Chapter 2

Alessa POV:

Three days later, I was parked across the street from a coffee shop called 'The Gilded Cup,' a trendy little spot in a part of the city no Family laid claim to. It was neutral ground.

My phone buzzed with a text from Lorenzo.

Missing my beautiful wife. This city is nothing without you.

All of it was a lie.

A moment later, his black sedan slid to the curb. He stepped out, dressed in a tailored suit that cost more than my first car, a charming smile fixed on his face as he spoke into his phone. His public persona. The Architect.

Then his expression shifted. The smile vanished, replaced by a look of impatient hunger. His voice dropped, becoming a low command-"Service entrance. Now."

He hung up and disappeared into an alley beside the cafe. I watched as he used a key card to slip through a discreet side door of The Atherton Hotel.

Room 207.

My source had been correct. This wasn't a one-time indiscretion. This was a routine.

I got out of my car and walked to the hotel's main entrance, holding my own phone to my ear, feigning a deep conversation as I positioned myself near the elevators. I waited.

Forty-five minutes. An eternity.

Then, I dialed his number. I pitched my voice high, filling it with a manufactured panic I had perfected over years of being a Mafia wife. "Lorenzo? I... I don't feel well. I think I'm having another panic attack. I need you. Please, come home-Now."

There was a flicker of hesitation in his voice, a split second where I knew he was weighing his options. Then the smooth lie came, practiced and easy. "Of course, sweetheart. I'm just wrapping up a meeting at the satellite office. I'll be there as soon as I can."

I slipped into an alcove near the emergency exit, my heart hammering a cold, steady rhythm against my ribs.

Seconds later, the door to Room 207 flew open. Lorenzo stormed out, his phone already pressed to his ear, snapping that something urgent had come up. He stalked toward the elevators, jabbing the 'down' button like he wanted to punch it through the wall.

The door to 207 opened again. A young woman, blonde and dressed in something tight and trendy, scurried out after him.

"Don't go," she whined, grabbing his arm. Her voice was grating, childish. "She can wait."

Lorenzo shook her off, his face a mask of irritation. He gave her a quick, dismissive kiss and stepped into the waiting elevator without a backward glance. The doors slid shut.

The woman turned, pouting, and my blood ran cold.

I knew her.

It was Katia Shepherd. Marco's history tutor.

I remembered Marco's words from weeks ago, gushing about how "cool" Katia was. "She gets it, Mom," he'd said. "Like Dad does."

The pieces snapped together, forming a mosaic of betrayal so profound it stole my breath. My son didn't just know. He approved. He was a co-conspirator in his own mother's humiliation.

This wasn't just about a cheating husband anymore. This was a conspiracy, hatched and nurtured inside the walls of my own home.

The grief I should have felt was instantly incinerated by a pure, unadulterated rage.

I pulled out my phone. My first call was to Zara, my personal assistant, the woman who ran my household security with the quiet efficiency of a seasoned soldier.

"I want everything on Katia Shepherd," I said, my voice devoid of all emotion. "Her finances, her friends, her social media, her secrets. Everything. I want it by morning."

My second call was to a secure number for LegalEagle88.

"I have my proof," I said. "Now, I need the perfect stage to destroy his world."