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“You haven’t provided a report on the situation in Chicago,” I remind him.

“I already spoke to Luca,” he mutters. “You’re a selfish bastard, Damien.”

He walks away, the door slamming behind him hard enough to rattle the walls. Once he’s gone silence folds around the table like a heavy blanket. Sofia slowly sinks into her chair, her eyes teary. She covers her fac with her hands and groans softly.

“Well… that went great.”

I reach for another glass of wine, pouring it like nothing happened.

“Don’t take it personally,cara. Dante and I will sort out our issues.”

“When?” she bursts out. “Today was the first time you’ve both been in the same room in almost a year and it ended in a fight. The two of you shouldn’t be fighting. And especially not over some woman!”

I don’t have anything to say to that.

Sofia’s blue eyes narrow, “What’s so special about her? That you would sacrifice your relationship with your brother for her?”

“You’ll meet her soon enough,cara,” I mutter.

She stands up abruptly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t want to meet her. I’d rather she never comes into our lives at all,” she snaps, before she storms out of the room as well.

I sigh once she’s gone, unmoving and determined to finish my glass of wine before leaving the room. Luca steps in soon after, his face carves from stone but his eyes flicker with hesitation.

“What is it?” I ask, placing the glass on the table to look up at him.

He clears his throat, “Gabriel Solis has been declared dead.”

I lean back into the chair casually.

“I see. When was his body discovered?”

“Last night. But the news was only released this morning. His official cause of death seems to be a heart attack.”

“And Cassandra?” I question, focusing on what matters to me the most.

“She’s already on her way back from Ibiza. She received the news early this morning.”

I get to my feet at that, buttoning up my suit jacket.

“Start making preparations,” I tell Luca. “We have a funeral to crash. And then, I’m going to bring her home.”

Now that there are no more obstacles in my path, nothing will stop me from having her. Unfortunately, there’s no way to prepare her for what she’s about to get herself into.

And while a part of me wishes it could go a different way. This is the only way I know how to get exactly what I want. I just take it. She doesn’t know it yet, but every step she takes away from me only tightens the chains I’ve wrapped around her.

CHAPTER FOUR

CASSIE

Seven years ago.

A scream pierces through the air erupting from my lips. My eyes are wide and glued to the screen in front of me. I hear the sound of footsteps rushing towards me and a couple seconds later my dad appears in the doorway of the living room.

“Cassandra! Is someone dead?!” he questions, eyes scanning the room like he’s expecting danger to leap out from a corner.

I jump to my feet and hurriedly drag him towards the laptop sitting on the couch.