Adrianna’s POV

Bianca looked up at me, almost hesitant. “I wouldn’t lay a hand on her… I’m not that kind of girl.”

She leaned into Marco, her voice soft. “Why don’t you decide for me? What kind of punishment would make this fair?”

She was clever. She would get what she wanted—my humiliation—without ever dirtying her own hands.

And she made Marco the one to do it. That was where it hurt the most.

Marco was silent for a long moment. Then, with a small gesture to the guard—“Slap her.”

Before I could react, the guard’s hand struck across my face.

My head snapped to the side. My cheek burned instantly.

I slowly turned back.

Bianca leaned against Marco’s shoulder, peeking at me with a faint smile. “Ouch,” she murmured softly. “That must hurt.”

“She deserved it,” Marco said coldly. “If she didn’t want this, she shouldn’t have pushed you and refused to apologize.”

He slid the ring onto Bianca’s finger with careful gentleness. Then he looked up, “Adrianna, go home and reflect on what you’ve done. Take a week or two off. Maybe that’ll help you clear your head.”

I met his eyes. My cheek still burned—but not as much as everything else inside me.

I reached into my purse and pulled out that small brooch. The one he gave me when this casino was built.

Our initials engraved together. The casino’s emblem beneath.

“For the future Mrs. Ross,” he had said. “My partner. My equal.”

I had planned to leave this behind when I moved out of the house. I didn’t want it—but I couldn’t bring myself to destroy it either. It still held the years we once shared.

Now… I let it fall to the floor, and stepped on it.

The crack beneath my heel sounded louder than it should have.

“As you wish,” I said quietly, my voice steady despite everything. “Mr. Ross. I won’t cause any more trouble for you.”

I turned and walked away.

“Adrianna—” Marco called after me—

Then Bianca’s voice followed, soft and clinging. “Marco…”

I didn’t need to look back.

Marco didn’t chase after me. All it took was Bianca calling his name—and he went straight back to her, like he always did.

…

After the casino, I went back to the house one last time, shipped all the boxes I had packed to the Conti mansion, then moved into a hotel Papa arranged for me.

I didn’t want to step into the Conti mansion yet—at least not until after the birthday party.

Meanwhile, Marco and Bianca went fully public.

Their pictures were everywhere—social media, headlines, gossip columns. The Conti heiress and New York’s newest mafia leader. Everyone was speculating about their alliance, what it meant, what it would bring. Some even said Papa was planning to hand the entire Conti family over to Marco.

None of it touched me.

I stayed at the spa—quiet, secluded, peaceful—preparing for the birthday party, my first appearance in the mafia world as the rightful daughter of the Conti family.

That afternoon, while I was getting my hair done, my phone buzzed.

An unknown number. “Come to my birthday party. Tomorrow, 6 p.m. —B."

But that wasn’t all. An ultrasound image was attached.

Another message followed almost immediately.

"Marco said not to invite you. But I wanted to. You’re such an important friend of his—you should be there to celebrate our baby with us.”

My hand moved quickly to my stomach.

Mine was gone… before I even knew it existed—‘thanks’ to Bianca. And now she was flaunting hers.

I closed my eyes, forcing it down.

Just one more day, then I can watch Bianca and Marco fall from the illusion they believed they owned.

…

The party was dazzling—far more grand than anything I had ever imagined.

I never really had birthdays growing up. The orphanage would pick a random date, sometimes not even remembering it. There were no celebrations. No meaning behind it.

It wasn’t until I met Marco that I even understood what a birthday could be. And even then… in the later years, he was rarely there.

But today was different.

This wasn’t a date chosen for me. It was my real birthday.

Papa came to the hotel himself and brought me back to the Conti mansion. But after leading me to my room, he disappeared again.

A maid knocked softly. “Miss Adrianna, the party has already started. The Don is still preparing something for you, so he asked you to go ahead.”

I followed her into the main hall.

No one noticed me. All eyes were on Bianca and Marco.

Bianca stood in white, her hair curled perfectly, her arm linked with his as she spoke with a group of men.

The moment she saw me, she let go of Marco and walked straight toward me. “You came,” she said, smiling. “I thought you wouldn’t.”

