ella

of the two women on the floor. I stepped over the black trash bag, leaving the

e, completely ignoring her swelling foot. The sheer terror of Dante Meltoni's presence had driven her

g down her ruined makeup, she looked up at Dante with wide, pleading eyes. "Don Meltoni, please. Don't l

y. He didn't look at them; he looked through them, as if they were nothing more than annoying insects buzzin

gently adjusted the lapels of my white Bergdorf blazer. It was a deliberate, intimate gestur

, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that vibrated

m behind Dante. The *Underboss* didn't spare me a glance as he handed me a thick, leather-bound fol

l document onto the Persian ru

, "the Meltoni Group is assuming full control of all Russo family port a

; it was total annihilation. Dante hadn't just agreed to my terms; he had weaponized his empire to crush my enemies before

. She scrambled forward on her knees, her uninjure

r aristocratic facade entirely shatt

, Victoria's perfectly manicured hand resting on Gavin's arm as she perjure

e frame, completely blocking Victoria's access to me. He looked d

mother," Dan

d stolen my father, tormented my childhood, and sold my freedom. I felt absolut

ctoria," I s

guiding me out of the penthouse. His *Soldiers* fell into a flawless formation around us.

I stepped inside the polished steel box with the most dangerous man in New York. The doors