"Drew said if you come along too, we'll make five times the money!"

Mom's smile twisted into something grotesque.

"Drew's about to meet some very important people. As her sister, you wouldn't want to steal her spotlight, would you?"

Dad pinned my arms down while Mom grabbed my chin and forced the soy milk down my throat.

"I can't drink this! I'm allergic to soy. It'll kill me!"

I thrashed and fought with everything I had. It was clear they planned to leave me half-dead before dragging me onto that ship, cutting off any chance I had of rising above this.

They pried my mouth open without mercy and poured the entire cup down my throat.

My throat and esophagus immediately burned with an itchy, searing pain. Breathing became difficult.

"Just bear with it. Your sister now has a rare chance to climb the social ladder. We can't let anything ruin it!"

I crawled across the floor and desperately clutched at Mom's pant leg.

"Mom, Dad, why?" The tears I had been holding back finally broke free.

"My whole life I've done everything you asked. Laundry, cooking, working for money. Why do you only treat her well? I'm your daughter too!"

Mom kicked me away in disgust.

"Look at yourself! We've raised you this long and haven't kicked you out yet. That should be enough! How dare you compare yourself to your sister?"

I stared at them in shock.

The way they looked at me, like I was trash, finally killed whatever hope I had left.

They dragged me into my room, threw me on the floor, then locked the door with a loud click.

No matter how much I begged, they refused to give me my allergy medication. The last shred of familial love I had been clinging to turned to ash.

I curled up on the floor as huge patches of red hives erupted across my skin. The itching was unbearable, but I did not even have the strength to lift my hand and scratch.

Through my fading consciousness, I heard my parents talking in the living room.

"She's been nothing but a burden!" Mom sounded disgusted and impatient.

"If she weren't useful for chores and making money, I would've thrown her out to the dogs ages ago."

Dad grunted in agreement. "Once this is done, we'll be set for life. Then we can toss her out."

"Hmph. With that weak body of hers, who knows if she'll even last that long." Mom's voice dropped lower. "Though if she dies, it's what she deserves. At least she won't waste our food anymore."

I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood. So all these years of pouring my heart out, and swallowing my pride and anger, meant nothing.

To them, I was just a tool. Someone that could work and make money.

When I was useful, they kept me breathing. When I was not, they would toss me aside like garbage.

This time around, I would not just sit here and wait to die.

I would survive… And I would make this heartless couple pay!

The next morning, they forced me into a bunny girl swimsuit and dragged me into the car.

"Mom, Dad, why don't you come along too?"

I had already made up my mind. Since they showed me no mercy, I would show them none in return.

Mom froze mid-motion as she was closing the car door. She frowned and studied me suspiciously.

"What's gotten into you? Since when do you care?"

Dad's eyes were scrutinizing yet tinged with hope. "Do you really want us to come?"

They exchanged glances, utterly shocked.

I curved my lips into an obedient, sweet smile. "Of course. That way you can see my sister hit it big with your own eyes!"

Mom could not help pressing further. "Have you really come around? You're not holding a grudge anymore?"

The wariness in Dad's eyes softened a bit. "See? That's more like it. We're family. No point holding grudges overnight."

Watching them excitedly fantasize about the future, I sneered inwardly.

In my past life, I had seen some shocking comments beneath Luna's online post.

"That last batch of girls didn't cut it. They couldn't even last two rounds."

"This time we've got clients who like older women. Make arrangements."

"For clients with special fetishes, do whatever it takes to satisfy them."

Within a few minutes though, Luna deleted the post.

Only I knew that, in my past life, Luna never actually hooked up with a real mafia Don. She got involved with drug dealers posing as mafia.

She was forced to entertain their entire crew for their amusement. Sure, she got some nice things out of it, but her body could not handle it. She ended up contracting an incurable case of syphilis.

That was when she set her sights on my stupid, greedy sister Drew. My parents and Drew were so blinded by money that they believed her lies without question.

At the dock, Luna was already waiting for us. Her gaze landed on me, and her brow furrowed instantly.

"What the hell happened to you? You look like death."

She whipped around and slapped Mom across the face.

"You idiot! If you piss off the clients, we're all screwed! Figure it out now, or you're paying for the damages!"

Mom clutched her cheek and immediately started bowing and scraping.

"We have medicine! We have medicine! We'll give it to her right away. She'll be fine in no time! I promise we won't cause you any trouble!"

Hearing their groveling assurances, Luna reluctantly waved us through and allowed us to board the cruise ship.

The interior of the ship was absolutely opulent, like a floating palace on the sea.

Mom and Dad were practically dancing with joy. They were one step closer to their dream of wealth and luxury.

Mom turned and glanced at me as she said with a sharp voice, "Tina, once your sister marries into a rich family, all of this will be ours!”

"You won't need to go to school anymore. You can just stay home and be your sister's maid. Take good care of her."

"Okay." I nodded obediently, playing along.

As we talked, Luna started selecting the first batch of bunny girls for tonight. She glanced at the fading red hives still covering my skin and looked away in disgust.

She pointed at Drew and a few other girls. "You girls, come with me."

Before leaving, Drew turned back and shot me a smug look. "Be a good little sister and wait for the good news."

My chest tightened. Poor Drew had no idea what she was walking into.

Only the three of us were left in the cabin. Mom and Dad wandered around, completely dazzled by the luxury of it all.

I took the opportunity to slip the sedative I had hidden in my underwear into the cigar tobacco.

Then I feigned surprise. "These cigars look expensive!"

Dad's eyes lit up as he lowered his voice excitedly. "My God, these are GRC cigars. One of these costs 136 thousand dollars!"

"Mom, Dad, we have such a rare opportunity here. Why not try one and see what it tastes like?"

