The White Lily — Episode 1

At the gala in Palermo, I stood in a row with 12 other heresies, waiting to be As Don Moretti's bastarda, his illegitimate daughter, I knew the stakes. If I didn't receive the white lily from Lorenzo tonight, I'll be shipped off as a bargaining chip in an arranged marriage.

He is Dante Vettel, New York's new Don. From ruthless, lethal, to the entire underworld, his name is a death sentence. I don't dare. Lorenzo Rossi, the heir of the Rossi family and my childhood friend, had promised me this flower.

But at the last second, he changed his mind. He smiled and handed the white lily to the trembling charity case beside me, Mia, the scholarship girl he'd been sponsoring. He leaned in, his voice low against my ear.

Let Mia have the spotlight today, Elena. The poor thing has never known happiness. Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one will dare arrange your marriage.

I looked at him with pleading eyes, but he ignored me, placing Mia's hand on his arm. Mia is elegant and noble. She is worthy of this honor. Noble.

That single word turned me into the evening's punchline. I stood empty-handed, the Don's bastard daughter, publicly discarded for a stray. The next day I left for New York alone, and that was when he panicked, buying out every flight from Palermo's airport.

Right now, Mia's hand rested elegantly on Lorenzo's arm. Under the spotlight, they looked like the perfect couple. My chest twisted, but I kept my face calm. He didn't see my desperation.