CATHERINEI stared at the three giggling idiots in front of me and kept asking myself how in the world I ended up in this situation. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be sitting in this white-leather booth in the VIP zone of the wealthy-snob-only club. I shouldn't be drinking stuff that cost more than half of my usual paycheck. And I certainly shouldn't wear that stupid pink, glittering veil on my head, like a goddamn Barbie bride!“Your turn to spin, Portia!” Naomi gestured at my half-sister with her drink, spilling more than a few drops on the table.“God save me,” I murmured, taking a cautious sip from my glass.Devilishly grinning, Portia placed the bottle on the table and spun it. I exhaled slowly, leaning against the seat. I still couldn't believe that my father made me come here, made me pretend I was happy for her, and that I was grateful she picked me as one of her bridesmaids. As if the fact that she was going to marry my ex-boyfriend—the guy I'd once wanted to marry and have
My reason evaporated. All the fears, shyness, and restraints were gone too. The only thing that remained was him, his tongue dancing along with mine, his hands running up and down my back, the warmth and firmness of his body...There was no logical explanation for why my hands slid up his broad shoulders and circled his neck. I didn't think I had ever been more daring, more reckless, more utterly insane. I was vaguely aware that we were in the club, that others were watching, but I couldn't make myself care. Not when his fingertips traced a line down my spine. Not when his tongue precisely stroked all the right nerves. Not when a powerful surge of heat made me realize no one had ever kissed me this way. I might have moaned softly against his lips. He might have responded with a breathy chuckle. My toes curled, despite the uncomfortable stilettos I wore. I didn't want this to end. I wanted more. I needed more—A wave of realization came like an icy wind, coating my skin. This had to s
HUNTERMy eyes drifted to the empty booth in the right sector of my club, and my lips curved into a faint smirk. Women had always been a way to disarm the rising tension within me—a pleasant but momentary distraction. I rarely cared for their names. I had never bothered to remember who they were or even what they looked like… But not this firecracker. Her image had already imprinted in my mind.A delightful blend of fear and excitement—that was what I'd seen in her big emerald eyes. The taste of her was like the most powerful drug. Had I died from overdosing her, I would have died a happy man.“She left,” Rowan grunted as he caught me staring at the booth again. “She wouldn't if you didn't ignore that other one.”I turned to him and gave him a meaningful look. I had been around dumb sluts and gold-diggers for far too long not to recognize one even from a distance. That blonde in the pink dress easily met both categories.Rowan chuckled and ran his fingers through his blond hair. “You
CATHERINEThe banging on the door forcefully dragged me out of my sweet unawareness. I opened my eyes and regretted it in an instant. My head throbbed like it was about to explode. Or maybe it had already exploded, but I had yet to acknowledge the fact I was dying. It certainly felt like I was about to die from that freaking headache. This was my price for trying to survive the night with Portia. Now someone decided to torture me even more, taking away my much-needed sleep.“Ms. Catherine! Master told us to wake you up immediately!” The maid's voice boomed through the door. “The reporters will be here in less than an hour. We won't go away unless we know you're up!”They had to be fucking kidding me! Cursing under my breath, I crawled out from under the warm duvet and swayed my way to the door. The banging on my door continued, perfectly matching the pounding inside my head. I wouldn't mind swallowing a ton of aspirin for breakfast.“I'm up,” I growled, opening the door and glaring da
A hysterical laugh broke through my throat. “You're insane! You're going to marry my sister, for fuck's sake!”His brows rose, his lips curving into a cold smirk. “So? You know I don't care about Portia. She will be my wife in name, but nothing else. The one I want in my bed is you.”My mouth opened, but I struggled to come up with any response. I had already learned how cold and calculated he was, but this? Every word he said filled me with sheer disgust.“Think about it, Cat,” he went on. “This can be a perfect arrangement. We can still be together.”Fury heated the blood in my veins. “Together? What makes you think I could ever become your mistress?” I strained through my teeth. “You broke up with me. You humiliated me. Why do you think I would let you touch me again?”“I didn't have a choice back then!” he growled, and I stiffened, repressing a flinch. “You know how my mother is. I could have never married someone like you... It doesn't mean I didn't love you.” He took another ste
My heart fluttered faster than a hummingbird's wings as I stared at the man in front of me. Giulio still groaned in pain, writhing on the ground. Hunter barely spared him a glance before locking his eyes on me.“Thank you,” I rasped, folding my arms over my waist. “If you didn't show up... That man… He—”“He had it coming,” Hunter said simply before snapping his fingers.A heartbeat passed, and two men in black suits materialized beside him. Hunter motioned his chin at Giulio, and the two men grabbed him and started dragging him further away from the main venue.A shudder rushed through me. “Where are they taking him?” I asked, my voice shaking.A cold smirk tugged at his lips. “Don't worry about it.” He slowly scanned me from head to toe. “Are you hurt?”I shook my head, suddenly feeling the cold ground beneath my bare feet. I noticed my stilettos a few feet away and quickly snatched them from the ground. He moved as if to help me put them on, but this whole situation rattled me enou
HUNTERI pushed through the broken doors, entering the Desiderio Club—MY fucking club. Steaming rage slowly filled my veins as I surveyed the damage, estimating the costs. The broken glass screeched under my shoes. It was hard to find the tiniest spot on the floor without it. I kept stepping between the blood puddles, marking the spots where three of ours had been stabbed and a few of those fuckers gutted. The security had been too tight for them to carry the guns, yet they'd skipped a few knives, and so the bloodshed had begun…I walked over to the bar, staring at the pile of broken bottles and spilled liquor. “I will fucking kill them,” I gritted out, grabbing a half-broken bottle and smashing it against the wall.“Someone's in the mood,” Rowan muttered, stopping beside me. “It's not the first time someone tried to ruin our club. So what pissed you off that much?”I blew out a breath and massaged my temples. “Maybe I'm just tired of renovating the clubs over and over again.”“Nah.”
