Page 1 of Saint Of Envy (Tangled Hearts, Sinful Hands #2)
LUC
V alentina Ricci is a dangerous obsession. The kind that gnaws at your mind until there's nothing left but reckless desire. She's not mine. She's with another man. Yet, I woke today knowing I had to see her, consequences be damned.
“You’re risking everything,” Alonzo warns, watching me gather my things.
"Vincent won't miss me for a few hours," I reply, ignoring the judgment in his eyes.
He sighs, resigned. "You realize Leonardo Conti won't forgive this."
"Leonardo doesn't scare me," I say coldly. He might be a Don, but beneath his expensive suits. He's just another arrogant prick exerting dominance through fear.
I arrive at Conti’s estate at twilight, slipping effortlessly through the iron gates with practiced lies. His guards, more muscle than brains, let me pass without suspicion. Once inside the grounds, I move silently, guided only by the faint glow from Valentina’s window.
My heart pounds when I throw the pebble. It sharply hits the window frame. Moments later, she appears, breathtaking and startled.
“Luc? You shouldn’t be here!” she whispers urgently.
"Can I come up?" I don't wait for an answer, scaling the tree effortlessly, slipping into her room. The instant we’re face to face, every buried emotion between us flares to life.
"They set the wedding date," she admits softly, sadness heavy in her voice.
"Then don’t marry him," I insist, angered by the hopeless look in her eyes.
"You know it’s not that simple."
Instead of answering, I pull her close, my mouth claiming hers fiercely. Forbidden, reckless—it's exactly what we've both craved for years. Our clothes disappear quickly, passion overtaking caution. Every touch, every gasp is desperate, knowing this stolen moment might be our only chance.
Later, as I reluctantly rise to leave, I see the tears in her eyes.
“You don’t have to do this,” I remind her again, but her resigned expression tells me otherwise.
Before I leave, I place a small box in her hand. Inside, a delicate bracelet with a camera charm, a symbol of the night we first connected.
“You will always have my heart,” I whisper, slipping back into the darkness.
But as I climb down the tree, dread coils tightly in my chest. Tonight, I've crossed a line. I betrayed my family and defied powerful men. The fallout will be swift, merciless, and unstoppable.
As I vanish into the shadows, I realize there’s no turning back. I didn't defy just Vincent tonight. I ignited a war.