Divorced, I Married The Godfather 73 eps

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Transcript

00:00:00The night I signed the divorce paper and walked away with nothing, I wandered the rainy streets

00:00:05alone with a single duffel bag and only $36. That was when I spotted a flyer taped to a

00:00:11roadside pole. Stepmom wanted her child. Room and board, that's what got me. That same night,

00:00:16I showed up at the address. I walked straight into the mansion of Luca Castellano, the don

00:00:22of New York's oldest mafia family. Later, my ex-husband looked down at me with that same

00:00:26arrogance. Nora, do you finally realize you were wrong? Before I could answer, the four-year-old

00:00:32little tyrant exploded. Wrong about what? My mom is the best. The don slipped an arm around my

00:00:38shoulders, kicking him aside. My wife could never be wrong, and even if she was, she'd still be right.

00:00:44I never expected the people posting flyers on poles to be New York's most powerful mafia family. Now I

00:00:50stood outside their mansion. Beside me, the butler carried himself with quiet arrogance. The don is

00:00:55looking for a mother for his child, not a wife for himself. I need you to be very clear on

00:01:00that. Don

00:01:00is a very desirable man. Do not get any ideas you shouldn't. I kept my eyes lowered. Honestly, this job

00:01:07was perfect for me. To put it simply, they just needed a high-end nanny. Eight hours ago, I'd signed

00:01:12the divorce papers and been kicked out of my ex's house. The last thing I wanted was another husband,

00:01:17but a roof? Three meals? A place to disappear? That was a miracle. I understand. I won't get any ideas.

00:01:24The butler led me down a dim, vaulted corridor. Then I heard something that sounded like a gunshot.

00:01:29I stumbled, slammed straight into a hot, hard chest. The smell hit me first. Blood. Gunpowder.

00:01:36Then the barrel of a pistol tipped my chin up. A man in a suit with his hair slicked back.

00:01:40Blood

00:01:41streaked across his jaw. A snake tattoo coiling out of his collar onto his throat. My chest rose and fell

00:01:47rapidly with fear. His gun slid down from my chin and stopped between my soaked breasts. He studied me for

00:01:53a

00:01:53long beat. Finally, walked off without a word. I'd seen that face before. Page six. New York Times.

00:01:59The Castellano Don. Sebastian had once spent a month studying his photos, trying to get in with

00:02:05the old mafia family behind him. The butler finally spoke. The Don is handling some business.

00:02:11Please don't mind. I nodded quietly. Then he took me to change into something dry and led me into the

00:02:16dining room. A long wooden table sat beneath a crystal chandelier. And at one end, a father and son

00:02:22were locked in a standoff. The man with murder in his eyes was gone. In his place, at the table,

00:02:27sat a man in a white dress shirt holding a spoon. His face was tired. The boy pressed his lips

00:02:33shut

00:02:33and glared up at his father like a tiny soldier holding the line. Neither moved. Finally, the man

00:02:38exhaled and set the spoon down. Long fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. His voice dropped,

00:02:44low and rough. One bite. One small bite. Is that really too much?

00:02:49The butler stepped forward. Don. The applicant is here.

00:02:52The man turned. His shirt was unbuttoned low. I could see most of the snake tattoo now.

00:02:57The lines of his muscles pressed faintly through the white linen. The most feared man in New York

00:03:02inherited the family glory at 16. Built it bigger, darker, quieter than his father had. Money,

00:03:08power, blood on his hands. So this wasn't some dream. Or scam. A man like Luca Castellano had

00:03:15no reason to scam a broke divorcee off the street. His eyes moved over me, distant and tired.

00:03:20Name?

00:03:21I figured he'd come straight from his so-called business. Handling traitors,

00:03:25torturing some enemies, and now got defeated by a toddler. Feeding the kid was probably harder

00:03:30than running his empire. Nora Bennett, I said. A barely there nod. He held out the plate.

00:03:35Try. So, this was my interview. If I didn't pass, I was sleeping on the F train. I smiled my

00:03:41warmest,

00:03:42gentlest smile and walked toward the boy. I didn't make it two steps. Whoosh. He bolted under the

00:03:47table. Only his eyes peeked out. Dark, round, furious. I don't want her! Send her away! She's a bad lady!

00:03:54They're all bad ladies! So before me, this kid had already been through who knows how many stepmoms.

00:04:00Fine. I needed to do my best. I scanned the room and clocked it instantly. Action figures everywhere.

00:04:06Batman, Spider-Man, a whole shelf of Avengers. I grabbed two figures off the coffee table and

00:04:12crouched down by the table leg. I sat Batman and Spider-Man right next to the kid. Then I picked

00:04:17up the spoon. Don't worry. I'm not feeding you. I'm feeding Batman. I mimed a spoonful into Batman's

00:04:23face. Open up, Bats. Heroes who skip dinner? Skinny arms, skinny legs. Can't protect anyone like that.

00:04:29Oh, Batman wants vegetables? Good call. Spinach makes you strong. The boy watched,

00:04:35half-hidden, lips parting, smacking his mouth a little. I pretended not to see. His nose started

00:04:40turning pink, like he was about to cry. Right on cue, I gasped. Wait, is that a baby Batman over

00:04:47there? Bats, can you share with him? He has to eat too if he's gonna grow up strong. I tilted

00:04:52Batman.

00:04:53Bats says yes. I turned to the boy. Batman improved, kiddo. You get a little.

00:04:58But just a little. We don't want you outgrowing him. He'd be sad. The boy nodded furiously. I

00:05:04didn't even get the spoon to his mouth before he grabbed it with his lips. A big bite. Why won't

00:05:09you give me vegetables? You scared I'll get stronger than Batman? Bad lady! I glanced at

00:05:14the couch. Luca Castellano's mouth curved. A small, real smile. Approving. I moved into the

00:05:20castle that night. There were three floors. I got the second floor with Leo. Luca had the entire

00:05:25third floor to himself. The butler walked me to my room and gave me one last warning.

00:05:30You do not go up to the third floor. Ever. His voice dropped. The last woman who snuck up there

00:05:35to climb into the Don's bed got thrown out of his window. Two story drive. I thought of the gun

00:05:39from

00:05:39an hour ago. I nodded so hard I almost gave myself whiplash. Won't happen. You have my word.

00:05:45Castellano men breed serious. Leo was only four and slept in his own bed without a fuss. And that made

00:05:51my

00:05:51job easier. I'd just changed into the silk pajamas from the closet. The knock made me jump. Don Luca's

00:05:56voice was low behind the door. Come down. Let's talk. Luca was on the couch in the great room.

00:06:02Long legs crossed. Whiskey in his hand. I sat across from him on the opposite couch. Hands in my lap.

00:06:07Knees together. Like a job interview. You're good with kids. You have one of your own? No. I helped raise

00:06:13my ex's nephew for two years. Back the... The crane said I didn't make enough money and ordered me to

00:06:18quit. Called it generosity. Then, after I did, they claimed I was lazy and had nothing to do.

00:06:23So they fired the nanny and dumped the kid on me. More free maid than wife.

00:06:27File says you're divorced. Yes. Reason? Some small town girl cannot stain a noble family name.

00:06:33I guess. Only a coward would say that. You saw the ad. I'm hiring a mother for Leo, not a

00:06:38date for me.

00:06:39My rival's family terrified him when he was little. He's always been insecure, hates leaving

00:06:43the house, and has never had a single friend. I work long hours. I need someone with patience.

00:06:49Someone who'll stay. There will be a prenum. Everything stays separate. Especially in bed.

00:06:54My heart shuddered as I looked deep into his eyes. Marriage in rich people's world was a contract

00:06:59before it was anything else. My marriage with Sebastian was for love. But because the gaps between

00:07:05our family, I'd signed one with him too. When the love ran out, I'd walked away with nothing.

00:07:10Not even my wedding ring. Let alone a powerful mafia family like the Castellanos. They would

00:07:16only be more careful. I understand. Honestly, if you just need someone in the house, we don't have

00:07:21to make it legal. I'm fine without the paperwork. Luca shook his head. He leaned forward, tapping his

00:07:27fingers on the table. Marriage is for Leo. He needs the most stable mother I can give him.

00:07:31And marriage is the strongest contract there is.

00:07:35Alright. We'll do it your way.

00:07:40Don't worry. You'll get $100,000 a month for expenses.

00:07:43This was the part I cared about. I've been burned before.

00:07:46Mr. Castellano, if we divorce someday, can I keep the money you've given me?

00:07:50Of course. It's yours.

00:07:52Alright then.

00:07:54As for sex, I don't need anything from you in that area. You stay on the second floor.

00:08:01Right. The sex.

00:08:02That's fine. Neither do I.

00:08:05So, three days after I signed divorce papers, I got married again. No ceremony, no guests.

00:08:11Same as my first wedding. The butler added an extra dish to dinner. I thought that was the

00:08:16celebration. But suddenly, Luca slid a signet ring across the table. A Castellano family ring.

00:08:25That's not necessary.

00:08:28Sebastian never even gave me his family ring.

00:08:31For Leo's sake.

00:08:32Then I got it. The child needed a family illusion. I fell into silence and finally took it.

00:08:38I'll keep it safe.

00:08:39That night, I'd just gotten into bed when the door creaked open. Leo stood in the doorway.

00:08:44Bare feet, hair sticking up, fidgeting with his dinosaur pajamas.

00:08:49What's up, kiddo?

00:08:51Nora, can you read me a bedtime story?

00:08:53What? You want me to read you a bedtime story?

00:08:56I'll get my dad to pay you extra. If you don't want to, forget it.

00:09:00Come here.

00:09:01I held the covers open. He scrambled in like he'd been waiting for that all day. Halfway

00:09:06through the story, he was out cold against my shoulder. Next morning at breakfast, Luca's

00:09:12eyes widened when the butler told him Leo had slept in my bed.

00:09:15Nora, that was above and beyond. I'll add another $50,000 a month.

00:09:20Mr. Castellano, that's way too much.

00:09:22It was, by a lot. I'd given far more than this in my last marriage and walked away with

00:09:29literally nothing. During the day, I babysat his nephew. At night, I cooked for my husband.

00:09:35After satisfying his needs in bed, I still had to get up at five to clean the house and

00:09:40make breakfast. His mother judged.

00:09:42We could hire someone, but Nora's just sitting around all day wouldn't be fair.

00:09:46Despite all these, the day of the divorce, his sister told the lawyer I'd been living

00:09:51off them for three years. Mr. Castellano, it's really too much. I like Leo. He's a sweet

00:09:57kid. Reading him a book is nothing.

00:09:59As I said it, Leo came over and grabbed my fingers with his small, warm hand. He was looking

00:10:04up at me with those big, dark grape eyes. He was actually moved.

00:10:08You don't know. The women before you only cared about impressing me. They ignored him.

00:10:1650,000. That's the new number. Not negotiable.

00:10:20I gave up and thanked him. From that day on, Leo was my shadow. Luca was busy with all the

00:10:26transactions, the guns, and the bloods. The huge mansion was usually just the two of us.

00:10:31I tried my best to play with him and made him happy every day. Until the day I had a

00:10:36hospital

00:10:36appointment for a follow-up. The butler had warned me. Leo couldn't leave the house. Outside

00:10:42triggered panic attacks. I crouched down. Hey, babe. Wait for me at home. I'll be back

00:10:48in an hour. He grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go. Didn't say anything. Just looked at

00:10:54me with those dark, sad eyes.

