Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
"Are you seriously suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Angelo's voice was deadly quiet. Vincenzo's eyes met Pearl's for a fraction of a second, something unspoken passing between them.
"I go back." The words fell soft but sure, like she'd already made her peace with them. "Play the role he created for me one last time. Let him think his lessons took hold." Something flickered in her eyes. "Let Alessandro think he's winning."
"Absolutely not." The words ripped from my throat before I could stop them.
"Please listen," she said, holding her ground despite seven sets of eyes burning with protective fury. Her voice held that blend of steel and silk I'd come to know so well. "I know his routines, his security, every corner of that penthouse. I know when he takes his evening calls, when he updates his records." A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "I know that house better than anyone," she said. "The safe behind the Picasso, the late-night phone calls, the shipment records he keeps updating..."
"You're talking about walking right back into his hands," Rocco growled, raw emotion breaking through his usual barriers. His voice cracked as memories of his own family's losses surfaced. "After everything we did to get you out..."
"I'm talking about stopping this before it spreads beyond what we can control." Her voice caught slightly, revealing the cost of her courage. "I'm talking about stopping this before it gets worse," her voice caught. "Those girls... they're trapped in something much darker than my gilded cage ever was."
"There has to be another way," Luca said, but I could hear the uncertainty creeping in. "We could raid the current clinic, find evidence there..."
"And what?" She challenged gently, something almost tender in how she looked at each of us in turn. "Find a legitimate wellness center with some suspicious blueprints? You need more. And everything we need is in his study," she touched the blueprints lightly. "I just need to get to it."
"The risk is too high," I said, moving closer to her, drawn by that mix of vulnerability and strength. "If they catch you searching that safe..."
"They won't." Her certainty made my chest ache. "I spent years being exactly what he wanted, his perfect, obedient daughter. He's arrogant enough to believe I'd come crawling back after tasting the 'real world.' And Alessandro..." A shadow crossed her face. "His ego will blind him. Men like that, they see what they want to see."
"Pearl..." Enzo's voice held a pain I understood too well.
"Trust me," she said softly, looking at each of us. "I know what I'm asking. I know the danger. But I also know I can do this—with your help. Please, it will work."
"It's not about trust," Vincenzo said quietly. "You've seen what Alessandro's already involved in. If anything happened to you..."
"We need to move fast," she said. "Before this marriage contract happens."
"The contract," Angelo said slowly. "That's what really has you worried, isn't it?"
She met his eyes steadily, but I saw the fear she was trying to hide. "Once Alessandro has legal control over me, over my father's territory... there won't be any stopping him. He'll have everything he needs: legitimate business fronts, shipping access, social connections. The trafficking operation will just be the beginning."
Something shifted in the room. I thought of how we'd all changed since that first night, how she'd somehow become part of us without any of us meaning for it to happen.
"If—and I mean if—we consider this," I said carefully, each word feeling like it was being ripped from my heart, "it would have to be perfect. No room for error."
"I know." She reached for my hand, her touch sending electricity through my veins. The gesture held both determination and need. "That's why I need all of you. Your skills, your connections, your protection. Let me get the evidence we need to shut them down for good."
"We'd need time to plan," Vincenzo said, already thinking logistics despite his obvious resistance. "Cover stories, security overrides, extraction protocols..."
"To make sure you have every possible protection," Angelo added, the muscle in his jaw jumping.
"And multiple ways out if things go wrong," Rocco finished.
They moved closer without seeming to realize it, torn between wanting to protect her and knowing they couldn't stop her.
"It's your choice," I said finally, meaning so much more than just the mission. "All of it."
She paused, fingers trailing along the edge of my desk. The lamplight caught in her hair as her gaze moved from me to each of them, lingering just long enough to make my throat tight.
"I choose all of it," she said, voice low and full of promise. Then, letting her hand fall from the desk, "All of you."
The silence stretched. She took one slow step forward, then another. The others had drifted closer, drawn by that pull none of us could resist any more.