Chapter 1

On the day of our wedding, Justin had someone take off my wedding dress so he could personally put it on my younger stepsister. He cut me an icy look. "I'll make you my wife, but my love belongs to Felicia. We'll get our marriage license after the wedding."

The people around us laughed, betting that I wouldn't wait around for Justin like I had before. After all, I'd held on for five years to keep this engagement.

But the moment I walked out of the church, I made a call. "Elizabeth, about your proposition the other day, my answer's yes."

That night, I took a private jet and flew to my new home.

From that moment on, my world was completely cut off from Justin's.

Five years later, I attended a banquet with my daughter, only to run into Justin at the entrance. I hadn't seen him in five years, and he flashed a humorless smile when he saw my daughter, whom I was holding.

"So, you've come crawling back after five years. Why not put the child under Felicia's care from now on? I might just let her call me 'Dad'," he sneered.

He had no idea the child wasn't his.

…

When I heard someone calling my name, I spun instinctively and found myself staring at Justin, whom I hadn't seen in five years. Tucked beside him was my younger stepsister, Felicia Swanson.

"Camille, it really is you! I didn't think you'd come back for Justin," Felicia exclaimed.

Justin's eyes lingered on me,lit with surprise. But he feigned nonchalance as he said, "I told you she was like a dog. There's no shaking her off."

His friends burst into laughter behind him.

"Share with us your dog-training tips when you have the time, Justin," someone joked.

"She even dolled up! Do you think it's so she can fake a run-in with Justin?"

"She'll probably die of heartbreak if she finds out Justin's already married."

Felicia covered her mouth with a hand, giggling as she looped her arm through Justin's, gloating. "You might not know this, Camille.

"After you threw a fit and bolted from the wedding, Dad decided to let me take your place as the bride."

I'd been deeply in love with Justin five years ago, and I didn't mind waiting for him to marry me, even when he kept putting off our wedding because of Felicia. In the end, he had my wedding dress taken off on the big day itself so he could put it on Felicia instead.

That day onward, I vowed to stop loving him.

More importantly, I now had a husband who loved me and a daughter who was too adorable for words. I had no reason to be hung up on a piece of trash like Justin.

The banquet this evening was meant to be a birthday celebration for my daughter, organized by my husband. I didn't want to get worked up on this special day.

As such, I flashed my wedding band at Justin and Felicia, smiling. "Congratulations. I got married, too."

Justin's face turned stormy at my words, and the air around us went still as the festive mood vanished. One of Justin's friends warned quietly, "Stop messing around, Camille. Keep pretending, and Justin might just move on from you."

I couldn't help my exasperation. "I really did get married. I'm here for a party."

The crowd laughed again at my words.

Felicia fixed me with a contemptuous look. "Surely you can do better than spin such outrageous lies, Camille. The only birthday party here is my daughter's."

I never expected Justin and Felicia's daughter to hold their daughter's birthday party at the same hotel as my daughter's.

Given my husband's special identity, the party was, naturally, an exclusive affair. The fact that Justin and Felicia didn't know about it didn't surprise me, and I had no plans to tell them either.

I turned to leave, but at that moment, Justin said, "I won't have beggars at my daughter's birthday party, but I'll let you in for old times' sake. I bet it's been some time since you were surrounded by such finery. Life must have been tough for you the last five years."

I thought he'd cracked the biggest joke.

My husband and I had been living on a private island for the last few years. It so happened that my husband had to return to Nistros to straighten out his family, and I'd only tagged along because I wanted to take back everything that once belonged to me.

Not wanting to waste my breath on them, I turned and headed into the banquet hall. My daughter suddenly bounded up to me, burrowing into my arms. "Mommy, when's Daddy coming?"

Justin was taken aback by my daughter's appearance. Then, understanding flickered across his face. "No wonder you came back here with such swagger. You gave birth to my kid in secret!"

He lifted his head and fixed me with a haughty stare. "Unfortunately, I'm already married to Felicia, so she'll have to legally adopt the child."

I regarded Justin with disgust. Shanna was not his daughter.

I was about to spell this out for him when Felicia interjected, "Camille, during your absence all these years, Dad has handed the Swanson Group over to me. How do you expect a useless broad like yourself to raise a child when surely you can't even make ends meet?

"You may as well give me your daughter so that she can wait on mine hand and foot. I promise to provide for her until she comes of age."

I was trembling with rage. My husband and I had raised Shanna like a little princess, and Felicia was suggesting that I hand her over into servitude?

"Shanna is not your child. We used protection." I shot a reproachful look at Justin as I pulled Shanna into my arms.

However, Justin didn't believe me. "Everyone knows you loved me beyond reason all those years ago. Who's to say you didn't hide the condom so you could conceive?"

Bitterness, the likes of which I hadn't felt in a while, seized me when I heard his scathing conjectures. So, he'd known how much I'd loved him back then.

