Page 131 of The Viper's Wife

A beautiful blonde woman, wearing an oversized button-down and tattoos along her right arm and leg, steps from his hallway.

She glances at me, before asking Giovanni a delicate question in Russian.

He replies in the same language, and she smiles warmly at me before disappearing down the hall.

I bite back a hundred remarks aboutsleeping with the enemy.

“Let’s make this quick,” Giovanni says. “I’m busy.”

My ribs ache. I swallow venom and spit out the words I’ve been rehearsing on the drive here.

“I don’t want Valeria anymore.”

Mild surprise flashes across his features. “And that was decided before or after almost running into a house fire to save her?”

I affect my best look of apathy as I walk around Giovanni’s flawless kitchen. I’m not surprised he knows about that. There’s no secrets in the Family. A coal-black bottle of Greco di Tufo sits next to two empty glasses on the island. “That would be after. I’m tired of her. She’s boring, and I’ve had my fun.” I face the cabinets, speaking over my shoulder. “What about that other girl? Giorgia? She still single?”

“Valeria is not giving you a baby?” The slightest hint of threat carves into his words.

I swallow the anger that surges through me. I make my way through the living room, stopping in front of thewindows. Rain lashes against the glass panes, but I still imagine I can see through the grey haze to my apartment, all the way to Valeria’s sleeping form on the bed. “No, she’s been begging me for one. She tries every chance she gets.”

When I turn toward him, his arms are crossed, and he’s leaning against the kitchen counter, sizing me up. “I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

“Get your eyes checked,” I snap. Fucking Giovanni. He doesn’t need to believe me or question my motives. He just needs to obey—to do what he’s good at. “She’s boring now, and her family is an embarrassment. You were right. I was just marrying her to fuck with Father, but since you all are going to let me go through with this, I’m done. Giorgia is a better match—she’s beautiful, fun, she likes art, and she’s part of a powerful family. She’s a perfect match.”

He sighs. “This is inconvenient. Your sister is finalizing the wedding details now.”

I wave my hand through the air. “Alessia loves a good challenge.”

“But she does not like surprises.”

Alessia doesn’t like anything she can’t control. “No, but she’s good at pivoting, and she loves to do things she’s good at.”

He considers this, tapping one finger against his arm. “And what do you suggest we do with Valeria? She will be disappointed, no?”

“She’ll be heartbroken,” I say and force a smirk to my mouth. “I want to leave her a little goodbye package. Some money and help with a new start, out of Chicago. She won’t be a problem for us.”

“Her brother will be upset. He will retaliate.”

Irritation crawls through my veins. “Send him on a boatout of the States. He’s too useless to be a real threat, and if I see his face again, I’m going to kill him.”

“And your papà?”

I meet Giovanni’s eye. This is the most important part. “He’ll be happy I picked a new woman with better connections.”

Giovanni’s expression goes soft, one of the rare times I’ve seen the look on his face. I force myself not to react, not to lash out. If he wasn’t so fucking committed to his role as Matassa’s Beast, to mindlessly obeying my father’s commands, I could’ve kept her.

“If you let her go, you won’t be able to get her back.”

“I know.”

A blonde manin a navy business suit opens the next door I find myself at. “Uh, can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Lacey.”

He scoffs. “Good luck, buddy, she doesn’t swing that way.”

I roll my eyes. “Get the fuck out of my way.”