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CHAPTER SEVEN
Gianna
“Miss, are you ready?” Matteo calls from the door. I rest my back against the wall and stare out the window. My dream home; I worked with an architect for months to create it. Every single aspect is perfect. Even down to the one-of-a-kind gothic wallpaper and handcrafted candle holders.
My father calls my home depressing. I call it peace. My home has always been dark, except this time, I got to create something beautiful.
And now I have to leave it behind and potentially never come back.
“Give me a few minutes,” I brush him off.
The door closes behind him. The furniture is all staying. Everything is staying exactly as it is, because I’ll be coming home soon. All I need to take to Sterling Ranch is the simple necessities. Clothes, shoes, my red lipstick, and my weapon collection. I run my fingers along the dining table, crafted from onyx with a deep maroon resin, and roll out the tension away in my shoulders.
I know Dominic is waiting outside for me in the Rolls. I know I have to leave. This is going to war, for my family. That used to excite me. Except now, all it does is fill me with dread.
Because up until now, I believed we could win.
I pull out the last cigarette in the packet and light it, grabbing my emerald Chanel purse from the side, my head held high. My heels click against the wooden flooring as I make my way to the door. Matteo nods and falls in line behind me. Dom’s already in the passenger seat of my car. All of our stuff is being driven by Matteo in a van. He’s one of the handful of guards we’ve got staying in New Falls on rotation.
I stop as Tomasso puts his hand on my car. I flick my cigarette on the ground beside his sparking loafers and blow my smoke straight into his face.
This son of a bitch was Fabio’s best friend, and I have no doubt he was in on helping Fabio betray me. Even if Father can’t see it. I can. I’ve seen through this little asshole since I was sixteen.
His lips curl into a grin, and I clench my fist as he leans in.
“Good riddance to the witch,” he sneers.
I don’t react; I hold eye contact as I run my hand down my side to the hem of my dress.
“I’m sorry, Tomasso, I didn’t realize you had authority to speak in my presence. You are still aware of how the food chain goes, right? Me, right up here.” I lift my right arm up above my head to distract him.
“And you. Right down here.” I point to the ground.
He chuckles. “Of course, Your Highness,” he says with a bow.
“Mighty full of yourself for a man only here by the skin of his teeth. Fabio isn’t here to protect you anymore,” I say calmly.
He glances at Dom, only for a fraction of a second, and I laugh.
“You think because he puts his dick in you that you have some sort of way up the family ladder? You really have fewer brain cells than I thought.”
His eyes form slits, his jaw tensing.
I stick out my bottom lip. “Aw. Tomasso thought Dominic was in love with him? How foolish. You should know by now the Milano family doesn’t fall in love. You are simply an asshole, figuratively and literally.”
His fists clench by his side, and he steps closer. I hold up my hand, pushing it into his chest.
“Take one more fucking step, I dare you. It will be the last thing you do,” I spit.
He sucks in a breath. “You’re a jealous little virgin who can’t even beg a man to fuck her. No one wants you, Gianna. Have you ever thought about that? How all these men surround you your entire life, and not one makes a move. Not one man wants to have sex with a creature as vile as you, let alone fall in love.”
My hands shake by my side, but I don’t let him see any reaction. I don’t let him know the nerve he hit. He doesn’t know the reality of my situation. The orders that surround me and control every aspect of my life.
I draw the blade from my thigh strap and shove it straight into his groin, glaring right into his blue eyes as I do. He cries out, clutching at the handle, stumbling back against my car.
“Move.” I usher him away. “I don’t want your blood on my Rolls; it’s worth more than your life.”
“Help!” he cries to Matteo.
