Page 70 of Dangerous Vows

I hear the door of the penthouse click and slip into my coat, hoping he won’t be punished for this, but knowing in my heart he will suffer consequences.

I slip into a dimly lit corridor and hit the elevator button. When it arrives, I quickly ride it to the first floor. I slip out a side entrance and tuck my chin down as I step onto the street to avoid being recognized.

Elio pulls up, and it takes all my willpower to ignore the pain in my chest. Pietro and I might be at odds, but there’s still something simmering beneath our trust issues.

Elio barely glances at me as I get in, and he quickly pushes the gas.

I press my forehead against the cool window as the city speeds past, the neon glow of signs and headlights flashing like a warning.

This is a mistake.

But I don’t see another way.

Twenty minutes later, I’m in front of my father’s estate. The gates open without hesitation, and the security detail recognizes Elio and nods. I feel like I’m in a spy novel as I walk the long path toward the house. Elio flanks my left side.

“You’re doing the right thing. Your father can’t weather another month of hits on our warehouses.”

Why should I care?is what I’m thinking, but I keep my comment to myself.

Inside the house, it’s as if I never left. Everything is the same.Ornate. Cold. A house built on power and blood, not love. The chill of the tiled floors makes me shiver.

The staff moves around like ghosts, their gazes flicking to me before dropping back down. They know what my presence means—why I’m here. They overhear many things, which is why Daddy has them all sign NDAs.

There’s a lump in my throat as I approach his office door, which is cracked open as if he knew the exact moment I would arrive.

I step inside.

My father looks up from a ledger on his desk, his expression impassive. “Finally come to your senses?” he barks.

I close the door. “We need to talk.”

He gestures for me to sit, but I don’t. My legs are too shaky because my nerves are stretched too thin.

“Please call this off.”

“You’re being ridiculous. I’ve lost a million dollars over the past two months. This ends today.” He stands and walks toward me. I step backward, but my back hits the door.

“Just give in and accept the fact you’ll marry Vukan. You need someone to teach you the ways of our world—someone to keep you in line.”

And the way he says this makes me ill.

I’m out of options.

“I’m pregnant,” I say, my voice unwavering, even as my stomach twists violently.

He doesn’t blink.

I keep going, “It’s Pietro’s.”

A calculated pause. A slow inhale. “And you’re telling me this because?”

“Because I want out.” The words are bitter on my tongue. “The Petrovic’s won’t want another man’s bastard. Let me go. I already belong to the Borrellis. This way, there’s no war, and no dishonor. It’s a clean break.”

A slow, terrifying smile spreads across his face as he cracks his knuckles. “You think you’re so clever.”

My stomach knots as I realize all too late that I’ve grossly miscalculated the situation.

He closes the distance between us with deliberate steps and stops before me. “You have to marry Vukan. I gave Miloš my word.”

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