Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
"You are no longer the property of Ryder Bernardi," she starts robotically. "You now belong to Angelo Giordani."
"W-What?" I furrow my brows at her. "I don't know who that is."
That enrages her so much she gets up and slaps my cheek, hard. "Be respectful, insolent girl. He's your new owner. And you'd better fucking behave."
"I'm not property," I hiss in response, rubbing my cheek.
"You are now. We all are." Is there a hint of regret in her tone, or am I imagining it? "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Get some rest. Angelo will want to see you in the morning. You'll have to look good for him, he doesn't like a disheveled girl."
I want to scream at her, tell her I don't give a shit what this Angelo person wants. But the sting of her slap is still fresh in my memory, so I fight the urge to protest, simply nodding instead.
"Good girl." Sophia picks herself up and smiles at me. "I'll expect to see you up in a few hours when I come back with some maids to help you get ready. Is that understood?"
"Yes," I grit out.
"And a word of advice," Sophia smiles. "Get rid of the attitude. It'll make your time here much less painful... that is, if Angelo decides to spare you."
With those cryptic words she leaves the room and I'm left alone to ponder my thoughts.
I still don't understand what happened and whether Ryder truly knows Livia brought me here, but I tell myself it's for the best.
I know Ryder wouldn't spare me in the end. Maybe the baby, but not me. And I need to be here for my son. I need to fulfill my role of being the mother I never had. No matter the cost.
I force myself to lie down on the bed and close my eyes. I've barely slept and I'm exhausted. I need to rest so I can face the next chapter of this nightmare tomorrow.
Angelo Giordani's name plays on my mind as I finally drift off into a deep, dark sleep.
Soon enough, I'll be wishing I'd never wake up from it, because what awaits in this house is worse than any nightmare I've ever had...
26
Ryder
The moment I wake up that morning I know something has happened. The atmosphere is tense, the air in the room thick with anticipation of something terrible.
I dress in slacks and a crisp white shirt and exit into the hallway where pale-faced maids scurry away from me. I hear Father shouting in his office and my blood instantly chills.
"What's happened?" I bark at Mia when she passes by. "Why is Father shouting?"
"Mi scusi, signore." She scurries past me, flushing and refusing to meet my eyes. I storm into Father's office where he's arguing with Julian.
"Fuck," my brother curses. "Now we don't have a choice. We have to tell him."
"Tell me what?" I demand.
"It's Nicoletta –"
"Her name is Aurora." The words come out in a hiss, like steam escaping. "Tell me what's happened, right now."
"She wasn't in her cell this morning," Father cuts in, getting up from behind his desk and buttoning his blazer. "We don't know what happened. Both guards were killed. Others, too, outside."
I swallow thickly. The loss of the Bernardi men hurts, but not as much as the gut-searing pain of finding out Aurora is gone. It feels like a knife going through my ribs, jamming itself deep and then twisting, making blood spill from the wound. I fight to hide the pain of it all as I face Father.
"I need to find her."
"Why?" Father shakes his head dismissively. "You should just let her go, Ryder. She was a liar in the end. A manipulator. Just like the last one."
I eye him with a steely expression. "Don't go there, Father."
"It's the truth," he spits out. I rush to grab him but before I can reach him a coughing hit has him doubling over.
"Father!" Julian rushes to his aid, holding him up and shooting me a death glare. But he doesn't say a word, my younger brother seems to understand why I'm so pissed off with Father.
"It's fine." Father wrestles off Julian and sits back down while I do the same. "Listen, Ryder. You're on your own. I'm not going to waste any more resources on another insolent, lying little girl. If you want to prove to me she really means something to you, you'll find her on your own."
"I fucking –"
"Not another word!" He raises a hand to silence me. "Have some respect. You may be stronger than me now, Ryder. I know you could beat me into a pulp. But I'm your papa. Have you forgotten that?"
My past flashes before my eyes. I was too young to remember much after Bruno Bernardi adopted me, but I know from what he's told me I spent the first three years of my life on the streets with my mother. One of Bruno's men accidentally killed her in a shoot-out. I know from what Adrian told me Father had that man killed.