His Goomah Drained My Account,So I Drained His Empire

My husband's kept woman had been running my house account dry on every luxury she could wrap her fingers around, then had the nerve to call me a useless trophy wife right there in the private dining room of La Fontaine.

I was so furious I canceled her card on the spot, leaving her unable to pay the bill. She lost face in front of everyone, and the manager held her there overnight until the charges were settled.

When my husband found out, he tapped me on the nose like I was a child.

"You! A grown woman getting jealous over a young girl, and now she's the laughingstock of the whole restaurant."

He didn't scold me. He acted like nothing had happened. Right up until the night of my birthday, when he took me out for French cuisine at a private social club on neutral ground, the kind of place where the tablecloths were white and the walls had ears.

He ordered dozens of tables' worth of expensive dishes and red wine, saying associates would be joining us later.

"Honey, I need to step out for a minute. I'll be right back to celebrate your birthday."

I waited until the club was about to close. He never came back. Neither did any of his associates.

When I pulled out a card to pay the bill, the manager told me, "Mrs. Ricci, this account has been frozen."

——

"Frozen?"

That card was from Rocco Ricci. Before we left the house, he'd even taken my own cards, insisting that since it was my birthday, the bill was on him.

I'd been so touched at the time. I'd even congratulated myself in secret for marrying such a thoughtful, considerate husband.

But now he was nowhere to be found. I'd called him dozens of times. Not a single answer.

If this account wouldn't clear, I was about to be in serious trouble.

The manager's expression shifted from polite to impatient.

"Mrs. Ricci, do you have another card you can use?"

"Just so we're clear, we don't allow tabs here. You know that from last month, don't you?"

Of course I remembered. Last month was when Rocco's floor hostess had gone on that spending spree with the house account he gave her, then called me a useless trophy wife to my face.

A terrible thought crept through me. Was this Rocco's way of getting revenge on her behalf?

The thought had barely formed when the click of dress shoes echoed from the entrance. I spun around and saw Rocco walk in with his arm around Adriana Caruso, her face twisted with open hatred as she stared at me. Two soldiers flanked the door behind them and stayed there, arms folded.

A crowd of his associates trailed behind, every single one watching me like I was tonight's entertainment.

"Bianca, didn't you love punishing people who couldn't pay their bills? Well, now it's your turn. Let's see how you handle it when you're the one who can't pay."

The room erupted.

"I heard this Bianca girl comes from nothing. She got lucky enough to catch the Ricci heir's eye, and now here's her own husband showing up with his new woman to watch her squirm."

"Ha! This is what happens when you try to climb the ranks on nothing but a pretty face."

"Exactly. How long does youth last? How long does beauty hold? The second a made man finds someone younger and prettier, the free ride is over."

My fists clenched slowly at my sides, rage building with every word until it burned through my skin.

Just as I'd suspected. Rocco had set this whole thing up to avenge his precious kept woman.

He led Adriana Caruso by the hand to the table in front of me, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He tugged his watch cuff straight with a sharp jerk, then settled back like a man who owned the room.

"Don't worry, Adriana."

"However she humiliated you that day, I'm going to pay it back in full."

Adriana's laugh came quick and bright, a half-second too fast, before she leaned in on instinct to press a kiss to Rocco's lips.

"Thank you, Rocco."

Then she turned to me, eyes sharp with provocation. "Bianca, you're nothing but a pretty face with zero worth. What right did you ever have to cancel my card?"

She grabbed one of the expensive bottles of wine from the table and hurled it at my feet.

CRASH.

Wine splashed across my face, soaking into my dress, making me look every bit as wretched as they wanted.

"Ha! Worthless trash. Rocco's paying my tab now, so I can smash as many bottles as I want. But you? You're done."