"Crystal."
"Good. You're dismissed."
I left before I said something that would get my sister sold off to the highest bidder.
But walking out of that office, one thought dominated everything else:
My father just threatened me over a girl I'd already claimed. A girl who was mine in every way except on paper.
He had no idea what he'd just started.
Three months until the wedding. Three months to gather the rest of the evidence, convince the Council, and take him down.
Three months to make sure no one—especially not my father—touched what belonged to me.
I pulled out my phone, texted Marco: Forget the search. I found her. We need to talk. Tonight.
His response was immediate: Found who?
The girl from the club. She's here. In my house. And we have a massive fucking problem.
Chapter Five
ARIA
I was going to hell.
Not metaphorically. Not in some vague spiritual sense. I was literally, actually going to hell because apparently sleeping with your future stepson was the kind of sin that got you a one-way ticket to eternal damnation with no stops in between.
And the worst part? The absolute worst part of this entire nightmare situation?
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Mrs. Elena Rossi was showing me around my new room—my prison, really, let's call it what it was—pointing out where the towels were kept and explaining meal schedules, and all I could think about was Kai's hands on my body. His mouth on my neck. The way he'd looked at me when he'd—
"Miss Romano? Are you listening, dear?"
I blinked. Mrs. Rossi was staring at me with concern, her kind face creased with worry. She'd probably been talking for the last five minutes and I hadn't heard a single word.
"Yes. Sorry. I'm just... it's been a long day."
The understatement of the century. I'd woken up this morning still a prisoner at my own house, been driven here by my manipulative uncle, met my future husband who looked at me like I was a piece of property he'd just purchased, and then discovered that the man I'd had mind-blowing, life-altering, completely irresponsible sex with two weeks ago was Salvatore's son.
So yeah. Long day didn't quite cover it.
"Of course you are, poor thing. Losing both your parents so close together, and now all these changes." Mrs. Rossi patted my arm gently. "You just rest. Dinner is at seven if you'd like to join Don Salvatore, but I can bring a tray to your room if you'd prefer."
"Room. Please. The room."
The relief on her face told me she'd been hoping I'd say that. Apparently even the staff knew that throwing a grieving eighteen-year-old into dinner conversation with Don Salvatore was a spectacularly bad idea.
"I'll bring something up around six-thirty then. Try to get some rest, Miss Romano."
She left, closing the door softly behind her.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I turned slowly, taking in my new accommodations. The room was huge. Obscenely huge. King-sized bed with what looked like a thousand pillows. Massive windows overlooking gardens that probably cost more to maintain than most people's houses. A bathroom I could see through an open door that was bigger than my entire bedroom back home.
