The staff member who betrayed us had it coming. Selling our product to a rival at half the price was a death sentence. Mercy didn't exist in our world, and loyalty wasn't a suggestion it was a rule carved in blood.

I turned to leave, ready to bury the night behind me and vanish into the comfort of silence, when Enzo spoke again.

"There's still time to make it to your wedding."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Slowly, I turned, met his gaze, and without a second thought, pulled my gun out and aimed it straight at his face.

"Don't ever speak on my affairs again," I said, my voice cold and flat.

He raised both hands slightly. "Understood, boss."

I didn't fire. If it were anyone else, I might have. But Enzo knew the line now. Knew never to cross it again. He was one of my trusted employee.

I walked away, each step heavier than the last. Got into my car, slammed the door shut, and sped off. The streets blurred past in streaks of black and gold, and my thoughts spun darker than the night.

Nono's voice played in my mind like a ghost:

"The Rodrigos are a fair deal, Salvatore. That gold land in the Middle East...it's our future. We need it fast before they discover our plans. That'll be her dowry. This is the only way."

I had no choice. Refusing him wasn't just stupid,it was suicidal. My grandfather wasn't a man you said no to. Not if you wanted to live long enough to bury your enemies.

Besides, if I didn't agree, he'd turn to one of my brothers. Young. Unprepared. Still foolish enough to believe this life had honor in it.

But me? I'd tasted the blood. I'd buried the bodies. I knew better.

If it meant marrying some pampered Rodrigo princess to secure the land and keep my brothers out of the fire, then fine. I'd do it.

Temporarily.

Once I became the head of the Saverio family, I could file for divorce, make it disappear. I wouldn't even need to see her face. I'd made that clear,I would be an absentee husband at the wedding. No appearances. No photos. Just my signature on a paper and a sealed alliance in the underworld.

And Nono, knowing exactly the monster he raised, had agreed.

My engine died down in front of the estate. I walked through the grand iron gates, past guards who straightened at the sight of me, and entered the house.

Straight to my room. Stripped down. Showered. Let the heat of the water scald away the rage.

When I stepped out, clean and calm, I put on a fresh black shirt and tailored slacks. Adjusted my cufflinks. The silver ones, etched with the Saverio crest.

Just as I was buttoning the last of my shirt, I heard it.

The soft chime of the watch on my door,the signal that the front gates had been opened.

I paused, heart steady but mind sharpening. Someone was here.

I crossed the room and grabbed my iPad from the bedside table. I didn't have the patience to walk downstairs and exchange hollow pleasantries. Not tonight. I pulled up the estate's CCTV feed and tapped into the main hall camera.

Rafael.

Adriano.

Nono.

All stepping in through the wide double doors. Behind them, a few guards followed with luggage,black leather bags stamped with gold crests. Custom. Expensive. Clearly not mine.

Since I left the country, they've had access to my house but I'm back now,I think it's time to remind them never to barge into my house.

Nono was already barking orders at the guards, gesturing toward the east wing, likely instructing them where to place the guest's things.

I narrowed my eyes. Guest?

And then the doors, still open, shifted.

A figure stepped through.

Female.

Curvy.

White dress clinging to her like it had been sewn onto her skin.

My eyes tracked up the screen, from her strappy heels to the confident sway of her hips, the way her hourglass shape pulled every ounce of attention in the room and then finally to her face.

I leaned in, brow furrowing...

What the...?

I tapped the zoom.

Once.

Twice.

Then stared.

A slow, crooked smile broke across my lips. "Well, well..."

It was her.

The debutante from the club. The one who had thrown her drink, cursed me out, and looked me dead in the eye like I didn't own the city she was standing in.

If I wanted I would have had her looked into, I already knew my bride's name but I couldn't care less, now staring at her in that white through the screen I couldn't help but appreciate the surprise.

My runaway storm in stilettos.

And now...

My bride.

I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, iPad still in hand, as her image flickered on the screen.

She was arguing with Nono now. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I didn't need audio. Her face said it all. Disgust. Confusion. Rage. It was beautiful.

And better than anything I could've planned.

I had fully intended to sign the papers and never meet her. But fate? Apparently, it had a better sense of humor than I gave it credit for.

The stubborn one who fearlessly talked back at me.

I wondered if she knew I was her husband.

I dropped the iPad and strutted off to the living room, my earlier fatigue worn off like smoke in the wind.

This... this was far more invigorating than vengeance.

I loved breaking down people from their high horse,especially the ones who thought they were untouchable.

The leather soles of my shoes echoed softly on the marble floor as I made my way to the stairs. I stopped at the top, perfectly positioned to look down at them like a king surveying his court.

Rafael was the first to notice me. His expression flickered with amusement before he leaned slightly toward Adriano, muttering something I didn't catch.

"Here comes the husband."

And just like that, all eyes turned toward me.

But mine?

Mine were on her.

I watched as she turned toward me, her curls swaying with the motion. Her mouth parted slightly, a flicker of confusion in her eyes... then recognition.

I studied every inch of her face, searching for the tell,some sign that she knew who I was before now. A glance. A flinch. Something.

Then I saw it.

The widening of her eyes.

The tightening of her grip on the handle of her bag.

The sudden stiffness in her spine.

"You?" she said, her voice a sharp, disbelieving blade.

Music to my ears.