The De Santo estate reeked of blood money. Gilded walls, towering chandeliers, mahogany furniture polished to a blinding shine. But all I saw was my reflection in the marble floor—small, powerless, and dropped into a lion’s den with no teeth of my own.

Lucas hadn’t spoken a single word to me since the SUV rolled past those iron gates. He didn’t spare me a glance. Not one. But his silence was loud. Calculating. Dangerous. Somehow worse than any threat Matteo could’ve made.

Two ...