She wants to steal their loyalty by manipulating their emotions.
I hand the gift back to Donna.
“Spend every cent.I’ll cover any—”
“Don’t insult me, boss.I’m not in this for the money and cash is no longer an issue, thanks to you,” Donna snarls.“Eric and I owe you our lives.Watching the pampered princess is no skin off our backs.Whatever gets the job done.”
I nod.
“Keep me updated,” I say before turning and opening my car door.
“Of course,” Donna says as she retreats to the SUV.
We part ways without a backward glance.I have no reason to look behind me.There’s only one path for me now: burn the Denaro family to the ground and desecrate their ashes.
With a decade of fury brewing in my soul, I watch Valentina enjoy a fancy dinner with the man she thinks she’s going to marry.My anticipation grows as she bats her eyes and flirts with her target, the thought of destroying her plans a delight I can’t wait to savor.
Her dress hugs her curves while still being modest, but her innocent act doesn’t fool me.
She does nothing but lie, leaving a trail of blood and sin behind her.
When I catch Romeo Luciano, her betrothed, giving her an appreciative once-over when she turns to thank the female attendant, a surge of jealous rage heats my blood.I clench my fist around the hilt of my knife but don’t pull it from its sheath.
Romeo isn’t a horrible man.He can’t help that he fell into the Denaro’s current trap.In fact, both his business and personal affairs seem more straightforward and honest than most of the dealings made by mafia men.
I hate to make him an enemy, but revenge isn’t free, and I’ll happily pay any dues to achieve my goals.
When Valentina excuses herself and glides toward the restroom, I slip into the women’s powder room ahead of her and hide in the first nook, pulling the curtain closed enough to peek through while hiding my identity and flipping the sign to occupied.She closes the door behind her and scans the area.When she deems the room void of eyes, she slumps and rubs her nape.
Misery twists her doll-like features.She sighs and drags herself to the mirror.
Concern blips through me, but I squash it.After years of struggling to regain my health and a decade of hatred, I refuse to see the beloved child I once doted on.Valentina is now old enough to reap the consequences of her lies.She can’t hide behind her father anymore.
A toilet flushes.She straightens her spine and morphs her expression into a mask of kindness.After polite greetings with the stranger and checking her reflection, she disappears into a toilet stall for a few minutes.
Bitterness coats my tongue at how easily she deceives others.I consider slipping out and cornering her but decide against it.I’ll have more fun playing with her in public.
The rest of the evening passes without incident, but I catalog each of her seductive moves as transgressions, planning my retribution with growing fervor.
Instead of following her back to the hotel, I drive to the townhouse I bought several months ago and pull up the video feeds of the cameras I had housekeeping hide in both her and Pietro’s rooms.
I toss a freezer meal in the microwave, crack open an electrolyte drink, and take both into my office to study my prey.
As Valentina moves through the mundane tasks of bedtime, I note the droop of her shoulders and lack of finesse as she shuffles into the bathroom.I grind my teeth at the angle of the camera, but the suspense fills me with excitement.
I don’t need to spoil the surprise.I’ll enjoy claiming every inch of her body when the time is right.
Shock flows through me when she reenters the bedroom.My cock softens in disbelief.With her hair in two braids and a frilly monstrosity covering her from neck to ankles, she looks like a child from the frontier settlement era.
Is this some warped kink of hers?Does she want a daddy dom to treat her like a baby?Her outfit totally infantilizes her womanly curves.
I sneer and rise.Bile fills the back of my throat.
She won’t find whatever she’s looking for with me.I’ll have her naked and writhing underneath me in all her feminine glory as I wreck her inside and out.
I toss my empties into the trash and grab a water bottle from the fridge before returning to my chair.
Her countenance changes.She answers the door and becomes a bouncy, playful creature as her father steps into the room.My stomach sours.I lean closer to the monitor as she fawns over the man I once thought was my best friend.
