MasukPearl’s shoulders stiffened.“Enzo – what are you doing?” Rosalia exhaled sharply. “This is ridiculous.” I rose abruptly, and Pearl’s breath hitched.“There are many ways to be present in a room, and only a few of them require honesty.” Rosalia shook her head once. “What does that even mean?”I looked at her, then back to Pearl again.“Why don’t you show us?” I said evenly, stretching the glass towards her. “Since you’ve had so much opportunity to speak in place of answers.”Pearl swallowed.Rosalia’s confusion deepened. “Enzo, you’re acting like she’s some kind of stranger. I'm even more of a stranger than she is here. Pearl’s been nothing but nice since I moved in. She didn’t do anything strange –”“Exactly,” I cut in quietly. “Which makes it worth checking.”Pearl’s fingers trembled violently the second she reached for the glass. The crystal clinked against itself in her grip while I watched her without expression.A thin layer of sweat had begun gathering near her hairline now,
She sat by herself at the long dining table, surrounded by half-cleared plates amidst crystal and candlelight, with remnants of dessert still clinging to the black square plate in front of her – the aftermath of a dinner that had obviously finished without me.It hadn't been entirely intentional.The meeting with Theodore Hunt had taken longer than planned, and by the time I returned to the villa in McLean, Washington traffic had turned into its usual organized form of misery.One of the maids hurried forward to place a bottle beside Rosalia, and the second she noticed my presence, she immediately retreated behind the pillars to rejoin the rest.My gaze cascaded over Rosalia briefly.Hmm.How intriguing. A direct refusal this early into the arrangement.Bold.The scent of her perfume reached me before I properly crossed into the dining room. It had something warm rested beneath the floral notes, softer than what she’d worn yesterday.“New perfume,” I observed as my footsteps slowed.
“Fuck,” I thought, watching Theodore Hunt laugh smoke into the air like his lungs had personally offended him. “How did this idiot end up owning one of the largest media empires in America?”Across the terrace, Theodore leaned into the waitress serving their table, silver lighter dangling between his fingers while he smiled at her with all the dignity of a divorced politician on his third relapse.She couldn’t have been older than twenty-three.In this world, wealth rarely found the right people. It either landed in the laps of fools or stayed buried inside bloodlines too powerful to lose it. Mine was no exception.Washington had always been full of men like Theodore Hunt. Old, rich, rotting from the inside out, and somehow, they still held entire governments by the throat.The rooftop lounge overlooked half of D.C., marble fire pits flickering against glass railings while about three suited officials – whom may be his – drank themselves numb beneath the skyline. I’d heard Theodore w
A piercing mechanical beep abruptly blasted through the room.I jumped so hard my elbow nearly knocked one of the rectangular mirrors clean off the white-painted vanity.God.I still wasn’t used to this house talking to itself.The sleek black panel near the door blinked once before the automated voice echoed calmly through the suite.“Door open.”I barely had half a second to react before the door slid apart.Pearl stepped inside, and her eyes widened. Mine widened harder.Heat rushed violently into my face as I realized I was still standing there in nothing but a towel. I squeaked something horribly humiliating under my breath and virtually grabbed for the robe slung over the edge of the bed.“Oh my God –”I nearly tripped into the coffee table between me and the bed, trying to shove my arms through the sleeves.“My apologies, ma'am,” Pearl bowed instantly, horrified. “No, no – it’s fine,” I blurted, tying the robe much tighter than necessary. “I thought there’d be more… warning.”
His phone had been buzzing nonstop for the last ten minutes. Calls. Messages. More calls. The sound threaded through the penthouse like a mosquito that refused to die.As he walked into the room, another ping lit up from the wooden shelf tucked against the wall, the one designed like a miniature library. Dark oak, floating panels, shelves crowded with hardcovers only one person in the house ever bothered opening.The screen flashed again.Dominic slid one arm into his jacket before grabbing the phone. His thumb hovered briefly over the notifications until one message caught his eye.~‘Her travel preparations with him are set for Sicily. Jsyk Oriana will be there.’He stared at the words briefly. Then deleted the message.By the time his other arm slid fully into the jacket sleeve, the sound behind him pulled his attention ninety degrees.Steam spilled into the room.Her hair had darkened from the shower, damp strands clinging to her shoulders and collarbones. A towel sat quite low ag
Dominic’s huff traveled to Marc’s ears.Before she could bend her knees, Marc caught her hands and pulled her up. “Find the bathroom before I kick you out.”Abby scoffed, rolling her eyes.Marc had already moved past her before she staggered away, finding the bathroom.The second girl was worse. Barely conscious as her head lollied. Marc’s jaw grounded as he crouched in front of her, grabbing her discarded dress from the floor.“At least this one ends with them walking out,” he muttered under his breath as he helped pull it over her shoulders.“Cavolo,” (Heck,) Dominic dragged. “Che due palle!” (What a pain in the ass!) “You're just a killjoy.”Marc shot him a look.Dominic smirked.The second girl had opened her eyes now.He guided her up more carefully, steadying her when she stumbled. “Door’s that way,” he jerked his head as he walked her all the way to the door, opening it himself.“You can't stay here,” Marcello told her as he threw some money into her purse. “Shaw’s outside. H
I turned away first not because I was ashamed, though maybe there was some of that. I dragged in a breath and fixed my attention on the bed, on the pale light leaking through the curtains, on anything that wasn’t the weight of his presence behind me.I acted as though nothing had happened and I had
My mother had been standing by the window for a long time, staring at nothingness. The curtains were half-open, pale morning light spilling across the living room floor, colliding with the dust we hadn’t bothered to clean.I hovered near the doorway, unsure where to place myself in a house that no
I slipped into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind me, and the sudden banging pressed against my ears. The hallway’s murmur of the council’s remnants still found its way to me, buzzing in the corners of my mind. Every step toward the mirror felt like my feet were sinking into wet concrete.
And a heavy quiet enveloped everyone.Their words scraped at what little restraint I had left. Bastards. All of them. And they dared speak as though Alessandro would ever allow half the things they suggested.And all the while, her bodyguard remained a silent shield. The Capellos sat small, dimini







