Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I knew that wouldn’t be the end of her. She wouldn’t let it be the end.
The second I arrived at the estate, I knew Dante knew.
Men were positioned in every corner of the parlor, their guns on their hips, ready to shoot me down if their leader ordered it.
Dante stepped into the room a moment later, his eyes as maniacal as they had been the other night. “Your parents are having lunch at Le Conte. On the drive home, my men will swarm their car on both sides and pump them with lead.”
I knew he was watching the both of us closely. He knew she’d come to my place last night and stayed until morning. “I went to her apartment and broke up with her like I said I would. But the problem is—she won’t let me break up with her. She came to my place afterward because she doesn’t believe that I’m being genuine.” And I was fucking proud that she didn’t believe me. My baby knew I would never do this to her, not unless my arm was twisted behind my back and there was a gun to the back of my head.
“Then make her believe it’s genuine,” he said coldly.
“That’s hard to do when she knows I’m hung up on her. When she knows I’m fucking crazy for her.”
Dante stared at me and slowly crossed his arms over his chest.
“She even asked if you were behind this because me just dumping her isn’t believable.”
“And what did you say?”
“No, obviously. I made up some bullshit about not wanting to commit, how I didn’t want to be with her if she was your successor. But she didn’t believe any of that. She knows how I feel about her, so there’s nothing I can do to make her believe I don’t want her. I can’t break up with someone who won’t let me break up with them.”
He stared at me, the annoyance written all over his face. “Then your parents will die in twenty minutes.”
“Dante.” Killing him was starting to sound like a more plausible option. “Your daughter is happy with me. Very fucking happy. Why the fuck would you want to take that away from her?”
“Because you aren’t good enough for her,” he said coldly. “Fucking trash.” He looked me up and down, like I was covered in filth.
“You want me to break your daughter’s heart?” I asked incredulously. “What father wants that?”
His eyes came back to me. “She’s a grown-ass woman. She’ll get over it.”
“You’re the one who’s not good enough for her, if you ask me.”
His gaze hardened to ice.
I held his stare.
He turned over his shoulder slightly. “Shoot them in the restaurant. Want to make sure it hits the news.”
The man stepped away to make the call.
“Stop.”
Dante turned back to me. “Yes?”
“I will uphold my end of the deal. I just need more time.”
“I’ve already been generous, letting your parents live as long as I have.”
“Well, I can’t break up with a woman who’s crazy about me.”
He studied me, his eyes full of despisal. “Then make her hate you.”
“Not possible—”
“I will take her to dinner tomorrow night at La Fornaio at seven. Be there with someone else. Problem solved.”
My heart plummeted into my stomach and then splashed in acid. It made me physically sick. “That’ll crush her.”
“And it’ll solve your problem.”
I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t let her believe she meant so little to me. “Just give me more time. I’ll figure out a way—”
“This is what we’re doing. Be there tomorrow at seven.”
“Don’t make me do that to her—”
“She’ll get over it.”
I couldn’t stand this man. Couldn’t stand his face. Couldn’t stand anything about him. “My father turned his back on me. His own son was innocent, but I never got the benefit of the doubt. When the wolves came for me, he let them feast. But he would never, ever do something like this.”
Dante turned away as he slid his hand into his pocket. “Tomorrow at seven, Axel.”
“You’re a fucking monster,” I said. “And one day, she’ll see it.”
14
SCARLETT
I texted Axel a couple times.
No response.
I refused to believe he really wanted a breakup. Something had spooked him. Or he’d spooked himself. When I went to his place, I thought I could fuck him into thinking logically, but the next morning, he was back to his cold distance. I stormed off and expected him to come after me or text me, but he did neither of those things.
I’d never chased a man before, and it didn’t feel good to chase the same man over and over, to convince him to stay with you when he should want that himself.
But something still didn’t feel right. Like I had a puzzle with a missing piece. Like I had a research paper without the footnotes. A situation without the context. Axel wouldn’t lie to me, but it felt like he was lying to me now.