CATHERINEIt was nearly six o'clock. I walked through the long hall, heading to where the limousine had already been waiting. My wavy hair swayed from side to side as I tried to keep my walk steady. I was dressed in a black fitted dress that ended right above my knees. Not the most conservative look I could pick, but at least it had a shallow neckline and no inappropriate slits.The chauffeur opened the door and helped me inside the car. My father was already there. I slid to sit beside him and gave him a tight smile. He slowly looked me up and down and gave me a curt nod of approval. “Relax, Catherine. Would you like a drink?” He smiled and pointed at the small bar between our seats. “You seem tensed. A few drops of alcohol might help you calm down.”My eyes widened in disbelief. Was that truly my father? Was he actually trying to be nice? I watched him take two glasses and pour a thin layer of whiskey into both. He grabbed one glass and gestured for me to take the other one. God… th
I had three days to prepare for the snob party called Carla Pucci's Annual Banquet. According to Marcello's explanation, this event had been organized by the Pucci family for decades. The guests were the wives and daughters of the most prestigious Italian families and sometimes the wives and daughters of their associates. Gianna learned that all the invitations had been sent more than a month ago, which meant that my name must have been Carla Pucci's last-minute choice.I told Gianna to learn whatever she could about the other participants while I decided to meet with my very own queen of gossip and entertainment—Fifi. She invited me for lunch in her hotel. I agreed as long as it wouldn't be the restaurant I'd met with Grasso and my father. She happily obliged.Fifi greeted me in the reception hall. Today was her day off, so instead of wearing her usual manager's uniform, she picked a simple yet sexy light blue A-shape dress with a cute little rounded collar. She looked almost like an
I watched Hunter putting on his three-piece suit as he stood in the middle of the walk-in closet. His already-packed suitcase waited by the door. The blissful moment we had was long gone. I could see it in Hunter's sharp gaze and clenched jaw. Of course, the anxieties within me blossomed in an instant.“Maybe I could come with you,” I suggested, leaning one arm against the doorframe. I was still in my nightgown. The black silk and lace clung to my body, and I was highly aware of how it emphasized every curve. Something changed within me, and that change had a lot to do with Hunter. He pulled out this new daringness to the surface. He made me want to be seen…His eyes slowly drifted down, as if memorizing every inch of my body. Then a sinful smirk curved his lips. “I would love nothing more than to take you with me.” He buttoned his jacket and sighed. “But I can't. If someone planted the drugs there, it's possible the guy with the snake tattoo and others like him will be close. I can't
CATHERINESince Hunter had left, my restlessness became the bone-crushing corset around my ribcage. Falling asleep hadn't been an option, so I'd spent most of the night painting. The exhaustion struck when it was dawning, and I finally decided to wash off the drops of paint from my skin and crawl into the cold, empty bed.I closed my eyes, but despite how drained I was, the sleep didn't come. I wasn't sure how long I struggled to get some rest before I heard the door opening and closing. My heart tripped in response. “Hunter?” I murmured, turning around and trying to find him in the dimness of the room with closed curtains.“I didn't mean to wake you up,” he whispered.“You didn't wake me up,” I said. “I couldn't sleep anyway…”A soft chuckle sounded. “Were you waiting for me, firecracker?” The rustling sound followed. The bed dipped slightly, and a moment later, I was pulled against his bare chest. “Did you miss me?” he purred as his arms wrapped around me.“I was worried,” I muttere
I sat by my desk, watching the sun slowly rising over Manhattan. My time was nearly up, and soon I was bound to make a decision. I shifted my gaze to the three-piece suite where a children-raping monster slept soundly on the sofa. I hated the sight of him in my office. I hated the fact he was still peacefully breathing while his latest victim was fighting for her life in Fabio Lanaro's clinic. But most of all, I hated the mere thought of dealing with this piece of shit and letting him walk out of here freely…I told myself I would make it right one day soon. Grasso would get exactly what he deserved. I couldn't be the one to serve the punishment, and it wouldn't happen today, but he would pay.Rowan's ID appeared on the phone screen, and I quickly took the call. “You figured out how to handle him once he wakes up?” he asked.“I'll have to tell him the truth… skipping the drugging part,” I muttered. “I'd appreciate some leverage, though. Did Enzo and Remo find anything in the data?”“N
