Chapter 101

I became an expert in the architecture of lies. I learned exactly how much foundation it took to cover the yellowing bruise on my wrist. I learned how to tie a silk scarf so that it looked like fashion, not camouflage for the purple marks on my throat. I learned how to smile with my mouth while my eyes remained dead. Three days had passed since the raid on the Gilded Lily. Three days since Bianca had been erased. Three days since I had sold my soul to keep my sister in the guest room down the hall. The penthouse was quiet. It was always quiet now. Dante had doubled the security detail. There were men by the elevator, men on the roof, men in the lobby. We were living in a fortress wrapped in glass. I stood in the center of the living room. A team of tailors fluttered around me like nervous moths. "Arms up, please," the head seamstress murmured. I lifted my arms. I was wearing the muslin prototype of the gown Dante had ordered for the Met Gala. It was structural, severe, and demandi

Chapter 102

The dress was not a garment. It was a cage made of midnight-blue silk and structural boning. It was strapless, with a plunging neckline that stopped dangerously low, exposing the pale skin of my chest. The bodice was so tight it felt like it was fused to my ribs, restricting my breath to shallow, terrified sips of air. The skirt flared out from the hips in a dramatic, architectural sweep that required me to walk with small, measured steps. I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom. I looked like a queen. I looked like a sacrifice. My hair was pulled back into a severe, sleek chignon, exposing the long line of my neck. My makeup was flawless—porcelain skin, dark, smoky eyes, and lips painted a blood-red that matched the violence of the last week. But the centerpiece was the brooch. Dante stepped up behind me. He was wearing a tuxedo that was cut sharp enough to draw blood. He looked devastating. He looked like the devil in black tie. He held the diamond or

Chapter 103

"Chin up," Dante whispered. "Let them see the diamonds."I lifted my chin. I exposed the orchid.The cameras went wild. They zoomed in on the jewel. They zoomed in on the symbol of his ownership.We reached the top of the stairs. We walked through the massive doors of the museum.The noise cut off instantly, replaced by the polite murmur of the elite.Inside, the Great Hall was transformed. Flowers cascaded from the ceiling. A string quartet played somewhere in the distance. Waiters circulated with champagne.The room was full of sharks in silk and tuxedos.Bankers. Politicians. Heiresses. The people who ran the city.And they were all looking at us.The conversation stopped as we entered. Heads turned. Eyes narrowed.I felt the weight of their judgment. They saw the dress. They saw the diamonds. They saw the man holding me.They knew I wasn't one of them. I was the acquisition. The scandal."Ignore them," Dante murmured. "They are sheep."He guided me into the room.A man approached

Chapter 104

The engagement ring was not in a box. It was waiting on the nightstand when we returned to the penthouse.The drive home had been suffocating. Dante had spent the entire time on the phone with his PR team spinning the narrative of our sudden betrothal. He dictated the headlines like a general commanding troops. Love at first sight. A whirlwind romance. The reclusive billionaire and his brilliant curator.He was writing a fairy tale over the top of a horror story.I walked into the bedroom. My feet were bleeding inside the stilettos. My face ached from hours of fake smiling. The diamond orchid on my collar felt like it weighed fifty pounds dragging my head down.I saw the ring sitting on the black marble surface of the table.It wasn't subtle. It was a yellow diamond the size of a quail egg surrounded by a halo of white diamonds. It was gaudy. It was aggressive. It was a spotlight meant to be worn on a finger.Dante closed the door behind us. He locked it. That sound—the click of the d

Chapter 105

The next morning the media storm hit.I woke up to the sound of Chloe squealing.It was a high pitched sound of pure delight that pierced through the heavy oak door of the master suite.Dante was already gone. His side of the bed was cold. He had left a note on the pillow.Office. Wedding prep. Smile for your sister.I put on a silk robe. I put on the ring. I couldn't take it off. It felt like it was fused to my skin.I walked out to the living room.Chloe was sitting on the sofa surrounded by magazines and a tablet. Luca was standing by the window looking like a funeral director at a birthday party."Evie!" Chloe screamed when she saw me.She jumped up. She ran to me. She grabbed my left hand and lifted it to the light."Oh my god!" she shouted. "It's huge! It's a planet! Evie look at it!"She was crying. Happy tears. Tears of joy for her big sister who had finally found her prince."I saw the news," Chloe sobbed hugging me. "CNN. Vogue. Everyone is talking about it. 'The Billionaire

Chapter 106

"I am realistic," I said. "I know I can't beat you."Dante sat down next to me. He put his arm along the back of the sofa."You don't have to beat me Evelina. You just have to join me."He touched my hair."We are going to be good together. You have fire. I have control. We balance each other.""You killed people," I whispered. "How do we balance that?""We build on top of it," Dante said. "Like Rome. Rome is built on bones Evelina. But it is still beautiful."He took the glass from my hand and set it on the table."I have a wedding gift for you," he said."You already gave me a ring.""Not that," Dante said. "Something else. Something... professional."He stood up."Come with me."I followed him. I expected him to take me to the bedroom.But he didn't.He took me to the elevator.He pressed the button for the 50th floor. The office."Why are we going down?" I asked."To show you your new station," Dante said.The doors opened.The office was quiet. It was after hours. The cubicles we