I didn't exactly choose to be stolen at four years old.
But the French underworld isn't big on consent.
One minute I was Donatella Acardi, Mafia royalty. The next? Just another stolen kid bleeding in someone else's basement.
That's where I met Ami...
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Donatella POV:
Lunch.
The only time in the day where everyone got to pretend they weren't trapped in a suffocating prep school full of rich brats and fake friends. The cafeteria was exactly how you'd expect-shiny, loud, and filled with the kind of drama that belonged in reality TV. The moment I stepped through the doors, I instantly regretted not faking sick this morning.
The noise was deafening, but I didn't care about any of it. My eyes scanned the room until they locked onto a familiar face-Amir. He was already seated at one of the larger round tables near the center. Of course he was. And of course he was sitting with them.
My stomach twisted when I saw the rest of the people at the table.
There they were. My "brothers." Enzo with his arms crossed like he was guarding a throne, Luca laughing too loudly, Nicolo picking apart his food like it owed him money, and Gino casually draped back in his chair like the world was his to burn. And surrounding them-four more strangers. No... not strangers. Not all of them.
Amir looked at me like he'd just sold me out for a slice of cake. I narrowed my eyes, dragging my feet toward the table with the slow, simmering rage of someone who knew they were about to be thrown to the wolves. When I reached it, Nicolo stood up with a theatrical flair and that smug grin he loved so much.
"Everyone," he said, clinking his fork against his glass like a goddamn engagement was about to be announced. "This is our long-lost sister. Donatella Acardi."
The table went dead silent. Forks stopped mid-air. Chews paused. One guy even choked on his water.
I stared at Nicolo like I was going to poison his shampoo later.
Long-lost sister. Great. Fantastic. Just what I needed. A last name tied to them. Everyone's reaction was textbook soap opera-shock, curiosity, more shock.
"But I thought y'alls ma-" the girl almost said but one of my brothers shut her up real quick.
Almost slipped.
I didn't make a reaction but didn't let it go over my head at all. She was going to say mafia. Which means she knows something about what they do or she's involved somehow.
And the way she was going to say it in front of everyone at the table so smoothly with their friends here that means that they know something about the mafia or they're involved with it.
This will be fun.
Then a voice piped up.
"See?! That's the girl I was talking about!" Diego's voice practically exploded from the opposite end of the table as he pointed a dramatic finger at me. "I told you she looked like Luca!"
Luca arched a brow at him like this is why we don't let you speak in public.
"I mean, c'mon, man, look at her! Same murder eyes!"
