er'

nd spilled liquor hung in the air, underscored by the sharp tang of blood. Vick stood there, a tissue pressed t

pha, brought low by a single,

omething unexpected. Not in Vick, whose predictable rage was as dull as it was volatile. But in her. The way she'd moved, the fire in her

a thug through his own club, all bluster and wounded pride. I let him pass, a ghost in the gaudy

trument in a city of scalpels. But now, he was compromised. His petty

bout Lucia Castellano, the last surviving heir to a fortune buried under layers of legal obfuscation and tragedy

exit. Vick's men, like obedient dogs, would give her a scare. It served my purpose-to soften her, to make

ss pacing inside, the clink of a glass. He was waiting for his validation call, his pathetic

ion was laughable. The swelling on his temple, the wild

, the question a formali

bling aside. The room smelled of c

iskey a stark contrast to the room's tawdriness. I let the sil

ight?" I finally asked, watchin

motion. He was lying, of cours

. It had the desired effect. He froze, his knuck

ected, trying for nonchal

inter

n battling with possessiven

atching the gears turn-or rather, grind-in his head. "I've seen her fil

side, staining his cuff. The shock on his face was pure

, my voice calm. "Smart move. She ca

den, terrified reevaluation of his petty revenge. Lucy was no

I continued, moving closer. My gaze pinned

ogate program. My legacy required certain... a

low, deliberate smile. "As my surrogate,

ow sound. "Good luck with that.

cially once she understands the alternative. I'm pre

wning realization. I was not just stepping in; I was

sed, the word

he realizes her body is the currency that buys her bro

ghting the urge to snarl, to lash out. But he knew bett

k and setting the glass down with a so

a sliver of cunning. He was thinking of ways to undermine me, to

w?" he asked, a new, schemin

ow she has a bite." I fixed him with a look that was both a directive and a threat. "Your role is simple. Keep an

esentment poured off him in waves,

own plot, already working on a new, more treachero

ano was no longer a stripper, or even just an heiress. She was the solution to a dynastic equation,

t entire

nt truth: she was now mine. And I alw