00:10:58He's scared you're not coming back. His mother left him exactly like that.

00:11:02I'm coming back. I'll see the doctor and come right home. You play here, okay?

00:11:06I was still mid-sentence when he climbed into the backseat of the car. The butler tried not

00:11:11to hope. Master Leo, you're going to the hospital with Miss Bennett? Leo nodded.

00:11:16Thank God. He's finally willing to leave the house. Your depression's getting better.

00:11:21Just keep it slow. Relax. I took the script and the meds and left. Leo was waiting in the

00:11:26lobby with his small batman. Nora, are you sick? A little, kiddo. I used to skip meals

00:11:36a lot, so I got sick. Promise me you'll never let yourself get like that. Does it hurt? If

00:11:42it hurts, I can give you candy. Daddy told me candy makes you forget. My tears fell without

00:11:49warning. In the crane house, I'd cry and they'd call it dramatic. Small town girl. Can't handle

00:11:55the lifestyle. I had depression. Stop faking it to get attention. The nephew I'd raised for

00:12:05two years stood next to his mother on divorce day and called me ugly. And here was this four-year

00:12:10-old

00:12:10mafia heir handing me his last piece of candy. Nora, I'm going to eat every meal so I can grow

00:12:17up and protect you.

00:12:25You better grow fast, babe.

00:12:27When we walked out of the hospital, there was a black Maybach idling at the curb. Luca was

00:12:31leaning against it.

00:12:32Mr. Castellano, why are you here?

00:12:34He scooped his son into his arms. Seeing how calm and composed the boy was, his eyes suddenly

00:12:39reddened. The butler called, said Leo went out with you. I had to see it. Dad, as long

00:12:45as I'm with Nora, you can stop worrying. I know.

00:12:50That night, he tried to raise my pay again. This time, a black card. I refused so hard,

00:12:55he laughed.

00:12:59Noia, there must be something you want.

00:13:01Could you help me find a used car?

00:13:02$5,000 or below, so I can take Leo out without depending on the driver.

00:13:09Pick anything from the garage.

00:13:12The cheapest car in your garage is a quarter million. I wouldn't dare drive it.

00:13:17Fine.

00:13:19Next morning, an old, beat-up sedan was parked next to his black Bentley.

00:13:24He also flew in a psychiatrist. Same diagnosis as the hospital. But this time, my meds were

00:13:29upgraded to the brand I'd never been able to afford.

00:13:33Your wife needs company. Family. Don't push her too hard. I'll remember that.

00:13:38The next day, I drove Leo out with me. He'd always been insecure, had barely seen the outside

00:13:43world. Now, I wanted to show it to him. First, the amusement park. He grabbed my hand and dragged

00:13:49me over to take pictures. Then, I took him to the farmer's market. He'd never been to a farmer's

00:13:53market in his life.

00:13:54Nora! I don't want to hold this!

00:13:56My hands are full, Leo. Just a few steps.

00:13:59Fine! One time only! And no more lobster! No!

00:14:04Nora?

00:14:05It was Sebastian, my ex-husband. He was in a crisp gray suit, hair perfect, looking like

00:14:12he'd stepped out of a magazine cover. It had been five weeks since the divorce. My stomach

00:14:17knotted on contact. Sebastian and I had met in college. He came from one of those Wall Street

00:14:22elite families. The golden boy of high finance. He'd ignored every objection from his family

00:14:27to put a ring on me. At our wedding, he'd promised to protect me for life. Then, he took over

00:14:32Crane Capital and he started finding fault with everything. He wanted me to quit my job,

00:14:37take care of his parents, take care of his sister's kid, cook, laundry, cleaning. I did

00:14:42all of it because I loved him. Because I'd never been loved by my own family and didn't

00:14:47know any better. Until one day, I caught him in a private club with a girl in his lap.

00:14:52My whole world shattered. I cried. I screamed. I begged him to swear it would stop. The whole

00:14:59Crane family said I was overreacting. What successful man doesn't have side action? Sebastian said I'd

00:15:05been spoiled rotten. He blocked my number, stopped coming home. My depression cratered. I filed for

00:15:12divorce. He thought it was a bluff. His family told him, don't let her win. He had his lawyer draft

00:15:18papers. I walked out with nothing, signed them in seven seconds. Four years of dating, three years

00:15:23of marriage. Done. Noah, Ivy League degree. And here you are playing nanny? What were you thinking?

00:15:32Not your business. Nora, try to understand. The day you married into the Crane family,

00:15:38you represent the Crane name. Sebastian, we're divorced. I have nothing to do with your family

00:15:45anymore. Even divorced, you're my ex-wife. People still bring me up when they talk about you.

00:15:52Stop embarrassing me. Use your head for once. Stop being emotional all the time.

00:15:58Nora, few weeks out here. Bet you miss being Mrs. Crane, don't you? Admit you were wrong. I'll

00:16:02think about taking you back. The girls outside the marriage, those were nothing. I haven't

00:16:06replaced you. The position's still open. Just swallow your pride. Apologize to my mother

00:16:10and my sister. Don't bother holding it. Give the seat to someone else, Sebastian. I'm not

00:16:14interested. On the drive home, a new number called. Connor, the nephew I'd raised for two

00:16:19years. I'd block the rest of the Cranes. Not him. Kids didn't pick their parents.

00:16:24Hey, Con. Nora, you divorced loser. My mom wants to talk to you. My throat closed up.

00:16:31Then Cassandra Crane took the phone. Nora, Sebastian tells me you're working as a nanny.

00:16:36Have you ever thought about anyone but yourself? You're slapping Sebastian's face. You're slapping

00:16:41the Crane name. What does that look like to people? Nora, I always said it. You'll never

00:16:46rise above your roots. Trash dressed in silk. I hung up, blocked her, pulled over. I crashed

00:16:51onto the steering wheel and bawled. I cried until I couldn't breathe. I cried until I

00:16:56was so empty I felt nothing. Then I sat up, wiped my face, felt the exhaustion settle bone

00:17:01deep. Nora, here, tissue. I'd forgotten Leo was in the back seat. He was holding a tissue

00:17:06out from his car seat. Big, sad eyes glued to me. I'm sorry, sweetheart. Did I scare you?

00:17:11Nora, I'm not scared. You can cry as long as you want. I'll wait. Adults crying isn't shameful.

00:17:17I won't laugh. Thanks, my little gentleman. Auntie's done. No more crying from now on. Let's

00:17:23go home. I went to bed early that night. Didn't feel up to dinner. Then a knock. Nora, can I

00:17:29come in? Luca. I was fresh out of the shower. Hair wet, robe tied carefully. I made sure

00:17:35nothing was showing. Come in. He was in a tight white tank top, making the snake tattoo stand

00:17:41out even more. Dark hair falling loose over his forehead. Whiskey in his hand. Looser than

00:17:46I'd ever seen him. He sat in the chair by my bed. His gaze flicked to my wet collarbone,

00:17:51then immediately to the wall, like he'd been caught. The clothes in your closet, you never

00:17:55wear any of them. They're too nice. I'm not used to it. I'd learned one thing from the

00:18:00crane marriage. Don't force yourself into a world that isn't yours. The fall is uglier

00:18:05when they shove you out. Are they not your style? I'll have the designer come fit you for

00:18:09new ones. No, no, Mr. Castellano. I'm in the house all day with Leo. There's nowhere to

00:18:13wear that kind of thing, truly. I heard you saw your ex today. His name's Crane? The stupid

00:18:20crane capital? I froze. Leo had snitched. Yes, that crane. Old news. Nora, since you came,

00:18:29Leo's been a different child. Thank you. His eyes were dark and serious on mine. I shifted,

00:18:34uncomfortable. You pay me very well. It's what I'm here for. Nora, ask me for anything. I can

00:18:41probably make it happen. Mr. Castellano, I don't need anything. He was quiet a long moment. His

00:18:47fingers tightened on his knee, then released. He stood up. I'll say this again. I'm the

00:18:52Don of the Costetto family. If you want, I can make sure he never speaks again more by

00:18:58tomorrow. I took a step back, still not used to him being this close. Without warning, he

00:19:03tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Did I scare you? I said nothing. His hand slid down

00:19:08for my cheek. He gave a faint smile, then walked out. For the next two weeks, Luca started coming

00:19:15home early. Dinner with Leo and me. Sometimes board games after. Sometimes a movie. A man

00:19:21who ran half of New York's underworld didn't change his schedule for no reason. I was starting

00:19:25to worry. Was the family in trouble? Not that I cared about him. I just really cared about

00:19:30my 150 grand a month. Mr. Castellano, you don't have to keep coming home this early. Leo has me.

00:19:36If you've got business, take it. Luca picked up a red Lego brick. Voice perfectly neutral. The

00:19:41psychiatrist said you need family. Leo and I are your family now. We have responsibilities. Since

00:19:47when are we family, I wanted to say. I didn't. Honestly, Leo's enough. The doctor said my improvement

00:19:54is mostly thanks to him. He stroked his chin, avoiding eye contact. I grabbed Leo's hand

00:20:00and stood. Come on, buddy. Story time. Daddy still has work. Leo and I walked out.

00:20:05Nora. Luca's voice, stopping me at the doorway. Yes? His ears were faintly pink. He cleared

00:20:12his throat. Tomorrow night, there's an event. Plus sun's required. Would you come with me?

00:20:19Me? Me? You. I don't have time to find someone else. I'll pay you an appearance fee.

00:20:30A man with his face couldn't find a date in 24 hours? I didn't think too much. There was money

00:20:35on the table. Sure. I don't know the social rules in your world, though. I don't want to embarrass you.

00:20:42The Cranes were a moneyed family, too. But Sebastian had never taken me to anything

00:20:47because his mother said, She doesn't know how to act in public. Don't let her embarrass us.

00:20:52Stand next to me. That's all. Luca's brow eased. If you want, I can make the gossipers

00:20:57shut up for good. The butler chimed in, beaming. Miss Bennett, you don't need to know the rules.

00:21:04The don is the rules. Hard to argue with that. The next afternoon, a design team showed up at the

00:21:10mansion. Five people. Most of them flown in from Paris. Hair, makeup, dress, jewelry. They huddled

00:21:18and debated each detail for 20 minutes at a stretch. By the time Luca came home, I was starting to

00:21:23feel

00:21:24sick about how much was on me. He walked in, saw me. His eyes did something. A brief flash, almost

00:21:31stunned,

00:21:31before he caught himself. Daddy, look how pretty Nora is. Call her mom. Leo turned his head and

00:21:40harrumphed. Wouldn't say it. I patted his hair. It's okay. I like Nora. Makes me feel young.

00:21:47The event was a charity gala at the plaza. Every major name in New York was there. Old money, bigger

00:21:53money, political faces. A few faces I recognized from the papers, and a few I knew not to recognize at

00:22:00all.

00:22:00They orbited Luca immediately. Conversations started landing on me. Mr. Castellino, who's the

00:22:07beautiful lady? I jumped in to save him. I'm a friend of Mr. Castellino's. My wife, Nora. The room

00:22:17shifted. A chorus of polite gasps. Compliments raining down. My face went hot to my collarbone.

