Eva sat in an elegant restaurant, a smile playing on her lips as she reminisced about the previous night spent with her husband. She knew he wouldn't touch the bottle of wine she had opened; that's why she had prepared one still sealed. In the end, she succeeded in coaxing him to bed as she desired, extracting a promise from him to assist in Isabella's engagement. Everything had to be flawless this time; failure wasn't an option with so much money at stake.

She had risen early to visit the market, purchasing an array of gifts for Isabella. She aimed to portray herself as the perfect mother, repentant for her...