Chapter 1
I froze at the office door, my hand hovering over the handle. Primo’s voice drifted
through the crack, stopping my surprise entrance dead in its tracks.
“Asteria? She’s just a business deal to get some control over the coast dealings.”
My breath caught in my throat. The birthday gift I’d brought him, a vintage. watch he’d mentioned months ago, suddenly felt heavy in my purse.
“You never cared for her then?” A familiar voice purred.
I pressed closer to the gap, my heart thundering against my ribs. Through the sliver of space, I spotted a woman perched on his lap, her fingers trailing along his jaw. The scene blurred as tears welled in
my eyes, but there was no mistaking who it
was.
Yesha. My best friend. The same woman
D80% 19:00
1/6
Chapter 1
who’d helped me pick out my wedding dress just last week, gushing about how perfect Primo and I were together.
“The marriage is strategic. Nothing more.” Primo’s hands settled on her waist. “You know you’re the only one who matters.”
The diamond ring on my finger burned like ice. One month. We were supposed to get married in one month. I’d spent the morning planning our honeymoon, picking between beach villas while Yesha texted suggestions.
“What about the coast properties?” Yesha shifted closer to him.
“Once we’re married, her family’s holdings transfer to our control. Then we can
expand south.” He laughed. “She’s so eager to please, so desperate to believe in love. It makes everything easier.”
My fingers dug into the doorframe. The watch in my purse, the future I’d planned, the trust I’d given… it all crumbled to ash
80% 19:00
2/6
82
Chapter 1
as I watched them kiss.
I backed away from the door, my heels silent against the marble floor. The drive home passed in a blur and I reached the mansion even before I realized.
The basement door clicked shut behind me as I descended the concrete steps. Cold air wrapped around me, but I barely felt it. The long hallway stretched ahead.
At the end of the hall, I punched in the security code and pushed open the heavy metal door. The smell of copper and sweat hit me first.
“Miss Mitchell.” Marco nodded at me. Two other men stood guard, their holsters visible under their jackets. In the center of the room, suspended from chains, hung a man whose face was barely recognizable through the bruising.
“What did he do?” My voice came out steady, practiced.
“Tried to skim money from the docks. Cost
80% 19:00
3/6
82
Chapter 1
us a shipment.” Tony cracked his knuckles. “Your father wanted you to handle this one personally.”
“Oh.” I stepped closer, studying the man’s swollen features. In my mind, his face. morphed into Primo’s smug smile, that look he’d had while Yesha sat in his lap.
My palm cracked across the prisoner’s face. The sound echoed off the concrete walls.
Marco pressed a knife into my hand. The handle felt warm but familiar. I didn’t hesitate, the blade slid between the man’s ribs, right where I knew it would hurt.
most.
“No one messes with my family.” I twisted the knife, imagining Primo’s face contorted in pain instead of this stranger’s. Blood ran down my wrist, hot and sticky.
I handed the knife back to Marco and walked out, leaving the man’s gurgling breaths behind me.
I walked back to my room. Blood still
80% 19.00
4/6
+)
82
Chapter 1
stained my hands.
The warm water in my bathroom turned pink as I scrubbed my hands. A mafia heiress couldn’t afford to break down, not even in private. But Primo’s betrayal cut deeper than any knife. The Chromos family had always been stronger than ours, their territory stretched across three states while we controlled just the coast. Violence wouldn’t work against them, not when they had twice our numbers.
My phone buzzed. Yesha’s name flashed on the screen.
I deleted her message without reading it.
The security system chimed, alerting me to an approaching vehicle. Through my window, I watched Primo’s black Mercedes roll up our driveway. Of course he’d come, we had dinner plans with both families. tonight. A “celebration” of our upcoming merger through marriage.
My intercom crackled. “Miss Mitchell, Mr.
BOWL 19:00
5/6
Chapter 1
Chromos is here to see you.”
“Send him up.” My voice didn’t waver.
Primo appeared in my doorway, perfect as always in his tailored suit. “There you are, love. Ready for dinner?”
“Just finishing up some family business.” I smiled, thinking of the man in our
basement. “You know how it is in our line.
of work.”
“The mafia life never sleeps.” He stepped closer, reaching for me. “Everything okay? You seem tense.”
I let him pull me close, breathing in his cologne. The same scent that had lingered on Yesha’s skin in his office. “Everything’s perfect.”
