ella

de with the suffocating scent of stale cigars and my father's silent despair. I had bar

ichard, muttered, staring blank

posture rigid and her face devoid of its usual warmth. "

thless laugh escaping my

id, his voice hollow. "Frankie will

nerate. The notorious playboy who practically li

door. "No! You can't do this! I won't ma

"Wake up, Isabella! The Griffin empire is crumbling. The Kramer family is circling us like vultures. Do you think your pink Bentley and your trust fund wi

to intervene, to protect me like he always did, but he couldn't even meet my eyes. Th

ne softening just a fraction, though her grip remai

my sister. Defeated by the terrifying reality of poverty and the mo

ien

tongue when I opened my eyes. The air was freezing, thick with th

them," a voice snar

xedo jacket torn, his knuckles bruised and bleeding. He had clearly put up a

turning to me with wild eyes. "I am no

stone floor, my muscles heavy and

ocked us in a f

"Elena invoked the Old Law. The Enforcers are loyal to the tradition. If we fight our way out tonight, we

nic bleeding into his anger. "So what? We jus

ll as my mind rapidly calculated our exit strategy. "We stand a

yes narrowing in the dim,

na her public alliance to stabilize the territory. But behind closed doors, the girls remain untouched. When the time is ri

rk, cynical smirk slowly forming

d by a cold, calculated fury. The Griffin sisters thought they were securing their s