00:22:24Luca squeezed my hand, leaned in. Nora, is being my wife really that embarrassing?

00:22:30You couldn't say it. Bourbon and cedar on his breath. No. No. I just, I didn't want to embarrass

00:22:38you. His eyes darkened. He looked at me like he was lighting something on fire. Only a weak man

00:22:43is embarrassed by his wife. I had to look away. I'll grab a drink. I bolted. I'd been hiding by

00:22:49the

00:22:49champagne tower for about 90 seconds when… Nora? There was no date, just him. Had it Luca said

00:22:59plus ones required? Sebastian's face was pure stunned. It is you. I almost didn't recognize

00:23:06you. I've never seen you look like this. I stepped back. Stay away from me. Nora. About

00:23:19my sister's call. That wasn't me. I'd never authorized that. Truth is, I only agreed to the

00:23:24divorce to teach you a lesson. Bratty wife. Needed reminding. I never actually planned

00:23:29to let you go. Apologize to my mom and my sister. We'll remarry. I'll forget the rest.

00:23:40Crane. Capital is bleeding right now. I'm slammed. Stop making thing hard for me. He reached for my

00:23:46hand. The Sebastian special. One slap, one kiss. He'd run me on that loop for three years. I'm not

00:23:53the Nora he married anymore. I yanked back. Sebastian. Divorced means divorced. I'd rather

00:23:59sleep under the Brooklyn Pleerage than wear your last name again. Find someone else for that throne.

00:24:04Still stubborn. You haven't suffered enough. Crawl. Find me when you've actually been broken.

00:24:11That's when Luca started walking toward us. Sebastian's whole posture changed.

00:24:17Nora. We'll talk later. There's a heavyweight I need to corner. Don't get in the way.

00:24:22Plastered on his best smile and intercepted Luca with a business card already out.

00:24:27My Don. I'm Sebastian Crane. Crane Capital. I'd like to talk about the mandate you pulled.

00:24:35Five years. Crane at Capital ran the books on every fund Castellino Holdings put on the street.

00:24:40Then you cut us out overnight. If we fell short, tell me where. Whatever you need, I'll make it right.

00:24:48Sebastian, half bowed. Luca's eyes went past him, straight to me.

00:24:53Nora. What do you think? Should I give him a second chance?

00:24:58Sebastian's smile froze.

00:25:00Nora? What does she have to do with-

00:25:03Mr. Castelloni. You should know. Nora is my ex-wife. I don't know how she got in here tonight.

00:25:09Probably trying to ambush me into wrecking elitiation. She's just a housewife. Pay her no mind.

00:25:14Luca didn't even glance at him.

00:25:16Nora. Your call. I'll follow your lead.

00:25:22I kept my voice flat.

00:25:24Mr. Crane just asked me not to interfere in his business conversation. I'd hate to interfere.

00:25:30Sebastian flared.

00:25:31A man's business is none of your concern. Of course, small town instincts.

00:25:35Luca's voice came in cold and final.

00:25:37Then I'd assume my wife doesn't approve of Crane Capital. Mr. Crane, we'll have to pass.

00:25:43His arm slid around my shoulders. He turned us toward the bar. Sebastian was still standing there, brain catching up.

00:25:50Then a man in a tuxedo brushed past him.

00:25:53Crane, you insulted Don's wife. You stepped on a live mine. That's the only woman who's ever been on his

00:26:01arm in 20 years.

00:26:07Sebastian had seen Nora at the farmer's market, driving the cheap car, carrying a lobster for the brat. He knew

00:26:14what he saw. A fancy dress didn't make a duchess. The man shook his head and walked off.

00:26:19Some idiots won't listen. Let them die.

00:26:23That night, Luca bid on a Picasso study and three pieces of war-era jewelry, $180 million in collectibles, donated

00:26:31to the Children's Hospital under my name.

00:26:34After that, the gala turned into a receiving line.

00:26:37Mrs. Castellona, there's a small tea at my place next week. Would you grace us?

00:26:42Mrs. Castellona, my husband is bidding on a Castellona project. Just a quiet word to the Don.

00:26:48I'd never been on this side of a room. I drank three glasses to keep my hands steady. Luca intercepted

00:26:53on the fourth.

00:26:54Apologies, everyone. My wife isn't a drinker. I'll take hers.

00:26:58He drank. Then he drank for me three more times. By the time we slid into his Rolls Royce, we

00:27:05were both lit.

00:27:06I glanced out the window. Sebastian was on the curb, watching us. Mouth curled in that ugly little smirk, like

00:27:12I was the punchline.

00:27:14I closed the curtain, turned to Luca.

00:27:16Mr. Castellona, thank you. For tonight. For... what you did with Sebastian.

00:27:23His voice came out low, soft around the edges.

00:27:28Nora. We're husband and wife. Stop thanking me.

00:27:32We're a paper husband and wife. You didn't have to.

00:27:36His arm lifted. Long fingers tilted my chin up. His thumb brushed slow against my jaw.

00:27:42Nora. Nora. What if I don't want a paper marriage anymore?

00:27:46He was too close. His face was carved out of something dangerous. Eyes blown black. Heat from his breath landed

00:27:53on my throat.

00:27:54He smelled like bourbon and that cedar cologne. And something underneath that was just him.

00:28:00The most controlled man in New York was looking at my mouth like he wanted it.

00:28:06Mr. Castellano, you've had too much.

00:28:13You're right. I'm sorry. I had too much.

00:28:16The rest of the ride was silence. A heavy, humming silence with my pulse loud in my ears.

00:28:26Leo saved me. He sprinted at the front door with his picture book.

00:28:31I scooped him up and ran upstairs before I had to look Luca in the face again.

00:28:37I tucked Leo in, then opened my laptop and started scrolling job boards.

00:28:42Sebastian was right about one thing.

00:28:43My Ivy League degree shouldn't be wasted by itting in a mansion playing house.

00:28:48I'd done that marriage already. Stayed home. Made myself small.

00:28:52The minute he didn't need me, he tossed me into the street with nothing.

00:28:56I'd be damned if I let that happen twice.

00:28:59While Leo needed me, I had a place here.

00:29:01The day he didn't, what was I?

00:29:04Though I'm not ready to go back to work yet, physically or mentally.

00:29:07But knowing the market, updating a resume, that couldn't hurt.

00:29:11Then my phone lit up.

00:29:13A text. From Luca.

00:29:17The butler did the coffee. Always.

00:29:20And the first rule of this house was don't go to the third floor.

00:29:23I ground a fresh espresso anyway.

00:29:26Then I stood at the bottom of the staircase.

00:29:28Hesitated.

00:29:29Was this a test?

00:29:30Did the last applicant get launched out a window after being summoned upstairs?

00:29:34Was this revenge for the car?

00:29:36I called him.

00:29:39Mr. Castellana. Coffee's here. Come down for it.

00:29:43Bring it up.

00:29:44I hit the record button on my phone. Caught it.

00:29:47If he tried anything sketchy, I had proof.

00:29:51I climbed the stairs. Knocked.

00:29:54Come in.

00:29:56I pushed the door open and forgot how to breathe.

00:30:01He'd just gotten out of the shower.

00:30:03Black silk robe loosely tied at the waist.

00:30:06A drop slid from his jaw, down his throat, into the open robe.

00:30:10Bathhouse art.

00:30:12Renaissance painting.

00:30:13Holy hell.

00:30:15He took the coffee.

00:30:16His fingertips dragged across mine on purpose.

00:30:20That scared of me?

00:30:21Nora, am I a monster?

00:30:25Nora.

00:30:29From now on, you can come into my room whenever you want.

00:30:32My face still burned.

00:30:35The rules of this house and the rules of my heart were both breaking.

00:30:39I woke up the next morning with a sore throat.

00:30:41Sneezing.

00:30:42Of course.

00:30:43Wet hair.

00:30:44Late night.

00:30:45Fancy dress.

00:30:46Too much champagne.

00:30:47I shuffled downstairs in sweats, expecting the empty great room.

00:30:51Lupa was on the couch.

00:30:52Black turtleneck.

00:30:53Wire frame glasses.

00:30:55The combination should be illegal.

00:30:57Morning.

00:30:59He set the paper down.

00:31:00You're sick.

00:31:02A little.

00:31:03The back of his hand landed on my forehead.

00:31:05Calm.

00:31:06Practice.

00:31:07Like he did it every morning.

00:31:08I went stiff as a board.

00:31:10Not bad.

00:31:12I'll grab some Therafex.

00:31:13You'll be fine.

00:31:14He guided me to the couch like I was made of glass.

00:31:16Walked to the kitchen.

00:31:18A six-foot-something Mafia Don, stirring a packet of cold medicine into a mug.

00:31:23Usually, a Don would poison the drink instead.

00:31:26I caught myself wondering what kind of woman Leo's mother had been,

00:31:29to deserve a man like this.

00:31:40I drank the Theraflu and slunk back to bed.

00:31:43I didn't want to be in his way, so I just dozed off when an unknown number rang.

00:31:52Nora, it's me.

00:31:53Sebastian.

00:31:54I started to hang up.

00:31:55Don't.

00:31:56I'm parked outside the Castellani gate.

00:31:58Come out or I'll be at the front door.

00:32:00Up to you.

00:32:01I did not want him at the door.

00:32:02I did not want my past laid out on Luca's marble entryway like roadkill.

00:32:07Sebastian intercepted me on the sidewalk.

00:32:09Nora, how long is this stunt going on for?

00:32:13Mrs. Crane working as a nanny?

00:32:15You don't feel humiliated, but I do.

00:32:18I'm not doing anything to you, Sebastian.

00:32:21Stop the act!

00:32:22You dressed up last night to make me jealous.

00:32:25Fine.

00:32:25I'll admit it.

00:32:27After you left, I missed you a little.

00:32:29Here's the deal.

00:32:31Apologize to my mom and my sister.

00:32:32We remarry.

00:32:33You can stop scrubbing floors for strangers.

00:32:38Sebastian.

00:32:39I didn't do anything wrong.

00:32:41What am I apologizing for?

00:32:43You still don't see the problem?

00:32:47You haven't been beaten down enough.

00:32:49I was about to fire back when a small, round cannonball blew past me.

00:32:53Leo, when he saw a strange man hassling me, he did not hesitate.

00:32:56My mom didn't do anything wrong.

00:32:58My mom is the best mom in the whole world.

00:33:01He glared up at him like a furious cherub, protecting me.

00:33:05Something cracked open in my chest.

00:33:07I pulled him in tight.

00:33:09Kid, what did you just call her?

00:33:11Isn't she your nanny?

00:33:13You're a nanny!

00:33:15Your whole family is a nanny!

00:33:17Nora is my mom!

00:33:19My best mom!

00:33:20He pulled back, anxious.

00:33:22I nodded.

00:33:23My eyes were wet again.

00:33:25Nora, you'll be my mom, right?

00:33:28I'll be so good.

00:33:30I promise.

00:33:32Leo, I am your mom's sweetheart.

00:33:35He squeezed me tighter and refused to let go.

00:33:38Sebastian's face twisted into a slow, ugly smile.

00:33:42Oh.

00:33:42Oh, I see it now.

00:33:45Nora, you're putting a child up to it.

00:33:48You're playing the long game on Castelloni.

