Chapter 2

Seraphina POV

"Sister," she breathed, her voice like spun sugar.

I stared at the pristine white cashmere of her coat, a stark contrast to the dark, blood-soaked reality of the world she was trying to claim. Linette stepped closer, her maids keeping a cautious distance. The sickeningly sweet, pitying smile on her flawless lips widened.

"I truly pity your family," she murmured, her tone dripping with a rehearsed, hypocritical sorrow. "A Don betraying The Commission... that kind of stain follows the bloodline forever." She leaned in slightly, her blue eyes gleaming with malicious triumph. "Your father and brother were disgraceful rats."

The chemical fog in my brain evaporated, incinerated by a sudden, blinding inferno of rage.

Before she could even blink, my hand cracked across her face. The sharp sound of the slap echoed like a gunshot in the freezing courtyard. Linette stumbled back with a gasp, but I didn't let her retreat. I lunged, my fingers wrapping around her delicate throat. I slammed her backward against a frozen stone cherub beside the path.

Her maids shrieked, but I ignored them. I squeezed her windpipe, leaning in until my face was inches from her terrified, wide eyes. The predator Julian had tried to drug out of me was fully awake.

"My father was a Don," I hissed, my voice a raw, lethal rasp. "My brother was his Underboss. They died for honor. If you ever taint their names with your filthy mouth again, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs."

I shoved her away in disgust. Linette collapsed onto the snow, coughing and clutching her throat, her angelic facade shattered by primal fear.

I turned my back on her and began walking toward my secluded side house. The adrenaline spike vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving my limbs feeling like lead. The sedatives dragged at my muscles, making every step a monumental effort.

I didn't hear her over the howling wind until it was too late.

A feral scream tore through the air. Hands slammed violently into my back. I stumbled forward, my boots slipping on the icy stone path. The unfenced edge of the ornamental lake rushed up to meet me. Instinct, honed by years of survival, took over. As gravity pulled me over the edge, I twisted and grabbed a fistful of her expensive white cashmere coat.

Linette shrieked as I dragged her down with me. We hit the thin, sick-gray ice together. It shattered instantly with a deafening crack, plunging us both into the freezing, black water.

The shock of the cold was a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs like a punch to the chest. I thrashed, my heavy, numb limbs fighting to break the surface. Above the water, the maids were screaming in absolute panic.

"Help! Somebody help! Miss Vance is in the water!"

Not a single voice called for me. In this gilded cage, my life was worth less than the snow on the ground.

I choked on the freezing water, my strength fading fast. Then, a blur of movement on the shore caught my eye. Julian. He sprinted to the edge, shedding his heavy coat, and dove into the freezing lake without a second of hesitation.

A pathetic, treacherous spark of hope flared in my chest. I reached out a trembling, numb hand toward him.

Julian broke the surface. His dark, unreadable eyes locked onto mine. For a fraction of a second, time stopped. I saw no panic in his gaze. No desperation. Only a cold, calculating absolute. He looked right through me, turned his back, and swam powerfully toward Linette, who was thrashing and crying louder. He grabbed her waist, hauling her toward the safety of the shore.

He left me.

The betrayal was colder than the ice water filling my lungs. As I watched him carry his precious childhood sweetheart out of the lake, a chilling realization pierced through my fading consciousness. This wasn't just a tantrum from a jealous girl. Linette wanted the Marino ghost dead to secure her throne, and Julian's cold eyes were the silent execution order.

My heavy clothes dragged me under. The light from the shattered ice above grew dim. I stopped fighting the water, letting the dark abyss swallow me, but the fire in my veins refused to die. I would not let them win. The vow of *Vendetta* echoed in the silent depths of my mind as everything faded to black.