Chapter 1

At the Moretti Family's annual banquet, I drew the winning token at the exact same moment as my boyfriend's new consigliere, Tania Fox.

Neal Gilbert stepped forward with an easy smile and claimed there had been a mistake in the draw.

He ordered one of his men to bring out two identical black velvet boxes.

"One contains the real prize," he announced. "The other doesn't. We'll leave it to luck."

Tania smiled.

I said nothing.

We opened the boxes at the same time.

Mine held two worthless casino chips.

Tania's held the keys to a brand-new armored Ferrari.

Applause erupted through the ballroom.

But everyone there had seen what happened.

The moment Neal handed us the boxes, his fingers shifted.

He had deliberately placed the box with the Ferrari keys into Tania's hands.

The looks around me changed instantly.

Some amused.

Some mocking.

Others simply waiting to see whether the Don's girlfriend would make a scene after being humiliated in front of half the city's underworld.

My phone vibrated.

Neal.

[Babe, you're my woman. If I gave you the grand prize in front of everyone, the other Families would say the draw was fixed.]

Another message followed.

[Giving it to Tania keeps people from questioning me. You understand, right?]

I stared at the screen.

Then I laughed.

He was right.

There was no reason to make things difficult for him.

Just then, another message appeared on my phone.

It was from the Romano Family, the Morettis' biggest rival.

They had been trying to recruit me for months.

[Our offer still stands.]

My thumb hovered over the message for barely a second.

Then I replied.

[When do I start?]

If Neal cared so much about avoiding suspicion, I was happy to help.

I was done working for his Family.

And as for my boyfriend?

He had no idea that the woman he'd just humiliated in front of everyone was also the reason the Moretti empire was still making money.

Once I walked away, bankruptcy would be the least of his problems.

……

"Serves her right. She walks around like she owns the Moretti Family just because she's sleeping with the Don. Look at her now."

"At least Don Gilbert knows who deserves to be rewarded. Tania's always been good to us."

"Exactly. Ivy acts like she's already the Donna, but clearly she's not the woman he actually favors."

The whispers followed one after another, each word sharp enough to cut.

Tania stood beside Neal, clutching the keys to the armored Ferrari. Triumph gleamed in her eyes, though she tried hard to hide it.

Then she lightly tugged at Neal's sleeve.

"Don Gilbert, is this really all right?"

Her voice was soft, almost hesitant.

"Ivy is your woman, after all. Maybe I should give the keys to her."

Neal rested a hand on her shoulder, his touch unexpectedly gentle.

Then he looked at me.

The warmth vanished from his expression.

"Ivy, look how considerate Tania is. Would it kill you to show a little grace?"

"The boxes were identical. It came down to luck. Are you really going to fight with someone who only joined the Family three months ago over a car?"

I stared at him.

Then I smiled.

"Luck?"

My voice cut through the murmurs around us.

"Neal, do you think everyone in this room is blind?"

"When you handed us those boxes, you switched them. Everyone standing here saw exactly what you did."

His expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

Then that familiar, practiced smile returned.

"Ivy, it's just a car. I'll buy you ten if that's what you want."

His voice softened, but the impatience underneath it was impossible to miss.

"There's no reason to humiliate Tania over something this small. If I handed the prize directly to my own woman, the other Families would say the draw was fixed. And if you keep making a scene, they'll think you're throwing my name around to get whatever you want."

Throwing his name around.

After everything I had done for the Moretti Family.

My fingers trembled.

Five years of swallowed anger finally broke loose.

I pulled out my phone, opened the notice I'd received from the Family accountant that afternoon, and held the screen in front of him.

"Fine, Don Gilbert."

"If the raffle was luck, explain this."

"Was my year-end cut luck too?"

The number on the screen was almost insulting.

$2.50.

For a moment, the entire ballroom went silent.

Then everyone erupted.

"Two dollars and fifty cents?"

"She's the underboss. She's second only to the Don, and that's her year-end cut?"

"That's impossible. I'm just a soldier and I got five thousand."

"You didn't hear? Tania's only been with the Family for three months, and she got twenty thousand."

Twenty thousand.

My head snapped toward Neal.

Five years.

I had given five years of my life to this Family.

Back when the Morettis barely controlled three blocks, I had stood beside Neal and helped him claw his way into half the city's rackets.

More than half the deals that built the Moretti empire had passed through my hands.

I negotiated alliances.

I secured routes.

I brought powerful men to the table when Neal couldn't even get through their doors.

And now, as the Moretti underboss, my year-end cut was two dollars and fifty cents.

Tania had been here ninety days.

She walked away with twenty thousand.

The irony nearly made me laugh.

For the first time that night, panic flashed across Neal's face.

Only for a second.

Then he shoved my phone away and turned sharply toward the watching crowd.

"Enough!"