken over my estate were calling me a thief.

Luca stepped forward and gestured toward the door. "Alessia, enough. Just go home."

I almost laughed at the nerve of him. "This is my home. Where else am I supposed to go?"

Luca turned and pulled a document from beneath the table. From the looks of it, they'd prepared it long before I arrived. "You can go into the study. But first, sign this. Once you've taken your belongings, you leave and never come back."

I looked over the document.

It read, "I, Alessia Moretti, confirm that I am here only to collect my personal belongings. I have no claim to this estate and agree not to bother Luca Romano or Bianca Orsini again."

How wonderful! So that was their plan. They had been trying to steal my estate from the beginning.

And this was how low they were willing to go.

Bianca slid the document across the table toward me. "Sign it. Then you can walk away with some dignity. We're all adults here. Don't make things harder than they need to be."

I didn't reach for the pen.

Carlo motioned to his guards to shut the parlor doors.

"Young lady," he said in a low, threatening voice, "I suggest you think carefully. You don't want to cause trouble for yourself."

I ignored him and looked down at the document.

Then I grabbed the top of the page and ripped it in half.

The two pieces floated to the floor.

Not a chance. They actually thought I'd sign away my estate?

"You bitch!"

Luca, who had always been too timid to stand up to anyone, suddenly snapped.

He grabbed my injured arm and dug his fingers straight into the wound. Pain shot through me, and my vision went dark for a second.

Then he reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out another copy of the document. It was exactly the same, except a dark red seal from the Council had been stamped across the top.

This one didn't even require my signature. All they needed was my fingerprint.

Bianca held down one side of the document. Then she pulled out a small knife and sliced my fingertip open. Blood immediately beaded on my skin.

She leaned close and threatened, "Alessia, don't make this harder on yourself. Luca and I are getting married. Do you really want to make him hate you?"

Then she looked at Luca. "Hurry up."

I struggled as hard as I could, but they held me so tightly I could barely breathe.

My bloody fingertip was less than an inch from the paper.

Then a furious roar thundered through the room.

"Stop! All of you!"