Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
I swallow hard, my heart hammering.
"You could have gone with Butera, but you didn't. You picked your mom's name," he says, cocking his head to the side. "And her birthplace. Amalia Santiago. Your adoption records confirmed it. You're Serafina Cerrito."
He's not just guessing this time. He knows who I am. If he's seen the adoption records, he has proof. Those records were supposed to be sealed. No one was ever supposed to be able to find them. Alvise made sure of it.
How did Carmine get them? I don't think it matters at this point. However he got his hands on them, he knows what they contain. He'll tell Rafe.
Rafe. Oh my God.
The room spins. I grasp onto the desk, fighting for calm. Fighting for breath that won't come. What's Rafe going to say when he knows the truth? My insides shrivel at the thought. I love him. I didn't mean to fall for him, but I did. I can't lose him now. Not like this.
"What do you want?" I ask woodenly.
"You."
My stomach heaves, bile crawling up my throat.
"I'll kill us both before I let you touch me," I swear, meaning every word. There's no way in hell I'll let him touch me, not to keep my secret, not to save my life, not for any reason. My body is my own and I decide who to give it to. The thought of this man touching me like Rafe touches me, of this man's hands on me, his mouth on me… Hell no. I belong to one man, mind, body, and soul.
"Valentino may enjoy bedding balenas, but I'm not him. I have different tastes." His gaze flicks up and down my body. Despite his hateful words, I see the interest in his eyes, the curiosity. He's lying. Why? "I don't want to fuck you. I want you to leave with me."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not the only one who knows who you are," he says. "There's a price on your head. Millions. I intend to be the one to collect it."
I gape at him, pretty sure he's lost his mind. "They're not just going to let you walk out of here with me, Carmine!"
"I'm going to tell Domani that you ran," he says, speaking calmly. "He'll clear the house looking for you. When he does, we're leaving through the west wing. You'll get in my car. You won't make a sound. You won't resist. You'll be a good little principessa and do what you're told."
I bristle, my hand twitching toward the letter opener. I'm not going with him. Rafe may hate me when he finds out the truth, but so long as I'm alive, there's a chance for me to fix it. There's still a chance for me to save both Rafe and Diego. If I leave with Carmine, we all suffer. We all die.
I may not know much about this world, but I know enough to know that's exactly how this particular story ends. There isn't a fairytale waiting on the other side of that car ride. There's pain and agony and death for me. There's the inevitable collision between Rafe and Diego. There's war. I can't find a way to stop that if I'm dead or in chains, sold to the highest bidder.
I can't run with Carmine blocking the door either. I need him to think I'm cooperating. Once we're out of the office, I'll make a run for it. Rafe will find out who I really am. He'll know that my father killed his mother and almost killed him. He'll know I lied.
Forgive me, Rafe. Please, God, forgive me.
"Fine," I growl to Carmine, my decision made. Even if it costs me Rafe. Even if it costs me everything. I'd rather him hate me and survive than love me and die. So long as he and Diego live, nothing else matters.
"Stay here," Carmine says, as if he knew I'd see it his way. His arrogance is as amusing as it is infuriating. He's playing a game he doesn't even understand. And for what? Money? No, that's not it. It's me. He wants to take me from Rafe, not because he wants me but because Rafe told him not to touch me. That's what this is about. He wants what doesn't belong to him simply because he was told he can't have it.
He's a gnat who thinks he's a giant. Rafe will kill him for this betrayal. He won't hesitate or blink. He won't even pause or ask questions. As soon as he finds out what Carmine did, he'll kill him. There will be no explanations or pardons. Carmine's story will end in a shallow grave, his name forgotten before the dirt even levels.
As soon as his back is turned, I grab the letter opener off the desk, shoving it into the pocket of my skirt. I bite my lip, holding back a sob of relief that this skirt actually has pockets. When this is over, I'm writing a thank you letter to the designer.