With the cleaners busy at their job, Chiara finally makes her way down the stairs, looking as disheveled as ever.
"What happened?" She narrows her eyes at the men carrying her mother.
I shrug, not in the mood to deal with her theatrics. Going by the way she reacted to Martin's death, I don't want another session of hysterics on my hands.
"You might want to check," I cock my head toward the body. "It seems your mother took the masked ball to another level," I say before brushing past her to go upstairs. She focuses her eyes on me but doesn't comment as she goes down.
I'm almost at the top of the stairs when the screaming starts. Shaking my head, I go to Luca's room, taking him in my arms and finally letting the feelings of joy spread through me.
"Soon, yourmammawill be back," I whisper in his hair, knowing full well that when she does, I'm going to have to grovel my way into her good graces.
Alas, good things come to those who work hard.
And I'll spare no effort in making sure my little tigress gets her much-deserved happily ever after. Even if that means helping her drive a dagger through my heart.
"I've got her,Lia, don't worry," I tell her and hang up.
I park my car just outside Leonardo's condo. My entire board is made up of screens showing all angles of his house.
I said I'd give her revenge, and that's exactly what I'm doing.
I've been in constant contact with Lia, following Allegra's every step and keeping up with her plotting. Soon enough, it became very clear what she wants to do—make her parents feel exactly whatshedid when she was on the verge of death.
Her mother met her death without her face, and now her father will die stuck inside his body, unable to move but still conscious enough to know what's happening around him.
While I would do anything for my little tigress, I also worry about the repercussions of her actions on her soul.
I was born into this world, so I was never a stranger to the violent side of it. While Allegra had grown up in total neglect, she'd never really seen the ugly side of the world until… me. Her drastic actions and sudden bloodthirst are understandable, but what happens when it's all said and done?
She won't be any happier.
I'm a hypocrite for saying this, since I've been on the same, rather more long-winded path of revenge for years now. But the difference between us is that Icancarry this burden with me. After all, I've already murdered both my father and my mother.
Her?
She's never killed a soul before. So how is she rationalizing killing her blood relatives?
My little tigress, for all her bravado and sharp claws, is nothing but a pure soul—one that's been backed into a corner with no escape. I can understand her stance, but I also worry she won't be the same.
My head jerks as I see a taxi stop in front of the building, Allegra getting out of the car. She's dressed like Chiara, her dress a little too short, her heels a little too high, and she has a hard time walking in them as she makes her way across the sidewalk and into the building.
Unbeknownst to her, I'd chosen the date and place and provided her with the ammunition to fulfill her kill.
Now I just have to watch—ready to intervene if things get out of hand. Although from what I'd heard about Cristina's death, I'd say my girl has everything figured out.
It shouldn't make me so pleased to see my little tigress out for blood—so ready to end a life—but fuck if it's not hot. I groan out loud at the thought, images of her being stained with her enemies' blood and me fucking her, our bodily fluids merging into a sublime mix of lust and savagery.
Fuck! I'm already hard.
I need to get myself under control since I'm not taking any risks with my girl.
Turning back to the monitors, I watch as Allegra carefully steps inside her father's home.
I've been keeping tabs on Leonardo and Cristina ever since they made their appearance in New York, convinced I would die and ready to take ownership of the empire.
And that conviction had ensured that they had torn into their resources with lightning speed. They hadn't even settled in nicely before the spending began.
Leonardo with his high-class escorts, booze, and poker games, and Cristina with her haute couture and overpriced jewelry.
