Page 34 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

“Her maiden name is Bianca Sokolov. You know her as Bianca Myers.”

Christophe and I gasped at the same time. The revelation shocked me straight to my core. My entire body overheated instantly, sweat beading at my temples and behind my neck.

“You mean to tell me, the woman that was once Giovanni’s fiancée, later Brenden’s wife, is Angus Sokolov’s biological daughter?” I gulped, my hands quaking.

So many things came together in a flood of information, pieces connecting left and right. “She worked for the attorney Falco & Myers used for their shared business for years. She dated Giovanni for a year and a half before she conned him into marrying her. Then she cheated on Giovanni with Brenden, one of my oldest friend’s sons.”

“And now she’s carrying the heir to either the Falco dynasty or the Myers’ fortune. If I didn’t despise her father, I would tip my hat to her ruthlessness.”

“We have to warn them!” I stood up, my drink splashing over the wooden desk as I quickly set the glass down. “Where’s my phone…” I remembered leaving the traceless phone in my coat pocket when we entered the house. Inspector Moreau hadgiven it to me since the authorities had taken our phones into evidence.

“It’s too late,” Diego frowned.

“What’s too late?” I breathed.

“My sources looked into the connection between all of you. While you were kidnapped and dealing with Angus, your family was on the receiving end of Bianca’s wrath. It is why I felt compelled to come to France.”

I tightened both my hands into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I imagined the worst… That Julianne and Brenden were dead. Possibly even Giovanni, though that was less likely. Gio was a force all unto himself.

“Tell me,” I croaked. “Tell me everything.”

For the next thirty minutes, my heart broke in half as I listened to Diego share the horror story of what had been happening in New York. Giovanni had been sexually assaulted, Bianca going to jail, only to be released on bail, now holed up in a cottage close to my home here in France. The last was the worst part. That Diego received word that the physical office of Falco & Myers had been bombed, while Gio, Julianne, and Brenden were still in it. Their medical status was listed as confidential, but Diego had his sources working on retrieving the information. We had no idea if they were alive or dead. He claimed he’d have more information in the morning.

I slumped back into the chair, no longer capable of holding myself up.

So much destruction and turmoil.

“This is all my fault…” I shook my head, my voice quivering.

“No.” Christophe’s voice grated, his tone raw and jagged. Suddenly, he was kneeling directly in front of me, his hands on my kneecaps, his eyes piercing straight into my soul. “This is all my fault,mon coeur.”

I closed my eyes, tears falling down my cheeks.

“No, it is ours. For taking over The Marriage Auction all those years ago.”

It all started then. Thirty years ago. When I myself was a candidate in The Marriage Auction.

“Lo que será será.”Whatever will be, will be. Diego sang, sounding much like the song, his nonchalance grating on my last frayed nerve.

“That’s easy for you to say, Diego, you have no skin in this game. You haven’t even shared whether or not you will help us get through whatever this is and take down Angus for good,” I spat, the ugliness inside of me spilling out into the beautiful room.

He grinned and puffed on his cigar, looking very much like the cat that ate the canary.

“I will help you take out Angus. But it will cost you a great deal and even more trust.”

“Anything! We are desperate,” Christophe demanded as he stood and faced the criminal that had somehow become…a friend.

“My first demand—we kill Angus. Do not kid yourself into believing he will go to jail and justice will be served. If I am involved, he will be dead, because for men like Angus and myself, it’s kill or be killed. There is nojustice.”

I swallowed back the bile gliding up my throat as the ramifications of our situation became brutally clear.

Christophe stood behind me and squeezed my shoulders. “This revenge of Angus’ is ultimately my responsibility. It stems from my actions snitching on him to the authorities regarding his part in Celine’s death. I will take his demise upon my heart and soul and wear it like a badge of honor!” Christophe sneered.

Diego lifted his chin, accepting Christophe’s claim with an air of dignity.

“There’s more,” Diego issued. “When me and my men take him down, we will acquire his empire. When one giant falls, another rises to take his place.”

“We don’t care about his empire. I want nothing to do with the man,” I added, and Christophe nodded.

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