ry

f Demetrius's unspoken judgment pressed down on the room until the sheer terro

shattered the quiet. She scrambled up from her knees, her manicured finger

lease, you can't let her play you! She is a *puttana* (whore)! She orchestrated this entire setup to cover up the

the room plummete

y that Demetrius Maddox, the most feared man in Chicago, was a gullible

grandmother Carmelita and my uncle Christian turned the color of chalk. They realized instantly what Hailey's panicked outbu

s, but it was entirely eclipsed by the cold, burning need for my own Vendetta. I needed to prove to

nce between us in

my arm. *Smack.* The sharp, explosive crack of my palm against

sed onto the unforgiving Italian marble with a pathe

ward and drove the needle-thin heel of my sti

beneath my weight. I didn't flinch. I slowly crouched down, ignoring her agonizing sobs,

of an inch. She wailed, her body convulsing in pain. "Your mistake was being stupid. You dragged our

rom her tear-soaked face to the p

ic scheme born solely from your own petty jealousy? Or did your father, our esteemed

just escalated a petty sibling rivalry into a full

but the oppressive aura radiating from him had shifted. It wasn't just anger anymore;

realization that she was completely trapped. But a cornered snake always strikes blindly. Through her tears, he