THE MISTRESS’S PROMISE AND THE MATRIARCH’S STAND
Chapter 1 – THE MISTRESS’S PROMISE AND THE MATRIARCH’S STAND
Twenty-six relatives sat around our dining table in Chicago. The candles were lit, the Sunday roast untouched, and Isabella Romano stood b…
MOVE HER OUT OF THE PICTURE! NOBODY WANTS TO REMEMBER AN OLD WOMAN WHO CAN’T EVEN SMILE PROPERLY!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD MAID FOR HELPING HIS 78-YEAR-OLD MOTHER JOIN THE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH
Chapter 1 – THE BROKEN WATCH ON THE STAIRCASE
The silence in the dining room was absolute.
Thirty-eight guests stared at Luca Moretti.
None of them dared to speak.
Vanessa’s hand tightened on the …
THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME UNFASTEN A PINK BALLET SLIPPER FROM HIS ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER’S SWOLLEN FOOT DURING HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE TWISTED HER ANKLE PLAYING ON THE STAIRS,” BEFORE HE EVEN ASKED WHY THE LITTLE GIRL WAS CRYING AND BEGGING ME NOT TO MAKE HER DANCE AGAIN
Chapter 1 – The Silver Locket In The Dark
“Vanessa… why would you teach my daughter to say that?”
Luca’s voice didn’t rise. It didn’t need to.
The silence in the dining room was so absolute I cou…
SERVE THE CAKE AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU IGNORANT LITTLE MAID! YOU DON’T EVEN SPEAK ITALIAN!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD HOUSEKEEPER IN FRONT OF FIFTY DINNER GUESTS
Chapter 1 – THE THIRD PLATE
The young woman with the gray eyes stood perfectly still, her hands trembling as she stared at the untouched dessert in front of her.
Her name, she said, was Clara.
And …
THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME PULL A MEASURING TAPE FROM AROUND HIS THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER’S WAIST DURING HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER
Chapter 1 – THE BLUE DRESS
The mansion was quiet at three o’clock in the afternoon.
I stood in the laundry room, pressing the heavy linen napkins for the engagement dinner, my mind running through t…
SHE’S JUST A STUPID LITTLE MAID! SHE’LL GO WITH YOU TO ROME WHETHER SHE LIKES IT OR NOT!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD HOUSEKEEPER IN FRONT OF FIFTY DINNER GUESTS
Chapter 1 – THE NURSE ON THE NIGHT SHIFT
The silence in the grand dining room was absolute.
Fifty wealthy guests sat frozen in their velvet chairs, their expensive champagne warming in their glasses…
TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY GRANDMOTHER. VANESSA WILL LOOK AFTER HER NOW.” MY MAFIA HUSBAND HUMILIATED ME AT OUR FAMILY DINNER
Chapter 1 – THE MEDICAL PROXY
The silence in the dining room was suffocating.
Twenty-four members of the Moretti family sat perfectly still beneath the crystal chandeliers. Nobody reached for their …
The Shy Waitress Greeted the Mafia Boss’s Father in Perfect Sicilian—The Room Went Silent The old man insulted me in a language nobody at his table understood.
Chapter 1 – THE OLD MAN’S DEBT TO A DEAD SPARROW
Salvatore Gallo’s hand tightened around the silver handle of his cane.
The color drained from his already pale face.
For a terrifying second, the en…
PUT THAT LITTLE GIRL ON THE FLOOR! SHE DOESN’T BELONG AT MY DINNER TABLE!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE SCREAMED, YANKING MY FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER OUT OF A CHAIR IN FRONT OF THIRTY WEALTHY GUESTS. I BEGGED HER TO STOP, BUT SHE ORDERED US BOTH OUT OF THE MANSION.
Chapter 1 – THE MONSTER AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE
“Because your father wasn’t the one who ordered them to disappear.”
Vanessa’s voice trembled, but the words echoed like gunshots in the locked dining…
TAKE YOUR LITTLE GIRL AND GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I DON’T WANT A MAID’S CHILD AT MY DINNER TABLE!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE SCREAMED, SNATCHING A PIECE OF BREAD FROM MY FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTE
Chapter 1
The dining room was so silent I could hear the rain hitting the glass of the tall windows.
Thirty-two guests held their breath.
Maisie’s tiny hand emerged from the pocket of her pink card…