Chapter 1
When Damian Russo's ninety-ninth mistress stormed into the casino, I was going through the family's secret accounts.
She slammed a pregnancy test and the deed to a villa on the table. "I'm pregnant with Damian's child. The harbor villa is mine. Time for you to step aside," she demanded.
I glanced at the papers and then, like it was nothing, pulled out a stack of evidence of her hookups and tossed it over.
Her face went pale. She tore up the test and the deed on the spot. "Mrs. Russo, I'll leave Damian right away," she said.
Since I married into the Itarvian mafia family, I was either dealing with Damian's mistresses or dealing with traitors.
The whole Sandor District mocked me for not being able to control my husband.
They had no idea that I didn't care who Damian slept with. I only cared about those who dared touch the family ledgers.
Besides, every time I caught a mistress, Damian had to unconditionally grant me one demand.
This time, I chose to demand a child.
*****
"Take off your clothes and lie down," I ordered.
I pushed open the heavy door to the master bedroom and slapped two hospital-stamped ovulation charts onto the table.
The edge of the papers landed over Damian's half-finished glass of Macallan.
"The doctor says tonight's our best shot at making an heir. Time to do your part," I said.
Damian had been sending a voice message to his latest lover, but he froze at my words.
He looked up, his blue eyes, like his father's, filled with disgust. "Are you out of your mind?"
He swept the bottle off the table. The crystal glass shattered on the marble floor, the sound sharp and jarring. The amber liquid splashed onto my custom silk slippers.
"You're nothing but a glorified nanny my father planted in the Russo family," Damian said, standing up and pointing down at me. "A watchdog like you thinks you deserve to bear my child?"
I let out a cold laugh instead of getting angry and calmly dabbed the whiskey off my silk slippers with a tissue.
"Damian, you owe me this. Limited Edition LaFerrari. Only 499 exist." I tossed a set of keys onto the bed. On it, the silver prancing horse was glinting.
His throat bobbed. I said, "Play along tonight, and the car will be parked in your private garage by morning. Think of it as your reward for dumping your last mistress."
Damian's expression changed, his eyes glued to the keys. He let out a cold, mocking laugh and ripped off his silk tie. "You're really shameless."
He strode over, seized my wrist, and slammed me down hard onto the wide bed.
My back hit the mattress, landing with a heavy thud.
He didn't bother with any foreplay; his moves were rough and merciless.
"Since you want it so badly, I'll treat this as my father's breeding assignment," he said, tearing at her silk nightgown. "Don't expect a shred of real affection from me. You're not even in the same league as Lily."
I closed my eyes, enduring the pain in silence.
As long as I gave birth to an heir to the family, nothing else mattered.
Then, Damian's phone suddenly blared with a shrill ringtone, the special one he'd set for Lily Hart, his latest influencer lover.
As soon as he answered, a woman's sharp, hysterical cry blasted through the speaker. "Damian, come and help me!"
Lily was crying so hard that she could barely breathe. "I was at a high-end restaurant, and they said I didn't have a reservation. They had the security throw me out, and they ruined the bag you bought me!"
Damian froze in place. The fury in his eyes shifted to worry, and he sprang off me instantly.
"Baby, don't cry. I'll be there in a second. If anyone touches you, they're dead," he shouted, put his shirt on without buttoning it, snatched up the LaFerrari keys, and bolted out the door.
"Damian, the doctor said I need to stay flat for thirty minutes," I said calmly.
"Shut up, you damn breeding machine," he barked over his shoulder, slamming the door so hard that the sound echoed through the spacious master bedroom.
I pulled the blanket over my bare shoulder. There was no anger, only the calm I'd expected.
I picked up the tablet from my bedside and made an encrypted call to the head of my media team.
"Find out which restaurant Lily went to tonight. Buy off a couple of bystanders to film her making a scene. Then post the footage on every platform and hype it. Let everyone see what this new influencer is really like," I ordered.
There was the sound of a keyboard clacking on the other end. "Got it. What headline should we use?"
"Just go with 'Mafia Heir's New Lover Throws Her Weight Around,'" I replied.
As soon as I hung up, a photo popped up on my screen. It was from Lily.
In the picture, Damian was gently feeding her a piece of steak, gazing at her with affection. The caption was: [True love is when he drops everything and runs to me.]
I let out a soft laugh and saved the photo. Then I zipped up a file I'd prepared long ago and sent it to a few influencers that I knew.
I typed: [Leak the evidence of Lily faking her college degree and working as a high-end escort. Tonight, I want her to blow up the internet.]