VIOLA
Adrien and his men are dead in a matter of minutes. Dino’s family, not wanting to start a war with Ed Savino’s son, leave as soon as everything goes to the dogs. And then Dante and his agency take care of the rest, even the cleanup.
It’s a family matter, after all.
There’s blood all over me and my wedding dress when I finally get to my room. My body feels light and my mind blissfully empty as I strip out of the sticky, wet lace. I hate getting blood on my clothes, but I don’t mind today at all.
The dress was hideous.
I crank the shower down to freezing and immerse myself in the cascade of icy water. My senses are heightened as I lather up, enjoying how the suds feel against my skin. For the first time in a long time, nothing is tethering me to this earth.
I’m fucking free.
A knock at the door draws me back to reality.
I don’t rush to answer it. I take my time, savoring the last remnants of rapture that comes with a kill. Even if it wasn’t exactly what I wanted—the isolation, the loss of control, and the need to destroy are gone.
For now.
Ths knock is more insistent this time. “Come in,” I shout, sighing as I step out from under the shower, wrapping a towel around myself.
Dante is in the bedroom, waiting when I come back through. He stands there, stock still, hands in pockets, cold eyes roaming over my body as I head to my closet. There’s the briefest flare of heat in his icy blue orbs as I drop the towel and start to get dressed. The window is open, so the cool air teases soft shivers down my spine while his look penetrates through to my bones.
I’ll never get over how much I want him.
“You lied to me,” I say as I reluctantly drag on a pair of jeans and throw a t-shirt over.
“You needed one last push,” he says, tilting his head. “The shock of the truth gave you the edge and focus required to get the job done. You can’t deny that.”
I shoot him a dark look through the mirror as I tease my wet hair into some sort of loose style. “You used me to kill him.”
“He was still the man who took everything from you. Not being related by blood doesn’t change that, V. I promised that you would get to end him, and I delivered. You deserved that, at least.”
I drag in a lungful of air as I turn to face him, shoving my hands in my pockets to match him. “So Adrien was Edrei, and he was your father?” I say. “That’s got to fucking suck.”
Dante smirks, the humor reaching his eyes for once. “I’ve known for a long time. I got over it.”
“And Ophelia?” I say, plucking the name out of the recesses of my mind.
“I wasn’t lying. She’s dead.”
“But she was your birth mother?”
He nods, watching me like he’s waiting for something else.
What else?
“So what now? We get married. Is that the deal you wanted?” I dig at him, glancing away.
He chuckles. “No guy could ever cage you, V. Why would I want to clip your wings?”
I frown, recatching his gaze. “But you said—”
“I never asked to marry you. You assumed that’s what I meant. All I want is his name, as his biological son. I prefer to take over his empire without anyone challenging me. You’re the only one who can do that.”
I look around my room, and nothing about it feels like mine. “Take it. It’s all yours. I don’t want it.”
He shakes his head. “It’s ours. Adrien didn’t leave a will, but you were officially adopted. You have just as much right to his estate as I do.”