Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“That’s different.”
“Yeah, it’s different, but it’s still you. If you allow your mind to play tricks on you, then you won’t get through this.” There’s a deeper warning in his tone. As if there’s more to what’s going to happen tonight than just a dinner and some expensive drinks.
“And what gauntlet am I going to be running exactly?” I challenge as I cross my arms over my chest. He’s right, I am strong, especially when anger and frustration take over.
“Now,” Kai says as he pushes to his feet, “If I told you that, it would take away from the fun. Wouldn’t it?” He offers me a wink before leaving me to mull over everything in my mind.
I was brought up as a strong person. My father didn’t sugar-coat anything when it came to this life. Yes, he held back truths that I should have known about, including the secret about my surgery, but he ensured I wasn’t in the dark about where he came from.
The life of a man who has joined the mafia, who swore loyalty to an organisation, is not something to take lightly. And inadvertently, I don’t think Father realised that when he sent me to life at Black Hollow, I’ve now sworn my allegiance. Only, it’s just not to the people he wanted me to offer my support.
I lie back and look up at the ceiling. My focus on the soft cream colour of the light shade. The bulb is dimly lit, only offering a weak, yellow glow.
Judah, Kai, and Valen were right. I came here a shy, scared girl, and I’ve changed. Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten to know them, and I’ve also learned who I am. My father forced this on me, and he wanted me to become part of a war I wasn’t fighting.
He started it, and now, I’m the one who needs to finish it. Father won’t be happy with me, and I know the disappointment he’ll show will probably break my heart, but he was the one who lied.
As much as I wish it didn’t have to be this way, there is no other choice. I’m to marry Judah, and if there’s one thing I know, it is that my loyalty has to lie with my new family.
But, I have a feeling there are so many more secrets to uncover. It’s not going to be an easy ride, and I don’t expect it to be. All I can do is take it as it comes.
The plane slowly descends as we reach the mainland. My stomach drops with every movement of the large aircraft. The nervous energy causes butterflies to come alive in my belly. It’s as if I’m going to a party where I’ll be the main spectacle. I don’t like the focus on me, I never have.
Only this time, I’m not going as just another teenager who’s out with her boyfriend. I’ll be walking in there as the future Queen of the Venier family. And I’m not sure just how ready I am to claim that name in public just yet.
BELLE OF THE BALL
BRIELLE
The car taking us to the mansion set on the mainland in Sicily is driven by one man from the family we’re visiting. It’s only when I saw the crest on the licence plate of the car did I realise who they were.
The de Rossi clan is infamous in America with their Boss, Enzo, taking over after his father’s death. I don’t expect he’ll be here, since he lives in New York, which has me wondering about the rest of the family.
“Respect the host,” Judah says to me as we come to a stop at the entrance of the property. The car stills before the driver pulls up the long, winding driveway. Dim lighting offers a glow, making everything outside the car seem eerie. It’s as if we’re coming up to an old castle where Dracula could hide in the shadows. Something tells me there’s a more dangerous man who lives in the house that I come to see as we wind around the enormous fountain.
“And who is the host?” I whisper as I look out the window and up at the three-story building to my left. The door opens before Judah can reply, and when the driver helps me out, he offers a small smile before raking his gaze over me.
Judah is right behind me, his hard, muscular body flush against my curves. He leans his chin on my shoulder, and whispers in my ear, “Since you already know of de Rossi, you should know his right-hand man is Mario Errani.”
A gasp of realisation falls from my lips. “He’s Kai’s brother?”
“For the most part, yes. Mario’s family adopted Kai when he was younger,” Judah explains and I nod because Kai has already told me the story. When he admitted his past, that’s when the barrier between us fell, and I knew we had taken a step toward something new. We formed a connection that night, and now I can’t believe he’s angry with me to the point of not even wanting me near him.