LOGINI stood there, staring at the spot where Edris had been a few seconds ago.
I was so confused, angry, and frustrated. What the hell was wrong with that man? I had literally stabbed him yesterday, yet somehow I was the one feeling unsettled. I glanced at the breakfast on the table. The eggs, the toast, and the coffee. They looked yummy. I hadn’t eaten for a while now; all that was on my mind was how to kill Edris. Suddenly, my stomach growled. I rolled my eyes. Seriously? After everything that had happened, I was hungry. I pulled out a chair and sat down. I said to myself, just one bite, then I would continue planning how to murder my husband, but that one bite turned into several bites. I was so hungry. I grabbed another piece of toast, then I heard a voice. "Good morning, Mrs. Veltri." I looked up and saw one of the maids smiling at me. Immediately, my appetite disappeared. "Don't call me that." The maid's smile remained on her face. "My apologies, Mrs. Veltri." I groaned internally. Definitely one of Edris's people. Before I could reply, two more maids walked into the dining room carrying several suitcases. I frowned. My eyes followed them. "What are those for?" One of the maids stopped. "Mr. Veltri asked us to prepare your luggage, Mrs. Veltri." "My luggage?" "Yes." I narrowed my eyes. "For what exactly?" The maid looked confused. "For your honeymoon." I nearly choked on air. "My what?" "Your honeymoon, Mrs. Veltri." I pushed my chair back so hard it almost fell over. This man had completely lost his mind. Without saying another word, I stormed out of the dining room. The employees quickly stepped out of my way. Good, at least somebody feared me because their boss certainly didn't. A few minutes later, I arrived outside Edris's office. The doors were closed, and I could hear voices from inside. There was a meeting going on but I didn't care. I pushed the doors open. The room immediately fell silent, and every head turned toward me. Some people looked shocked, while others looked terrified. One man nearly dropped the tablet in his hand. At the far end of the room sat Edris, looking calm as always. As if I hadn't stabbed him less than twenty-four hours ago. I marched toward his desk. "What is wrong with you?" Nobody spoke or moved. Edris calmly closed the file in front of him. Then he looked around the room. "The meeting is over." The executives didn't need to be told twice. Within seconds, they were rushing out of the office. The moment the door closed behind them, I pointed at him. "I'm not going on any honeymoon with you." Edris leaned back in his chair. "We're leaving tonight." I blinked. "What?" "We're leaving tonight." The audacity, the absolute audacity. "You can't force me." His dark eyes met mine. "Try me." I stared at him. Was he seriously challenging me? "I don't know what game you're playing." "It's not a game." "Then explain it." Silence between us. My frustration grew. "Why did you marry me?" Edris didn't answer. I clenched my fists. "Why?" For a second, his jaw tightened. The first real emotion I had seen from him all day. Something flashed across his face. Something painful flickered across his face, but it vanished so fast I thought I’d imagined it. "You'll find out eventually." I laughed bitterly. "I don't want your secrets." His gaze never left mine. "That's unfortunate." I folded my arms. "Why?" "Because you're already part of them." His words sent a chill down my spine. Before I could ask what he meant, his phone suddenly rang. Edris glanced at the screen, and for just a second, something shifted in his expression. I caught it. Without hesitation, he rejected the call. Hmmm, very Interesting. I looked at the phone, then at him. Whoever had called him wasn't somebody he wanted me asking questions about. For the first time since waking up this morning, I felt like I had finally discovered something. Maybe my so-called husband wasn't as untouchable as he pretended to be; he was obviously keeping some secrets I could use to destroy him, and I intended to uncover every single one of them. No matter what it took.Nobody said anything for a second. Then Julian let out a long breath and leaned his head back against the couch."He asked if you were alone and didn't think twice when you said yes," Julian said. "He just believed you.""Because he thinks he knows me." I set my phone down. "He thinks I'm too scared to do anything he doesn't tell me to do.""And that's what's going to keep you safe."Edris came over and sat on the coffee table across from me, close enough that our knees almost touched. "Listen to me, Juliana. From now on, you have to be exactly who you were yesterday. Same voice, same questions. If you're nervous around me, stay nervous. If you've been angry, stay angry.""That part won't be hard," I said.One corner of his mouth moved. It wasn't quite a smile. "Good. I mean it, though. You can't pull back from Diggory, and you can't suddenly get quiet or cold with him. If he feels you slipping, he'll start wondering why.""What if he asks something I don't know how to answer?""Then
"Where are you right now?" Diggory asked. "It sounds quiet."My eyes went straight to Edris. He lifted one hand, palm down, a small, easy motion, and I forced my shoulders to drop.“At the coffee shop near the old bookstore,” I said. “I couldn’t stay at home. I just needed to get out for a bit.”“You’re there alone?”“Yeah. I wanted somewhere Edris wouldn’t think to look for me.”“Good. Stay there for now. Don’t go back to the house yet.”I heard him take a breath on the other end. There was a short pause before he spoke again.“Did you find anything else? Maybe in his study or on his phone? Anything that seemed strange?”Julian was staring at the phone in my hand as if it might bite. I turned toward the window so I couldn't see either of their faces. It was easier to lie that way."No. Edris locks everything." I let my voice go thin. "I still don't trust him, Diggory. Every time he comes near me, I think about Julian. I think about what he did to him, and I can't stop picturing it."