00:33:51He grabbed my arm.

00:33:52Listen, Castorano isn't a man you scam.

00:33:57He's known for ice in his veins.

00:33:59He finds out you're using his son to angle for him.

00:34:02He'll bury you in the East River.

00:34:03A warm hand landed on my waist.

00:34:06I hadn't heard him come outside.

00:34:08Luca.

00:34:09He pulled me into him.

00:34:11Mr. Crane.

00:34:12The last time we spoke, you insulted my wife.

00:34:15That's why I pulled the mandate.

00:34:17I was planning to tell the other firms on the street that this was personal.

00:34:20They could keep doing business with Crane of Papadal.

00:34:23After today, I don't think I need to.

00:34:26Castellano.

00:34:27What do you, wife?

00:34:29Who's your wife?

00:34:30Mr. Crane.

00:34:32Are you really still confused?

00:34:34Or are you only capable of believing what you want to believe?

00:34:37Nora is my wife.

00:34:39The mother of my son.

00:34:42Send him off.

00:34:44Luca turned to the butler at the door.

00:34:46If anyone like this bothers Mrs. Castellini again, have my men throw him out.

00:34:50He took Leo with one arm, wrapped the other around me, walked us inside.

00:34:55The second the door closed, I peeled out of Luca's arm.

00:34:58Awkward as hell.

00:35:00I took Leo upstairs to my room.

00:35:03Leo.

00:35:04Where were you all morning?

00:35:06I didn't see you all day.

00:35:08Don't even ask.

00:35:10Dad sent me to preschool.

00:35:12What?

00:35:13You preschool?

00:35:15He said he didn't want you working too hard.

00:35:19He said he needed alone time with you.

00:35:24Why does he need alone time with me?

00:35:27Dad said he had to make you fall in love with him.

00:35:30Otherwise, you might leave us.

00:35:32Leo was four sentences into his report when Luca appeared in the doorway.

00:35:37Leo.

00:35:38Downstairs.

00:35:39Dinner.

00:35:40Stop bothering your mother.

00:35:41My whole face hot.

00:35:43Mom.

00:35:44I'll be back to keep you company in a bit.

00:35:47He scampered out.

00:35:48Luca didn't leave.

00:35:49He walked in.

00:35:52Feeling better?

00:35:52I looked sideways.

00:35:55Mr. Castellano.

00:35:56Thank you for what you did.

00:35:59Please don't ruin a business decision for me.

00:36:02I'm really not worth it.

00:36:04Not worth what?

00:36:07What you did out there.

00:36:10Nora.

00:36:11I told you.

00:36:12You're my wife.

00:36:14Protecting you is my job.

00:36:17But-

00:36:17Stop calling this a paper marriage.

00:36:20Nora.

00:36:22I want a real one.

00:36:23I had not expected him to swing this hard, this fast.

00:36:27My face went up in flames.

00:36:29I'll give you time.

00:36:30Take whatever you need.

00:36:32But right now, I want to collect just a little husband privilege.

00:36:36Before I could form a coherent thought, he leaned in.

00:36:39A long, warm hand cradled my cheek.

00:36:41Can I?

00:36:42I didn't say a word.

00:36:45I'll take this as consent.

00:36:47Then his lips crashed against mine, hard and ruthless.

00:36:50His tongue swept into my mouth, stealing the air from my lungs.

00:36:54Right.

00:36:55This was how a mafia boss kissed.

00:36:57Cold.

00:36:58Merciless.

00:36:59Taking whatever he wanted.

00:37:00The kiss lasted so long my mind went blank by the time he finally pulled away.

00:37:05He rubbed his thumb over my swollen lips.

00:37:08My little princess, that's enough for today.

00:37:15Next time, I won't let you off so easily.

00:37:19Leo got hauled to preschool again the next morning, under protest.

00:37:23My cold was almost gone.

00:37:24Luca asked if I wanted to see a movie.

00:37:27After everything that had happened, I thought about it.

00:37:29We were married on paper.

00:37:31If something real was going to grow there, that wasn't the worst outcome.

00:37:35He had a private media room on the third floor.

00:37:37It was my first time entering other room in third floor.

00:37:41Before that, he showed me his collection room.

00:37:44One entire wall was covered in cold weapons.

00:37:47Daggers, knives, blades of every kind.

00:37:50Honestly, it was breathtaking.

00:37:52I was still standing there staring at the wall when he stepped up behind me and fastened a necklace around

00:37:57my neck.

00:37:57Another snake.

00:37:58Exactly like the tattoo on his body.

00:38:01A little gift.

00:38:03Don't reject it.

00:38:05Then he took my hand and led me into the media room.

00:38:07He put on a French romance film.

00:38:10Slow, elegant kisses on the screen.

00:38:12Mixed with far less elegant sounds in the background.

00:38:15Luca leaned closer, his voice brushing against my ear.

00:38:20Nora.

00:38:22Yes?

00:38:22I closed my eyes, my fingers tightening around the snake pendant, like a girl being offered up as a sacrifice.

00:38:30His body covered mine as his mouth came down on mine.

00:38:34Soft at first.

00:38:35Careful.

00:38:36One hand slid gently around my throat.

00:38:38Then the kiss deepened.

00:38:40Rougher.

00:38:40Heavier.

00:38:41The kind that stole every thought from my head.

00:38:44He pulled off the white tank top, and for the first time, I saw the snake tattoo stretched across his

00:38:50chest.

00:38:50One of the snake's eyes was a scar.

00:38:53I leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss against it.

00:38:56I felt his breathing stop for a second.

00:38:58Then he pushed me down onto bed.

00:39:00I could feel the hard heat of him against me.

00:39:03Soon, the room filled with ragged breathing.

00:39:06That night, I offered myself to a mafia boss.

00:39:09After all the hot, chaotic moans, he kept me tucked against my chest.

00:39:13He slid a glossy stack of brochures into my hand.

00:39:17Nora.

00:39:18Pick a wedding planner.

00:39:20I owe you a real wedding.

00:39:24You don't have to.

00:39:25The Don's wife should carry that honor forever.

00:39:28I want every person in this city to know Nora Bennett is my wife.

00:39:32And I'm her husband.

00:39:34I only regret I didn't put it all at your feet the night you walked through that door.

00:39:39I laughed into his shoulder.

00:39:42The night I walked through that door, we didn't even know each other.

00:39:46How were we supposed to?

00:39:48Nora.

00:39:49The night I saw you in that doorway, I already wanted you.

00:39:54Our wedding was bigger than anything New York had hosted in a decade.

00:39:58Old families.

00:39:59New money.

00:40:00Senators.

00:40:01A cardinal.

00:40:02The mayor.

00:40:02We were on the front page for three days running.

00:40:05I scolded Luca from the goal.

00:40:06The butler beamed.

00:40:08Mrs. Castellino.

00:40:09The Don has been quiet his entire life.

00:40:12This is the first time he's ever been loud.

00:40:14Indulge him this once.

00:40:15I let it go.

00:40:17The night of the wedding, a strange number called me.

00:40:19My brow furrowed.

00:40:21Luca's long arm reached over and killed the call.

00:40:24His fingers tightened on my waist.

00:40:26Mrs. Castellino.

00:40:27Eyes on me.

00:40:29After, he was winding a strand of my hair around his finger.

00:40:32He cleared his throat.

00:40:34A little awkward.

00:40:35Nora.

00:40:36I want to tell you a secret.

00:40:38I made a small sleepy sound.

00:40:40Leo isn't my son.

00:40:42He's my sister's.

00:40:43He spoke quietly, in pieces.

00:40:45His parents had died when he was 13.

00:40:48He and his elder sister went through a dark period in this empire.

00:40:51Until one day, she married.

00:40:54Had Leo.

00:40:54But happiness suddenly ended, when she and her husband were killed in a shooting three

00:40:59years ago.

00:41:00Luca wiped out that whole family then.

00:41:03He put Leo on his own birth certificate, quietly, so nobody could ever take him.

00:41:08I thought it would be Leo and me forever.

00:41:10Then you walked in, and nothing was the same.

00:41:14He kissed me again.

00:41:15A few months later, I walked out of the hospital alongside Leo.

00:41:19Mom, dad said you weren't sick anymore.

00:41:22Why'd we go to the hospital?

00:41:25Because mom has a baby in her belly.

00:41:28Yes!

00:41:29I finally get a sister!

00:41:31What if it's a brother?

00:41:35If it's a brother, we throw him in the trash.

00:41:38If it's a sister, she plays with me.

00:41:41Out of the mouths of babes.

00:41:42I was laughing when a figure stepped in front of me.

00:41:45A man.

00:41:46Wild hair.

00:41:47Filthy coat.

00:41:48Hunched shoulders.

00:41:50I almost dug for a few bucks.

00:41:53Sebastian Crane.

00:41:55Nora?

00:41:57Leo planted himself in front of me on instinct.

00:42:00I pulled him to my side and squeezed his shoulder.

00:42:02Sebastian.

00:42:03What happened to you?

00:42:08Nora, help me.

00:42:09You're the only one who can.

00:42:11All of New York knows Castelloni loves you.

00:42:13He'll listen to you.

00:42:14Please.

00:42:15Then I remembered what Luca had mentioned, weeks back.

00:42:18First, the Castellano family cut all ties with Crane Capital.

00:42:22Then the rest of New York followed.

00:42:23Nobody wanted to risk losing Castellano favor.

00:42:27Within weeks, Sebastian's company collapsed.

00:42:29His sister, Cassandra, the person he trusted most, had been stealing client money for years.

00:42:35The moment everything fell apart, she fled to the south of France with her family.

00:42:39She left Sebastian alone to take the blame.

00:42:41Crane Capital went bankrupt overnight.

00:42:43Now Sebastian stood in front of me, sobbing, begging.

00:42:47I didn't feel anything for him.

00:42:49Sebastian.

00:42:50People are equal.

00:42:52Your fault.

00:42:53Your mess.

00:42:53You pay for it.

00:42:55No one can help you.

00:42:56Behind me, the lobby doors slid open.

00:42:58Luca had just finished with my OB.

00:43:00He walked toward us.

00:43:02Nara, let's go home.

00:43:03We walked past Sebastian Crane like he wasn't there.

00:43:06Because he wasn't.

00:43:07Not in our life.

00:43:08Not anymore.

00:43:09Through my whole pregnancy, Luca was far more anxious than I was.

00:43:13He doubled the security on the entire estate.

00:43:16I never went anywhere without an escort.

00:43:18He had every sharp corner in the house padded.

00:43:21Fit carpet laid across every floor.

00:43:23Sometimes, I'd only shift in bed.

00:43:26And he would ask worriedly,

00:43:27Does something hurt?

00:43:28He'd stroke my belly, pressing his ear against it.

00:43:32I think I just heard the baby calling for me.

00:43:34Leo asked, wide-eyed.

00:43:35Why isn't the baby calling for me?

00:43:37One night, after Leo fell asleep, I found him alone out on the balcony.

00:43:41I walked over and wrapped my arms around him from behind.

00:43:45You don't have to worry.

00:43:46The baby will be born safe.

00:43:48He kissed my forehead.

00:43:50I keep wondering if who I am has put you and the kids in too much danger.

00:43:54My sister died because of the family name, and before you came, Leo wasn't happy.

