Page 40 of Pretty Plaything

---

Santiago looked at the rest of my brothers and groaned. “Okay, but only for a few minutes.”

I jumped up, clapping my hands in excitement.

Santiago tossed the ball to me.

I was so happy as I laughed and ran around the yard while my brothers tried to catch me. But then Ciro tackled me in an attempt to snatch the ball from me. I fell facedown to the ground, my forehead scraping against a twig.

“What is going on here?” My mom’s voice was like thunder.

I sat up and touched my finger to my forehead, coming away with blood.

A gasp escaped my mother’s throat. “Sienna!” She crouched in front of me, inspecting my forehead. “What were you all thinking? What if this leaves a scar? Your sister will be ruined forever!”

My brothers just stood there in silence.

My mom grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the house with her. “I’m not going to let you out of my sight again.”

After that, she wouldn’t let me get out of the house for weeks, not even in her company.

I sigh.

There are plenty of moments when I tried to defy my destiny and fight who I was. Once, I saw my brothers drinking and I wanted to try it too. Santiago thought it would be funny to get me drunk because I started saying all kinds of weird things and making my brothers laugh.

I don’t remember much of it, but when my father found out, he was livid. I got a lecture about how a proper mafia princess should act.

But while my experience tells me my attempts to get free usually only end up getting me in trouble, I don’t want to stop fighting.

I’m a human being.

Not a toy.

Not a thing.

And I have to find a way to take my freedom back. Despairing and crying about it isn’t going to help me. But what do I do?

I don’t know Alessandro well enough to know how to plan my attack.

But maybe there’s a way around that.

Maybe I can figure it out.

I must.

---