Page 16 of The Merciless King

I shake my head. “Mia. Please. I’m glad you’re alive. It was so terrible.”

We sit, sipping our wines, taking a moment as the memories of her family being slaughtered fills the space between us.

“I don’t remember too much. Thankfully. But the grief will never go away,” Mia says, watching the stem of her glass as she spins it.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” I reach out and place my hand over hers. “I wanted to message you but Papa, you know how he is, said it was better not to. There were rumors...”

Stop talking, Gianna.

Mia lifts her eyes. “Rumors?”

“Well, your husband is a powerful man.”

“Connor had nothing to do with the family,” Mia says firmly.

I wonder if that’s true.

But then again, I mostly don’t care. Certainly not enough to ruin a good evening.

“Mia, I’m sorry. It must’ve been completely devastating.” I squeeze her hand again. “Forgive me. I’ve been brought up to mistrust everyone.”

She waves my apology away. “As was I. We’re not so different, you and I.”

I release her hand and sit back in my chair.

We are.

And we aren’t.

“Except you’ve done what nobody else has. You got out,” I say, glancing at James, who is standing near the bar and out of hearing distance.

I can’t be sure, but I suspect he’d repeat my words to my father if prompted. Who knows, he might do weekly briefings with him to report on what I do and say.

I always assume he does.

Trust no one.

“Yes, but I had to lose every single member of my family to gain that freedom,” Mia reminds me. “It’s a huge price to pay. Especially having lost my mother when I was younger.”

I twirl my glass on the table and nod.

I can’t imagine not having my mother. I’m twenty-five and still live with my parents. The Baldassare estate is huge, so it’s more like a small city than one house, but still.

“And you are still surrounded by security.” I smile at her. “Not everything has changed.”

Mia laughs. “Yes. Marrying one of the wealthiest men in America actually takes away more of my daily freedoms. But he is worth it.”

Interesting. She is probably more heavily guarded than me. I can only spot two Barrett security, but I am almost certain there are more.

“What are you doing with your father’s estate?” I ask.

Mia sips her wine and her eyes wander.

I would love to find a more comfortable topic, but we don’t know each other well as adults. I have nothing else to talk about.

Does she sing?

Knit?

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