Page 1 of Beautiful Vows

Chapter 1

Lia

I stare down the barrel of his gun as my father's ominous warning to stay away from these people echoes in my ears. A shiver skitters down my spine as I silently chastise myself for my foolishness.

I loathe that I’ll never finish my mission to avenge my mother’s death, or keep these babies inside me safe.

I should have listened to him.

As I anxiously await my demise, Antonio lowers his gun to my chest. I gasp on a hitched breath, expecting pain—but nothing comes.

“I asked you to come inside.” With a flick of his wrist, he beckons me inside his office.

My light steps counter his heavier ones as I step toward the door.

My heart thrums against my breastbone as I enter the room, racing harder when the door closes behind me with the quietest of clicks.

I glance ahead. My foot falters in the air as an icy chill runs down my spine when I realize I’m locked inside this room with Antonio Conti and—

Fuck!

My stomach drops, and I swallow a thick lump of dread as I struggle to keep my composure.

What the hell is he doing here?

My stepfather, Dominic de Luca, stands at the floor to ceiling window. Luxurious white velvet curtains framing either side of his black clad form.

Despite the shroud of darkness enveloping him, I can feel his piercing gaze.

My eyes roam over the gun in front of him. His aim is at my chest. I swallow back the bile that bound up my throat.

“Don’t take your eye off the target,” I hear Jove’s voice inside my head.

And I could crumble, fall to the ground and weep, but if I’m going to die here, I refuse for these men to see me as weak.

Pushing back my shoulders, I step forward, and hope they don’t notice my rapid breathing or my heart pounding in my chest like it’s trying to escape.

“You thought you could come here and kill me, Aurelia?” Antonio’s voice breaks the silence, a cold undertone cutting through the tension.

He knows too much.

His words hang in the air, and I realize the gravity of my miscalculation.

How did it all go so wrong?

The plans, the preparations—they all seemed foolproof. But now, the tables have turned as I find myself at the mercy of the very men I intended to kill.

I try to steady my labored breathing, but the room feels suffocating, the air thick with hostility as my dire situation bears down on me.

There’s no way I’m getting out of here alive.

Dominic remains silent, his eyes locked on mine. But I’m sure I see a touch of pity in his eyes, probably wondering how he’ll deal with the aftermath of my sisters’ grieving.

But they haven’t killed me yet. That gives me a dash of hope that they want to talk first, and I can make a plan.

Suddenly, my mind races, scrambling to remember the house plans, mentally bringing up the images to work out an escape route.

But as I’m trapped with these two men within the confines of this opulent office, first I’ll have to bide my time. Then I’ll seize the opportunity that will hopefully present itself.

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