Chapter 5

Siena POV

The freezing morning wind whipped across the Master Suite balcony as I looked down at the sprawling estate courtyard. Below me, a black bulletproof SUV rolled to a halt near the marble fountain.

The heavy door opened, and Chiara stepped out. She looked exactly as I remembered-fragile, wide-eyed, and dressed in a modest pastel coat that screamed innocent vulnerability.

Before the Estate Guards could even reach for her designer luggage, Gia, my foolish Associate maid, practically sprinted across the cobblestones to fawn over her.

"Lady Chiara! It is such an honor," Gia chirped, her voice carrying clearly in the crisp air. She eagerly grabbed Chiara's bags. "Look at your elegance! Not even Elder Adeline's daughter, the high-and-mighty Princess Kaleigh, has such an aura. With the Don favoring our Queen so absolutely, those old Elders will soon have to look to you and your sister for their place."

From my vantage point, I saw the blood instantly drain from Chiara's face. In the ruthless hierarchy of the Castillo family, a lowly Associate openly disrespecting an Elder's ancient bloodline was a death sentence. Chiara forced a stiff smile, her eyes darting around in sheer panic, mentally cursing the idiot maid who was about to get them both tortured.

But as Chiara glanced up and caught sight of me standing on the high balcony, her mask slipped for a fraction of a second. Behind her terrified, teary eyes, I saw the raw, burning jealousy. She hated that I was the one looking down at her.

I offered her a cold, dead smile.

Down in the courtyard, several muscular Estate Guards stepped forward to carry her trunks into the main house.

"Halt."

Rosa's sharp voice cut through the courtyard. My loyal maid stepped out of the heavy oak doors, her face an unreadable mask of stone.

"The Mafia Queen has issued a command," Rosa announced loudly, ensuring every Associate and guard in the vicinity heard her. "Lady Chiara is forbidden from entering the main house. Her quarters have been reassigned to the standard rooms in the Associates' District at the far edge of the estate. Leave her luggage there."

The guards immediately dropped the bags and stepped back. Chiara froze, her fragile facade shattering into pure, unadulterated humiliation.

"Well, isn't this a pathetic sight?"

Isabella, the Capo's wife, paused on the courtyard steps, her lips curling into a malicious sneer. "Thrown out with the trash already? It seems our Queen finally realized her commoner sister doesn't belong breathing the same air as us."

Chiara's hands balled into fists. For a second, the venomous viper I knew from my past life hissed. "Watch your mouth, Isabella," she snapped, her voice dripping with sudden, sharp malice.

Isabella blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sheer hatred in the "sweet" girl's eyes. Realizing her mistake, Chiara immediately shrank back, her eyes filling with large, trembling tears.

"Please, forgive my sister," Chiara whimpered loudly, ensuring the gathering crowd could hear. "Siena... she hasn't been well. Her mind is so fragile, so paranoid lately. She sees enemies everywhere. I only pray the Don can cure her madness."

I scoffed from the balcony. It was a masterful piece of psychological manipulation, painting me as a tyrannical, unstable monster. But I didn't care. Let them think I was a madwoman.

I turned away from the freezing wind and descended the sweeping marble staircase to the Grand Foyer.

I had barely reached the black-and-white marble floor when I found my path blocked. Elder Adeline, Elmira, and Isabella were standing near the archway of the East Wing.

"You make a mockery of the Family Bond, Siena," Adeline hissed, her aristocratic face tight with fury. "Banishing your own flesh and blood to the slums? You are turning the Castillo family into a laughingstock before the entire New York syndicate. You will rescind this order immediately."

"I will not have that commoner girl dumped in my husband's territory," Isabella added bitterly.

I stopped, my posture perfectly straight. "I am simply preserving the Don's peace," I replied, my voice echoing coldly in the foyer. "Isn't that what you preached this morning, Aunt Adeline? Hierarchy and order. My husband's sanctuary will not be disturbed."

The tension in the air grew thick enough to choke on. Then, Elmira stepped forward, her face softening into a mask of sickeningly sweet grace.

"There is no need for such hostility," Elmira murmured, playing the benevolent peacemaker. "If the Queen's nerves are too frayed to host her own sister, I will take the poor girl in. Chiara can stay in a guest room in my wing."

Adeline's eyes gleamed with approval. "A true display of Castillo nobility, Elmira. Though I fear our Queen will only use the Don's favor to bully you for your kindness."

I stared at Elmira's gracious smile. She thought she was so clever, acquiring a vulnerable pawn to groom and use against me. She had no idea she had just invited a venomous snake into her bed.

"How generous of you, Elmira," I said softly, my eyes locking onto hers.

I walked past them without another word, my mind already drifting back to the last time Elmira had tried to play a deadly game of deception with me.