Page 61 of Cage of Thorns and Blood

The black SUV idling a few doors down catches my attention when I exit the cab. That fucker has security waiting at my place. I’m sure they’re his. Well, he can’t follow me to Italy can he?

I fire off a message to Carol, asking her if she'd like a visit. I explain that things are not too comfortable for me right now, and I would like to stay for a while.

Her reply is immediate and effusive. She says that she would relish my company.

I sit and think. I can stay with her and lick my wounds. Getting over Matteo for the second time will be harder than it was all those years ago but once I’ve shown him that he can’t play me this way, I won’t have a choice but to leave. I screwed Duncan behind his back all those years ago and it led to his obsession. God know how he’ll react to me fucking him over again.

I won’t let him win though. I won’t let him humiliate me all over again. I pour a drink, sit down.

Then … I plot.

Chapter 17

Renata

The plan that I finally come up with is audacious and mildly terrifying. I'm going to get Matteo back in my own way. I'm going to hit him where it hurts, and that's his pride. Let my parents spend their time messing around, trying to come up with a way to hit him in the pocket. That's not going to work. The Mancini pockets are deep, and they are defended violently if needs be.

The longer I have thought about this, the more I’ve realized two important truths. One, my fantasies of revenge are only going to hurt me in the end because I have nobody at my back. Two, I’ve wasted my life being full of anger and hate, and I am sick and tired of it. Funnily enough, it is Carol who has shown me a different way. She just enjoys her life. I have the money to do that. I can do anything I want.

I've made a huge decision as I’ve calmed down. I've spent my life planning against these people, and now I'm simply going to do what I should have done years ago. I'm going to walk away. Not from a place of weakness but of strength. My family won’t rule my life anymore because they will become as nothing to me.

There's a whole world of opportunity out there. I'm a young woman, a beautiful, wealthy one. I also have brains that my family never recognized. Of course, I wonder just how smart I am. I've wasted a hell of a lot of time angry, planning for the downfall of those who've hurt me.

During my endless night of tossing and turning, I came to some stark realizations. Firstly, my family is never going to change. They’ve been the way they are for many years, and it's unlikely that any of them are going to get a heart or a soul soon. At one point, I harboured desires to be on the board and to bring Nico down. But Nico? He’s in love now, and one day that will bring him to his knees. I truly believe it. Plus, we still drive each other crazy, but truthfully, he’s not as much of an asshole as he used to be.

My parents are a different matter. The only way to get my revenge on them would be to bring everything crashing down around them, and ultimately, I'd only be hurting myself. While they may not give me the credit I am due in life, they have provided for me well within their will. Whilst Nico will of course get the business, I will get most of the other assets. That includes a lot of money and a lot of property.

So why burn it to the ground?

Instead of spending my life eaten up by anger and resentment, why don't I spend it doing something that I love. Of course, I'm not quite sure yet what that might be. There are so many things that I am interested in, and with my money I could explore any of them. Carol says that lots of her friends need interior designers, and it's very hard to find people they can trust. I'm great at interiors when I put my mind to it.

I love art, and I've even thought about doing an art history course. Where better to do that than in Italy, the land of the Renaissance itself?

Yes, I feel much lighter today. Life is full of possibilities, and the world is opening.

The second truth I realized is that Matteo Mancini made me fall in love with him twice, and both times he betrayed me.

While I may have decided to finally let my family off the hook, because at the end of the day they can't help being narcissistic sharks, Matteo Mancini is most definitely not off the hook.

The one thing that hurts me above all else is thinking about a future without him in it. Without his touch, his dark gaze on me, and the way he makes me scream when he fucks me. I’ll never find anyone as good as him again, I know it soul deep. It’s inevitable though that the end is coming for us. He’s playing a game with me and if I let it play out, he will win ... again. So even though it hurts, I’m going to be the one to end it.

Tomorrow night, at a glittering society even I’ve discovered he’s attending, he's going to find out what happens to people who crossed me the way he has, twice.

Speak of the devil, my phone buzzes with a text, and his name pops up. He’s messaged me a few times, and I managed so far to put off another meeting by pretending my migraine had left me exhausted. He will know that I am holed up in my apartment because the crazed asshole has his men parked a few doors down watching me.

There's an event tomorrow night, and I would very much like you to come with me. I’ll pick you up around 8:00pm.

It’s an order, not a question. I knew he was going to the event tomorrow night, and I had planned to turn up in a way that he’d very much notice. I didn't plan to attend with him, but why not? It will make my revenge even more delicious.

I’d very much enjoy that. I’ll see you then.

I take the thick embossed card out of my purse and hold it between my fingers as I smile.

Tomorrow night can't come soon enough.

* * *

By the time seven-thirty the following evening arrives, I’m practically dancing with agitation. I'm dressed in a sleek, clinging sheath of pure silk. It wraps around my curves like liquid gold. It's a rich, deep bronzed gold, and I have paired it with turquoise heels and a matching bag.

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