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“I told you I would.”
Her eyes flicker over to Ava, confusion pulling her brows together.
I sink down to my knees in front of her, wrapping my hands around hers.
“I’m so sorry. For everything. I see now that father is a monster and that you’ve been afraid of him this whole time, for good reason. I’m sorry I ever was unkind to you and didn’t trust you.”
She tears up, squeezing my hands gently in her own. “None of that matters now, Antonella. You need to leave.”
My mouth falls open in surprise. My mother’s words cutting me deep. “What…?”
“He knew you’d come for me if he sent you that message.” She shoves my hands away from her. “Go now. Before he catches you.”
I scramble, not understanding what is going on. But I know that when my mother uses that tone with me, she means business.
He wanted to lure me here? Why?
I turn around, ready to tell Ava to head out when the door swings open again.
A familiar figure steps into the room.
“Well, well. What do we have here?”
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
“If it isn’t my traitorous whore of a daughter. Tell me, how is your Irishman faring?”
I fist my hands at my sides. I grit my teeth, wanting to tell him to go to hell for what he’s done to our family.
I hold back and try to simmer down my anger.
“I didn’t betray anyone.”
My father glares at me. “Your betrayal to this family will not go unpunished, Antonella. Mark my words—you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
“Mybetrayal?” I can’t help but choke out the words. “You are a monster! You cut off your own wife’s finger just to,what, prove a point? You’re sick! I know that you were the one to frame Killian for all of those bodies a few years back, how you blamed the Irish for all your crimes! I know about all of it.”
My father crosses his arms. “You know nothing.”
“I know plenty.” I fist my hands in my hair, pulling at it. “All I ever wanted was for you to accept me. Let me in like you did with Enzo. How hard was that to do? Apparently too hard, considering this is where it’s led us.”
“You think you know everything, Antonella, but you don’t. You don’t know half as much as you think you do.”
“I swear,” I grit through my teeth, “I will make you pay for what you’ve done. If it’s the last thing I do.”
He tilts his head back and laughs at me. “Oh please, spare me, Antonella! You wouldn’t hurt a fly. Always a softy. How are you going to go after your own father?”
“You’d kill me though, right? If I tried,” I snap back.
That sobers him up—real quick.
“You want power, you want influence?” I continue on. “Well, I will be there to stop you every step of the way. Keep underestimating me and see how far that gets you.”
“You aren’t capable.” He scowls deeply. “You never have been. Besides, you’re not mine to kill.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shakes his head at me dismissively. “Edgar Thomas wants your head for Ben’s death. They know about you and your little boyfriend’s plan to wipe out the Thomas’ heirs and take all of the money for yourselves. I’ve given him my blessing to hunt you down.”