I knew that these two chain smokers would never pass up a chance like this. Sure enough, they each grabbed a cigar without hesitation and enjoyed every puff.

Within minutes, they were unconscious on the couch. I quickly took the chance to leave.

The hallway was lined with thick carpet that muffled most sounds.

As I passed a tightly shut door, I heard Drew's screams and a man's vulgar obscenities from inside.

"Let me go!

"Please! No more! Please!"

Her desperate cries mixed with pleas for mercy sounded utterly hopeless.

"Luna, help me!"

Several loud slaps rang out, followed by Drew's agonized screams.

"Shut up! Stop acting so high and mighty!" Luna's threatening voice came through the door.

"You better satisfy the client, or you'll regret it!"

The room fell silent except for Drew's muffled sobs. I was afraid of being discovered, so I did not linger. I continued toward the upper levels of the ship.

When we boarded, Luna specifically warned us never to go to the top deck. That meant the real power players were up there.

"Help! Someone help me!"

Just as I was about to reach the top deck, I heard Mom's panicked cries for help from below, along with the twisted laughter of men.

I did not break stride. I walked straight toward the stairs leading to the top deck.

My original plan was to find a safe place to hide and escape once the ship docked, but the moment I stepped onto the top deck, the scene before me made my blood run cold.

A tall man in a white suit stood with his back to me. The gun in his hand was aimed at someone kneeling on the ground, begging for their life.

A soft pop from the silencer. The bullet pierced straight through the man's forehead, and he collapsed silently to the deck.

The man in white spun around to face me. Another bullet grazed my arm, leaving a bloody streak.

I froze in terror, too scared to move.

This was Don Donato DeLuca himself. I was in serious trouble now. At any second now, he would throw me overboard to feed the sharks.

Don DeLuca's gaze locked onto me, ice-cold, as he assessed me. However, his expression then shifted to something akin to disbelief. The gun slipped from his hand and clattered onto the deck.

He strode toward me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, too terrified to move, but all he did was brush my hair aside. The red crescent-shaped birthmark on the back of my neck was exposed.

His lips trembled, and his voice broke.

"My Principessa. Papa has finally found you!"

Donato DeLuca gently cupped my face in his hands and studied me carefully. Tears streamed down his weathered face.

"All these years, you must have suffered so much."

My mind went completely blank. I stared at him in confusion. "You're my father?"

Don DeLuca's voice was hoarse. "I know you have many questions, and I will explain everything, but right now I need to handle some urgent matters first."

He pulled out a black and gold card with the family crest embossed in the center. He pressed the card into my hand, his movements urgent.

"Go to the lounge at the bow of the ship and wait for me. No one will dare to disturb you there. Papa will come for you very soon."

He draped his white suit jacket over my shoulders and turned to leave. I walked toward the lounge, still bewildered by everything.

"Stop right there! Who said you could wander around?"

Just as I rounded a corner, a sharp female voice cut through the air.

Luna appeared with two guards, arms crossed and looking thoroughly annoyed as she blocked my path.

"A client specifically requested you and your sister together. Get moving and don't waste any more time."

I remembered Drew's screams and cries from earlier. A chill ran down my spine.

"You better not touch me! I'm Donato DeLuca's daughter!"

I did not care about anything else. I decided to use my identity as a mafia Principessa to scare her off.

"Don DeLuca, my father, told me to go to the lounge."

"Bullsh*t!"

Luna slapped me across the face. "Don't try your tricks on me! Someone like you doesn't deserve to even mention the DeLuca name!"

Then she burst out laughing. "Ha! Your parents are waiting for you downstairs."

She ordered the guards to take me away. I tried to resist, but the weakness I felt from my allergic reaction meant that I was no match for two grown men.

Luna stepped forward and grabbed my chin roughly, sneering. "You're going to regret this."

I was dragged violently down the hall. Luna roughly shoved me into a cabin, and I crashed to the floor.

This was the same room Drew had been in earlier, but it had transformed into a scene from hell. The air reeked of blood and the sour stench of vomit.

Drew was curled up naked in the corner on the carpet, covered head to toe in bruises and welts. Blood pooled between her legs as she sobbed quietly in despair.

My adoptive mother Carmen Moretti was not much better off. Her dress was torn to shreds. A brutish man with a cruel face had his foot planted on her back while she whimpered in humiliation.

My adoptive father Raphael Romano was being used as a chair by a man in a black tank top who sat on his back.

When they saw me thrown into the room, their eyes blazed with desperate hope.

"Tina, you're finally here! Go take my place with them!" Drew crawled forward frantically, her voice hoarse and ragged.

"If you please them, they'll let us go!"

When I did not respond, Carmen struggled to lunge at me but was pinned down by the man. She could only scream at me with pure hatred.

"This is all your fault! You did this to us! If you hadn't tricked us into smoking those damn cigars, we wouldn't be here!"

Raphael, crushed beneath the other man's weight, mustered all his strength to shout. "Tina! You ungrateful brat! If it weren't for you, Drew would be set for life!"

They blamed me for the consequences of their own greed.

"Shut your mouth! Don't move!"

The man in the black tank top cracked a whip across Raphael's back, cursing under his breath.

Raphael immediately cowered in terror, trembling violently. The man in the black tank top slowly stood up.

He looked me up and down with lecherous eyes, licking his lips. His gaze was filled with undisguised hunger.

He turned to Luna. "This one looks good."

Then he crooked his finger at Drew.

"Both of you. Come here and serve me."

"No! No!" Drew froze. Her eyes went wide with terror.

Her already pale face drained of what little color remained. She instinctively tried to back away, but the man grabbed both her legs, and she whimpered in pain.

"Please, no more! I'm begging you, please!"

Drew sobbed and pleaded. The man ignored her completely. With one brutal yank, he forced himself inside her.