Chapter 3 3

Adrienne POV

The bruise on my cheekbone throbbed a dull, steady rhythm the next morning as I sat at the stainless-steel island in the guest wing kitchen. I kept my shoulders hunched, staring blankly at a plate of dry toast.

The heavy, suffocating presence of August Romero filled the room before he even spoke. The Underboss of the Romero family walked in with the cold arrogance of a man who owned the air we breathed. He didn't look at me. Instead, he tossed an unassigned black Romero credit card onto the counter.

"Take her out," August ordered Brenda, his voice flat. "Make her look expensive, but don't make her look smart."

Brenda nodded eagerly, practically salivating at the sight of the black card. "Of course, Mr. Romero. I'll have her wear a hat to cover... the flaws."

Hours later, I was standing in a cramped changing room of a high-end department store on Fifth Avenue. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, reflecting the cheap, tight sequined dress Brenda had forced me into. I stumbled out, deliberately letting my knees knock together like a clueless country girl overwhelmed by the marble and designer perfumes.

Cammie snickered, holding up her phone. The camera flashed. Through the reflection of the three-way mirror, I watched her screen. She sent the photo to a private group chat, typing out the hashtag `#GutterBride`.

I memorized the chat name and the exact timestamp. This wasn't humiliation. It was reconnaissance. The first bullet loaded into the chamber for my eventual Vendetta.

The destruction of my identity continued at a top-tier salon on Madison Avenue.

"Bleaching it this fast will cause permanent damage," the elegant stylist warned, running his fingers through my healthy, dark hair.

"Do it," Brenda snapped.

The chemicals burned my scalp, a sharp, biting pain that I welcomed. It kept my mind sharp. When they were finished, my hair was a fried, blinding platinum blonde. I stared at the empty-eyed doll in the mirror. The transformation was complete. I looked exactly like the disposable plaything they needed me to be.

By the time we reached Mrs. Gable's private studio in the Upper East Side for my etiquette lesson, I was ready to test the waters.

I played the absolute fool. I dropped the heavy posture book from my head, clattered the salad fork against the fine china, and slurped my tea. When August Romero arrived to inspect his investment, Mrs. Gable looked ready to weep.

"She is a vulgar liability," the instructor complained, gesturing to me as I cowered in the corner. "She has no refinement whatsoever."

August just smirked, his dark eyes sweeping over my tacky blonde hair and the faint outline of the bruise beneath my makeup. "I don't need her to know which fork to use. I need her to spread her legs and sign a pre-nup."

I lowered my lashes, letting my trembling hands hide the ice-cold satisfaction settling in my chest. He had just handed me his entire playbook.

Before we left the studio, I slipped into the locked stall of the marble restroom. A moment later, the door opened, and the sharp click of heels echoed against the tiles.

"Why does that bitch get two million dollars?" Cammie whined, her voice echoing over the running water. "It's not fair."

"Hush," Brenda hissed, though her tone was thick with venomous pride. "That two million is bait to get her to sign. Once she's married and unlocks Emiliano's trust, The Ghost will take care of her. He's already put two nurses in the ground. The Family needs a nobody whose death won't start a police report."

The restroom door clicked shut as they left.

I stood perfectly still in the silence. There was no fear, only the rapid, flawless calculation of my training. The pieces snapped together. Emiliano wasn't a deranged killer. He was a prisoner, likely being drugged to frame him for the murders of his caretakers. My mission objective shifted in a fraction of a second. I wasn't here to hunt a monster anymore. I was here to save an ally.

I stepped out of the stall and looked at the battered, blonde stranger in the mirror.

*Two million... Enough to buy the purest grade of neurotoxin antidote on the black market.*

I wiped a smudge of cheap lipstick from my mouth. Tomorrow morning, before the Romero cars arrived, Harlon Holcomb was going to give me that money.