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Unknown: Your secret is safe with me.

Turning off my phone again, I slap my hands onto my mattress. That’s it. Between him, the adrenaline, and the horrific memories, I can’t think of a plan. I can’t see past the pounding in my chest and the very real fear closing in around my throat. Fear of a future I have no control over.

There’s only one thing I can do.

Snatching my ballet flats, I exit my bedroom. I need to dance.

5

BRIAR

I’ve watched her for months. A slave to my screen, eyes glued to the delicate form that moves before me.

Valentina Bruno.

A beautiful name for an intriguing woman.

And my enemy.

After leaving Roman’s party months ago, I made it my personal mission to figure out the woman who stole my attention. I went into that place looking to kill the man responsible for so much pain, and left, dreamy-eyed for the physical embodiment of sunshine, her taste still on my lips.

She’s haunted me ever since.

Until I cracked through all the firewalls and pulled up her name.

Imagine my surprise to learn she wasn’t a kept woman, a pet, or a favorite—but his sister.

She was an anomaly. Rarely spoken about, never mentioned, but anyone in Roman’s orbit knew about Valentina. She was a dirty Bruno secret, one I wanted to exploit.

The news articles I dug up mentioned her prowess as a young dancer. She studied at a local studio and entered contests, taking home trophies on small stages, but those moments were buried. Someone wanted her to stay hidden.

They couldn’t stop me. I pressed harder, bringing more information to light. Reports from teachers suggested her talent was immeasurable. They said she glided through the air and studied the instructors so well that her movements were a near replica. Her skills, her accomplishments, were destroyed and left to the shadows.

Seemed weird for the only daughter of Senior Bruno to be kept from public view. I craved more.

Using my skills, I hacked into all the cameras inside the home, not just peeked. There was only so much I could learn from information—I had to see her to truly understand. After I added a few loops, I could peer inside the Bruno mansion.

Logically, I could use this to track Roman—figure out his schedule, his weaknesses, and try to kill him again. But no, it was to figure out Valentina.

Then, I found the camera in her room.

There was no telling who put them in, or how long they’d been recording. A flash of anger struck me when I discovered it, and with a click, I ended the feed. Not before I rerouted the surveillance to my personal screen.

If anyone was going to spy on my little sunshine, it was going to be me.

Was it reckless? Absolutely. If someone wanted to monitor Valentina, they would see what I’ve done and sound the alarm. Pretty stupid, actually, on my part.

But it didn’t seem right. At least, that’s what I told myself. I would still be spying—and that was okay in my book.

My moral high ground isn’t really all that high.

It paid off, though. My first night of stalking, I saw Valentina. All of her.

Prancing around her bedroom, stark nude, my mouth dropped, and cock jerked. Her long, perfect legs went on for miles, and her slender shoulders rippled with tight muscles. She had a dancer’s body, one that swayed unnaturally with beautiful grace.

Then, I saw her fuckable cunt, and lost all rational thought.

I should’ve ended the feed. Given her privacy. I had three older sisters, and they definitely would’ve killed me if they knew I was staring at a naked woman without her consent.