Chapter 2

Seraphina was always careful about covering her tracks.

I was just her shield. Her alibi.

How would I know where she really was?

"I'm not her babysitter."

The words barely left my mouth. Rocco slapped me hard across the face.

A violent ringing exploded in my ears. Half my face went instantly numb.

I tasted blood on my lip. But a twisted sense of joy washed over me.

Bring it on. Let's make this show even better.

Just wait. You have no idea what kind of woman she really is.

Rocco pulled an engraved silver dagger from his suit. The blade caught the light with a cold glare.

He slid the flat of the blade slowly down my cheek. The freezing metal made me shiver.

"You know, Alessia." His voice was as soft as a lover's whisper. "I am really getting sick of that mouth."

The tip of the blade caught the collar of my silk blouse. A gentle flick. The expensive fabric sliced open like butter. Buttons popped off one by one. Cold air rushed over my bare skin.

Just then, my phone slid off the desk. The screen lit up.

Rocco bent down and picked it up. He scoffed at the caller ID. " Your white knight Grayson? Hah. Cute."

He punched in my birthday. The phone unlocked.

Damn it. I forgot to change my passcode.

"Don't answer it!" I struggled to grab the phone. But the thugs behind me pinned me down tight.

Rocco put it on speaker. A goon immediately clamped a rough hand over my mouth.

His hand smelled like tobacco, sweat, and gunpowder. I almost gagged.

"Alessia? Baby, are you okay?" Grayson's warm, worried voice came through. "Emma called. She said someone broke into your studio. I'm on my way—"

"Hello, Grayson." Rocco's voice was suddenly calm and polite. It carried the lethal arrogance of a boss holding the power of life and death. "I'm Rocco. Alessia's ex. Sorry we have to meet this way."

A brief silence on the other end.

"I feel obligated to tell you the truth about your fiancée," Rocco continued. "She's a total mess. She maxed out my girl's credit cards to pay off gambling debts. Goes to dirty parties. Sleeps with random guys without protection."

My eyes went wide. I tried desperately to make a sound. But the hand over my mouth clamped down harder. It crushed painfully against my cheekbones.

"She just got an abortion behind your back." Rocco's voice dripped with vicious satisfaction. "The kid wasn't yours, obviously. Even she didn't know who the father was."

Dead silence from the phone.

I could picture Grayson's face right now. Shocked. Confused. Heartbroken.

My heart twisted like it was wrapped in rusty barbed wire. The pain was agonizing.

Grayson and I had a great relationship. Truly great.

We were already planning our wedding. He was honest, kind, and gentle. He was the only piece of driftwood I failed to grab in the dark swamp of my past life.

No matter how bad our fights got, he always came back. He always fixed things with me.

But right now, he stayed completely silent.

Rocco ended the call. A smug smile spread across his face. "See? Even your little lover boy doesn't want you anymore."

I kicked off the thug behind me and glared at him in pure rage. "How dare you make this up!"

"Make it up?" Rocco scoffed. He looked around the trashed studio. There were holes punched into the drywall. "You think I care about a little vandalism? I am a Cianci. We own Philly. The cops work for me."

He walked up and squeezed my jaw hard. "Besides, I'm just breaking my own stuff. Seraphina bought everything here with my money. You think your little designer salary could afford a downtown office?"

I glanced at the clock on the wall.

Twenty more minutes. Seraphina would lose so much blood she'd be forced to call for help.

"Why don't you wait a few more minutes," I sneered. "Your perfect woman will call you very soon. Then you'll know exactly where she is and what she's doing."

Rocco's face darkened instantly.

"Drag her out!" he roared. "Let everyone see this bitch for what she is!"

Two huge guys grabbed my arms. They dragged me toward the door.

I fought back with everything I had. But it was useless.

My skirt tore as they pulled me. The rest of my buttons were ripped off. They threw me onto the sidewalk, practically half-naked.

It was rush hour. The street was packed with finance bros and corporate secretaries.

They stopped walking and formed a circle around me. They stared like I was a circus freak.

"Everyone!" Rocco stood in the middle of the crowd. His voice boomed. "Look at this woman! She bled her friend dry to fund her gambling! Cheated on her fiancé with random men! Got pregnant and didn't even know who the father was!"

The crowd erupted in harsh insults:

"What a snake!"

"Parasite!"

"Slept with half the city!"

"Whore!"

People started throwing things at me. Coffee cups. Sandwiches. Someone even spat at my feet.

I squatted on the ground. I covered my head with my arms, feeling the malice hitting me from all sides.

But my heart was totally calm. I was even looking forward to it.

I stood up. I looked at Rocco's smug face, and suddenly laughed.

"That's it?" I wiped the coffee stains off my face. "That's your big move? How boring."

I looked around at the pointing bystanders. My voice grew louder. "Aren't you untouchable? Aren't you scared of an FBI murder investigation? Is that why you have to resort to these cheap tricks to ruin me? Shoot me right now if you have the guts!"

Rocco's face turned livid.

"You think I won't?"

"I think you're a coward." I gave him a defiant glare. "You're just a thug. You only beat up women. You don't have the guts to let the world see who you really are."

Rocco pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Tony. Bring all the paparazzi and influencers on our payroll here. Yeah, right now. Tell them to bring their gear and start streaming. The cops won't touch the mafia, so I'll use the media to ruin her completely!"

He hung up and glared at me viciously. "As you wish, bitch. In Philly, ruining a life is way easier for me than taking one."

I sneered.

Light the fire.

Let everyone see how your uncle and your perfect woman have been playing you for a fool this whole time.