“You don’t hurt children, Carlo. We both know that,” Tony says.
“I don’t have to. Once her mother is gone, I’ll simply hand her over to her legal guardian—her loving grandfather, Pietro.”
The words make my head spin. My stomach drops as I scream, “Don’t drag my daughter into this, Carlo!”
Carlo only smirks, but Tony’s voice cuts in immediately, desperate but firm. “I’m coming, baby. I’m coming.”
Carlo steps aside, allowing Tony and me to see each other again. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he speaks with cruel amusement.
“We’ll settle what you two did to me tomorrow. Tonight is about what you did to Emily.”
Before I can even process it, Maxim grabs the collar of my blouse and rips it open with one brutal yank.
I let out a sharp gasp, scrambling to cover myself, but before I can, he grabs my bra and rips that apart too, leaving me exposed.
Tony roars, his voice shaking with rage. “Maxim, you bastard, don’t touch her!”
Shame burns hot across my skin. I cross my arms over my chest as Maxim grabs me by the throat, yanks me forward, and shoves me hard to the floor at Carlo’s feet.
Pain explodes through my ribs, knocking the air from my lungs. Tony’s voice is the only thing I hear, calling my name in panic. I force myself to sit up, my arms still shielding my body.
Carlo turns back to the screen, watching Tony seethe with helpless rage. Then starts speaking, voice eerily calm.
“The first time I met Emily, she had just caught you two fucking. She tried to run. I thought she was a spy, so I let my dog bring her down.”
He glances at me, his eyes cold.
“Her clothes were ripped apart. Just like yours now.”
Without warning, he lunges and wraps his hand around my throat.
The grip is so tight I gasp, my lungs burning for air. My vision blurs, and I swear my eyes are about to pop out of their sockets.
He yanks me off the floor like I weigh nothing. “I dragged her up by the throat. I wanted her terrified enough to talk.”
His eyes bore into mine, filled with nothing but loathing, before he suddenly releases me.
I hit the floor hard, choking and gasping, my lungs fighting to pull in air.
Tony’s voice is desperate now. “Carlo, don’t do this!”
But Carlo doesn’t acknowledge him. He keeps going, spinning his twisted tale.
“Maxim gave her his shirt to cover herself.”
Like a well-trained dog, Maxim peels off his shirt and tosses it at me.
I catch it midair, clutching it against my bare skin, and put it on with lightning speed.
Before I can steady myself, Maxim’s hand is on my throat, yanking me off the floor.
Carlo continues. “Then that cocksucker Rafael drags her inside and throws her onto the floor, right in front of you.”
The moment the words leave his mouth Maxim hurls me at Carlo’s feet again.
I throw my arms up to protect myself, but my elbow slams into the floor. Pain shoots through me and a cry tears from my throat.
Carlo doesn’t even blink. He just keeps going.
