Chapter 3

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Miss Evelyn, are you in there?"

All the guests turned to the doors in terror.

Hope flared in my chest.

My brother's assassin squad in Sicily had arrived.

I tore free of the bodyguards and screamed myself hoarse at the doors.

"I'm in here!"

My heart pounding, I yelled as loud as I could.

"I'm here! Save Leon! Bring a medical team in here right now!"

Cecilia's expression faltered, then turned vicious again.

"That guy you picked up in the red-light district actually has the guts to come here with his men?"

She smoothed her rumpled skirt and let out a cold laugh.

"A bunch of street rats who can't even show their faces in daylight think they can crash a Malvezzi party?

"They must have a death wish!"

She grabbed the radio clipped to her chest and gave the order.

"Perimeter squad! Riot squad, bring the heavy weapons! Everyone, move out!

"Cut down that trash outside with machine-gun fire! I want to see severed limbs!

"Start the level-one lockdown right now and seal every blast door!

"Not even a fly gets in here today!"

At her command, massive metal blast doors slammed down around the ballroom.

The thick steel shut out the pounding from outside.

The hope that had just flared inside me shattered against those cold doors.

"No! Open the door! Open it!"

I threw myself at the door like a madwoman and pounded the steel with my fists.

My knuckles split, and blood ran down the grooves in the metal. I didn't feel any pain.

"Leon can't wait any longer!

"Open the door!"

Cecilia grabbed my gown and hurled me to the floor.

"Go on, scream! Keep screaming!"

She stood over me, savoring my desperation.

"See that?

"That's the backup you were so proud of? Their firepower looks pretty weak.

"In Sicily, if I say no one gets in, even God himself gets shot at the door!"

She nudged the unconscious Leon with the toe of her shoe.

"He's about to die, isn't he?

"Get this straight. This is all your fault!

"If you'd just admitted you were a fake and begged for forgiveness sooner, he wouldn't be suffering like this.

"Now the defense system's locked down. You could bow until your head split open, and no one would get in to save him!"

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked at Leon's bloodless face.

I'd never hated anyone this much.

I'd met plenty of catty old-money socialites at the Council, but I'd always dismissed them as clowns.

Because I had my father and my brother looking out for me.

I'd never had to fight for anything or take anything by force.

Now Leon, who'd always protected me, was about to die in front of me.

And there was nothing I could do.

"Cecilia..."

I glared at her, my voice hoarse.

"If he dies because of you today, I'll take the whole Malvezzi family down with him."

Cecilia covered her mouth and laughed.

"Oh, I'm so scared."

Just then, Ernesto hurried in.

He looked rattled as he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

Cecilia's eyes lit up.

"Victor's here?"

At the name, a spark of hope stirred in me.

Victor Hale, Cecilia's sister's fiancé.

All he had to do was say he'd never met me. Then Cecilia would know I wasn't the woman in the photo.

This misunderstanding would finally be over!

Leon could still get to a hospital in time!

"Victor!"

Cecilia went to meet him, her eyes red.

"Look at this lowlife. She snuck into the banquet pretending to be my sister and conned everyone!

"Now that she's been exposed, she's still making excuses!"

Victor scanned the room, then his gaze settled on me.

I forced myself to my feet and pointed at the photo on the screen.

"Mr. Hale!

"Tell her you've never even met me!

"The person in that photo is definitely not me!"