Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
No man sitting around this table knows I’m as virginal as they come. I have no intention of throwing something sacred away for the sake of experience. The whore I got for my birthday was only too happy to be sent away without having to bed a boy. I paid her extra to keep her mouth shut. As far as my father and uncles know, she did the job. I want my bride to wait. So, I’ll wait.
“On a serious note,” Uncle Enzo says. “How did your meeting go? How soon can we expect an integration?”
“The sooner the better.” Uncle Nico’s expression is somber. “The casinos are losing money. Our contact in Marseille and Nice wants to increase his cut to fifteen percent. Refusing will be declaring war, and it’ll be a bloody one.”
“That’s what the French government is hoping for,” Uncle Enzo says. “As long as we keep our noses clean, they can’t bring evidence against us. The slightest show of violence, however, will give them the excuse for a cleanup they’re waiting for.”
My father clears his throat. He slurps his coffee, trying to hide a cough but not quite succeeding. It takes a moment before he speaks. “Edwards denied he made the deal.”
Tomma and Gianni’s mouths go slack. Uncle Enzo looks at my father, dumbfounded.
Uncle Nico clenches his jaw. “That’s an insult to you and your family. You can’t let it slide.”
My father glances at me. “I’m not.”
“I’m dealing with it,” I say, dragging a gaze around the table.
“How?” Uncle Nico asks.
I take my time to finish my coffee before answering. “I need a year.”
Uncle Enzo sits up. “Why a year?”
“For my plan to work, I need compliance from both Edwards and his daughter. Convincing Edwards to honor his promise won’t be difficult—I can bend him to our will tomorrow—but she has to believe our relationship is her idea. At least for now.”
My uncles consider that.
“You can always threaten her with her family’s lives,” Tomma offers.
I pin him with a stare at which he quickly shuts his mouth.
Gianni whistles through his teeth. “Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you, Angelo.”
Always quick to catch on, Uncle Enzo says, “You’ll have to find something to hold over her father’s head while making her fall for you.”
“She won’t be so quick to fall at your feet when she finds out that you’re blackmailing her father,” Uncle Nico points out.
My smile is flat. “By that time, it won’t matter.” She’s mine, and I’ll do whatever it takes to claim her.
“One year,” my father says, as the oldest, his word final. “Then we do it our way.”
Our way means kidnapping Sabella and forcing a ring on her finger while holding a gun against her father’s head. We’ll put a pen in his right hand while, one by one, cutting off the fingers on his left until he signs the contract. But that won’t happen until she turns eighteen, and if my plan works, it won’t have to happen at all.
“Good,” I say. “Then it’s decided.”
And with those words, I seal Sabella Daphne Edwards’s fate.
CHAPTER
TEN
Sabella
Did Angelo know I’d think of him every time I cuddle Pirate when he told my mom to let me keep the cat? Whenever I set my eyes on Pirate, I’m reminded of Angelo. These days, he occupies most of my thoughts as well as my daydreams.
We communicate daily. He’s interested in my life, peppering me with questions about everything from my favorite food to my favorite books. He wants to know what I like for breakfast and why I love the ocean so much.
The attention is flattering. It’s got my head spinning, but not enough to be blind to the fact that he’s not sharing as much information with me. When I point that out, he says his life isn’t that interesting. All I know about him is that his family is filthy rich, that he’s involved in his father’s business, which he’ll take over one day, and that he lives in Corsica.
During one of our many chats, I ask him what his job title is.
Angelo: Jack of all trades.
Me: You’re not a master of none.
Angelo: You flatter me.
Me: I mean it. You’re one of those people who are good at everything.
Angelo: Some won’t call me good.
Me: I do.
Angelo: Does that mean you like me?
Me: Would I be chatting to you if I didn’t?
Angelo: One day, bella, you’ll change your mind about that.
Me: Never. I’ll always like you.
He goes quiet then, making me worry that I’ve scared him away by implying too much, but then he asks me what else I like, a clever way of changing the subject.
Me: The ocean. As always. You know that already.
Angelo: Why?
Me: I don’t know. Because I feel at home in the water. I think I want to become a marine biologist.