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I'm starting to forget why I should care. What I'm letting myself walk into. What I'm choosing, despite every reason not to.
Forgive me, Tony,I think as Stefano's hand tightens on my thigh.I'll find another way to save us both.
But as we drive through the glittering Chicago night, I'm not sure who I'm trying to convince anymore. Right now, with wine in my blood and Stefano's touch burning through me, saving anyone feels like a distant concern.
Right now, there's only this.
Only him.
CHAPTERFOUR
Stefano
The Bentley purrsto a stop at the gate, and I catch the slight widening of Ava's eyes in the dim light.
My security team melts from the shadows—Matteo and Luca positioned at strategic points, weapons visible enough to make a statement.
Professional. Lethal. Exactly as I've trained them.
"Impressed?"
"More like searching for escape routes." Her honesty startles a laugh from me. Still my clever girl, always assessing, always planning.
"Old habits, huh?" I murmur as the gate swings open silently. Her body tenses slightly beside me as we pull into the circular drive, and I know she's counting cameras, marking defensive positions. The con artist's daughter, seeing the world through eyes trained for survival.
That thought makes the monster in me purr. Let her look. Let her see exactly what I've built, what I can offer her.
What I can use to keep her.
"You've done well for yourself." Her voice is carefully neutral, but I catch the slight tremor beneath her words. "The Stefano I knew would have hated all this."
"The Stefano you knew didn't understand power." I rest my hand on her thigh again, feeling the heat of her skin through the silk dress. "Now I know exactly how to use it."
Giovanni waits at the grand entrance, his weathered face lighting up with recognition. "Signorina D'Amato." He bows slightly. "It has been many years."
Ava's surprise is genuine. "Giovanni? You're still here?"
"The Rega family takes care of its own," he says with a warm smile and steps back slightly.
My hand reaches for her lower back as I guide her inside. The entry hall gleams, Italian marble and crystal chandeliers casting rainbows across the polished floor.
Ava moves through my domain with a subtle grace in her steps. She takes in all that I have to offer but I know it’s not the wealth that she finds interesting. Her eyes dart to the security cameras around us.
"Your father preferred a more...traditional style."
"My father preferred to rule through fear alone."
I step closer, caging her against the wall. Not touching, but close enough to feel the heat radiating from her skin.
"I've learned there are more effective methods."
Her breath catches as I lean in, my lips brushing her ear.
"Like showing someone exactly what they could have. What they could be part of. What they're missing by running away."
"Is that what this tour is about?" There’s defiance in her voice. "Showing me what I've been missing?"
I trace one finger down her throat, feeling her pulse jump beneath my touch. "No,tesoro. This is about showing you where you belong."