Page 33 of Ruined By the Enemy
Of course he did.
And he wasn’t going to tell me. I wouldn’t have known if Dom hadn’t mentioned it. Frustration needles beneath my skin, crawling up my spine until my jaw clenches.
“What do you want me to do then?”
“Find a way around it,” he says. “Tell him it’s not viable.”
My eyes narrow. “What if he finds out I lied?”
He shrugs. “Make sure he doesn’t. That’s what we trained you for, Sophie. You’re meant to take down the enemy, not enable him.”
A bitter laugh slips out before I can stop it. His eyes cut to me, sharp, disapproving.
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“No,” I say, though my voice rises despite myself. “But what if I hadn’t come to you? What if I’d already made an offer to the company? You told me to do whatever it took to stay close to Dom.”
His gaze sharpens, voice dropping an octave. “Dom? That’s what you’re calling him now?”
Shit. That wasn’t supposed to slip out.
“I said what you wanted,” I push through, meeting his stare. “You asked me to gain his trust. Now you want me to sabotage a deal he’s invested in—for your gain. So tell me, Uncle, how many sides should I play before I lose myself?”
His silence is heavier now. No longer calculated, just cold. Then he leans back in his chair, folds his arms, and stares at me like I’m a stranger he’s trying to decide whether to trust.
“Maybe I made a mistake sending you in.”
My chest tightens, and my jaw drops. “What?”
“You were supposed to dismantle him. Not get comfortable,” he says, voice like a knife dressed in velvet. “But here you are defending him. Calling him Dom like he’s your fucking savior.”
“That’s not—”
“I don’t think you’re cut out for this,” he interrupts, and it’s a slap I wasn’t expecting. “Maybe I need to pull you out before you embarrass yourself or worse, forget who you are.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything,” I snap. And I’m not defending Dom. I would never.
“No?” He leans forward, eyes gleaming now. “Then let me remind you.”
The room chills as he pauses, letting the weight of his silence crush me.
“The Moretti family took everything from us. Your father trusted them. And they repaid him by gutting his business and leaving him to rot. He died broke, disgraced, and alone. And you—” his voice hardens, “—you were too young to understand then, but I damn well expect you to understand now.”
His words punch through the air like gunfire. Every syllable is calibrated to cut. “So tell me again, Sophie. What exactly are you doing getting sentimental over Domenico Moretti?”
My throat feels like sandpaper, but I don’t flinch. He’s instilled too much that I resort to muscle memory. “I’m not sentimental,” I say quietly. “I’m strategic.”
He scoffs, standing now, pacing like the predator I grew up watching from behind glass.
“You’re compromised,” he says. “And you’re sloppy. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s gotten into your head.”
He stops just inches from me. “Or maybe into your bed.”
My blood goes ice cold, and air snaps between us, brittle and thick, dangling the truth between us. “I might’ve been young, but I haven’t forgotten,” I grit my teeth. “You made sure I couldn’t.”
I’m not sure if I’m angry at Dom or bitter at my uncle.
Or maybe I’m angry at myself for being sidelined. Not once or twice… letting Dom get into my head when I should’ve been focused.
