Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
“No. You’re my heir.”
“What?” I shriek, and the pen drops from my ice-cold fingers. It thumps on the desk-top, and rolls before falling right off of the desk onto the floor.
Lula’s already bundled the papers and stacked them neatly—oblivious, or politely ignoring my outburst. I gape at Royal.
“What—“
The study door opens and an older man bursts in. “I see I’m too late to stop this nonsense.”
He’s shorter, stockier, but his features are similar to Royal’s. This is Vinnie, Royal’s father. They have the same Roman nose. Vinnie’s hair is streaked with gray, and he’s got a spare tire he’s been working on for a while. He’s followed by two men, in long black wool coats, and dark sunglasses.
“Enough of this, Royal,” Vinnie says, glancing at me for a moment before his gaze flicks away. Like I’m nothing, and nobody important. I shrink in the big leather chair, feeling even more like a kid playing ‘office’ in her father’s study.
Lula is silent, snapping the papers into her briefcase. Between you and me, not many of us are fans of Uncle Vinnie, but he’s the boss so we all toe the line.
Crap. This is the boss.
When Vinnie speaks again, and Lula looks at him for the first time, it’s clear that not only doesn’t she like him… she loathes him.
Royal’s face has gone blank.
“You were meant for better things than this. The family has a reputation to uphold. You need to marry the daughter of a Don, maybe a Vesuvi or Serpente. One of the ruling families. Not someone like...” He waves a dismissive hand in my direction.
Lula’s eyes narrow, her blood-red talons digging into the fine leather of her briefcase handle. I want to tell her not to bother getting mad on my behalf. I’m not worth it.
“Stop talking,” Royal murmurs. His voice is low and deceptively soft. He’s the type who doesn’t get loud when he’s furious. He gets quiet. It’s the calm before the storm. I can feel it bubbling under the surface. Lula doesn’t say anything either, but she’s a little more obvious with her expression—a clear look of disdain on her face directed at one and only one human in the room. Together, she and Royal look formidable. Two sleek Doberman pinschers, focused on the kill.
Royal raises a hand.
Royal’s father doesn’t see the clues. He keeps talking, like he hasn’t noticed his son and niece are furious with him. “There are families who would hand you their heirs on a silver platter. What the fuck are you doing with her? She's a nobody.”
I flinch like I’ve been struck with a dagger.
One moment, Royal’s leaning back against his desk, his hands gripping the edge, his dark head down. The next, he’s exploded into silent motion. He crosses the few steps between them in a blur. His punch comes out of nowhere. His fist thunks into his father’s face, and Vinnie flies back into a bookcase.
Books tumble around Vinnie. He grabs the shelves to right himself, groaning. The bodyguards freeze but make no move to defend the older Regis.
Of everyone, Lucrezia looks the least surprised. She examines her nails, casually, sighing the sigh of someone who’s witnessed this type of scene before. I half expect her to get out a file to begin shaping one nail casually, maybe into a point. I tremble.
“Enough,” Royal growls. He’s not even breathing hard, his shoulders straight and spine stiff. “You’re speaking of my bride. This was a test. You failed, Vinnie,” he says to his father. The older man groans. “You’re no longer my father. You rejected me, I reject you. It’s that simple.” Royal’s eyes are hard, and Lula crosses her arms over her chest, staring down at her uncle. She looks completely unimpressed.
Something big is going on here, but I have no idea what it is. I’m grateful I’m not Daddy Regis. Even his bodyguards don’t look like they want to come to his side in support.
He must be a really big asshole.
“You won't get away with this,” Vinnie says, struggling to sit up. One of the bodyguards takes pity, and reaches down to help him up.
“I already have. Your sister sides with me. I have the support of the Old Country. And when I marry Leah tomorrow, I will have fulfilled the conditions of La Famiglia.” Royal’s eyes light up as he glances over to me. I cover my mouth with a hand. My left hand. The ring flashes its light around the room.
A hand comes to rest on my shoulder, and I look up. Lula’s leaning over me, gripping my shoulder, her furious gaze glued to Vinnie Regis.
“They’ll never accept her,” Vinnie spits.
Royal shakes his head. “The crown has passed. The throne is mine.”
His father makes a noise of rage in the back of his throat. “This isn’t over.” He shoots a final glare straight at me.