The Mafia’s Unwanted Daughter Is Now Their Downfall Chapter 02

The Mafia’s Unwanted Daughter Is Now Their Downfall Chapter 02

In the end, my parents still decided to take Bianca out for dinner.

It wasn’t just a family meal. Father had arranged a meeting with two regional bosses, and Bianca would sit at his right hand, to be formally introduced as the daughter handling our social alliances.

Before they left, she turned to me. “Elena, do you want to come?”

Before I could answer, Matteo spoke up.

“You know she never wants to have dinner with the Family.”

He shot a glare in my direction.

“You won’t even show up when you’re supposed to. Having a sister like you is an embarrassment.”

Heat flooded my face. I stood there, miserable.

But what hurt more was the injustice of it all.

Because Bianca loved seafood, every time they entertained our allies, they chose a seafood restaurant. I was allergic to shellfish, so if I went, I could usually eat nothing more than a piece of bread.

My parents didn’t see that as a problem. Instead, they said I was being difficult, that refusing food in front of our allies would signal disrespect for Father’s arrangements.

After that happened enough times, I simply stopped going.

I had stepped back, but instead of understanding, they took it as proof of my disloyalty to the Family.

Bianca smiled at me but didn’t press the invitation. Then she left with our parents.

I went into the kitchen alone and reheated last night’s leftovers.

I ate by myself at the long dining table, then put my plate in the dishwasher.

I had just closed the dishwasher when my phone rang.

It was a video call from my mother.

After dinner, they had taken Bianca to the Family’s personal tailor. There were several formal dinners coming up, and she needed new gowns.

Holding her phone up to a rack of tops, my mother asked, “Which color do you like? Pick one.”

I hesitated between blue and white.

My mother said, “Then take them both.”

After the call ended, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

This time, I was crying from happiness.

Compared to Bianca’s custom gowns, two simple tops were nothing.

But I couldn’t help but think that maybe my mother’s heart wasn’t completely empty of me after all.

A thought even crossed my mind.

Maybe I should change my college decision back and stay in California.

Not long after, they came home.

My parents and Matteo were laden with shopping bags, large and small, almost too many to carry.

They were filled with gowns, shoes, and jewelry for Family functions, all for Bianca.

I hurried over, reaching out to take the bag with my clothes.

That was when I heard Bianca say with a laugh, “Today was such a steal. All these outfits only cost twelve thousand dollars.”

“The studio even threw in two tops for a female attendant. They’ll be perfect for Elena when she stands behind me.”

My hand froze in midair.

So it wasn’t that they had suddenly started caring about me.

Father had already chosen Bianca’s place in public. And he had chosen mine, too.

She would wear a gown and sit beside the head of the Family. I would wear a free top and stand behind her.

The fragile warmth that had bloomed in my chest turned to ice.

“Give them to someone else. I don’t want them.”

I set the bag back on the table and turned toward my room.

The moment the door shut behind me, tears streamed down my face.

Outside, I heard the immediate displeasure in my parents’ and Matteo’s voices.

“Bianca does her the kindness of including her in a formal setting, and this is the attitude she gives us.”

“How much longer is she going to keep this up?”

Matteo chimed in.

“She’s nothing like Bianca. No wonder all the allies prefer her.”

He even asked our parents directly, “Are you sure the Moretti Family really needs two daughters?”

“If the Family only had Bianca, things would be a lot simpler.”

*You’ll get your wish soon enough,* I told him silently.

Soon, you won’t have me as a sister to be ashamed of.

Our parents won’t have me as their unlikable daughter.

And I won’t have to keep waiting for them to write my name on a protection roster that was only ever meant for Bianca.