Her Family Let the Curvy Girl Sit With the Servant—Then Mafia Boss Asked “Why Is My Woman Sit Here?”

While Norah sat in the safety of Adrien’s heavily guarded estate, the Bennett family was experiencing the most spectacular public collapse in Chicago high society history.

Down in Adrien’s study, Marco pulled up the morning news feeds on a massive flat-screen monitor. Norah watched, wrapped in one of Adrien’s oversized cashmere sweaters, as the chaos unfolded.

The headlines were brutal. “MORETTI PULLS OUT: BENNETT LUXURY GROUP TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY.” “ENGAGEMENT OFF: SHAW HEIR DUMPS BENNETT DAUGHTER.”

A paparazzi video played on the screen, showing Vanessa and Celeste screaming at reporters outside their gated mansion. Vanessa looked entirely unhinged, her hair wild, wearing sunglasses to hide her puffy eyes.

“It’s a misunderstanding!” Celeste was shrieking at a microphone. “Mr. Moretti is just renegotiating! We are still very close with his family!”

“Turn it off,” Norah sighed, rubbing her temples. Even after everything they had done to her, watching her mother unravel so publicly brought her no joy. It just made her feel exhausted.

Adrien clicked the remote, shutting the screen off. He walked behind her chair and massaged her tense shoulders.

“They are trying to liquidate assets to cover their margin calls,” Adrien informed her. “Richard is calling an emergency board meeting at noon today. He’s going to try to sell the company’s flagship properties for pennies on the dollar to a rival syndicate just to stay out of prison.”

Norah looked up at him. “He can't do that. Those properties belong to the trust. They belong to my grandmother’s legacy.”

“Legally, he can't,” Adrien agreed. “But he still thinks he has everyone fooled. He thinks the bearer shares are lost forever.”

Norah stood up, her jaw setting with a newfound determination. For twenty-five years, she had let her family dictate her worth. She had let them push her into the background, treat her like a servant, and steal her inheritance.