“The land Grandpa left us,” Julian said. “I don't mean the house. I mean everything around it. The lots too.”I frowned. “Wait! The property by the river? The same property Dad always said was basically worthless. But Nobody has used it in years.”Julian leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “That’s what I needed people to believe. A development is going up on the east side. Roads, utilities, all of it approved. Once they finish building it, the land goes from almost nothing to more than any of us would see in ten lifetimes.""And Diggory knew.""He knew before anyone. He's been buying up the parcels around ours quietly, through other names." Julian looked at his hands. "Ours is the last piece he needs. Without it, the whole thing stalls.""Okay, but it's ours. Yours and mine." I shook my head. "What does he need me for? You were the one he was pressuring.""Because it isn't only mine, Jules. Grandpa split it between us. Half for you and half for me."I stared at him. "I n
Julian didn’t answer me immediately. He looked down at his hands, then glanced at Edris. The two of them exchanged a look, and I got the feeling they had talked about all of this before, more than once. I just hadn’t been part of those conversations."Because I couldn't," he said finally. "I wanted to. I swear to you, Jules, there were nights I sat at that window with my phone in my hand and your number on the screen.""Then why didn't you call?""Because if I had, you'd be dead too."I stared at him. "What?""I was already in trouble before the crash." He rubbed his face with both hands. "Months before. I found something in the company files, some transfers that didn't make sense, and when I followed them, they all led back to one person.""Who?"Julian hesitated. He glanced at Edris again, and Edris gave a small nod."Diggory."The name hit me so strangely that I almost laughed. "Diggory?""Yes.""Diggory Moretti? The same Diggory who's been helping me?" I shook my head. "No. That d
I said his name. It came out as barely a breath, so I said it again, louder, in case he hadn't heard me."Julian? Oh, my God! Julian.”"Yeah." He gave a small, shaky laugh and wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Yeah, Jules. It's me."I couldn't move my feet. Edris let go of my arm, and I stood there on my own, staring at the man in the doorway like he might be something my mind had made up. I had seen him in dreams before. In the dreams, he always disappeared the second I got close."You're dead," I said. "We… I had a funeral.""I know, Jules.”“I stood there. I watched Julian… I…” I pressed my hand over my mouth. “I stood there, Julian. I swear, I was there.”"I know. I'm so sorry."He took a step toward me, and his leg buckled a little. He grabbed the doorframe again. That was what finally got me moving. I crossed the hallway in a few steps and stopped right in front of him, close enough to see the scar along his jaw. Up close, it was pink and new.I reached up and touched h
I read the message again, then once more, even though I already knew what it said. I dropped my phone onto the seat and looked at the house. The front door was still closed. I could turn on the car and drive away. By the time Edris came outside, I could already be at the end of the street. That was probably the smarter thing to do. Diggory had told me to act normal and keep my distance until we knew more, and having Edris follow me was anything but normal.I didn't start the car. I kept thinking about his face in the kitchen and how close he had come to saying something. “I'm ready to tell you everything.” I wanted to know what that meant. I hated that I wanted to find out. The front door opened, and Edris came out with his keys in his hand. He had pulled on a jacket over the same wrinkled T-shirt, and his hair looked like he'd run his hands through it a dozen times. He walked straight to my window and knocked once on the glass.I lowered it about two inches. "I got your messages."
I didn’t move, I couldn’t. It felt like I’d been caught red-handed at a crime scene, unsure whether to run or stay where I was. Edris was standing in the doorway as he had always been there for a long time watching, and as if he already knew what I was up to. My fingers tightened around the pho
I left Edris’s office pretending I was fine, but I wasn’t, not even close.His phone call and that slight change in his expression kept bothering my mind, that wasn’t normal.Nothing about Edris Veltri was normal.We were walking down the hallway when I slowed my steps.“Excuse me.”Edris stopped a
Edris wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled it out, then said to me,“Finished? If that was enough to make you feel better, then do it again.”Before I could try stabbing him again, something strong hit the back of my head, and I passed out on the floor.The next morning, I woke up expectin
“One, two, three.”The camera flashed again, and another round of applause followed almost immediately. I kept the smile on my face even though my cheeks already hurt from forcing it for hours. Around us, guests moved through the grand ballroom laughing, drinking expensive champagne, and celebratin