Marco, however, didn’t hide his reaction. His eyes narrowed the second he saw me. “What are you doing here?”

Adrianna’s POV

He stepped forward, grabbing my wrist. “Leave. Before Don Conti sees you.”

Bianca stopped him. “I invited her.”

“But, babe—”

Right on cue, Bianca gasped. “Oh—my ring.”

Her hand was suddenly bare.

“I must have left it in the bathroom.” Her gaze shifted—toward the direction I had just come from, then back to me. “Adrianna… were you just in the bathroom?”

Marco immediately signaled two men to check.

They came back minutes later and shook their heads.

Marco turned to me, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. “Where is it? Take it out now. This is the Conti mansion—not the casino. We can’t afford to upset Don Conti.”

Bianca looked at me, eyes wide, soft, innocent.

The same act. Did she ever get tired of it?

I shook his hand off. “I don’t have it.”

Marco’s jaw clenched. He lowered his voice, barely holding it together. “Take it out. Now.”

“I said I didn’t take it.”

A few girls stepped forward—faces I recognized from Bianca’s photos online.

One pinched her nose, sneering. “Looks like our kind-hearted Bianca brought in a little mouse.”

“Mouse?” another scoffed, eyeing me up and down. “More like a stray dog. Look at her dress—cheap.”

They laughed.

One of them tilted her head. “I heard you’re an orphan?”

She leaned toward Bianca. “You’re too nice. People like that… they grow up stealing. It’s probably second nature by now.”

“No parents to teach them manners,” another added lightly.

Their voices grew sharper, crueler.

“Do I need to call a doctor to check your hearing? I already said I don’t have it—didn’t you hear me?”

Their smiles vanished. “What did you just say?”

“Why should we believe you?” one shot back. “If I were you, I’d search her. She’s probably hiding it.”

“Yeah. Take off her dress—see where she hid it.”

Two of them stepped forward, ready to grab me.

Behind them, Bianca blinked slowly, her tone calm, almost gentle.

“Adrianna… I’ve always seen you as a friend. I even forgave you for pushing me the other day.” She sighed softly. “That ring means everything to me. It’s a symbol of Marco’s love. If you like jewelry, I can give you anything else… but that ring…”

Her eyes met mine. “Could you please return it to me?”

The softer she sounded, the more it felt like she was putting on a show—like she was “protecting” me.

A girl beside her snapped, “You’re just jealous Bianca has everything, and you’re nothing but a pathetic orphan.”

Marco didn’t stop them or defend me. He just looked at me. “I’ll ask you one last time, Adrianna,” he said coldly. “Did you steal it or not?”

“If I say I didn’t… would you believe me?” I looked straight at him.

Marco hesitated—just for a second, then looked away. “You were already jealous of Bianca at the casino that day. You even pushed her. Were you already planning to steal the ring back then?”

Then the final bomb, “When did you become this cheap?”

“Marco,” one of the girls chimed in, “Enough with the talk. Just search her. That’ll prove everything.”

“Yeah, make her take it out!”

“Still pretending? After stealing Bianca’s ring?”

They closed in, surrounding me.

“Adrianna, this is your last chance,” Marco said, his gaze ice-cold. “Return it. Don’t make me forget whatever we once had.”

I grabbed a bottle from the nearest table and slammed it down, the glass shattering in my hand. I lifted the jagged edge toward them. “Touch me, and you’ll all regret it.”

A few stepped back. But two of them still looked like they were willing to try.

Before I could react, someone shoved me from behind.

I stumbled, my back crashing hard into the table. Glass bit into my hands, sharp and unforgiving, and pain shot straight through me.

My purse slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.

They rushed forward instantly, dumping everything out.

And then—“There! She stole it—there’s the evidence!”

Marco’s face darkened instantly. “And you still said you didn’t steal it, Adrianna. Didn’t I tell you to stop this act?”

“I didn’t!” I shot back. I had no idea how that ring ended up in my bag.

He grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the door. “You’re leaving. Now. Bianca invited you out of kindness—you don’t deserve to be here.”

I tried to pull free, but his grip only tightened.

Just then, a voice cut through the yard—cold and commanding. “Who dares insult my daughter?”