LOGIN[ SOFIA’S POV ] My blood was boiling. I didn't care about the dead guard or the wasted steak. I cared about my name. Mira Moretti thought she could burn my father's property and get away with it? She had another thing coming. "Load the vans," I told the hitters. I wasn't wearing a sweater now. I was in a leather tactical jacket, my hair pulled back tight. "We’re going to their East Coast hub. I want every crate of their illegal tech and every bottle of their pride smashed to pieces." The drive was silent. The men were nervous, but I was steady. We pulled up to the Moretti warehouse, a massive grey building near the cliffs. It was too quiet. There were no guards at the gate. No dogs barking. Nothing. "It’s a ghost town," one of my men whispered, checking his rifle. "Maybe they heard we were coming and ran?" "Morettis don't run," I snapped, kicking the car door open. "They’re probably hiding inside like cowards. Move in!" We rushed to the main entrance. I didn't wait for the breac
[ SALVATORE’S POV ] I sat behind my desk, but I wasn't really there. My mind was in that car with Iris, watching the miles grow between us. The silence in the office was loud, but Michael’s voice was louder. "What were you thinking when you let her go?" Michael asked, leaning back in his chair. He was watching me like I was a bomb about to go off. "Look at yourself. I can feel your anger from across the room. You’re vibrating with it." I didn't look at him. I just stared at the whiskey in my glass. Every time I thought about her crying on that bed, my chest felt like it was being crushed. "Send some men to the Russo’s warehouse," I said. My voice was a low growl that made the glass in my hand rattle. "The one at the docks. I want it burned to the ground. Leave nothing but ash." Michael leaned forward, a sharp grin spreading across his face. He liked the smell of smoke. "Should I lead the squad?" I looked at him for a long moment, my gaze cold. The silence stretched between us un
[ SALVATORE’S POV ] I stood outside the bedroom doors, the room I had thought I would make Iris cry in ecstasy, my chest tight with a rage so hot it felt like liquid lead in my veins. My hands were fisted at my sides, the leather of my gloves creaking. I had seen the broadcast. I had known about it even before seeing Sofia Russo, that pathetic, lying whore, crying on national TV, painting Iris as a traitor. I wanted to level the Russo estate. I wanted to burn their name from the earth for what they were doing to her. But when I stepped into the room, the anger in me turned into a cold, sharp ache. Iris was crumpled on the edge of the bed. She looked so small. The tablet, the window to the world that was currently screaming for her head, was tossed on the floor like trash. She didn't look up when I entered. She was shaking, her breath coming in jagged, broken sobs that sliced right through my armor. "Iris," I said. My voice was low, trying to be steady, but seeing her like this w
[ IRIS’S POV ] The room was silent. It wasn't the nice, quiet feeling of a peaceful morning. It was a cold, empty silence that made my thoughts feel too loud. I sat on the edge of the velvet bed, staring at the wall. The tablet was lying on the floor. Mira had brought it to me a while ago, but I made her leave. I didn't want anyone by my side. I just wanted to be alone. I didn't want to see the world outside these walls. I didn't want to hear Sofia’s voice anymore. But I couldn't forget her words. I could still hear her accusing me, her lies, and her anger. They felt like a poison that wouldn't leave my head. She had told the whole world I was a traitor, and now there was nowhere left for me to run. He didn’t find you at a bus stop. He cleared the path to you. He murdered our mother. The tears came first silently, tracing cold lines down my face, falling onto my hands that shook with rage and fear. I curled inward, hugging my knees, feeling the weight of every betrayal pressing i
[ SALVATORE’S POV ] The library was supposed to be my sanctuary, a place where the heavy mahogany shelves and the scent of old paper could drown out the chaos of the Moretti house. But I didn't feel the peace it always brought to me.I was curled up in a velvet armchair, the tablet Salvatore gave me resting on my lap. By my side was Mira, her eyes fixed on the door. Sandy had been standing over me, screaming every insult she could think of, her voice shrill and annoying. But Mira finally had enough. With one quick, powerful blow, she knocked Sandy out cold. The room went silent, except for the constant ping of my phone.Notifications were flooding in like a waterfall. Messages from Maggie, Raina, and people I hadn't talked to in years. I stared at the screen, my heart dropping to my stomach. I was being tagged in post after post.Husband snatcher. Whore. The girl who stole her sister’s happiness.My Instagram was private, and I had no idea how my photos were leaking, but the internet
[ IRIS’S POV ]The sun was hot, but the water felt cool on my legs. I sat on the edge of the pool, kicking my feet. Mira was splashing around like she didn't have a care in the world."Get in, Iris! Don't be a boring babe!" Mira shouted. She did a backflip into the deep end, her laughter echoing off the stone walls."I’m fine right here," I called back. I wasn't in the mood to play.I could feel eyes burning into my back. I didn't even have to turn around to know it was Sandy. She was sitting on a sun chair, gripping her drink so hard her knuckles were white. If looks could kill, I’d be at the bottom of the pool already.Mira swam over to me and rested her arms on the edge. "Ignore her," she whispered, nodding toward Sandy. "She’s just salty because Salvatore chose you.”“I did not force him to, not like I want any of this.”“And yet you’re enjoying every bit of it, bad gurl,” Mira said laughing."She’s just a side chick who got dumped before she even started," Mira laughed. She splas
[ SOFIA’S POV ]I walked back into the gala, the taste of Luke still faint on my tongue. I smoothed my hair, a satisfied hum vibrating in my throat. I couldn't stop thinking about the way Luke had groaned, his head hitting the wall as he came. I will definitely get to know what he would feel like
[ IRIS’S POV ]Salvatore had left for an important meeting in the early hours of the morning, but not before instructing Anton to drop me off back at the Russo Estate.The car ride was silent, but my body was screaming. I felt so sore that every movement was an ordeal, and walking was genuinely dif
[ IRIS’S POV ]Salvatore dropped me onto the mattress, his touch deceptively gentle compared to the carnage I’d just witnessed. I curled my fingers into the duvet, trying to anchor myself, but the shaking wouldn't stop. It wasn’t just the cold, it was the metallic scent of blood that wouldn’t leave
[ SOFIA’S POV ]“What is this gala actually for?” Iris asked. I couldn’t help but scoff.“If you’re so naive and silly, then why are you even here? Why come somewhere you aren’t needed, Iris?” I said softly. The nerve of her—invading a space where she didn’t belong.I waited for Salvatore to back me