00:43:58Neither was I before you came.

00:44:00We just complete each other.

00:44:01I pressed closer to his chest.

00:44:03I made my peace with it a long time ago.

00:44:06Being the Don's wife can't be harder than being the Crane's maid.

00:44:09He smiled.

00:44:09My brave girl.

00:44:11At nearly 10 months, my water broke at 2 a.m.

00:44:14A team of doctors and nurses rushed me into delivery.

00:44:17Luca waited outside.

00:44:19The contractions came like waves trying to break me in half.

00:44:22A nurse held my hand.

00:44:23Her grip was wrong.

00:44:25Too strong.

00:44:26Too steady.

00:44:26I looked up at her face, sharp, calm.

00:44:29A small scar through one eyebrow.

00:44:31You're not a nurse.

00:44:32She smiled coldly.

00:44:33No, there's a debt your husband never finished paying.

00:44:37The family he buried three years ago still has a few teeth left.

00:44:41We came to collect tonight.

00:44:43My breathing went ragged.

00:44:44The other nurses in the room started screaming, but I knew he was standing right outside, so

00:44:49I didn't panic.

00:44:50I gripped the sheets.

00:44:51Go ahead and try.

00:44:52Right then, the delivery room door opened.

00:44:54A rat that should have died years ago.

00:44:56I've been waiting for you too long.

00:44:58Luca and his men had the woman pinned in seconds.

00:45:01He held my hand.

00:45:03And the coldest mafia boss in New York let a single tear fall.

00:45:07My baby girl was born at 4.42 a.m.

00:45:117 pounds.

00:45:12Furious lungs.

00:45:13Luca took her like she was made of glass.

00:45:16Sophia, after my sister.

00:45:18Leo barged in at dawn, peered into the blanket, and gasped.

00:45:22It's a girl.

00:45:23I'll be her hero from now on.

00:45:26She'll be the princess.

00:45:27I laughed until I cried.

00:45:29The four of us, finally, impossibly, whole.

00:45:33I learned the rest later.

00:45:35The fake nurse was a remnant of the family that murdered Luca's sister three years ago.

00:45:39Sebastian had fled to Europe.

00:45:41In Sicily, he found what was left of them, clinging to life.

00:45:45Hatred drove him to something insane.

00:45:47They thought the dawn would be too busy with a wife and labor to notice.

00:45:51That night, while the hospital stood locked down, several of the docks were hit at the

00:45:55same time.

00:45:57But Luca built this empire out of blood and bone at 16.

00:46:01Turning back an attack like that was as easy as breathing for him.

00:46:05Blood.

00:46:06Gunfire.

00:46:07I didn't see most of it.

00:46:08My life stayed bright.

00:46:10The house filled with laughter because of Sophia's coming.

00:46:13One night, Luca asked if I wanted to see Sebastian.

00:46:16Just once.

00:46:17He keeps begging to see you.

00:46:18I was busy making faces at Sophia with Leo.

00:46:22No need.

00:46:23Do whatever you want with him.

00:46:24The man now had nothing to do with me.

00:46:26I only cared in my new family.

00:46:28Leo loved his sister, took his new job seriously.

00:46:31By the second week, he had appointed himself Sophia's full-time bodyguard.

00:46:36No bad guys get past me, dad said.

00:46:40Sophia blinked at him, then sneezed.

00:46:44Mom!

00:46:45She did a magic spell!

00:46:46He decided he was her translator, too.

00:46:49Every cry meant something only he could understand.

00:46:53She wants the bloom blanket, not the yellow one.

00:46:56Obviously.

00:46:57He even handed over his most prized possession, the Batman action figure no one had been allowed

00:47:03to touch for two years.

00:47:06It's alone.

00:47:07When she's bigger, she gives it back.

00:47:09The best part came at bedtime.

00:47:11He'd lean over her crib and drop his voice into a tiny, serious growl, copying his

00:47:16father.

00:47:17Good night, little one.

00:47:19Nobody touches my family.

00:47:21Sophia's hand closed around his finger and held on.

00:47:24Leo froze.

00:47:25He looked at me.

00:47:26His whole face wobbled.

00:47:28Mom.

00:47:30She likes me back.

00:47:32The best part?

00:47:33Leo was finally shaking off his past.

00:47:35He was more lively and braver than ever.

00:47:38My life changed in a normal night.

00:47:40An email came in.

00:47:42A strategy firm called Meridian had offered me a position on their securities desk.

00:47:47I threw myself at him.

00:47:49Luca, your wife is going back to work.

00:47:51You could have told me sooner.

00:47:53Half the businesses in this city have my money behind them, including that little Meridian

00:47:58of yours.

00:47:58But I want to prove it myself, as Nora Bennett.

00:48:02A woman who can handle a don can handle anything.

00:48:05Meridian took up three floors of a glass tower downtown.

00:48:09I wore my plainest blazer, drove the old sedan, used my maiden name.

00:48:13I wanted to earn it clean.

00:48:16My first morning, my new manager turned around and my stomach dropped.

00:48:20Vanessa.

00:48:21We've gone to college together.

00:48:23She'd spent four years making sure everyone knew I was the scholarship girl from nowhere.

00:48:28The cheap blazer, plain white heels, no ring since I'd left it home out of habit to be

00:48:34safe.

00:48:34Nora Bennett, wow, you look exactly the same.

00:48:37I heard you married into the Cranes.

00:48:39Looks like things haven't exactly worked out for you, huh?

00:48:41We divorced.

00:48:42Of course you did.

00:48:43The Cranes are bankrupt now.

00:48:45No money for a gold debtor.

00:48:46So it's just you now?

00:48:48And a kid, I heard?

00:48:49Single mom.

00:48:50That is so brave.

00:48:52Welcome aboard.

00:48:52Try to keep up.

00:48:54Three weeks in, I closed the Hartwell account.

00:48:56It was a mess nobody wanted to touch.

00:48:59I worked it for nine days straight.

00:49:01Nora Bennett, a girl from nowhere, brought in the biggest mandate of the quarter.

00:49:06At the Monday partner meeting, Vanessa stood up with my deck.

00:49:10It was a heavy lip, but I pushed the team hard and got it across the line.

00:49:16My name never came up once, not a single time.

00:49:19After, I caught her by the elevators.

00:49:21That was my account, my work, all of it.

00:49:23What's yours is mine.

00:49:24I'm the manager.

00:49:25You report to me.

00:49:26Everything you do here belongs to me.

00:49:28Get used to it.

00:49:30That night, I curled into Luca's chest and let it all out.

00:49:33She took the whole deal I closed.

00:49:35Didn't say my name once.

00:49:37Luca's hand went still on my back.

00:49:39Say the word.

00:49:40She won't be at that company tomorrow.

00:49:43I don't need you to step in.

00:49:45Not yet.

00:49:46I've been watching Vanessa for weeks.

00:49:48The padded vendor invoices.

00:49:50The kickbacks routed through a shell account.

00:49:52I already have my own card to play.

00:49:54What I didn't expect was that my past walked through the company lobby.

00:49:58I hadn't seen them in 11 years.

00:50:00My mother, my brother Trent.

00:50:02Vanessa stood in the middle of the hall.

00:50:04A hand pressed to her mouth in feigned surprise.

00:50:07But she was the only one who knew about my past.

00:50:10Nora, is that any way to greet your own mother?

00:50:14Every head turned.

00:50:15Vanessa's eyes glittered.

00:50:17You married a billionaire and you let your family beg?

00:50:21After everything we gave you?

00:50:23They gave me nothing.

00:50:25They gave Trent everything.

00:50:26And showed me the door even before I was even an adult.

00:50:30Your brother needs 300,000.

00:50:34It's filial duty.

00:50:36Support for your parents.

00:50:38You owe us.

00:50:41I owe you nothing.

00:50:43Trent sneered.

00:50:49Rich now and still trash.

00:50:52Some things never change.

00:50:54Security finally steered them toward the doors.

00:50:56My mother screamed the whole way.

00:51:00We'll be back!

00:51:02We'll tell everyone what you really are!

00:51:05Then I heard Vanessa, behind me, murmur to the room.

00:51:09God.

00:51:10And she pretends to be so classy.

00:51:12After that, Vanessa stopped pretending.

00:51:14She handed me the worst account.

00:51:17Took credit for my work in front of the partners.

00:51:19Scheduled meetings I was never told about.

00:51:21Then wrote me up for missing them.

00:51:22She said in the break room.

00:51:24Honestly, I feel sorry for her.

00:51:28Single mom.

00:51:29Crazy family.

00:51:30That sad little car.

00:51:33Some people are just born to lose.

00:51:35Her click laughed.

00:51:36I kept my head down and kept working.

00:51:38I'd survived the cranes.

00:51:40I could survive a Vanessa.

00:51:42Then she pulled the file.

00:51:43My old medical records.

00:51:45Depression.

00:51:46Medication.

00:51:47Wow.

00:51:48And they let her near clients?

00:51:50The room went very quiet.

00:51:52Maybe this just isn't the place for someone so fragile.

00:51:57But I wasn't the girl the cranes broke anymore.

00:51:59While Vanessa spent her days humiliating me, I'd spent mine quietly building a file.

00:52:05Padded vendor invoices.

00:52:06Kickbacks routed into a private shell account.

00:52:09Three years of it.

00:52:10That afternoon, I handed every last page of it to her boss.

00:52:13Then I went back to my desk and quietly finished my work.

00:52:16That night, I sat in the old sedan in the parking garage and didn't start the engine for an hour.

00:52:21Then Leo's school called.

00:52:23Mrs. Castellina, there's been an incident.

00:52:27I drove to the preschool with my heart in my throat.

00:52:32Leo sat in the nurse's office.

00:52:34Scraped elbow, split lip, jaw set exactly like his father's.

00:52:39I didn't cry.

00:52:40I want you to know I didn't cry.

00:52:42A bigger boy had shoved him off the climbing frame.

00:52:45And standing in the hallway, arms crossed, was the boy's mother, Vanessa.

00:52:49Small world.

00:52:52Your kids started it.

00:52:54Bragging about having a daddy.

00:52:56My Kaylee told him, what daddy?

00:52:59Everyone knows your mom's a single mom who can't even keep a job.

00:53:03Leo's face crumpled.

00:53:04I do have a dad.

00:53:06I have the best dad.

00:53:11Sure you do, sweetie.

00:53:15Does he live in your imagination?

00:53:17I stepped between them so fast she flinched.

00:53:21Don't you ever speak to my son again.

00:53:23She stood, smoothing her coat, delighted.

00:53:26Or what?

00:53:27You'll cry about it?

00:53:28Take your meds, Nora.

00:53:30Honestly, people like you shouldn't have kids.

00:53:32You can barely take care of yourself.

00:53:34Leo didn't cry.

00:53:34He planted himself in front of me and lifted his chin.

00:53:38My mom is a thousand times better than you.

00:53:41That was the moment something in me went very, very cold.

00:53:45I stepped forward and slapped Vanessa across the face.

00:53:49I already turned in the proof of what you stole.

00:53:51We'll see who's walking out of that company tomorrow.

00:53:54How dare!

00:53:55Before she could speak, her phone rang.

00:53:58Vanessa, you're under investigation for misappropriating company funds.

00:54:01The bank has frozen all of your assets.

