Chapter 2

In the car, I lowered my gaze and considered my next move.

When Antonio and I were together, the rival he mentioned most often was Cassano.

"Federico, contact Cassano. Tell him I know how to make Antonio disappear from Sicily for good."

"Yes, Miss Moretti."

Federico moved quickly.

"Miss Moretti, Mr. Cassano is interested. He would like to discuss the matter with you at Twilight Bay inside the Hellfire Club."

My expression darkened at the familiar name.

I knew the club well.

Three years earlier, Antonio had taken it for me by entering alone and killing its former owner, Ovidio. He was gravely wounded in the fight and spent an entire year in intensive care.

When he woke, he weakly opened his arms to me, smiling.

"It's yours, Lia. I said I would give it to you."

At that moment, I believed we would grow old together.

Now the memory struck like a slap, leaving my cheek burning.

"Miss Moretti? We're here."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. When I looked up again, only coldness remained in my eyes. "Let’s go meet our future partner."

Before long, the car stopped at the entrance to the Hellfire Club.

I had barely stepped out when the guard at the door stopped me.

"I’m sorry, miss. The Hellfire Club has been reserved for the night. No one may enter without an invitation."

There was a trace of mockery in his eyes.

News of the Moretti family’s fall had clearly spread.

Just then, a silver Aston Martin swaggered to a stop at the entrance.

Antonio got out first, walked around the car like a gentleman, opened the other door, and helped Isabella out in her evening gown.

Isabella slipped her arm through his. When she saw me, she gave a derisive little laugh. "Ophelia? Hasn’t the seizure order for the Moretti estate come through yet? And you’re still in the mood to visit a place like this?"

Delight gleamed in Isabella’s eyes. She had competed with me over everything since childhood, and she had always lost.

Now she had stolen the sharpest blade I had ever possessed.

Perhaps that made her believe she had finally crushed me beneath her heel.

"Anton, I thought you had replaced the guards here. From now on, don’t let just anyone inside. It cheapens the place."

Smiling, Isabella tucked back a strand of hair, deliberately displaying the pink diamond on her ring finger.

I let out a soft laugh, slowly drew the Browning from inside my coat, and pressed the cold muzzle against her delicate face. "Mind your words, Isabella. The Moretti are not finished yet."

"Put the gun down, Ophelia," Antonio said coldly as he stepped in front of Isabella, his eyes filled with the disgust of a man confronting an inconvenience. "Leave, Ophelia. I don’t want to humiliate you in front of all these people."

Isabella giggled, utterly unconcerned by the muzzle. She turned and patted Antonio’s hand reassuringly. "Don’t be so harsh, darling. Ophelia, if you truly have nowhere to go, my estate needs a gardener. For old times’ sake, I’ll pay you enough to buy a third-class ticket out of Sicily."

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Antonio affectionately tapped the tip of Isabella’s nose. The gesture was intimate, yet there was no love in his eyes.

I understood at once. Isabella needed Antonio, her vicious wolf, to secure her position in the family, while he needed the Capello family’s North African ports to expand his power.

It was a profitable exchange.

I stared at Antonio’s deceitful face, lowered my arm, and pulled the trigger without warning.

Bang!

The bullet skimmed the toe of Antonio’s dress shoe and struck the marble floor.

The laughter stopped dead.

His men stiffened, and dozens of guns swung toward me at once.

"Go on laughing." I raised an eyebrow at the slight shift in Antonio’s expression and gave a quiet laugh. "Why is no one saying anything?"

"You…" Antonio’s deputy, Kyle, was about to step forward when the club’s side door opened.

"Boss, there’s trouble with the shipment in the north. Cassano’s men launched a surprise attack on our arms depot at the port and seized the cargo."