Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
He was my hero as a young girl. I looked up to him, even though I knew he wasn’t exactly a good man. But in my world, the men who steal our hearts are the ones most deem irredeemable. My mother fell in love with a Capo, and my emotions have been thwarted by a man who I should hate with every fiber of my being.
“What about a wedding? Joining forces will only strengthen your rule.”
I was meant to be getting married. I’d spent long enough on the island with the man my father wanted me to marry, and instead of walking down the aisle to say my vows, I burned his organization to the ground.
I’m about to step into a boardroom and vow to run the organization until my father wakes. On top of all that, I’m going to have to find out who tried to kill him.
“There is no time for me to consider getting married now,” I tell them. But I don’t offer them the truth, that I don’t want to marry the old man my father chose. It’s more of an alliance than it is anything else, and I’m not prepared to bet my freedom on something that doesn’t feel right. I should have told Dad months ago how I felt about it, but I didn’t. Instead, I walked along the path he wanted for me.
“You know every bastard Capo will be knocking at the door if you don’t go through with it,” Gillie says. Guillermo has been working for my father since he was a young boy. He took over as my bodyguard when I turned sixteen, and he’s kept me safe all these years. I trust him with my life.
“I know, but there’s a good reason for me not to want to go through with it. He cannot expect me to want to celebrate while my father is in the hospital.”
Gillie nods, his hands clasped at his front as he regards me. He’s the only one who knows about Domenico. He’s the only person I trust not to blab about it to everyone.
“Let’s go,” I tell him. “I’d like to get to the office before the rest of the men.” I cast a look over the household staff before I head out to the entrance.
“You know Domenico is coming home shortly,” Gillie tells me in a low tone. The mention of his name makes my chest ache. He was convinced his father had something to do with this, but deep down, I don’t think it was the Montesanos.
“He has his own problems to worry about,” I tell Gillie. “I can’t get into it with him right now. My focus has to be on the organization.”
As we step out into the sunshine, I look up and squint at the bright sky. The warmth however, doesn’t calm me. It only makes me more tense than I was before. I glance at the high wall that separates our estate from the Montesanos, and I wonder if Nico is already there.
I always found it strange that neighbors could hate each other so fiercely. Even though the properties are so big we can’t see their house and they can’t see ours, we’re still living beside each other.
Gillie grabs my hand, causing me to turn to regard him. “What?”
“I know you love Domenico,” he says solemnly, “and I hope and pray that one day your father will realize it too. Because I will always keep out hope that he accepts your happiness above some age-old feud.”
“Right now, I can’t think about it,” I tell him as I slip into the back seat of the town car. It will take me to the office, with Gillie joining me. I know I need to clear my mind of all the thoughts of the past few months.
“You know—”
“Don’t,” I tell him. Even though he’s only about five years older than me, he’s been there for me, offering sage advice for years. “Not now. Not today.”
He looks at me with a gentle stare that slowly digs into my chest. The need to cry is running rampant in my mind, and I fight it. I can’t break down right now. If I do, I’ll end up crying for weeks. Tears are a show of weakness, that’s what my father used to tell me when I was younger.
And then he asks the question that confirms my story isn’t over. This isn’t the end for Nico and me. This is only the beginning.
“Are you ready for what’s to come, Lelia?”