Page 25 of The Empress

“Sit!” he orders with a threateningly calm tone that makes the tiny hairs on the back of my neck rise.

I clench my jaw and keep my eyes trained on the light brown and beige marble top while I do as I’m told.

“Answer me,” he demands.

“No, I’m not,” I bite the words out. My anger wins, and I grumble, “I ended my relationship of four years, seven months ago, and I’d much rather go back to my cheating ex than spend another second with you.”

Leo tilts his head, a frown forming on his face. “Your ex cheated on you?”

I roll my eyes while letting out a heavy breath, and picking up my fork, I gather food on it before taking a bite.

“The idiot’s loss is my gain.”

I swallow the creamy pasta, then level Leo with a glare. “He might be an idiot, but at least he’s not threatening to kill me and my family.”

“Your family didn’t cost him the life of one of his men,” Leo replies, his tone dark again. When my gaze flits to his, hecontinues, “Finish your food. I have to go to pay my respects to his widow and have two other men in the hospital to check on.”

My heart squeezes in my chest, and my first instinct is to offer my condolences, but instead, I keep my mouth shut and focus on eating so I can return to my bedroom.

With a bit of luck, I won’t have to interact with Leo for the rest of the day.

Chapter 6

LEO

What the fuck am I doing?

I keep asking myself that question the entire drive to Klodian’s house, where Massimo is waiting for me.

Every second I spend with Haven makes me feel more and more aggravated because I have no idea what it is about the woman that made me take her.

She’s right. I’m fucking insane.

Sure, Haven is breathtakingly beautiful, but that’s no reason to force her to marry me.

Gesù Cristo, am I really going to go through with the wedding?

What if we can’t learn to get along, and she drives me up the wall? Fuck, I really don’t want to tie myself to a woman who’s going to make my life miserable.

The memory of when I pinned her to me in the kitchen flashes through my mind.

Every time I touch her, the urge to grab onto her and not let go surges through me.

What the fuck is it about Haven that has me doing things that are entirely out of character for me?

When I saw her cowering beside her mother in Nicolo’s house, the words that I’m taking her left my mouth before I could even process the thought.

I almost shot Mattia because he backhanded her.

And now you’re holding her prisoner.

Fuck, I’m never going to know a moment's peace in my own home again.

I bring my Porsche to a stop in front of Klodian’s house, and it pulls me out of my thoughts. When I get out of the vehicle, I can hear Carlotta weeping, and it makes my heart clench in my chest.

Sucking in a deep breath, I walk to the front door and let myself in. Carlotta glances over her shoulder from where she’s standing in Maurilio’s embrace. Massimo is sitting on a couch, looking exhausted as fuck.

Giving her a remorseful look, I walk closer and place my hand on her shoulder. “I’m so fucking sorry, Carlotta.”