Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
I nod. “Agreed.”
“I’m not doing this for you.” His voice is low but not cold. “I’m doing it because I remember how she used to smile when she felt freedom. And how she stopped smiling when she realized she has to be married to a man she will never love.”
Something in my chest knots. “This time, she doesn’t have to choose. I’m here and I’m not leaving.”
“Don’t screw this up. I wouldn’t want to have to kill you,” he says with a dark chuckle and I know he’s not joking.
Before I can answer, the boutique door opens, and a soft voice calls my name. “Nico?”
I turn. Lia stands in the doorway in a pale blue robe, hair pinned up, bare feet on polished tile. She looks younger than usual. Or maybe just tired.
“I need you,” she says simply. “Zia wants to see you inside.”
I nod and glance at Guillermo.
“I’ll be here,” he says. “Stone wall and all.”
I follow her in, but the echo of Guillermo’s voice stays with me.
I have a choice now.
And I’m not going to waste it.
I stop at the entrance to the fitting rooms and she looks at me like I’m her hero. “I needed to see you before I get back in that car.”
“This is dangerous.” Too risky. Too many eyes.
I shouldn’t be here now, but at night, when the halls go quiet, she finds me.
In linen closets.
In storage rooms.
Once in the crypt beneath the east wing, where no one ever goes.
She steps toward me, her hands holding mine. It’s as if I’m the only thing keeping her sane.
And I am.
“I’m scared,” she admits softly when we’re alone as she looks up at me. She doesn’t come closer, and I want to drag her out of here, but I know I can’t.
“I know.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“It will.”
“You don’t know that.” Her words are a plea, drenched in fear.
“No,” I say, touching her cheek. “But I know I’d burn the world down before I let them take you.”
She looks up at me with a promise in her stare.
And then I step back and breathe because I need to forget her fragrance.
I turn away. “Get dressed, we need to leave.” And then I wait outside where it’s safe.
Chapter 19
Lelia
Iwore white for the fitting. Ivory lace stitched by a woman with trembling hands and a mouth that murmured bellissima under her breath while she pinned the bodice tighter. She definitely knows who the groom is.
She doesn’t speak.
She just does her job, like everyone else in this house.
Like me.
The seamstress folds and tucks the fabric as my reflection stares back from the mirror, glassy-eyed and still. I look like someone else.
Regal.
Cold.
A woman built for duty.
For alliance. For legacy.
But underneath?
My heart is chaos.
The door creaks open. One of Igancio’s guards leans inside, perfectly composed in a black suit and white dress shirt that fits him perfectly. It’s as if all the men in this house have been dressed by one monster who wants to keep control.
“You’re wanted downstairs,” he says. “Your fiancé’s requested your presence.”
I nod once.
He doesn’t notice my hands trembling.
When I descend the stairs, he’s already talking to his soldiers. I have expected Cassio to be here, but he’s not, thankfully.
Ignacio Mosca—the Boss of the Mosca clan. Educated abroad. Smiles too wide.
My future carved in violence, dressed in charm.
He stands when I enter, and everyone watches my face.
I smile like I’ve been trained. Controlled. Measured. Like I’m not thinking about a man who touches me like I’m not some pawn on a chessboard.
Nico is nowhere in sight, but I feel him. Like a phantom under my skin.
Ignacio steps toward me and kisses the back of my hand. “You look stunning, my future queen,” he says, but there isn’t anything pleasant in his tone. There is only darkness.
“Thank you,” I murmur, trying to act demure, calm, but I’m far from it.
He doesn’t notice that I don’t look him in the eye.
Later that night, I find Nico in the corridor outside the east wing, half-shadowed under the arch. His stance is casual, but his eyes are sharp.
“You weren’t in the living room tonight. I was scared,” I whisper as I approach him, stopping beside him. I can’t touch him because there are too many eyes on us.
“I volunteered to help with setup. I didn’t want him to ask questions,” he says, barely glancing at me. “Wanted to keep an eye on the guests.”
He doesn’t say the rest out loud. Wanted to keep an eye on you. We both hear it anyway.
“And you know when Cassio is arriving?” I ask.
He nods. “Next week,” he tells me then, and my chest tightens. That doesn’t give us enough time. It’s going to go wrong. I have a feeling.
“That’s only five days.” My voice is a trembling whisper. It’s clear I’m scared. Even I can hear it. But I have to be strong. I can’t allow this to overwhelm me. If I do, Nico and Gillie won’t let me be a part of it.