The magazine cover glared at Elena like an insult she hadn't seen coming.

She wasn't looking for it. It found her anyway, splashed across the glossy racks of an airport kiosk on her way back from Milan. Alessia, draped in crimson silk, her smirk both elegant and venomous, filled the frame. But the words burned hotter than her rival's pose.

"Alessia Romano, The Woman Behind Dante Moretti, And the Future of Rossi Textiles."

Beneath the headline, in sleek italics, a dagger disguised as ...