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She stares from the ring to me, then back at the ring again.
The moment hangs in the air like a decade. My heart stops beating in my chest. “What do you say?”
She stares at the ring. “It’s just… I’m still afraid of Max Meralo. He thinks I belong to him.” She shakes her head. “I can’t accept with full joy in my heart till I know it’s over with him, that he doesn’t think I’m owed to him anymore.”
“I’ll take care of it. I promise. Then will you say yes?”
She nods.
Max Meralo has finally met his match.
I will end him, even if it means starting a war.
20
Kylie
I stare downat the diamond on my left hand, watching it sparkle under the lights. After all these weeks, I still can’t believe it’s mine.
The morning after Extravagance, Cannon came to me, ring in hand.
“It’s all taken care of.” He slipped the diamond on my finger. “So, what do you say?”
“Yes. Of course, I say yes!”
“You’re officially mine.” He kisses me.
Joy and relief filled me. “How did you resolve it?”
“You let me worry about that, babygirl.” He looked down, twisting the diamond back and forth over my finger. “It’s not your concern.”
If we were to be married, he needed to know we’re going to be a team. Not just at Fire, on everything. “Tell me, Cannon. I need to know,” I said.
“Well, for starters, someone else caught his eye…”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, when he first got involved with your uncle, Max had seen you at the pharmacy and already decided to make you his. You are just that beautiful, a perfect stranger wanted to trap you into marrying him.”
“Stop it. I am not.” I shake my head. I think of the intensity in Max’s gaze as he stared at me, a little shiver running down my spine. “I’m grateful he’s moved on. Who with?”
Cannon gave a laugh. “It’s a small village. I guess when Kat was making her way out of town, grabbing a coffee as she was heading back to Rome, the two of them bumped into one another. Literally. Apparently, Max ran into Kat, spilling the cinnamon dolce latte she held all over her wool coat. Max is known for shooting up to ten espressos a day; maybe the over-caffeination aids in his intensity. Anyway, she demanded he pay for a new coat. For Max, like with you, it was love at first sight. For Kat, it was probably dollar signs. The Meralos are known for their empire of cash.”
“Seriously? Mad Max and Kat are… a thing?”
“From what I’ve heard. Though their relationship is in the early stages. I’m not sure how stable either one of them are. We’ll see if it lasts.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Still, I needed reassurance that he’d given up on the idea of you for good. I gave him something. Something to keep him away from your uncle, and you, and your Nonna, forever.”
“What is it? What did you give him?”
“I wanted to give him a silver bullet straight through his heart.” Cannon ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “But that would only have started a war. And I refuse to put you in harm’s way.”
“So, what did you give him?”
“I gave him the jet.”
“What? You gave him your jet? You love that thing!”
“It was easy to part with.” He shrugged at me. “What do I need it for? You and I never want to leave Fire.”
