Twenty minutes later, there’s a knock on my office door. “Enter.”
Marco walks in, and I study my most trusted enforcer with fresh eyes.
He’s been with me for ten years, since before Nicole died. He’s proven his loyalty a hundred times over.
If anyone can watch Sophia without being swayed by her beauty or her tears, it’s him.
“You wanted to see me, boss?”
“I have a new assignment for you.” I gesture to the chair across from my desk.
Marco sits, his dark eyes alert. “Whatever you need.”
“My wife.” The word still feels strange on my tongue. “She’s to be monitored at all times. I want to know where she is, what she’s doing, who she’s talking to. Everything.”
Something flickers across Marco’s face. Surprise, maybe. “You want me to babysit?”
“I want you to ensure she doesn’t do anything stupid. Like try to escape. Or hurt herself.” The second possibility hadn’t occurred to me until this moment, and it sends a chill through me. “She’s valuable to me. I need her safe.”
“Understood.” Marco leans back in his chair. “Anything else?”
“She’s not to leave the grounds. She’s not to have any contact with the outside world. And if she tries anything—anything at all—you come to me immediately. Don’t handle it yourself. I want to know.”
“Got it.” He stands. “When do I start?”
“Now. She should be coming down for breakfast soon. Introduce yourself. Make it clear that you’re not someone she can manipulate or charm.”
Marco nods and heads for the door, but he pauses with his hand on the handle. “Pakhan, can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Is this really about revenge? Or is it something else?”
The question catches me off guard. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “Forget I asked.”
After he leaves, I sit in silence, staring at the amber liquid in my glass. Marco’s question echoes in my mind, mixing with memories of last night.
The way Sophia looked at me when I was inside her.
The way she said my name.
The way she fit perfectly in my arms afterward, her head on my chest, her breathing slow and even.
This is revenge, I tell myself firmly. Nothing more.
But even I’m starting to doubt it.
I finish my drink and head to the dining room.
Sophia is already there, seated at the far end of the long table.
Elena has dressed her in a simple but elegant navy dress that hugs her curves and falls to just below her knees.
Her hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and someone has applied minimal makeup that makes her blue eyes even more striking.
She looks like she belongs here.
