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Her eyes flickered over my face, and she stiffened. “I’m sorry.”
I tilted my head. “What for?”
“For screaming at you. I shouldn’t do that, shouldn’t provoke you.”
“Provoke me?”
She frowned up at me. My words seemed to make as little sense to her just as her words made little sense to me. She wrapped her arms around her chest in a protective gesture.
Was she scared of my reaction?
“Voicing your opinion doesn’t provoke me, Kiara. And as I said, I don’t act on anger. You don’t have to be submissive. I won’t feel attacked if you stand up to me. I’m aware of my status and power and don’t need your submission or flattery.”
The frown deepened, but she dropped her arms. Her breasts settled nicely against her top as she did so, but I moved my gaze to her face. Another thought crossed my mind, something I hadn’t considered before. “When he came for you, there must have been blood on the sheets.”
She blanched. “It was. Every time.”
“Why didn’t the maids who cleaned your sheets alert your guardians? Your uncle Felix would have acted if Durant dishonored you under his roof. It’s what honor dictates.”
She was visibly fighting with herself, and I allowed her a few moments to form an answer. “He paid one of the maids to clean me and the sheets after … after he was done with me.”
Without conscious decision, I touched her shoulder, knowing many people found comfort in physical closeness. Her body was pleasing to look at and felt good to the touch. She didn’t flinch away. She swallowed again and gave me a small smile.
“What’s her name?”
“The maid´s?”
I nodded.
Kiara hesitated, her eyes searching my face, but whatever she wanted to see, it wasn’t there.
“Why do you want to know?”
“What is her name?” I repeated the question but made my voice more dominant.
As expected, she yielded to dominance. She’d been brought up to comply. “Dorma. She works for Uncle Felix and Aunt Egidia.” Her eyes widened. “What are you going to do to her?”
“I’m not going to do anything,” I said truthfully, and she relaxed. Remo would.
I held out my hand. “Come on. Let’s grab something to eat.” After a moment of hesitation, she slipped her hand into mine. My brothers, Kiara and I, and Fabiano and Leona were the only ones who stayed overnight in the mansion, but people were supposed to arrive for brunch and the presentation of the sheets in a couple of hours.
Kiara followed me quietly through the house.
“This belonged to your parents before they were killed.”
“Yes, now it belongs to my brothers.”
“Luca killed your father.”
“He did,” she said simply.
“You don’t miss him?”
She met my gaze briefly. “Do you miss your father?”
I inclined my head. “No.” We stepped into the kitchen. A few maids from the Rizzo and Vitiello households were busy preparing everything for the brunch.
My brothers were already at the kitchen table, having breakfast. Fabiano and Leona were still upstairs, probably busy fucking.
The maids turned around when we entered, and as they spotted me, they quickly ducked their heads. One of them, a woman in her thirties with short brown hair, moved her gaze over to Kiara, whose pulse sped up under my thumb. That must be Dorma.
I tugged her toward the table and sank down on the chair beside Remo. He was in sweatpants, nothing else. Probably Savio’s clothes since Remo hadn’t returned to the bedroom to grab his own. Kiara sat down next to me with a hesitant smile. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Adamo said. “How did you sleep?” His eyes darted to me, and he flushed. Remo leaned over the table and tapped his forehead with a smirk. “She didn’t. What do you think?”
Kiara gave me an uncertain look as if she wasn’t sure how to react. She would have to learn not to look for my approval. I released her wrist and grabbed an apple and bit into it.
“It would have been a better morning if you’d let me be part of the fun,” Savio said to me.
Adamo glanced at Kiara again. “Las Vegas is really kind of cool. There’s a lot you can do.”
“I’m sure I’ll like it there,” Kiara said softly.
Remo cocked one eyebrow at me as I leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, “After her uncle raped her, one of the maids of the household helped him keep it a secret. She cleaned Kiara of the blood.”
Remo drew back, his mouth pulling into a smile. “Where do I find her?”
My eyes went to the woman with the short hair. Remo followed my gaze then he looked back at me, an excited gleam in his eyes. “I will take care of her after the presentation of the sheets. I don’t want to miss that.”
“Should I tell our pilot that we’ll leave later?”
Remo considered that. “I won’t take too long.”
