Chapter 4

He snatched my phone, scoffed, and hurled it out the window.

I lunged to catch it, but he seized me by the throat.

Salvatore's eyes were terrifyingly cold.

"Bianca, consider this a warning. You know what happens to people who betray me."

I could barely breathe. My struggles weakened little by little.

Only then did he let go, dropping me onto the bed.

He rang for the butler. Lucia trailed in behind Adrian, her face pinched with worry.

Salvatore spoke in a low, hard voice. "The Donna is unwell. Move her to the tower. No one is to disturb her unless she is needed for the banquet."

The butler murmured his assent.

Lucia stepped forward, her tone solicitous. "Bianca, did you make Salvatore angry again?"

She choked up. "If you two are fighting because of me, I'll leave. Just please stop being so difficult."

Salvatore pulled Lucia into his arms and gently wiped her tears. "You haven't done anything wrong. She's the one who wanted to leave."

Watching the two of them, the bitterness in my chest dissolved into something clearer, and my resolve to leave only hardened.

Lucia's eyes widened. She let out an abrupt laugh. "I thought you two were actually fighting.

"Bianca loves you so much. There's no way she'd really leave. She must be joking.

"You really don't understand," she said, giving Salvatore a teasing look. "Bianca just wants you to coax her."

Disappointment flickered in Salvatore's eyes.

"Bianca, you're being childish."

So in his eyes, my leaving was nothing more than a ploy for attention.

I laughed and accepted the label without protest.

I didn't utter a single protest, not even when he banished me to the tower.

Without waiting for the butler to lead me, I staggered away on my own.

Salvatore frowned and started to move, but Lucia latched onto his arm.

"She's angry right now. You two should spend some time apart and cool off."

Salvatore's frown slowly eased. He stroked Lucia's golden hair. "If only I'd met you sooner."

Lucia's cheeks flushed. "What are you saying? I don't understand."

Salvatore gave a complicated smile. Then his fingers brushed the lily tucked behind her ear, and his expression shifted.

"Lucia, don't wear lilies again. I'll have some jewelry sent to you later."

Lucia bit her lip. "Is this because of Bianca?"

Salvatore reassured her. "Jewelry suits you better. It's more fitting for your status."

...

The tower was livable only in the garret at the top. The furnishings were sparse, and there was only one small window.

I stood at the window, watching the butler's men arrange signal jammers around the base of the tower.

The micro-transmitter I'd smuggled in was now useless.

Dusk crept in. A knock came at the door, sharp and sudden.

The door was locked from outside, opening only a crack. Rosa pushed food through the gap.

She was one of the most senior servants on the estate. When I first arrived, she had been the one to teach me Salvatore's preferences.

"Miss Lucia has been ordering the kitchen staff around. She wouldn't let anyone else bring your meals."

Rosa angled the spout of a teapot through the gap. "You should write to the Family elders about this, Donna. What the Don has done is entirely improper."

I murmured softly, "Dante..."

Rosa's hands froze. She reached through the gap and placed her hand over mine.

"Don't worry, Donna. We have ways to get you out. A few of us will come by every day to bring you food."

I paused mid-bite.

"Don't come every day. If someone notices, it'll cause trouble."

Almost before the words left my mouth, I heard footsteps.

A porcelain teapot smashed against the floor. The door was flung open from outside, and Rosa tumbled in.

"Since when is it your place to deliver meals? As if the Donna would go hungry."

Lucia strolled in, her voice dripping with mockery.

She ripped the name badge from Rosa's uniform and smiled. "Rosa disobeyed a direct order. After a round of lashes, Salvatore will have her shipped off to the old estate."

I moved to help Rosa up, but Lucia blocked my way.

"You'll alienate every longtime servant on the estate if you do this."

Lucia twirled a strand of golden hair around her finger. "They're just servants. Since when does the master need their approval to act?"

Behind her trailed several attendants, heads bowed.

They avoided my eyes. Every one of them carried a large bouquet of lilies.

Lucia flaunted several lilies in her hair as well.

I covered my nose and mouth and backed toward the window. "What are you doing?"

Lucia motioned for the attendants to set the lilies down. Within moments, the overpowering fragrance saturated the tiny room.

I began coughing violently, half my weight braced against the window frame.

Lucia toyed with her hair. "I heard that repeated exposure to an allergen can eventually cure the allergy. So I thought I'd help you out."

My face was flushed from coughing. "Get out. Take all of this and get out."

Lucia put on a wounded expression. "Why would you talk to me like that?"

She dismissed the attendants and advanced toward me, step by step.

Then she shoved me.

I grabbed the window frame just in time, barely stopping myself from falling.

The fall wouldn't kill me, but it would injure me.

I'd had enough. "What more do you want?"

"At a Romano Family banquet, there can only be one Donna. And since you're not feeling well, I don't think you'll be able to attend."

I let out a cold laugh. My gaze drifted to the window, and the words on the tip of my tongue stayed unspoken.

"A banquet like that only makes me sick."

"But don't say I didn't warn you. The Romano Family's own people might still honor your invitation, but the other families won't necessarily recognize your authority."

When I saw the resentment flicker across Lucia's face, I let out a slow breath.

I'd never imagined Rosa was one of Falcone's people.

With her on the inside, the plan would go much more smoothly. This banquet was going to be anything but peaceful.