Chapter 7: The little heiress

Chapter 7: The little heiress

Viviana's POV

The drive home was painfully quiet. Raw anger from the event still lingered somewhere within.

Dante was sitted beside me in the car, staring out the window the whole time, his eyes stayed locked on nothing, his mind clearly far away. I kept my gaze on the dark road, but every few seconds, my eyes slid toward him. He didn’t blink much. He just kept his head straight ahead. This wasn't a good sign.

He was thinking about her.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me that.

My jaw tightened. The last time I had seen Dante have this reaction over a woman was two years ago. Elena, she has been taken out of the way.

The scene from the ballroom kept playing in my mind like a broken film reel. The moment Sierra De Luca walked into that ballroom, Dante’s attention snapped to her like a magnet. I saw it right away, I noticed The way his eyes widened a little. The way he froze. I didn't know what it was, big something definitely flickered.

Then he sneakily left my side, without any explanation.

He walked straight to her.

I had followed behind minutes later, trying to act calm, trying to look composed. But I saw the spark in his eyes when he looked at her. I saw the way Sierra stared right back, like she owned the air he breathed.

And that handshake… that electric moment between them…

I wasn’t blind.

I felt sick watching it.

And then she has put up that bitch like attitude, like a spoilt princess that he was.

“Bitch,” I muttered under my breath now, turning my head so Dante wouldn’t hear.

.

Right there and then, I had decided that she was a threat.

Every instinct inside me screamed it.

What was so special about Sierra, anyways? Was it coming back from the dead? As I had heard?

The car rolled to a stop soon, and the mansion came into view—cold, grand, and heavy with memories. The same house where Elena had died two years ago. The official story was that she jumped because she “couldn’t take the news of the divorce.”

A pathetic ending.

I pushed the thought aside, though unease slid under my skin.

The driver parked, and the gates closed behind us.

We were home. The mansion that had been my home for the past two years.

The moment we stepped inside the mansion, Dante didn’t even slow down, he didn’t even look at me. He didn’t say a word. He just headed straight for the stairs with that stiff, distant look on his face.

My stomach twisted.

“Where are you going?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

He didn’t even turn fully. “To my room, of course.”

That was it. No explanation. No warmth. Nothing.

I scoffed and rushed in front of him, blocking his path. “Why are you suddenly acting cold, Dante? Did something happen?”

He sighed, tired and impatient. “Viviana, I just need some space.”

Space?

I felt the word hit me like a slap.

I crossed my arms slowly. “It’s because of her, isn’t it? You’re acting like this because of that spoiled heiress?”

He raised a brow, his expression flattening. But I pressed on, my anger boiling too close to the surface.

“You think I didn’t notice how you looked at her?” I said, stepping closer. “How you grinned like a fool while speaking to her? How you almost melted in her presence? And how your hand lingered on hers when you shook it?”

His jaw tightened. “Viviana, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I’m tired. I’ve had a really long day." For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes, just for a fleeting moment, before I could even make out what it was.

"I’m going to bed.” He said with a sigh.

He tried to walk past me.

I moved again, trying to stop him, but he didn’t even look my way. He just brushed past, opened his door, and shut it right in my face.

The sound echoed through the hallway, like a sharp knife stabbing my earlobes.

For a moment, I just stood there, breathing hard. My hands balled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, loud, angry and choking me.

So that was it.

He was already slipping away.

Already drifting toward her.

Sierra.

I turned sharply and stormed down the hall to my room. The moment the door closed behind me, I started pacing. I walked from one end of the room to the other, my mind racing so fast I could barely keep up with my own thoughts.

Sierra was a threat.

There was no doubt anymore.

The way Dante looked at her… I had never seen that expression since Elena died. That spark in his eyes, that pull, that silent hunger… all because some heiress walked in wearing diamonds and confidence?

I clenched my jaw.

No.

I wasn’t going to let this happen.

Not after everything I’ve done.

Not after everything I’ve sacrificed for him… for us.

I had stood by him. Supported him. Helped him grow his empire. Stayed with him through every storm. And for what? For some woman he just met to show up and take what I have built?

Never.

Something deep inside me twisted.

I knew it could have just been a fleeting attraction, but there was no mistaking it, I had seen the look in Dante's face, how he had been so drawn to her

I was certain of one thing, Dante would try to contact Sierra again—I just knew it. I could see it in the way he looked at her. He wasn't just curious, he was tempted, drawn.

And I wasn’t going to sit here and let that seed grow.

I stopped pacing and stood still, breathing slowly as a plan began to form in my head. I didn’t know exactly what I would do yet, but I would find a way to get rid of her.

Because if I didn’t act now, Sierra De Luca would ruin everything.

And I wasn’t going to let her. Not after how long I’ve worked my way into Dante’s life.

She thought she could walk in and steal him with one glance?

There was no way I would sit still and watch that happen.