Page 71 of Savage Enemy

His dark eyes flashed in warning behind his mask.

“Once again, you’ve fucking lied to me about a life-or-death situation. Now you want to blame the mess you created on me? I don’t fucking think so, not this time, woman.”

“You brought her here to rub it in my face,” I shouted. “Why else would you break the treaty? No, wait—you probably got the Commission’s permission. Why else would you leave our son in New York without a parent, huh?”

He blinked, then frowned. “You think I betrayed you? If anything, you betrayed me. You lied about your name, your family, why you left me, everything, all lies.”

While he kept his voice low, his tone still seethed with fury. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me against his chest.

“I don’t even know who the fuck you are right now or what I’m supposed to call you.”

I yanked myself free. Then, while absently rubbing my left wrist, I remembered to subdue my expression. His grip wouldn’t have hurt as much if Aris hadn’t twisted the same wrist a few hours earlier.

I couldn’t let Stefano see the bruises Aris had left on me, all the painful, dark patches, or the purple marks around the wound on my arm.

It would send Stefano into a full-blown fit of rage, much worse than what he expressed in his eyes already, and he would go after Aris. He might succeed in killing my sickass brother, but he might not make it out of Chicago alive, maybe not even out of the hotel. Enzo would be left all alone.

So I had to lie more.

An omission of truth… that sounded better.

“I had to lie,” I said.

“Bullshit,” Stefano snapped. “You had plenty of opportunities to tell me everything, but you chose the lies before me. You put me at risk and endangered our son’s life—and then Ifind you at a fucking party dressed like a high-end hooker trying to lure some rich Russian.”

He ran his finger over my breasts.

“Or maybe this is the backup plan, in case the Russians are no longer interested.”

“Fuck you,” I snarled.

“Ah, so that’s it… You’re dressed like this to catch some politician’s eye. Tempt him to the dark side. Drag him into your father’s debt with your perfect tits and seal the deal with that magic little cunt of yours.”

He brushed his fingers over the pearls and the ruby.

“Too bad you forgot something, Valerie.”

My vision blurred with another rush of hot tears.

It was bad enough he could see through the person I wanted to be, but now he stared at what Saul had made me… so no, I couldn’t let him see me cry. He didn’t get to talk to me like that and then witness the pain he caused.

I swallowed hard to push back the emotion.

“What’s that… what did I forget this time, Stefano? And you can call me Valentina now. That is my name.”

Stefano swept his gaze down the length of me, his fingers now following his eyes, tracing along my curves.

“You forgot this is mine. All of it.”

“I’m not yours,” I spat.

His mouth curled into a sinister grin.

“You’ve always been mine… Valentina. You let me fuck you even after I told you how it works with me. Mine. Only mine.”

“Stefano—”

“Mine.”

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