00:54:03She crumpled to the floor.

00:54:05And that was the moment the hallway doors opened.

00:54:08Luca walked in.

00:54:09I hadn't called him.

00:54:10Leo's school is wired to him too.

00:54:12Of course it is.

00:54:14Charcoal coat, slow steps.

00:54:16Vanessa didn't recognize Luca, but she could feel the aura he carried.

00:54:20Sir, this is a private matter.

00:54:22He didn't look at her.

00:54:23He crouched, lifted Leo, checked the split lip with one careful thumb.

00:54:29Who did this?

00:54:31Her son.

00:54:32My manager.

00:54:33Vanessa.

00:54:35Manager.

00:54:36At Meridian.

00:54:38Yes.

00:54:39And you are?

00:54:40The man who owns Meridian.

00:54:42The color drained out of her face.

00:54:45And every floor you've ever worked.

00:54:48And the building.

00:54:50And the chair you sit in.

00:54:53This is my wife.

00:54:54Nora Castellano.

00:54:56The single mother you've been entertaining the office with?

00:55:00He pulled out his phone.

00:55:01One call.

00:55:02By the time we got home, Vanessa had already been arrested.

00:55:06Maybe prison suits people like her better.

00:55:08In the bedroom, Sophia asleep on my chest, I finally laughed.

00:55:13Tired and cracked open.

00:55:16Maybe I just have bad luck.

00:55:19Everywhere I go.

00:55:25Or maybe, you keep walking into rooms too small for you.

00:55:29I quit Meridian the next morning.

00:55:32Not because of Vanessa.

00:55:33Because Luca owned it.

00:55:34And I had promised myself I'd win as Nora Bennett, or not at all.

00:55:39You don't have to prove anything.

00:55:41I'm not proving it to you.

00:55:44I'm proving it to the girl who got thrown out at 18 with a duffel bag.

00:55:48So I started over.

00:55:50Again.

00:55:50New resume.

00:55:52Real name.

00:55:53No husband attached.

00:55:54I sent out 40 applications.

00:55:56I drove myself to every meeting in the old sedan.

00:56:00Every morning, Leo cheered me on before I left.

00:56:03Three months later, a venture fund hired me to run strategy.

00:56:07Eight months after that, I walked out and built my own firm.

00:56:10A year after that, I was on the front page again.

00:56:13Not Don Castellano's wife, Nora Bennett, founder.

00:56:17Luca framed it.

00:56:18Hung it on the third floor.

00:56:20Right beside the wall of blades.

00:56:22My most dangerous acquisition.

00:56:25Two years passed the way good years do.

00:56:27Quietly.

00:56:28All at once.

00:56:30My firm took up its own floor now.

00:56:32But the best part of every day was still the drive home.

00:56:36Sophia had grown into a tiny tyrant with Luca's eyes and Leo's mouth.

00:56:41She ran the house.

00:56:42The most feared man in New York did whatever she said.

00:56:45I once walked in to find the dawn of New York at a plastic tea table,

00:56:50pinky raised, wearing a paper crown.

00:56:52More tea, Daddy?

00:56:54Yes, Your Majesty.

00:56:55He said, dead serious.

00:56:57Leo, now seven, had named himself her official coach.

00:57:01Say it like Dad.

00:57:02Low and scary.

00:57:04Sophia scrunched up her face.

00:57:05She growled.

00:57:07Nobody touches my family.

00:57:09Then she ruined it by giggling.

00:57:12At night, Luca still read them both to sleep in that quiet growl.

00:57:16Two small heads on his chest.

00:57:18One enormous, terrifying man pinned to a mattress by two children and refusing to move.

00:57:24I whispered from the door.

00:57:26You're trapped.

00:57:26He looked up at me, the softest I'd ever seen him.

00:57:29Best place I've ever been.

00:57:31People still ask how a nanny ended up married to a man like that.

00:57:35I never know how to answer.

00:57:37The truth is too simple.

00:57:39We were two people with broken pasts who decided to stop being broken, together.

00:57:45He gave a thrown away girl a home.

00:57:47I gave a man made of blood and steel a reason to read bedtime stories.

00:57:52One evening, Sophia fell asleep mid-sentence on his shoulder.

00:57:56Leo had drifted off against my side.

00:57:59He said quietly.

00:58:01Do you remember the day you walked in with a duffel bag?

00:58:07I said.

00:58:08Thirty-six dollars.

00:58:10Looking for room and board.

00:58:12You asked for a room.

00:58:13Luke took my hand across the couch.

00:58:15You ended up running the whole house.

00:58:17My whole life, I'd been told I was someone nobody wanted.

00:58:21Turns out I was just waiting for the right people to want me.

00:58:25And I'd found them.

00:58:27All of them.

00:58:28My name is Sophia.

00:58:30Today is my 16th birthday.

00:58:32CEO Nora was my mom, and Don Luca was my father.

00:58:36In a family like mine, that should mean a ballroom, 300 guests, and a cake the size of a car.

00:58:41My father offered me all of it.

00:58:43He'd hand me the moon if I asked.

00:58:45I love him.

00:58:46I love everything he built so I'd never want for anything.

00:58:49I just wish, sometimes, that I could want for something.

00:58:53Everywhere I go, there are men in dark suits two steps behind me.

00:58:56I top every class at Ashford Academy on my own.

00:59:00And people still whisper it's the name.

00:59:02I don't want to throw any of it away.

00:59:04I just want, once in a while, to be Sophia.

00:59:07Not the Castellano princess.

00:59:09So tonight, on my birthday, I did my favorite thing in the world.

00:59:13I slipped my detail and went out alone.

00:59:15Well, not totally alone.

00:59:17I'd followed Leo.

00:59:18My brother thinks I don't know about his little night job.

00:59:21The bikes, the races.

00:59:23I crouched behind a fence and watched.

00:59:25Engines screaming.

00:59:26Headlights tearing the dark.

00:59:28And then one rider came out of nowhere.

00:59:30He was even bigger than Leo.

00:59:31And his bike was a sleek beast of silver and black.

00:59:34He cut inside Leo on the last corner.

00:59:37Pinned my brother behind him like it was nothing.

00:59:39Then he pulled to a stop, took off his helmet, and ran a hand through his hair.

00:59:43I couldn't make out his face from where I stood.

00:59:45But, somehow, I knew I was looking at the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

00:59:49You owe me.

00:59:51Cover for me.

00:59:52I'm not lying to dad.

00:59:54You lie to dad every night you ride.

00:59:56He shut up after that.

00:59:58Luca was waiting in the front hall when we walked in.

01:00:00Midnight.

01:00:01Still in his shirt.

01:00:02Still terrifying.

01:00:03It's late, sweetheart.

01:00:04He said.

01:00:05I went for a walk.

01:00:06That's all.

01:00:07But you ditched your detail.

01:00:08Dad, I'm 16.

01:00:09Not six.

01:00:11Hey, I knew you were worried.

01:00:12But it was just a small walk.

01:00:14She was with me.

01:00:15She's fine.

01:00:16Mom walked over and pulled me into a hug.

01:00:18Your father's just worried, sweetheart.

01:00:20We can talk about this later.

01:00:22Dad sighed with a helpless smile.

01:00:24You and your mother are both too stubborn.

01:00:26I knew I'd dodge that bullet.

01:00:28I grabbed Leo and hurried off.

01:00:30That night, I went downstairs for some water and heard my parents talking in the living room.

01:00:35Sophia's grown up.

01:00:36You don't have to protect her so much.

01:00:38I knew.

01:00:38But the old Moretti boss from Italy is dying.

01:00:41They'll be choosing a successor soon.

01:00:43And when they do, the piece we built could die with him.

01:00:46I need to ensure her safety.

01:00:47The whole school was buzzing before first bell.

01:00:50A transfer.

01:00:51Mid-year.

01:00:52From Italy.

01:00:53Half Italian.

01:00:54Half who knows.

01:00:55And apparently a literal god.

01:00:57Girls were doing their hair in the hallway.

01:00:59I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

01:01:02I'd grown up around dangerous men with pretty faces.

01:01:04I knew exactly what they were worth.

01:01:06Nothing.

01:01:07I found him at the center of the courtyard,

01:01:09leaning against a pillar like he owned it.

01:01:11Lazy smile.

01:01:12Sleeves shoved up.

01:01:13A ring of admirers three deep.

01:01:15He clocked me the second I walked past.

01:01:17The one girl not looking.

01:01:19You're new?

01:01:20You're new.

01:01:20Most girls slow down.

01:01:22Most girls have lower standards.

01:01:24Ouch.

01:01:25Pretty and cruel.

01:01:26My favorite combination.

01:01:27Go get a new favorite.

01:01:29I walked off without another glance.

01:01:31Behind me, I heard him laugh again.

01:01:32Softer this time.

01:01:33Interested.

01:01:34We had three classes together.

01:01:36By Thursday, he'd decided I was a project.

01:01:39Let me guess.

01:01:40He said.

01:01:41Head to toe in designer brands.

01:01:43Daddy's money.

01:01:44Private everything.

01:01:46You've never wanted for a thing in your life.

01:01:48You don't know anything about me.

01:01:49I know the type.

01:01:51Spoiled little princess who thinks the world owes her a cursi.

01:01:54I earn every grade in this room.

01:01:56I don't cheat.

01:01:58I don't coast.

01:01:59And I have never once needed a smug tourist to explain my own life to me.

01:02:03The room went silent.

01:02:04Cute speech.

01:02:05Save it for someone impressed.

01:02:07That's when Leo walked in.

01:02:08He took one look at us, sitting side by side, glaring.

01:02:12Oh no.

01:02:13I said.

01:02:14You know him?

01:02:15You know her?

01:02:16Leo dragged a hand down his face.

01:02:18Rafe, me and my little sister.

01:02:20And this is Rafe Moretti.

01:02:22Two things happened at once.

01:02:23Rafe realized the princess he'd just insulted was a Castellano.

01:02:27And I realized he was from Moretti, the family in dad's mouth.

01:02:31Leo cornered me that night.

01:02:33Stay away from Rafe.

01:02:35Gladly.

01:02:35He's insufferable.

01:02:36I mean it, Sophia.

01:02:38His family and ours, it's complicated.

01:02:40Okay.

01:02:41But next time you go out, I'm coming with you.

01:02:44The next morning, I caught him talking to Rafe by the lockers.

01:02:47Keep an eye on her.

01:02:47She sneaks off.

01:02:48You're in her classes.

01:02:50I am not babysitting your sister.

01:02:51You owe me from Saturday's race.

01:02:53Fine.

01:02:54But she's a nightmare.

01:02:56She really is.

01:02:57I wanted to murder them both.

01:02:59So now the playboy I despised was my unofficial shadow.

01:03:03We got paired for the history project too, because the universe hates me.

01:03:06We fought about everything.

01:03:08Topic, sources, who held the pen.

01:03:11But once, mid-argument, his phone lit up.

01:03:13A name flashed.

01:03:14Cristiano.

01:03:15For half a second, the lazy smirk dropped clean off his face.

01:03:19What was left underneath was cold.

01:03:21Older than 17.

01:03:22And something close to hatred.

01:03:23Then he silenced the call, and the mask slid back on like it had never moved.

01:03:28Where were we, princess?

01:03:30Rafe didn't let the princess thing go.