I'd swallowed my pride and given up on everything just so he'd turn back. But in the end, he still made my love a laughingstock.

Fortunately, I made the right choice in the end. As for him, he was a past mistake that I should have moved on from a long time ago.

Chapter 2

I tried to leave with Shanna, but Felicia suddenly pointed at Shanna's neck and exclaimed, "The child is wearing a necklace that looks a lot like the Heart of the Ocean, the one Don Moretti bid on during the recent auction for 200 million dollars."

Justin sputtered. "As much as it resembles the real stuff, it's a knock-off at most. Come on, Camille, have you fallen so far that you'd let your child wear bootleg stuff?"

As he spoke, he took off the Rolex on his wrist. "Here, think of it as a gift from Daddy, alright? You're my kid after all, and I can't have you walking around like you're poor."

I stared at the Rolex in his hand and nearly snorted. "Keep the watch, Justin. The gifts my daughter receives are never less than a million dollars. She doesn't need your… less-than-100-thousand-dollar watch."

Justin scowled. "You'd rather have her use a counterfeit necklace than my watch? You've become more pathetic over the years."

I didn't bother to tell him that the necklace was the real deal and that my husband had gotten it during the auction. However, the crowd mistook my silence for shameful admission and burst into guffaws.

"Did you think we didn't know how cheap you were, Camille? It's bad enough that you've embarrassed yourself, but to make your child the laughingstock is just cruel."

I didn't blame them for thinking I couldn't afford such an expensive necklace. After all, I'd been useless and had to depend on Justin just so my father wouldn't kick me out of the family five years ago. Why would a person with my background have anything to do with the youngest Don of the Moretti family?

I didn't want to argue with them, but Shanna was indignant as she insisted, "My dad gave me this necklace!"

Felicia stopped laughing and asked menacingly, "Is that so? Who's your dad? Don Moretti?"

Before I could stop her, Shanna replied loudly, "Yes, my dad's William More—"

The words had barely left Shanna's mouth when I felt a strong gust of breeze that usually preceded a hard slap. Thankfully, the self-defense training I'd had with William over the last few years kicked in. With Shanna in my arms, I spun out of the way before we were slapped.

Justin pointed at me furiously. "Cut that out, Camille! It's one thing to lie to yourself, but to teach your child such nonsense is a different matter entirely! Do you even know how important the Don is? Are you trying to get us killed by teaching your child to spew these lies?"

Felicia glowered at me hatefully. "In case you missed it, Camille, the Swansons and the Gellers have already sworn loyalty to the Moretti family. You'll get us all killed if you and your daughter go around pretending to be Don Moretti's wife and daughter."

Shanna was so stunned that she began to tremble in my arms. I hugged her tight and shot a baleful, angry look at Justin. When our eyes met, I saw the regret that flickered through his.

"I'm not trying to scare you and your daughter, Camille, but it's true that our families are attached to the Moretti family now. You need to pull yourself together and learn the rules."

Felicia didn't hesitate to aggravate the situation. "Justin, Camille's jealous nature will be her demise. It's time you set some ground rules for her, lest she get us all killed one day."

As I listened to Felicia's words, I found myself recalling how she'd sabotaged my relationship with Justin using the same tactics five years ago. She'd always twist my words out of context and feed them to Justin.

At first, Justin hadn't believed her or given her the time of day. However, he slowly fell for her lies and grew to criticize me, warning me to behave. In the end, he'd learned to admonish me. "Useless piece of trash!"

However, this time, he didn't give me a stern talking-to and instead pressed the Rolex into my hand. "That's enough. Take the watch for the kid's sake. Buy yourselves something nice and throw out all those knockoffs. I'll help you settle in when I'm free."

I beheld his act of generosity with contempt and amusement. I wondered how he'd react if he found out that the Moretti family he was attached with was run by my husband, thus making me the Donna.

Chapter 3

I glanced at the clock on the wall. The banquet was starting soon. I couldn't afford to mess around with Justin and Felicia anymore.

I picked up Shanna and ran toward the priority lane. I was halfway there when a little girl bolted out of nowhere, forcing me to slow my tracks.

"Francine!" Felicia jogged up to the little girl and picked her up.

However, the little girl pointed at Shanna's neck. "Mommy, I want that."

Felicia cut me a snide look. "Let my daughter have the knockoff necklace, Camille, or I can't promise your daughter will survive servitude at our home in the future."

Naturally, I'd be a fool to hand the necklace over.

Felicia stepped forward to snatch it off Shanna's neck, but at that moment, someone came from around the corner and yelled, "What's with all the ruckus? Don't you know Don Moretti is throwing a birthday banquet here today?"

I recognized right away that the man who spoke was none other than Jack Moretti, William's uncle and the next person he wanted to get rid of.

In a true act of sycophancy, Justin sauntered up to Jack. "We're sorry for not knowing better. It so happens that our daughter is holding her birthday banquet here, too. I wonder if we'd have the honor of attending Don Moretti's banquet."

