Episode 3

It was around nine o'clock at night when Angelina arrived at the sophisticated penthouse near Central Park, where she lived with her parents. To avoid drawing too much attention, she asked her driver to bring all the shopping bags up through the service elevator and tried to enter her home discreetly.

Her father was in the living room with some men, along with her mother and Stella. As soon as Joseph noticed the front door being opened, he saw Angelina and did not let her entrance go unnoticed.

"Angelina, my darling," called Joseph cheerfully. "Come here and greet some of your father's friends."

Taking a deep breath, feeling like a twelve-year-old girl, Angelina approached the living room and took a general look. There were three men, completely unknown to her. One of them appeared to be Joseph's age and the other two were much younger.

"Good evening," Angelina smiled, facing the guests and then approached Olivia to give a kiss to her mother. "Hello, Mom."

"Hi sweetie," Olivia responded, running her hand through Angelina's hair in a tender gesture.

"Joseph! Why didn't this jewel join us for our dinner?" asked the older man, Mario Gotti, prompting Stella to scowl. "I have two sons," he joked with a laugh.

"Angelina had prior engagements, Mario, and she just turned eighteen. I'm not planning on arranging her marriage just yet," Joseph replied, cutting off his friend's suggestion to Angelina's relief, who for a moment tensed at the subject.

"But nothing stops us from introducing her to my boy who's still single," Mario turned toward Angelina. "This is my son, Romeo." He spoke, gesturing toward Romeo who stood up to give Angelina kisses on the cheek.

Romeo was a handsome man, with facial features that were harmonious and pleasing to look at. He had a naturally attractive appearance but didn't exhibit any particular or distinct traits that would stand out in a crowded setting.

"How are you, Angelina?" Romeo inquired kindly, admiring her from head to toe, lingering for a moment at her chest without bothering to be discreet.

"I'm fine, thank you," Angelina responded and didn't return the question, as she disliked the way the young man was ogling her.

"Pietro is my eldest son," Mario interjected, disrupting the uncomfortable exchange of glances between Angelina and Romeo. "We have arranged his marriage with your sister."

"Congratulations." Angelina looked at Stella, not knowing what else to say. She was unsure how her sister felt about the arranged marriage. She would later talk with her and her mother in private. "I'm going to retire. I need a shower. It was quite a tiring day."

"Of course, sweetheart," Olivia spoke to prevent anyone else from asking Angelina to stay with them longer. "Good night."

Angelina and Stella's relationship was quite complicated. At twenty, she wasn't as beautiful as Angelina and always harbored an absurd envy of her sister. Physically very similar to their parents, Stella had black hair and brown eyes, a very common coloring compared to Angelina. Unlike her younger sister, Stella was extremely well-behaved and did everything to be the favorite in her parents' eyes. Whenever she could, she created gossip and malicious comments against her younger sister. All the young men only had eyes for Angelina, making Stella sick with jealousy.

STELLA CASTELLANO

Until then, at that moment, at dinner, she couldn't help but notice the three men's glances toward Angelina, who did everything to avoid attention and leave the environment as quickly as possible.

"Angelina was adopted by our father when she was just a baby," Stella felt compelled to comment, spewing her venom as soon as her sister withdrew. "That must be the reason why Dad didn't insist on her attending the dinner." This was nothing more than an attempt to diminish her sister's shine.

"What a ridiculous comment, daughter," Joseph spoke in a pleasant tone, but his eyes glared at Stella with intensity. "Angelina bears my last name just as you do. I didn't see the need for her to attend this dinner, for it was simply for you and Pietro to get acquainted," Joseph concluded with a smile, to keep the atmosphere from turning unpleasant, but he didn't like when Stella mentioned Angelina's origins, because it might devalue the younger daughter when it came time to arrange her marriage.

"And that's what matters," Olivia added. "Angelina is a Castellano as much as any one of us."

At that moment, the three guests remained silent and didn't express an opinion on the matter, as the physical differences between Angelina and the rest of the family were evident. However, as soon as they left Joseph's penthouse, Pietro and Romeo returned to discuss the Castellano sisters.

"Brother, it looks like you're stuck with the ugly sister," Romeo teased. "Indeed, the rumors about the younger sister's beauty were true. She's as gorgeous in person as she is online. I was excited just looking into those blue eyes and that angelic face of hers."

"I had seen pictures of Angelina on social media, but nowadays everything is so fake and edited I thought all that beauty could only exist virtually," Pietro responded thoughtfully. Obviously, he would prefer to marry the more beautiful sister, but that was not the agreement reached, and either of the Castellanos would suffice to strengthen the alliance between their families.

"Of course, Joseph aims for a highly lucrative marriage for his younger daughter," Mario interjected, cutting off his sons' conversation. "The young woman is incredibly beautiful, but there are many rumors surrounding her that could jeopardize that."

"What do you mean?" Romeo asked curiously.

"I did my research on the young ladies before this dinner," Mario explained. "Angelina, besides being rebellious and spoiled, had a reputation as a flirt in school and the rumors say her father can't guarantee her virginity."

"Then the angel is unfit for marriage," Romeo stated with interest, licking his lips. "We can both enjoy the blonde and then dispose of her, brother."

"Don't be reckless and touch the girl!" Mario exclaimed irritably in response to that comment. "We must maintain good relations with Joseph, and feeding these rumors about his youngest daughter won't aid that."