Chapter 2

• Aria’s POV
• Five years later, my kids and I were on a train heading to Valen City. I had tried surviving in the small towns and villages, but the jobs they offered couldn’t pay enough to take care of my three children and our housekeeper.
• My only choice was to return to Valen and see if I could get a better job by meeting some of my family’s old friends. I just hoped I still had a connection willing to help me and the kids.
• Speaking of my children—they were incredibly smart and beautiful, each with their own distinctive personalities.
• I glanced around the crowded space and noticed the train was overloaded with passengers, forcing me to wonder out loud, “Why is this train so overpopulated?”
• “Haven’t you heard? The heir of the Russo family is celebrating his fifth birthday today. The city roads are tight with traffic, so people prefer to take the train,” a woman beside me answered casually.
• I turned to the older woman immediately, my heart skipping at the mention of the Russo name. “Ma, did you say Russo? Like… Dominic Russo?” I asked, needing to be sure I heard right.
• The woman seemed amazed by my question. “Yes, of course. You know no one else is allowed to use that last name in this city. They’re the most powerful family in Valen City,” she revealed.
• My expression fell. A wave of sadness washed through me. My family used to be the most powerful family. How the mighty have fallen.
• So Dominic had an heir now? I couldn’t help but wonder who he married.
• “Ma, do you know the name of his wife?” I asked again, more inquisitively this time.
• The woman stared at me, then laughed. “I’m guessing you’re not from around here. Who in Valen doesn’t know Elena Russo? Not a day goes by without her flaunting her flashy cars on the highway or parading in her shiny clothes while making a mockery of the poor,” she answered, clearly disgusted.
• My mouth dropped open in disbelief. Elena? My cousin Elena was married to Dominic Russo? The man who embarrassed our family and betrayed me?
• How could Elena do that?
• Maybe she was forced… or perhaps it’s another Elena, I thought desperately.
• Barely a minute back in this cursed city and I already felt depressed. I was only returning so I could take care of my kids. I didn’t care about revenge anymore.
• “Mommy… who is Dominic Russo?” Matteo, my eldest, asked as he raised his resting head from my thighs.
• Matteo was the smartest and most outspoken amongst my triplets. He had clearly been listening to our conversation.
• I immediately forced a smile. “He’s no one, son,” I answered in a whisper.
• While I might have decided to return to Valen City, I had sworn to keep my kids as far away from the crime world as possible. I would try my best to keep them hidden away from the Mafia.
• My only desire was to find a good job and raise my children. My old life was as good as dead.
• There was a storm when the train arrived in Valen City. With the help of Maria, I gathered the kids, trying to find a shelter to wait for a cab. I couldn’t risk being recognized, so we had to run under the rain, enduring curses from onlookers who abused me for taking my kids out in the storm.
• “Mommy, your hands are shaking. Are you cold, Mommy?” Dante pointed out. He was the more emotional one among the children.
• I immediately noticed. The truth was—I wasn’t shaking from the cold. I was shivering out of fear. If anyone from my past recognized me, then the safety of my kids could not be assured.
• I caressed his face and smiled. “No, my love, Mommy’s not cold. But you should probably tuck your hands into your pants so you don’t get cold.”
• Dante smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Mommy. When I grow older, I’ll buy you a car so we don’t have to walk under the rain,” he promised sweetly.
• I smiled and rubbed his head. That sounded like something Matteo would say. Maybe my kids were more alike than I thought. But what did I expect? They had the Bellandi blood running through their veins—bold and ambitious was part of the package.
• “I think I see a cab coming. It’s time to go home,” I announced with a smile.