For eighteen years, I was a Bellini. Sheltered, protected, and loved. Then my birth parents showed up out of nowhere and demanded me back. My adoptive father, Salvatore Bellini, was a name that carried weight in New York. When he sent me away, his eyes were red. “Odette, your birth parents don’t have proper staff. You won’t be used to it.” My adoptive mother Sofia ran half the family fortune. She squeezed my hand. “Two million on this card, baby. The second you feel wrong, you come home.” My brother Matteo’s voice was cold as ice. “Remember, you’re a Bellini. No one gets to look down on you.” “We’ll visit you every week. If anyone dares to wrong you, I’ll make them regret it.” I thought they were overreacting. Then I walked through my birth parents' front door. Their adopted daughter slapped me twice. She threw a wad of cash in my face, her eyes promising murder. “Take it. That’s the price of your life.” “I pissed off the Bellinis. Now ......
