Page 30 of Ruthless Lord

Grandfather puts aside his tablet and slowly pushes himself from the recliner. I resist the urge to help him. That’d only weaken my position. He shuffles away, hands behind his back, looking toward his front window.

“Here’s what I will offer you.” He doesn’t look at me as he speaks. “The Marino Famiglia has one of the most sophisticated smuggling and shipping operations on the East Coast. I’ve been trying to figure out their logistics for years now without much success. It’s that damned omerta absurdity. But you are going to get close to them. You will use your husband, twice your age or not, and you will learn everything you can about their operation. You will report back to me weekly with what you learn. And if you live up to your end of the bargain and you give me what I need—” He turns, eyes narrow and cold. “You will be granted a divorce in one year.”

This is the grandfather I’ve always known.

A harsh, ruthless man willing to do anything to get what he wants.

Including marrying me off.

I’ve been lucky until now. He hasn’t turned this aspect of himself around on me. Everything I am, I learned from this man.

But I should’ve known it was only a matter of time.

Grandfather is a force of nature, and anyone who gets in his way will get flattened.

“You want me to spy for you.” It makes a sick sort of sense. They won’t suspect me. I get the feeling Stefano will look at me like a toy. He won’t even notice as I sink my claws into him and peel away all his secrets.

“Call it corporate espionage if that helps at all. I ask for one year, and in return, you’ll still be allowed to inherit.” His eyebrows raise. “After the divorce, naturally. There will be some extremely aggressive prenuptial agreements put in place.”

I look away, down at my hands, weighing the deal. One year is still a long time.

It’ll also mean betraying Stefano in the end, and I don’t know if he deserves that.

I think of the man from the warehouse last night. The scarred, brutal, vicious bastard. The asshole who expects obedience.

Maybe it’ll be fun to disobey him the whole time.

Or maybe I’m just desperate enough to agree to anything right now, so long as it leaves me with a glimmer of hope.

I know this is wrong. No part of me wants to marry Stefano only to use him, even if he was kind of a dick the other night.

I’m not that kind of person.

Grandfather taught me to be aggressive and brutally efficient, but I’ve always managed to avoid hurting people in the process.

Except I see no other way out. I could call my father’s bluff, but I really don’t think that’ll end well.

This is the best of all the terrible options.

One year as Stefano’s wife. I’ll mine him for what he knows and give it all to my greedy grandfather.

And in the end, what will I be left with? Freedom?

What’s the point of that if I leave my soul behind?

I despise this. I can still taste Stefano’s tongue against mine. I can feel him between my legs. It almost makes me smile, if it didn’t make me feel sick to my stomach.

But I just can’t see any other way out.

I have to play the game. Even if the game’s being forced on me.

“I’ll do it,” I say in a small voice before raising my chin again to glare at my grandfather. “And when I inherit, I’m going to destroy my father.”

“That’s my girl.” Grandfather seems genuinely delighted. “Good luck, dear. I have all the faith in the world in you.”

I really doubt that.

But I just made a deal with the devil, and there’s no going back.