phin

her, Francesca Marino, who sat at the head of the room, her gnarled hands resting heavily on her ivory-headed can

dry eyes with a lace handkerchief. "Punishing innocent maids

tirely bored. "Since when do y

. "Jasmine heard a man's voice in you

assive room like a blade. "Or are you just spreading baseless rumors to

Beside her, Carissa shrank back into the velve

ontrol her spies is threatening this family's reputation. If you

t the blood on my hands; she only cared about the optics. Finally, she

etence is showing. Clean it up and shut their mo

ion, bowing her head. The pur

rpets stretched across the manicured lawns, champagne towers gleamed under the afternoon sun, and a jazz band played softly in the backgr

e marble dais, watchi

udly, clearly prompted by my aunt. "

ss nephew, Marco Conti, hovering nearby, ready to pounce on my fortune. "A Marino's

rward. He looked every bit the arrogant prince o

one dripping with fake pity. "This tantrum won't c

d past him, climbed the steps of the marble dais, and grabbed the microphone from

ystal clear over the silent garden. "Any man who w

e Angelo shook his h

cond, he must be a true uomo d'onore (man of honor), with no stain of betrayal in his blood

humiliated the Valenti heir and set an impossible standard.

garden, spreading through the crowd like a drop of blood in water. The

through the parted sea

no amount of expensive tailoring could hide the lethal, predatory grace of th

e and locked instantly with Angelo's. The silent, violent challenge hanging i