Chapter 4

Back at the main house, I had Sofia bolt the oak door from the inside.

Sofia’s eyes were red as she gently pressed a cloth-wrapped piece of ice to my swollen cheek. “Ma’am, your face...”

I stared at the finger marks forming on my reflection in the mirror. “It’s nothing.”

“What’s happening downstairs?”

Sofia wiped away her tears. “Mr. Enzo is with Clara, taking her to the top-floor suite to change her dress.”

“The entire underworld is laughing at the Valenti family.”

I pulled stacks of money-laundering ledgers and Swiss bank statements from the safe. “Let them laugh.”

They clearly documented every dollar I had poured into the Valenti family.

One and a half billion dollars in total.

“Sofia, go get the captain of my security detail.”

Ten minutes later, he entered the bedroom through a secret passage and bowed his head. “Ma’am.”

That’s right. He was one of my men.

I leaned back in the velvet chair. “Has the family vault been cleared out?”

The captain reported in a low, steady voice, “Ma’am, your overseas accounts and offshore trusts have all been secured.”

“The deeds to the casinos and docks have been liquidated into foreign currency, ready for departure at a moment’s notice.”

“Good. Have the cars waiting at the private airstrip for me. Noon tomorrow.”

I handed him the thick stack of black ledgers.

“Make a hundred copies. Tomorrow at noon, get them to every family in the city and to our informants with the joint task force.”

The captain drew a sharp breath. “Ma’am, are you planning to…”

I raised a hand to cut him off. “I’m going to bring the Valenti empire to its knees.”

Just as I finished, a violent banging came from the hallway.

Enzo was outside, shouting for me to open the door.

I nodded at Sofia, signaling for her to open it.

Enzo kicked the door open and stormed in, slapping a document down on the table.

“Stella, you threw that tantrum tonight all because you were jealous of the marriage certificate.”

“Clara is in a state of severe shock. Her health is fragile right now. You shouldn’t have done that.”

I leaned back in my chair and let out a cold laugh.

“Fragile? Her, or the bastard in her belly?”

Enzo went rigid.

Pure shock and panic flashed in his eyes. He thought the pregnancy was his perfect secret.

“You… how did you know?”

“You take suitcases of cash from the money-laundering network every month to support your pregnant whore in that villa. Did you really think I was completely out of my mind?”

The lie was completely exposed.

The look of affection vanished from Enzo’s face. He tapped his long fingers on the document. “Since you know everything, let’s cut the crap. Sign it.”

It was a “Deed of Asset Stewardship and Confidentiality Agreement.”

Enzo loomed over me. “Acknowledge Clara and the child, and sign over control of the family finances.”

“If you do as you’re told, I can overlook the scene you made tonight. You will remain the one and only Donna of the Valenti family.”

I shoved the worthless paper aside. “In your dreams.”

Enzo slammed his hand on the vanity, cracking the mirror. “Stella, don’t push your luck!”

“Do you really think you can control me just because of the Moretti money?”

“Let me tell you, in this city, I call the shots. If you don’t sign, we’re getting a divorce!”

I answered calmly, “Don Enzo must be confused.”

“We don’t have a marriage certificate. Who, exactly, are you planning to divorce?”

He was so choked with rage that his chest heaved.

I pulled a letter from my platinum clutch and slapped it on top of his agreement.

“This is something I prepared especially for you.”

Enzo looked down. The large words at the top read: DECLARATION OF SEVERANCE.

I spoke clearly. “Enzo Valenti, as of today, all ties between us are severed.”

“You go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

Enzo stared at the paper, his eyes turning red.

He let out a loud, crazed laugh. “Severed? You think you can just walk away?”

“Stella, you’re a woman I’ve kept for three years. How long do you think you’d last without my protection?”

I didn’t answer. “That’s no concern of yours, Don Enzo.”

He tore the declaration to shreds, the pieces fluttering to the carpet.

“You’ll live as a Valenti, and you’ll die as a Valenti. You want to leave? Dream on.”

He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and violently threw me onto the large velvet bed.

He turned and roared at the guards outside the door. “Seal this door shut!”

“Without my order, not even a fly gets out!”

The door was locked. Enzo strode off, heading to the Silver Lake villa to comfort his pregnant whore.

I sat up on the bed and straightened my silk nightgown.

“Donna, Don Enzo has locked us in. How will we leave tomorrow?”

I wasn’t worried. “Relax. A pathetic cage like this can’t hold a Moretti.”

The next day, after settling Clara down, an exhausted Enzo returned to the estate.

“Don, there hasn’t been a sound from the bedroom all night.”

Enzo snorted and signaled for his men to undo the complex lock.

The door swung open.

He stepped inside and froze, his boots rooted to the spot.

The luxurious suite was empty. Not a soul in sight.

All that remained was a cold, black wooden desk. A single sheet of paper was pinned to the desk with a dagger.

Enzo’s breath caught. He strode over, ripped the dagger out, and snatched the paper.

It contained only a single, short sentence.

When Enzo read it, his pupils contracted violently.