Chapter 6
822words
I sit in my studio, scrolling through the comments.
Most are supportive, but some are venomous.
"Another gold digger."
"Costello dumps her and she immediately finds a new wallet."
"The Thornes are old-school. They won't tolerate a woman like her for long."
I turn off my phone. Try to focus.
But my hands are shaking.
The phone rings.
A blocked number.
"Hello?"
"Miss Rossi. It's Nico Torrino."
My blood runs cold.
Nico. Damien's most trusted man.
"What do you want?"
"Easy now, bella. Just a business call." His voice is relaxed, but I know the danger beneath it.
"I have no business with the Costellos."
"Oh, but we do," Nico chuckles. "I'm calling on behalf of an anonymous collector. He wants you to restore a painting. The price is very generous."
"I don't take anonymous commissions."
"Not even for a million dollars?"
I take a deep breath.
The number is tempting. But I know what's behind it.
"Why me? There are plenty of restorers in New York."
"Because you're the best." Nico pauses. "And my boss is… concerned about you."
"Concerned?" I scoff. "Tell your boss he lost the right to be concerned."
"Isabella…" Nico's voice turns serious. "Are you sure you want to do this to a man who loved you?"
"Loved me?" Rage burns in my chest. "Putting a ring on another woman's finger on the night you were supposed to propose to me—is that what you call love?"
Silence on the other end.
"That was… business," Nico says. "You know the rules of our world."
"I do. That's why I left."
"To be with that Thorne kid?" His tone is menacing now. "Did you forget what happened to your father’s company three years ago? How Damien cleaned up the debt… and the bodies? You think those old-money families will accept a woman whose family name was scrubbed clean with blood money?"
"That's my business."
"Is it?" Nico's laugh is chilling. "You think that old-money crowd will ever accept a Don's cast-off? That they'll let their precious heir marry a woman tainted by our world?"
My hand tightens around the phone.
Every word is a knife.
"Listen to me, sweetheart," Nico continues, his voice soft but more dangerous than ever. "Come back where you belong. Damien is willing to forgive you. This is just a little rebellion. We all understand."
"Forgive me?" I almost laugh. "Forgive me for what? For refusing to be his toy anymore?"
"Isabella…"
"Give your boss a message for me," I cut him off, my voice cold enough to freeze hell. "My future has nothing to do with the Costello family. Not now. Not ever."
I hang up. My hand won't stop shaking.
——
Damien's POV
"What did she say?"
Nico walks into my office. His face is grim.
"She refused," he says, sitting down. "And she wasn't polite about it."
I don't say anything. I just keep cleaning my gun.
"Boss?" Nico watches me carefully.
"Her exact words," I say, my voice dangerously calm.
"She said… her future has nothing to do with the Costello family."
My hand stills for a second. Then I continue polishing the barrel.
"What else?"
"She mentioned that night. The proposal." Nico's voice gets quieter. "She's still angry."
"Angry?" I put down the gun. Look up at him. "What right does she have to be angry?"
"Boss, maybe we should—"
"Should what?" I stand up. Walk to the floor-to-ceiling window. "Apologize? Tell her I was wrong?"
Vegas glitters below me. A box of jewels.
My kingdom. My territory.
And she chose to leave it.
"That picture of her and the lawyer is all over the East Coast," I continue. "Everyone is talking about my woman and the Thorne alliance."
"It's just the media, Boss—"
"No." I turn to face him. "Look at the way she smiles. She never smiled at me like that."
Nico is silent.
He knows it's the truth.
"For three years, she kept her distance. Elegant. Calm. Perfect." I walk back to my desk and pick up the Beretta. "But with him, she's… on fire."
I start cleaning the gun again.
The metal reflects my face. Twisted. Ugly.
"What do you want me to do, Boss?"
A cold rage settles in my veins.
Finally, I pick up the phone. Make a call.
"Put a ghost on Julian Thorne," I command, my voice flat. "I want to know where he sleeps, who he fucks, and what makes him scream at night. Find me his breaking point."
"Understood, Boss," the voice on the other end says respectfully. "How long do I have?"
"48 hours."
I hang up. Keep cleaning my gun.
"Then," I say to Nico, my voice a low growl, "Bleed her dry. Kill every contract she has. Freeze her father's assets. I want her on her knees, begging. With nothing. Let's see how long her white knight wants a queen with no kingdom."