Justin subtly slipped Jack a check, and the latter grinned immediately. "Of course, but only if it's a small party."

Upon hearing this, Justin cleared his throat and glanced at me. "If you'd behaved better all those years ago, Camille, I'd have brought you to Don Moretti's party. Unfortunately, you're just a side piece.

"You're not worthy of standing by my side, even if you gave birth to our by-blow. Felicia and I will be attending the party together, then."

Felicia lifted her chin and looked down her nose at me, but I returned her gloating look with a half-hearted shrug and a smile. "The Moretti family won't allow outsiders at their banquet. Good luck getting in."

With that, I spun on my heels and headed down the priority lane.

Surrounded by quietness, I found myself reminiscing on the past.

Justin used to love me. After my mother passed, my father brought home his mistress and illegitimate daughter. Felicia and her mother picked on me for ten whole years, and Justin was the only one who'd protected me.

But in the end, on the day I'd joyfully prepared to marry him, he had someone take off my wedding dress so he could personally put it on Felicia.

"I'll make you my wife, but my love belongs to Felicia. We'll get our marriage license after the wedding."

I knew from the moment he said this that the man who'd claimed to love me was as good as dead.

And so, I called my mother's old friend without hesitation and made a deal with her. I'd give her son, who was in a vegetative state, a child, and in exchange for that favor, she'd help me take back everything that belonged to my mother.

The Moretti family's private jet flew me to Rostera Island that same day, and I became pregnant with William's child through IVF.

When the child turned one, William regained consciousness. I thought the deal would fall through after that, but William unexpectedly told me I was his lucky charm and wife.

He'd never let me go.

The three of us made for a happy little family, and recently, I conceived our second child through natural means.

I wouldn't have returned to Nistros if I weren't so intent on taking back the Swanson family, and Justin wouldn't even come close to seeing me.

I snapped out of my thoughts and straightened out my slightly ruffled clothes. Just then, I got a message from William, informing me he was at the hotel entrance.

Beaming at the message on my phone, I turned to look for Shanna, only to hear her scream pierce the air.

I frantically ran toward the sound of her voice and saw Felicia gripping her small shoulders while her daughter, Francine, straddled Shanna and slapped her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Outraged, I shoved them off Shanna and quickly pulled her into my arms.

Shanna's face was red from the slapping, and there were finger imprints on her neck, too. However, she held her ground and didn't cry.

"Mommy, they wanted to snatch my necklace! But I stabbed them with a fork!" Shanna explained quietly.

Justin stood aside and scowled at me. "Just give Francine that knockoff necklace, Camille. You're nothing but a lover to me. Learn your place."

"I told you, I'm married!" I shot him an icy look, but as repayment for the years he spent protecting me, I chose not to escalate this tension between us. However, after what Felicia and Francine did to Shanna, I reckoned it was time I settled the scores, both old and new.

Justin caught me glowering at him and took a step back. He then stepped forward again to touch Shanna's face, but I smacked his hand away. He snarled, "Cut it out, Camille! Didn't you ever think what might happen if you get caught sneaking in to look for me?"

Fuming, he made to apprehend me, and Felicia shouted, "Security! A thief snuck in here!"

At once, everyone turned to look at me. Felicia pointed at Shanna, who was tucked in my arms, and said, "This thief stole the Heart of the Ocean, Don Moretti's necklace!"

Jack stormed over and confronted Justin. "Is she your mistress?"

Justin hesitated for a second, then quickly shook his head. "No, I've ended things with her a long time ago."

I was relieved to hear his answer.

The man who would have given up the world for me was already dead, and Justin was nothing more than a coward now. "In that case, throw her out. Don Moretti's already at the door, and I promise you, it won't be pretty when he gets angry!"

After Jack had delivered his warning, the crowd closed in on us. I backed away with Shanna in my arms, growling at them, "Back off! I'm William's—"

I was cut off when Felicia slapped me hard across the face. "How dare you speak Don Moretti's given name!"

Blood trickled out of the corner of my mouth, and a cold look flashed in my eyes. I'd only returned to Nistros to take back the Swanson family and my mother's legacy. But now, I had to add "make Felicia pay" to my to-do list.

Three days later, I'd take away everything she had.

Felicia was about to slap me again, but I moved quickly, grabbing her wrist and slapping her face.

Someone shouted among the chaos. "The Don has arrived!"

Everyone fell quiet at once and bowed at the waist toward the door.

I was the only one who remained standing tall with Shanna in my arms. Justin tugged on the hem of my shirt, chiding me under his breath, "How dare you look Don Moretti in the eyes? If you keep this up, Camille, not even I'd be able to save you."

I ignored him and stood my ground, watching as the man at the entrance approached me. Everyone held their breath, as if waiting to see a "thief" like me get humiliated.