01:03:32Every class, a little dig.

01:03:33Did Daddy buy this library?

01:03:35Is that a real Cartier or just for show?

01:03:37I stopped answering.

01:03:38He hated that more.

01:03:40So when Mr. Hale announced the school's debate cup, with a full scholarship attached,

01:03:45he said,

01:03:46You'll win that on the name alone.

01:03:47Enter it against me, if you're so sure.

01:03:51Loser admits the other earned it.

01:03:52Out loud, in front of everyone.

01:03:54The whole class oohed.

01:03:56He couldn't say no.

01:03:57Boys like Rafe never can.

01:03:59I prepped for six nights.

01:04:00No tutors, no favors.

01:04:02Just me and a stack of books and the stubbornness I got from my mother.

01:04:06I took him apart on stage in 11 minutes.

01:04:09Not with my last name.

01:04:10With facts.

01:04:11With nerve.

01:04:12With every late night nobody ever saw.

01:04:14The judges didn't even deliberate.

01:04:16She earned it.

01:04:16He said.

01:04:17He stood on the stage and looked at me for a long time.

01:04:20Like he was seeing me for the first time.

01:04:23Then he smiled.

01:04:24Winning made me a target.

01:04:26I was just about to leave the classroom when a blonde girl stopped me.

01:04:29I recognized her.

01:04:30Her name was Camilla Vane.

01:04:32Old money.

01:04:33Sharp heels.

01:04:34And a claim on Rafe she'd staked the day he arrived.

01:04:37She'd watched Rafe admit I earned the debate cup.

01:04:40She did not take it well.

01:04:41Cute.

01:04:42The mafia princess thinks she's special.

01:04:45I don't think I'm anything.

01:04:46Please leave.

01:04:47But later, I knew that Camilla didn't want to fight.

01:04:50She wanted a show.

01:04:51That Friday was the winter showcase.

01:04:54Half the city's powerful families in the seat.

01:04:56Cameras everywhere.

01:04:57I stepped up to the podium.

01:04:59The big screen lit up behind me.

01:05:01But it wasn't my slides.

01:05:02It was a leaked wire transfer.

01:05:04Castellano Holdings to the Ashford Endowment.

01:05:07The room started to murmur.

01:05:09Phones came up.

01:05:10The one thing I'd built with my own two hands.

01:05:12The one thing that was mine.

01:05:14She was burning it down in front of everyone.

01:05:16Camilla stood in the wings, smiling.

01:05:18My hands shook.

01:05:20300 people watched me not speak.

01:05:22For one second, I heard Camilla's voice in my head.

01:05:24You don't belong here.

01:05:26Then I heard my mother's.

01:05:27You keep walking into rooms too small for you.

01:05:29I set down my note cards.

01:05:31Cute forgery.

01:05:32Two problems.

01:05:33One.

01:05:33The endowment is public record.

01:05:35Pull it up.

01:05:36There's no Castellano transfer.

01:05:38There never was.

01:05:39Two.

01:05:40Castellano Holdings rebranded four years ago.

01:05:43That logo hasn't existed since I was 12.

01:05:45Whoever made this pulled an old letterhead off the internet.

01:05:48I don't win because of my name.

01:05:50I win because while some people were photoshopping, I was studying.

01:05:53I found Camilla in the wings.

01:05:55Frozen.

01:05:56Phones still up.

01:05:57You should have checked your sources.

01:05:58She fled.

01:05:59I finished my speech to a standing ovation.

01:06:01And at the back of the hall, leaning in the doorway, looking at me like I was something he hadn't

01:06:06expected to find.

01:06:07I told myself I followed Leo for his sake.

01:06:10That's a lie I'm still working on.

01:06:12The races were in an old highway that night.

01:06:14I slipped through the fence and found a place in the dark to watch.

01:06:17And there he was.

01:06:18No smirk.

01:06:19No audience to perform for.

01:06:21Just Rafe and a machine and the edge of control.

01:06:24He rode like he was trying to outrun something.

01:06:27Like the second he stopped, it would catch him.

01:06:29It was the most honest I'd ever seen him.

01:06:32Then it went wrong.

01:06:33A rival motorcycle member.

01:06:35Words, then shoves, then a flick of metal in the firelight.

01:06:38Somebody spotted me.

01:06:40A stranger grabbed my arm.

01:06:41I didn't scream.

01:06:42I drove my heel into his instep and twisted free.

01:06:45But Rafe was already on him.

01:06:47He stepped between me and the whole damn party.

01:06:50Don't touch her.

01:06:51The guy never stood a chance.

01:06:53It was over fast after that.

01:06:54Leo's name carried weight around here.

01:06:56So did Rafe's.

01:06:57He drove me home that night.

01:06:59There was a cut at the corner of his mouth.

01:07:01When the car stopped, I reached out and brushed the blood from his lip.

01:07:04He caught my hand and, like a knight swearing himself to his queen,

01:07:08Always at your service, princess.

01:07:10After the yard, something shifted.

01:07:12We stopped pretending to hate each other quite so hard.

01:07:15Which is how I ended up on the roof of the science building at lunch,

01:07:19Where Rafe goes to be alone.

01:07:20He didn't hear me come up.

01:07:22He was on the phone, speaking Italian.

01:07:24I only caught pieces, but I caught the tone.

01:07:26He went quiet, his expression turning cold.

01:07:29And for the first time, I realized he might one day grow into a godfather men feared.

01:07:35Sizzio.

01:07:36Capisco?

01:07:37Yes, his uncle.

01:07:38I understand that word.

01:07:39I'll be back when the old man dies.

01:07:41Not a day before.

01:07:43You can tell Cristiano I said so.

01:07:45Cristiano, Leo seemed, said it was his brother.

01:07:48The most untouchable boy in school looked like he had nothing.

01:07:52I should have left.

01:07:53Instead, I said his name.

01:07:55Rafe.

01:07:56He spun around.

01:07:57For a second, raw shock.

01:07:59Then his usually playboy smile.

01:08:00Spying?

01:08:02Princess?

01:08:03I wasn't.

01:08:04How long were you standing there?

01:08:07Rafe.

01:08:07Did you enjoy it?

01:08:09Poor little rich girl Charity come to feel sorry for the bastard?

01:08:11I don't feel sorry for you.

01:08:13You should.

01:08:14Everyone else does.

01:08:15You want to know my life?

01:08:16Fine.

01:08:17My mother is dead.

01:08:18My family wishes I were.

01:08:20I'm a placeholder until they need a body to throw at something.

01:08:23Stop.

01:08:24You wouldn't understand the first thing about it.

01:08:27You.

01:08:28With your perfect father who'd burn the city for you.

01:08:31Your perfect mother.

01:08:32Your perfect untouchable little life.

01:08:34I slapped him.

01:08:35Hard.

01:08:36I waited for the anger.

01:08:37For the urge to fire back.

01:08:39It didn't come.

01:08:40Because I was looking at his face.

01:08:41And under all that venom, his eyes were wet.

01:08:44He was trying to leave before I saw his tears.

01:08:47You're not nothing.

01:08:48Boys like Rafe don't apologize.

01:08:50But the next day, he brought me breakfast.

01:08:52He was quiet the entire morning.

01:08:54No princess joke.

01:08:55No smirk.

01:08:56Just as class ended, he leaned in and asked me quietly.

01:09:00Did you finish the slides?

01:09:01We worked on the history project for two hours and didn't fight once.

01:09:05It was unsettling.

01:09:06After the class, the rain started.

01:09:08By the time we reached the school gate, he tilted the umbrella toward my side.

01:09:12You're getting soaked.

01:09:13I was staring at his white shirt, completely drenched.

01:09:16It clung to him, outlining a broad, solid chest.

01:09:20I had to admit, his build was unfairly good.

01:09:23Happy to serve, miss.

01:09:24The words pulled me back to the kiss he had once pressed against my fingers.

01:09:27My face warmed slightly.

01:09:29Then his phone buzzed.

01:09:31An Italian number.

01:09:32No name.

01:09:32He glanced at it and went still.

01:09:34He killed the screen fast, but I'd already seen his jaw tighten.

01:09:37Everything okay?

01:09:39Fine.

01:09:39He lied.

01:09:40Across the road, a man in a dark coat was watching us, and he did not look away.

01:09:45Leo found us under that umbrella.

01:09:47He pulled me into the car, a flash of anger in his grip.

01:09:50He didn't say anything in front of Rafe.

01:09:52But that night, he knocked on my door, and his face wasn't the goofy big brother one.

01:09:56You like him.

01:09:58I tolerate him.

01:10:00I'm not stupid, and I'm not blind.

01:10:02I braced for a lecture.

01:10:04Instead, he said,

01:10:05His family and ours have a thing.

01:10:07Not a war, not friends.

01:10:10Two snakes in one garden, both pretending not to watch each other.

01:10:14That sounds exhausting.

01:10:17It's the only reason we've had peace this long.

01:10:19I'm not telling you to stop.

01:10:20I know you.

01:10:21That never works.

01:10:22Just be careful.

01:10:23Some things are bigger than us.

01:10:24It was the most grown-up thing my brother had ever said to me.

01:10:27Mom and Dad and I just want you to be safe and happy.

01:10:31Clearly, you're the one who causes the most trouble.

01:10:33And later, I found out he'd said something to Rafe, too.

01:10:37Out in the dark, just the two of them.

01:10:39I know you're not really here to party.

01:10:40Clean up your own damn mess at home.

01:10:42And if any of that shit ever touches my sister, you and I are done.

01:10:45That night, I went to find my mother.

01:10:47I forgot to knock and just push the door open.

01:10:50Oh, my God.

01:10:51They were tangled together.

01:10:53I spun around immediately and slammed the door shut, covering my eyes.

01:10:57Dad!

01:10:57Mom!

01:10:58Next time, please lock your room!

01:11:0020 minutes later, my father finally walked out.

01:11:03That just proves your mother and I have a very healthy relationship.

01:11:06I ran straight into my mother's arms.

01:11:08Mom, I need to talk to you.

01:11:11Come, babe.

01:11:12Mom, how did you know you love Dad?

01:11:15Sounds like my girl has some love troubles.

01:11:18I don't.

01:11:19I'm just asking.

01:11:20All right.

01:11:20Then I'll just tell you casually.

01:11:22You'll find yourself noticing him without meaning to.

01:11:25Your heart will start racing from the smallest accidental touches.

01:11:28And most importantly, you'll find yourself hurting because of him.

01:11:32I would never get hurt because of him.

01:11:35You will.

01:11:36I saw Rafe with a girl in the East Corridor.

01:11:39Rafe telling some story with his hands.

01:11:42Then he hit the punchline and the girl burst out laughing.

01:11:45She gave him a light, playful slap and Rafe caught her hand midair.

01:11:49He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

01:11:52I was clearly a fool.

01:11:53The easy laugh.

01:11:55The gentleness that makes you feel like the only person in the world.

01:11:58I'd let myself think it was mine.

01:12:00I'm not the only one he's happy to charm.

01:12:02I was just the girl he hated.

01:12:04An arrogant, delicate princess, in his words.

01:12:07And I hated the version of myself that still hurt because of him.

01:12:10Just like my mother had said I would.

01:12:12I skipped fourth period.

01:12:13I went to the bar two blocks off campus.

