ys, I played

at the pressure had shattered me. I let Alessandro believe I was b

ty, I wa

ws, lit only by the spectra

s were everywhere. The study. The gues

feed from the gue

she was ber

a blouse directly into the young girl's face. "

rypted file: *Abuse of sta

, posture shifting, and

aled a

elpless victim she played for Alessandro. In her place was the Jersey hus

fr

nce

ning to sell

andro is an idiot. He thinks I'm pregnant.

st listen;

r burs

e laptop screen just enough to obs

med in the doorway.

d. "You've been in here for

orse than buying your mistress a four-million-do

hed as i

g. "We have dinner with the Rossis.

nd. "You shattered unity when you let

htening my silk

ister, Alessandro

fro

I said, stepping closer. "But we both know the truth. Her parents ar

y pale. The silence stretc

y admitted, the wor

ion hung i

w?" I wh

perate edge. "She was in trouble. I saved her. She gives me war

c," I sneered. "You're burning

hone

at the scre

o go," he

ocket and tossed a ve

he said. "Try to look

oor clicking s

ned t

inly, but utterly generic. The kind

and dropped it in. It land

my desk and ope

eo of Aria talki

dro is a

e onto an encrypt

elightfully cold

s was evidence of stupidity. Proof that the

s tre

fist aroun

d now," I whispered

si dinner, I wouldn

e the exe