The head of the dining table was five hundred thousand dollars. The passenger seat of my armored SUV was one million. And the "VIP Mother's Seat" at the heir's academy was the most expensive: three million dollars.
In just half a month, I had collected seventeen million dollars.
On the night of my thirtieth birthday, my seven-year-old biological son, Leo, once again dragged my designated chair toward Elena, presenting it to her like a prized treasure.
He made a mocking face at me.
"Aunt Elena's back hurts. She should have this seat," he announced loudly. "Mom, you wouldn't charge a little kid for this, right?"
The entire table of mafia elites chuckled. They all assumed that, faced with the son I had fiercely protected for seven years, I would finally cave in and value our maternal bond.
Instead, I calmly opened my black leather ledger and wrote down "five hundred thousand dollars" right next to my own son's name.
Chapter 1
Sienna POV
"Enough, Sienna!" Lucian growled, his low, dangerous voice usually enough to terrify his rivals. "Stop taking your anger out on the child! You've been acting like a money-crazed lunatic lately!"
I touched the armrest of the empty chair, my voice incredibly light.
"So what? Whoever occupies the seat pays for it. Even biological sons are no exception."
Once, all I ever wanted was for our family of three to sit down and have a nice meal together.
Now, the chair was still here, but I no longer had any desire to sit in it.
Lucian stood up abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the hardwood floor.
He strode over and pointed down at me with absolute condescension.
"Are you out of your mind, Sienna?" he growled. "He is only seven. You're trying to make a profit off your own flesh and blood?"
My son, Leo, forcefully pushed my hand away.
He ran over to Elena and spread his arms wide, fiercely protecting her.
"I won't let you bully Aunt Elena!" Leo shouted. "You're a greedy, money-grubbing bad woman! You don't deserve to be my mother!"
He was only seven, yet the vicious words rolled off his tongue with practiced ease.
This was the direct result of Lucian's teachings over the past half-month.
Elena quickly knelt down and grabbed Leo's hands.
"Don't be like this, Leo. Sienna is doing this for your own good," she said softly. "She's just using this method to get your father to pay more attention to her."
She stood up and turned to Lucian, her eyes rimmed with red.
"Lucian, don't blame Sienna. She's just feeling insecure," Elena whispered. "I'll pay the five hundred thousand. Please, don't fight because of me. The child is still young."
Elena pulled a bank card from her purse and offered it to me with both hands.
Lucian gently caught her wrist to stop her, then turned his head, glaring at me with undisguised, deep-seated disgust.
"You are sick, Sienna," he spat.
He pulled out his phone, his fingers tapping aggressively on the screen.
Ding.
I looked down at my phone. Five hundred thousand dollars had just been deposited via an encrypted wire transfer into my offshore account.
I clicked to accept the funds and closed my black leather ledger.
Lucian stared at me, his eyes brimming with absolute disgust.
"Is there anything else in your head besides money, Sienna?" he gritted his teeth. "Today is your thirtieth birthday. I pushed back a syndicate meeting to spend it with you. Do you really have to make a scene and humiliate everyone tonight?"
I looked at his self-righteous face.
He actually remembered that today was my birthday.
Yet, the first love he brought back was sitting in my main seat.
My own biological son was mimicking him, hurling vicious insults at me.
"So you do remember," I said, slipping the ledger into my pocket. "Since you remember, I booked a chef's custom menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant for my birthday a month ago. Where is the food?"
A flicker of unnatural hesitation crossed Lucian's eyes.
"I canceled it for you," he said dismissively. "Elena has a weak stomach. Those rich, heavy dishes make her sick. We're eating pasta tonight. I'll reimburse you for the deposit later."
He was always like this.
He thought a casual, weightless compensation could erase all my expectations.
I remained silent.
Leo grabbed Elena's hand, jumping up and down with joy.
"Yay! I love pasta the most!" Leo cheered. "Aunt Elena, let's go watch TV in the living room before the food is served!"
He pulled Elena away.
Lucian watched them leave, his gaze incredibly gentle.
When he turned back to me, his eyes instantly froze over again.
"Stop wearing that dead face all day and scaring the child," he warned, before turning to follow them.
I stood alone in the grand, empty dining room.
The extra set of silver cutlery was still resting on the table in front of the main seat.
I pulled out the chair, picked up the silver cutlery, and dropped it straight into the nearby trash can.
Then, I pulled out my secure phone and dialed the number of my underworld real estate broker.
"The Moretti Estate is ready to be listed," I said calmly. "Yes, I am the sole owner."
This heavily fortified estate was the only inheritance my parents had left me.
I once wanted it to be the forever home for our family of three. To ensure Lucian lived comfortably, I spent a year personally designing and renovating it, hand-picking every single piece of furniture.
Now, none of it was needed.
I put the phone away and walked up the grand staircase.
Pushing open the door to the master bedroom, I pulled out a massive black suitcase.
I took the clothes that belonged to me out of the closet and folded them neatly inside.
Over the years, to cater to Lucian's tastes, I had exclusively bought the muted, plain colors he preferred.
Looking at these clothes now, they felt entirely foreign to me.
I zipped up the suitcase with a sharp, decisive motion. I didn't want to stay another second in this house where I had poured all my blood and sweat. Everything was ready. I was just waiting for the final act to conclude tomorrow.