01:12:16The kind that barely checks IDs.

01:12:18And slid my fake one across the counter.

01:12:20By the third drink, the room had started to tilt.

01:12:22By the fourth, I heard a voice I'd have known anywhere.

01:12:25What the hell are you doing here?

01:12:26Rafe.

01:12:27He took one look at the glass in my hand and the fake ID on the counter.

01:12:31And his jaw went tight.

01:12:32He didn't yell.

01:12:33He paid my tab and steered me toward the door with a hand at the small of my back, careful.

01:12:38The night air hit me and the world spun harder.

01:12:42He poured me into the seat of his car and crouched in the open door, level with my eyes.

01:12:47You could have gotten hurt.

01:12:48What were you thinking?

01:12:49I looked at him.

01:12:49And before I could stop it, one tear slid down my cheek.

01:12:52Hey, why are you crying?

01:12:55I don't want you laughing with all those girls.

01:12:58I don't want to be just one of them.

01:13:00He went very still.

01:13:02Then he laughed.

01:13:03A real smile, low in his chest.

01:13:05You are not one of them.

01:13:07You have never once been one of them.

01:13:09I'm sorry.

01:13:10For the girl.

01:13:11For the show.

01:13:12He swallowed.

01:13:13And for what I said on that roof.

01:13:14Every word of it was a lie I told because the truth scared me.

01:13:17Then he leaned in and kissed me.

01:13:19The next day, something shifted between us again.

01:13:22I'll call it what it was.

01:13:24Something dangerously close to flirting.

01:13:26I wasn't supposed to be at their motorcycle race that night.

01:13:29But just like my mother said, I couldn't keep my eyes off Rafe.

01:13:33Watched him and Rafe trade the lead like it was a conversation.

01:13:36Then the headlights came.

01:13:37Not racers.

01:13:38A convoy.

01:13:39Black SUVs sliding into the yard, blocking the exit.

01:13:43A crew nobody recognized.

01:13:45Out of town muscle.

01:13:46The kind that doesn't come to watch.

01:13:48The riders scattered.

01:13:50Engines screamed.

01:13:50I froze for half a second too long.

01:13:53And a hand closed around my arm.

01:13:56Castigliano girl.

01:13:57That was the part that scared me.

01:13:58They knew who I was.

01:14:00They'd come for me.

01:14:01Leo saw it from across the yard.

01:14:03So did Rafe.

01:14:04Both of them turned their bikes at once.

01:14:05But it was my brother who didn't panic.

01:14:07While everyone else ran, he pulled out his phone and made one call.

01:14:11Three words.

01:14:12It's a setup.

01:14:13Then he looked at the men surrounding us.

01:14:15And for the first time in my life, my goofy big brother looked exactly like our father.

01:14:20Let her go.

01:14:20You have no idea who's not you just walked into.

01:14:23Here's what I didn't know about my brother.

01:14:25The races were never just races.

01:14:27For two years, Leo had been building something in the dark corners of this city.

01:14:32A web.

01:14:32Riders.

01:14:33Mechanics.

01:14:34Runners.

01:14:35Eyes.

01:14:35He never told our parents.

01:14:37He never told me.

01:14:38He carried it alone.

01:14:39So the family would always see trouble coming before it arrived.

01:14:43My goofy big brother wasn't a kid playing with bikes.

01:14:46He was the one standing watch.

01:14:48When those men grabbed me, Leo didn't throw a punch.

01:14:51He didn't have to.

01:14:52Within minutes, the yard filled with riders.

01:14:55His riders.

01:14:56You came onto my ground.

01:14:58You touched my sister.

01:15:00There's no version of tonight where you drive out of here.

01:15:03The man let go of my arm.

01:15:04Rafe's fist landed first, snapping into the man's face.

01:15:08Blood splattered across his cheek.

01:15:10Cold.

01:15:11Violent.

01:15:11Unforgiving.

01:15:12And just like that, it was over.

01:15:14He looked at me.

01:15:15Don't tell mom and dad.

01:15:16And as he turned to walk away, he was the spitting image of our father at 17.

01:15:20We ended up on the hood of Rafe's car at 2am, parked on a hill above the whole lit up

01:15:25city.

01:15:25Leo had driven the others home, given us a look, left.

01:15:29My hands were still shaking from the yard.

01:15:31You okay?

01:15:32I had it handled.

01:15:34I know.

01:15:35A pause.

01:15:35You always do.

01:15:36I turned to look at him.

01:15:37The playboy was gone.

01:15:39So was the cruel mouth, looking at me like I was the only safe thing he'd ever found.

01:15:43You scared me tonight.

01:15:44When that man grabbed you, I have never been that scared in my life.

01:15:49I'm fine.

01:15:50I know.

01:15:51That's not the point.

01:15:52He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, slow, like he expected me to

01:15:57stop him.

01:15:58I didn't stop him.

01:15:59I kissed him first, because I'm a Castellano and we don't wait.

01:16:03He took control, pulling me in and kissing me until I forgot how to breathe.

01:16:06He tasted unexpectedly soft, almost sweet, nothing like the cold man he pretended to be.

01:16:12For a moment, I thought I understood how my mother had fallen in love with my father.

01:16:16That night, he sent me home.

01:16:18We kissed again before I got out of his car.

01:16:20Then his phone lit up in the corner of my eye.

01:16:23Cristiano.

01:16:24His brother's coming.

01:16:25I should have known.

01:16:26Nothing stays secret in my family.

01:16:28By Friday, my father knew the Moretti boy's name.

01:16:31I came home to find him in his study.

01:16:33A photo of Rafe already on his desk.

01:16:36Stay away from him.

01:16:37He's a classmate, Dad.

01:16:39He's a Moradi.

01:16:40But that doesn't mean anything.

01:16:41He's only 17.

01:16:43So was I, when I buried my parents and took this family.

01:16:46Mafia means danger.

01:16:49Protecting my family is the only duty I have in this life.

01:16:52Dad.

01:16:52I knew that when he spoke like that, there was no arguing with him.

01:16:56But then, my mother stepped in.

01:16:58Luca.

01:16:59You're looking at the name.

01:17:00You should look at the boy himself.

01:17:02The boy is the name.

01:17:04I was the divorced nanny with $36.

01:17:06Everyone in your world looked at me that way too.

01:17:10You're the one who taught me they were wrong.

01:17:12The room went quiet.

01:17:13Luca's stern expression softened.

01:17:15The cold dawn had faded.

01:17:17And my gentle father was back again.

01:17:19I want to meet him.

01:17:20Luca said finally.

01:17:21My stomach dropped.

01:17:22Dad, no.

01:17:23It's not a request, Sophia.

01:17:24Dad didn't do it at the house.

01:17:26He did it at the restaurant he owns downtown.

01:17:28The one where the back room has no cameras.

01:17:30I wasn't allowed in.

01:17:32I waited in the car with Leo, sick to my stomach.

01:17:34It wasn't until much later that Rafe told me what had really happened that day.

01:17:38My father sat across from him and said nothing for a full minute.

01:17:42Just looked.

01:17:43Most men break in that minute.

01:17:44Rafe didn't.

01:17:45You know who I am.

01:17:47Everyone knows who you are.

01:17:49Then you know what I can do to a boy who hurts my daughter.

01:17:51I'm not going to hurt her.

01:17:53Boys like you always do.

01:17:55And then Rafe said the thing that changed everything.

01:17:58I give you my word and my life.

01:18:00Your daughter will never be touched, never be threatened.

01:18:03I will die before I allow harm to reach her.

01:18:05I don't want anything from you, sir.

01:18:07Not your name.

01:18:08Not your protection.

01:18:09I'll build an empire for her with my own blood and my own gun.

01:18:12I swear it to you.

01:18:13Silence.

01:18:14Then my father leaned back and almost smiled.

01:18:17You're either the most honest boy I've met in 20 years or the most dangerous.

01:18:20I haven't decided which.

01:18:22Which, with my father, means he was impressed.

01:18:25After that day, I kept asking him about Cristiano.

01:18:28In the evening, he drove me back to the place where we had kissed for the first time.

01:18:32We leaned against his car.

01:18:33I was eating gas station sandwiches like they were a feast.

01:18:37I made him laugh.

01:18:38A real one.

01:18:38Not the practiced one he gives girls.

01:18:40You're different when no one's watching.

01:18:43So are you, princess.

01:18:44He told me things he'd never told anyone.

01:18:47He was a bastard.

01:18:48His mother was just an ordinary girl from a normal family.

01:18:51He told me about his mother's laugh.

01:18:53The way she sang in the kitchen.

01:18:55And how his father's wife took her from him.

01:18:57His half-brother was now the first in line.

01:18:59The heir.

01:19:00There was a war between them.

01:19:01He pulled me against his chest and said the thing that undid me.

01:19:05I never thought anyone would stay by my side.

01:19:07And I answered him with a kiss.

01:19:09The next day, just before school ended, Cristiano showed up at the cafe by the campus gates.

01:19:14He looked like Rafe.

01:19:15Same jaw.

01:19:16Same dark eyes.

01:19:17Little brother.

01:19:19Mother sends her love.

01:19:21And a deadline.

01:19:22Rafe stepped in front of me on instinct.

01:19:24You shouldn't be here.

01:19:26You shouldn't be playing house with a castoroni.

01:19:28Though, I understand the appeal.

01:19:30She's lovely.

01:19:31Don't.

01:19:32Relax.

01:19:33I'm not here for her.

01:19:34Yet.

01:19:35He told Rafe the news in three flat sentences.

01:19:38Their father.

01:19:39The head of the whole family.

01:19:41He was dying.

01:19:42When he went, the family would choose who led next.

01:19:45Mother wants you home for it.

01:19:46To stand in the back.

01:19:47Smile.

01:19:48Remind everyone the bastard knows his play.

01:19:49Rafe's hands were fist.

01:19:51Cristiano got back in his car.

01:19:53Rolled down the window.

01:19:54Oh.

01:19:54Tell your father the Morettis send their regards.

01:19:57He'll know what it means.

01:19:58Then he drove off, leaving the whole beautiful day in ruins behind him.

01:20:02Beside me, Rafe had gone white.

01:20:04Cristiano didn't go home.

01:20:06He enrolled.

01:20:06A semester abroad, he called it.

01:20:08Smiling at a headmaster who couldn't say no to that much money.

01:20:12And he made it his mission to grind his little brother into dust, in front of the whole school.

01:20:16This is Raffaello, my father's little mistake.

01:20:19We keep him around the way you keep an old dog.

01:20:21Pity, mostly.

01:20:22People laughed.

01:20:23Rafe didn't move.

01:20:23The boy who'd face down my father without blinking, sat there, and let his brother carve

01:20:28him up.

01:20:29Because in their world, that was his place.

01:20:31I watched his jaw work.

01:20:32Watched him swallow it.

01:20:34And I couldn't.

01:20:34I stood up.

01:20:35Crossed the cafeteria.

01:20:37Sat down right beside Rafe.

01:20:38In full view of everyone.

01:20:40And took his hand on top of the table.

01:20:42The whole room went silent.

01:20:43It meaned the support from Castellano.

01:20:46Sofia, don't.

01:20:47Too late.

01:20:48Cristiano's smile finally slipped.

01:20:50He stared at me.

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