Page 1 of Brutal Heir

CHAPTER 1

SEBASTIAN

The surveillance photos hadn’t done her justice.

In the bitter chill of late October, the wind tore through the piazza, whipping her black hair across her face.

I curled my hand. I could already feel those strands wrapped around my fist.

She was ignorant of the blood-soaked empires her father and I ruled from the shadows, and of the silent war between our families.

Well, if her father wanted to play dirty—wanted to steal the House of Diamanti, my family’s dynasty, out from under me—then so be it.

I’d take his daughter.

From the warm comfort of my Mercedes S-Class's heated leather seats, I watched her undetected.

Sabrina Dolce Badalamenti.

A pretty little pawn in my vengeful game.

The photos hadn’t captured the subtle tilt of her chin, the way her lip caught between her teeth when she was nervous.

She turned in a slow circle, scanning the street signs with visible confusion, then swiped her hand over her hip—reaching for a phone that wasn’t there.

So. She was alone.

In an unfamiliar city.

Lost.

No phone.

I shook my head. She was making this too easy.

Her slight frame shivered in the cold.

Where the fuck is her coat?

Rain had drenched Paris for days.

She should’ve bundled up.

Someone should take her in hand.

I rolled down the rain-speckled window. The tinted glass blurred her figure, keeping her just out of reach.

The sharp tang of car exhaust and the muddy stench of the nearby Seine filtered in.

She continued scanning her surroundings, bewildered.

Her innocence struck me. It didn’t matter that she was twenty-four—she looked untouched by the world.

Vulnerable.

The perfect prey.

Her mother had tried to protect her.