Page 39 of Desire and Revenge

Nero. He’s changed out of his wet clothes, now dressed in a navy-blue t-shirt and dark sweatpants, the casual attire doing nothing to hide the raw power that always seems to radiate from him.

His eyes are on me—lazy, almost bored, but undeniably hungry. He’s drinking me in slowly, and the way his gaze lingers makes my skin prickle. Instinctively, I glance down at myself, realizing with a jolt that I’m not wearing a bra. Heat rushes to my face as I wrap my arms around my chest, trying to shield myself from his piercing stare.

“My men are on it.” Sebastian’s voice pulls me back to the present. He’s addressing Pietro, but I can’t take my eyes off Nero. “Before Paolo says his vows, I’ll have the culprit.”

But I already know who the culprit is, and he’s standing right there, watching me like he owns me.

I don’t take my eyes off Nero. I couldn’t even if I tried, and I see a smile carving his lips at my husband’s words. His eyes are still trained on me, so he knows I saw it.

He knows that I know.

There’s something in Nero’s eyes as he looks at me. As if we are in on a secret together.

“Let me escort you to your new room, ma’am,” one of the resort attendants says, suddenly appearing at my elbow. “They’ll try to salvage what they can from the fire.”

I stare at the baby-faced man, blankly. I don’t want to go with him. Leaving means putting Sebastian in Vittoria’s hands.

Liar, a voice inside of me whispers. This has nothing to do with Sebastian.

“She looks like she’s in shock,” Nero’s deep voice cuts through the silence, pulling everyone’s attention. “I’ll take her to her room.”

Oh no.

No, no, no.

“That won’t be necessary,” I blurt out, my voice too fast, too high. “I’m fine. I’m completely fine.”

“That’s a great idea,” Sebastian chimes in, oblivious to my growing discomfort. “Thanks, my friend.”

The last thing I want is Nero near me after what happened earlier, but refusing him will only raise suspicion.

I force a smile as Nero stalks toward me, his predatory gaze locked on mine, like a tiger sizing up its prey. How is no one else seeing that dangerous look in his eyes? Or maybe it’s just in my head.

We walk down the long hallway, trailing behind one of the suited attendants. We fall far enough behind that I know this is my chance to get answers.

Why did he set the fire? I know it was him. I don’t know how I’m so sure, but I just am. The question is, why would he do it? There’s no bad blood between them that I can see.

The only reason I can think of is... me.

“Were you trying to kill him?” I whisper, my voice barely audible as I turn to look at him.

Nero exhales a puff of smoke, calm and indifferent. “Maybe.”

My jaw drops. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell? It would be the perfect way to get rid of you once and for all.”

“I didn’t realize you were trying to get rid of me, Princess,” he drawls, a smirk playing on his lips. “You must not be putting much effort into it. And for the record, he won’t believe you.”

He’s right. Sebastian wouldn’t believe me. I don’t have any evidence to support my outlandish claim. And let’s be real, my husband sees Nero as family. I’d have a better chance blaming Vittoria.

“Why did you do it?” I demand, my voice trembling with frustration.

Nero’s jaw tightens. “Why do you think?”

“I don’t know what to think,” I admit, feeling the weight of his gaze on me.

“You’re lying to yourself,” he snaps, his voice low but sharp. “You know exactly why I did it, Princess.”

“If this is about him possibly having an affair with that Vittoria woman, we can’t be sure,” I stammer, trying to make sense of it all. “He could’ve just been trying to save?—”

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