Chapter 2

Ms. Pearson marched straight up to me, her face twisted with contempt:

"Your daughter's expulsion was authorized by Mr. Caldwell himself. I suggest you keep your child in line so she doesn't embarrass herself like this again."

I stared her down.

"My daughter was beaten in your school. Instead of standing up for the victim, you expelled her and sided with the bully—just to kiss up to someone with connections?"

Pearson shrugged it off:

"This is an elite academy. Family background comes first. The Benedetti name isn't something a nobody like you could ever compare to."

My expression hardened. "I strongly suggest you find out who I am before this goes any further."

The words had barely left my mouth when Diana stepped up to me.

She grabbed my collar and slammed me against the wall.

"Who the hell do you think you are, running your mouth about your identity?"

"No matter who you are, you'll never be above my husband."

The impact knocked the breath out of me.

The other parents immediately closed in, pointing and jeering:

"This is hilarious. The Godmother's sister-in-law is standing right in front of her, and she's still trying to act tough?"

"She's clearly too low-class to understand what the Godmother's own brother means in this city."

"Her kid getting smacked by a Benedetti nephew is a privilege. I don't know what she's whining about."

The parents piled on, each one louder and nastier than the last.

Someone walked up and poured an entire cup of coffee over my head, sneering that I was worse than trash.

I took off my ruined black leather jacket and tossed it in the garbage.

Then I turned to face Diana.

"First your son attacks my daughter. Now you put your hands on me. Who gave you the nerve to act this untouchable?"

Diana let out a cold laugh.

"My husband is the Godmother's own brother. Putting a couple of nobodies in their place is nothing—just a flick of the wrist. You think I need nerve for that?"

She held up her wrist, letting the light catch the diamond-studded watch.

"See this? My husband gave it to me. Any single stone on this watch is worth more than your life and your daughter's combined."

I studied the watch carefully. It was extraordinary—clearly worth a fortune. But something about it nagged at me. The design on the dial, the arrangement of the diamonds… it felt familiar.

I looked at Diana evenly.

"Funny. I don't recall Luca ever getting married or having a child."

"Why don't you call your husband over? I'd love to meet him."

My brother had been dead for ten years. There was no way he married anyone, let alone fathered a thirteen-year-old.

I wanted to see who was hiding behind this lie.

Diana lifted her chin, looking down at me.

"My husband's marriage isn't something a nobody like you needs to know about."

"You want to meet him? Tell me—what makes you think you've earned that right?"

I said it plainly: "Because I'm Luca's sister. I'm Isabella Benedetti."

Silence.

Then the whole crowd burst out laughing.

Diana glanced at my Lincoln parked at the curb and sneered.

"You? Isabella Benedetti? Driving a twenty-year-old junkyard reject? You've clearly lost your mind."

"I'm married to the Godmother's brother. You think I wouldn't recognize the Godmother herself?"

The parents' eyes all shifted to my car. The mockery got even louder.

"Oh my God, that car is an embarrassment. I'd rather die than be seen in that thing."

"Look at her—broke and delusional. No wonder her daughter turned out the way she did. Like mother, like daughter. They both deserve what they got."