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.