Chapter 2

“You expect me to marry him?”

Rhea’s voice sliced through the dimly lit study, filled with the heavy scent of cigar smoke. Her father, Enrico Moretti, sat behind his grand polished desk, exuding authority as he observed her outburst with cold detachment. Across from him, Dante leaned against the bar, arms crossed, watching her with something close to amusement.

“Lower your voice, Rhea,” Dante murmured. “Unless you want the whole damn house to hear you.”

“I don’t care who hears me!” she snapped, pacing in front of them. “You can’t seriously think I’m going to marry Adrian Vitale.”

“As in, Adrian, the son and successor of our family’s biggest rival?”

Enrico exhaled, rubbing his temples as if her anger was nothing more than an inconvenience. “You will do as you’re told.”

Rhea let out a bitter laugh. “I knew you were ruthless, Father, but this? Selling me off like a—”

“Enough,” Enrico cut her off sharply, his deep voice laced with finality. “This is not about marriage. This is about war.”

She froze, her eyes wide open.

“What the hell does that mean?”

Dante finally moved, pushing off the bar with an evil smirk. “It means you’re not just becoming a Vitale bride. You’re becoming a Moretti weapon.”

Rhea’s stomach twisted.

“You’re sending me in as a spy?”

“Exactly,” Dante confirmed smoothly. “The Vitales think this marriage is about peace. What they don’t realize is that you’ll be inside their home— inside their trust. And when the time is right, you’ll destroy them from within.”

Rhea shook her head, stepping back as if the distance would somehow make this entire situation disappear. "You're completely deluded." Do you have any idea who Adrian Vitale is? He’s not just some arrogant playboy. He’s lethal. If he even suspects—”

“Then don’t get caught,” Enrico said simply.

Her breath came faster, chest rising and falling as she tried to process the insanity of what they were asking.

“And what exactly do you guys expect me to do?” she demanded. “Slip poison into his drink? Seduce him until he spills all their secrets?”

Dante chipped in immediately. “Use whatever means necessary. But be smart about it.”

Rhea couldn’t believe her ears. How could her family be sending her into the belly of the beast?

“This is insane. You're asking me to risk my life.

Enrico’s gaze darkened. “Rhea, don’t be dramatic. It’s a marriage; play your part as a loving wife. Get Adrian to trust you and collect information we could use to topple their empire.”

The room went deathly silent.

Rhea gazed at her father, the man who had molded and hardened her. She had spent her entire life trying to prove her worth to him, trying to be more than just a pawn in his empire.

“And if I refuse?” she whispered.

“You won’t,” Enrico said, his voice like steel. "That's because you belong to the Moretti family." Because your loyalty is to your family, not to some man you barely know.”

Dante stepped closer, his tone dropping to something softer. “Look at it this way, Rhea. The sooner you do what you have to do, the sooner the Vitales fall, and the sooner you walk away from that marriage.”

That made her pause.

“Walk away?”

Enrico nodded. “Once the Vitales are broken, you’ll have no reason to stay. I give you my word.”

Her heart pounded. She was aware of the dangers of blindly trusting. But this was the only way out, the only way to escape a life chained to Adrian Vitale. Furthermore, this was bigger than just her. This was about the Moretti legacy, about avenging the blood spilled over the years.

She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Enrico’s expression remained unreadable, but Dante’s lips curled into an evil smile.

“Good girl.”

Dante pushed off the bookshelf, walking toward her with slow, deliberate steps. He stopped beside her, his voice smooth but laced with something dangerous. “Careful, Rhea. Don’t get too comfortable playing the dutiful wife.”

His fingers brushed her shoulder as he passed.

Rhea forced herself to remain still.

She wouldn’t get comfortable.

She wouldn’t forget why she was there.