Pretend The Iris Doesn't Exist

Chloe's voice was laced with feigned worry.

"What if she's really that stubborn? What if she'd rather marry that cripple than admit she was wrong?"

Nico chuckled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Even better," he purred. "That just makes things easier for us."

I fled, my pace quickening, desperate to outrun the venom in his words. But no matter how fast I walked, hot tears blurred my vision, carving burning trails down my cheeks.

When I finally got home, I collapsed into my mother's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her hand stroked my hair, her voice thick with heartache.

"Bianca, whatever you choose, Mamma will stand by you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, wiped my eyes, and forced out the words.

"Mamma… I'm going to marry the enforcer from the Carbone family."

Her smile was bitter, her eyes filled with a deep sorrow as she brushed the tears from my cheeks.

For Chloe, Nico was willing to sacrifice his fiancée and strip me of my dignity. If that was his choice, then I would make mine.

The wedding was set for seven days' time, and the house descended into a quiet chaos. That night, my mother summoned the city's finest seamstresses to begin my gown. Even my father finally relented, dispatching invitations to his most loyal allies.

Three days later, I was hunched over my desk, meticulously reviewing the guest list. The crimson invitations radiated a festive air that felt like a mockery.

Suddenly, frantic footsteps echoed down the hall. A butler burst in, his face pale and trembling.

"Principessa," he stammered, "Chloe is here! She… she’s demanding you return something of Nico’s!"

Ice flooded my veins. "What are you talking about?" I snapped. "I have nothing of his!"

I stormed out of the room.

The courtyard was already packed with our men, all drawn by the commotion. Chloe stood in the center, a vision in a flowing white gown. Her brown hair was styled in loose curls, her red lips a stark contrast to her pale skin, like a single drop of blood on snow.

The moment she saw me, tears welled in her eyes. She dropped to the ground with a heavy, deliberate thud, landing on her knees.

"Bianca," her voice trembled, yet it carried clearly across the courtyard, "please, give Nico back his Viper Drive."

I gasped. "What are you talking about? I never took anything from him!"

Chloe, still on her knees, shuffled closer, tears streaming down her face as her voice rose, sorrowful but loud enough for every man to hear.

"Three months ago, Nico himself placed a USB drive in your hands, calling it a token of his love. But that drive is the Viper Drive, containing all of our family's secret ledgers. It's the heart of the Grimaldi empire. Yesterday, when the staff took inventory, they discovered it was missing. Now the whole family is saying you plan to take it to Detroit—to help that cripple dismantle our family from the inside!"

Her every word sent a chill through the air. The gazes fixed on me turned hard.

"If that's true, she's a traitor!"

"Hand over the drive! Before the Carbones destroy us!"

"Some future Donna. Shameless!"

I trembled, my chest heaving as panic seized me.

"Lies! I don't know anything about a USB drive! I would never betray my family!"

But behind her tears, a faint, triumphant smile touched Chloe's lips. Her voice grew sharp, piercing.

"Then prove it. Can you prove Nico didn't give it to you? Can you prove you're not planning to hand it over to the Carbones?"

I froze, my lips parted, but no words came.

Because he had pressed a USB drive into my hand that day. I hadn't known what it was. I'd thought it was just another trinket.

Now, it was the proof of my treason.

The crowd's stares burned like acid, filled with contempt. The shouts grew louder, more vicious.

"Strip her of her title!"

"Make her give it back!"