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Inside of two minutes we are stepping through the doors and as I flick on the light and it illuminates the billionaire’s paradise, my heart sinks when I realize there’s nobody home.
“Search the place.”
Cesare instructs my soldiers and as they spill out in every direction, I wander over to the skyline and glance down at the city I rule through fear. Here I am king. The Ortega empire is a poison running through this corrupt city and if my wife is hiding on the streets, it won’t be long before she’s returned to me. However, I’m doubtful of that, just hoping she’s pissed and will show up here at daddy’s apartment, hopeful of licking her wounds in a familiar space, so I settle down to wait for her.
The soldiers return empty handed and Cesare takes the seat beside me and whispers, “Empty, but you may want to take a look in his den?”
“Why?” I’m standing immediately and he says in a low voice, “It appears he keeps his files here. There’s a huge cabinet and on closer inspection, there are some names in there you may be interested in.”
I waste no time and follow him and as he opens the door, the masculine smell of cigars and brandy remind me how much I need both right now.
Cesare switches on the light and I take a seat at Jared’s huge walnut desk and as Cesare brings several files for my inspection, I can see he was right to bring it to my attention.
It makes for interesting reading and prompts me to conduct a search of my own and I’m rewarded when I discover the false bottom to his desk drawer and pull out a black leather folio that has a gold embossed script on the front.
D and L entwine around a dagger and Cesare peers over my shoulder as I open it.
As we leaf through the pages, snapping photos of everything in it, my dread turns to a real fear. What the fuck is going on?
Cesare whistles slowly. “This is serious shit.”
“Bastards.” I growl as my life plummets off the edge into a dark abyss below.
Now it’s even more important to find my wife because, from the look of this shit, she doesn’t have long.
CHAPTER22
ABIGAIL
Clarice lets us into her father’s apartment and says with a sigh. “Thank God, we made it.”
“For now.” I remind her because if I know one thing about Matteo Ortega, he will find us in the end and I may not like my punishment, despite craving one earlier.
She heads to the kitchen and flicks on the kettle.
“We could use something stronger, but a coffee would be good for now.”
As I kick off my shoes, I hate how betrayed I am. It’s as if Matteo clawed out my heart and set it on fire because sensing his need for that woman killed any happiness I had inside me stone dead.
I want to sob into a pillow and forget I ever met Matteo Ortega, but how can I? I married the bastard and now I’ll have to face my parents and tell them I made a huge mistake.
It doesn’t feel like a mistake, though. It still feels like the best decision of my life, especially when I remember how amazing it was when I was in his arms.
I love him.
That stuns me because when did this materialize into love? How can I love a man like that? Then again, how can I not?
Clarice thrusts a steaming mug of coffee toward me and says with a cheeky wink, “I know where the brandy is. Perhaps we can add some to make it go down better.”
“You read my mind.”
I watch as she heads to a cupboard and pulls out a bottle and tips some into my mug before doing the same to hers.
“To bastards.” She raises her mug to mine and as I take a sip, I relish the burn as it slides down my throat.
“So, distract me, honey, and tell me about your love life.”
I really need to escape from my reality right now, and she appears a little on edge when she stares at me with a guilty expression.