Convincing Fabrizio Grasso to meet with me had turned out to be easier than I initially assumed. It was either sheer curiosity or simply greed that made him agree to come to Spine Dorate Tower. He would surely regret trusting me so easily once he figured out the reason behind this meeting. Unfortunately for him, by that time, it would be too late…The doors of my office opened, and Grasso strode inside, two bodyguards flanking him. I sat in the armchair, facing the doors. A hint of a smirk curved my lips as I locked my eyes on the fucker and slowly rose to my feet.Grasso looked around my office and put his hands into his pants pockets. “Nice place you have here. Perhaps I should visit your club one day.”I hated the sole idea of him tainting my place with his presence, but I kept my expression neutral as I pointed at the sofa. “Have a seat. We have a few things to discuss.”“Very well, Thorne.” He gave me a curt nod and walked to the three-piece suit, his guards following.I looked a
Catherine and I watched Lazar enter his limo and leave the estate. Tension radiated from me in waves, and I knew that Catherine felt it too. As soon as Lazar's car disappeared from view, I turned around and walked inside the mansion. Catherine followed me.“Something happened, right? Did Lazar tell you anything?” she asked, trying to read the answer from my expression.I grabbed her hand and led her to my study, debating how much I should tell her as we walked. Then I closed the door behind us and sighed. “Lazar didn't know any of the men I showed him, but he gave us a lead about those two Italians.”Catherine's brows rose. “Really? So what now?”I scratched the back of my neck. “I'll have to drag the answers out of someone who's not my ally,” I said carefully.“An enemy?” She fixed her eyes on me. “Who is it?”My lips twisted into an uncomfortable grimace. “Grasso.”She stumbled back, her face turning pale. “Will you interrogate him?”“I wish I could beat the answers out of him, but
The doors of my office slid open, and I strode inside, my fists loosening and clenching on my sides. Enzo, Remo, and Rowan were sitting in our usual spot, with documents and photos splayed on the coffee table.I'd tried to silence my annoyance as I drove here, and I would have lied saying that regaining my composure had come easily. I understood the urgency, though; to prevent another attack, we needed to act. Fucking my wife senseless would have to wait. Again.“Tell me you found something useful,” I muttered, sitting in the armchair.Rowan grabbed several photos from the table and tossed them over to me. “As you know, we'd taken photos of the bodies before we got rid of them. Enzo ran each one of those fuckers through the face recognition program. We searched through all the databases and police records, and—”“Tell me we have the names,” I gritted out as I went through the photos he gave me. Most of them had tattoos on their bodies. Hopefully, that would help with the identificatio
HUNTERIt had been a week since Catherine's kidnapping, and all her bruises finally seemed to fade. She was healing… at least physically. I had tried to crush the guilt coiling inside her, but I doubted I managed to destroy it entirely. She sometimes stared at her hands, as if she still saw blood covering her skin—Castillo's blood. Her nightmares were now gone, but she had that haunting look on her face telling me her thoughts kept swirling around some dark place.I'd spent most of my time in the estate recently. I didn't want to leave her for too long, and I didn't trust anyone enough to replace me. Instead of forcing her to move back into the main bedroom, I sort of moved to hers. Every night, I had lay beside her, watching her fall asleep wrapped in my arms, making sure she felt safe throughout the night.The old me would have found my behavior absurd, but I'd grown to enjoy this sort of intimacy between us. As cold as it might have sounded, it also served my plans. I had managed t
CATHERINEDry twigs snapped under my bare feet as I ran through the woods. The lines of densely growing trees seemed to have no end. I told myself I could distinguish shapes in the darkness of the night, but the truth was I was nearly running blind.“There's no point in running from us, princess!” Garrett's voice boomed through the forest. “We'll catch you sooner or later!” He chuckled. They all laughed as they chased after me, as if my attempts to survive were their best source of entertainment.Every muscle in my body hurt, and doubts started to fill my mind. Would it hurt less if I surrendered? Maybe death would come quickly, painlessly… No. The one who ordered my death wanted me to suffer. I knew that, and still, a part of me wanted to stop and face the inevitable.“He won't be able to save you forever, you know?” Castillo's snicker echoed among the trees. “You're his weakness! He'll get rid of you as soon as he inherits it all!”I ground my teeth and quickened my steps. I glanced