Page 1 of Wicked Rivals

CHAPTER 1

STEFANO

I should have fucked her again.

And again, until she carried my baby inside her. I should have stopped her from leaving me. I should’ve gone back and forced her to marry me, but I allowed her to stay in her innocent little world for too long, so I let her go.

My second-in-command cleared his throat for my attention.

I stood, leaned over the top of my desk, my hands pressed flat on the wood surface, and glared at him.

Fear flashed in Tony’s eyes. He’d crossed the line.

And yet he repeated his question.

“I said, are you taking the wrong bride, boss?”

I’d been asking myself the same question for weeks, but that didn’t mean I would tolerate being questioned about it by Tony or anyone else in my organization.

“Excuse me?” I asked, the edge in my tone making it clear he would get only one chance to explain.

“It’s just that, well, the Capaldo girl… she…”

I turned to the French doors and watched the landscapers preparing the courtyard below for my wedding celebration.

“She what, Tony?”

“She isn’t right for you, Stef,” he said to my back.

“You’re wrong. Benedetta was bred for a man like me. She’ll know her place as my wife and do what she’s told. And she comes with a fortune, her father’s empire as well as her mother’s family business.”

It had taken some work, but I made sure she became the only remaining heir to those two tri-state area families. Our marriage would triple the number of men under my control and make me the most powerful mafia boss in not only the tri-state area but on the entire East Coast.

“But…” Then Tony’s words fell silent again.

“But what? You wanted to speak, so fucking speak. You’ve gone too far to take it back now, so make your point and be done with it.”

“She’s a kitten. You need a lioness by your side. Your plans are ambitious and dangerous. Yes, boss, Benedetta’s gorgeous, but she can’t be the other half you need. You need a stronger woman to raise the sons you’ll have to carry on your line.”

“That’s enough,” I snapped.

I forced myself not to turn and look my second in the eye.

Talking about heirs was pointless because I would never have one. I wasn’t building an empire meant to last. I wanted an empire capable of waging war to get my revenge. And after that, I would burn it all to the ground myself.

Telling a man his life would culminate in a suicide mission was considered unwise. Tony didn’t need to know my plan. He just needed to follow my orders.

It seemed he might, but then he opened his mouth again.

“It’s just that?—”

“No woman is strong enough to stand by me,” I said.

My own lie tasted bitter.

I moved my gaze from the window to a polished wooden box on the mantel above the fireplace. That box contained my truth, the real truth, and it mocked me and my lies even now.

My heart belonged to a woman who could have stood beside me, but she’d walked away long ago.

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