“I want him dismantled,” I say quietly. “I want everything he built to burn.”
Enzo looks at me like I’ve just handed him a gift.
“You’ll get it,” he promises. “But we do it smart. Calculated. I’ve already had Rowan start pulling additional files. Lars has men checking the physical accounts. We’ve got the upper hand now.”
“Any word on Falco?” Violette asks.
Enzo shakes his head. “He left the city last night. I have the ghost team tracking him down. I want the family focused on containment for now. Zara stays here. This is the most secure, safest space she can be in.”
“I already set up additional motion detection across the perimeter,” Lars confirms. “And Dante has eyes on the gate and drones covering the back acreage. No one’s getting in without us knowing.”
Violette nods, her expression tight but composed. “Then it’s settled. We circle the wagons, we protect our girl,” she gestures toward me with a dramatic sweep, “and we prepare to destroy two vile men.”
I look around the table—at the violence, the strategy, the cold calculations formed over juice and melon—and I realize this is what family looks like here.
Blood. Loyalty. And revenge. And I’m not just watching from the sidelines anymore. I’m willingly becoming a part of it.
I don’t lether leave my side when we step out of the dining room.
She’s too quiet.
Not peaceful. Not calm. Just…charged. Like lightning right before the strike. Her shoulders are set, jaw locked, and her fists curl at her sides every few steps, like she’s one wrong memory away from shattering.
Back in our suite, I close the door. She makes it halfway across the room before spinning on me.
“He used my name,” she says, her voice thick with fury she’s barely keeping leashed. “He usedme. Signed off accounts inmyname. Like I was just another fucking asset on his spreadsheet.”
Her chest rises and falls in shallow bursts. I take a step forward.
“You weren’t an asset,” I say, gently. “You were his daughter. He was supposed to protect you.”
She lets out a bitter, breathless laugh. “Protect me? He paraded me in front of that altar like I was a fucking product. I didn’t matter to him. My consent didn’t matter.”
She turns away, one hand gripping the edge of the dresser like she needs something solid to anchor her.
“I didn’t walk down that aisle because I believed in him, Enzo. I walked because I didn’t have a choice. I was locked in, dressed up, shoved down the aisle like an offering.”
Her voice cracks on the last word.
Goddamn it.
I move behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into me. She stiffens at first, still shaking with rage, but then she sags, just slightly, like the weight of it all has finally tipped her balance.
“I should’ve fought harder,” she whispers. “Should’ve found a way out sooner. Before it got that far.”
I press a kiss to her temple, anchoring her, then turn her to face me. “You fought every step of the way. And in the end, you made it out.Wemade it out. That’s what matters.”
She tilts her head to look at me, eyes glassy but defiant. “I want him ruined.”
My jaw tightens. “He will be.”
“I don’t mean just exposed or arrested.” Her voice steadies. “I want himerased. I want his name rotting in the ground. His legacy turned to ash. I want every sick, twisted lie he built his empire on dragged into the light and burned.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” I tell her, no hesitation in my voice. “He’ll be nothing. And everyone who stood with him? They’ll fall too.”
Her breath hitches. She nods once.
“And you’re not doing it alone,” I add, framing her face in my hands. “I won’t just protect you, Zara. I’ll stand beside you. Every step. Every decision. We end thisyourway.”
