Page 53 of Pride

“Don’t tell her. I’ll make it a surprise.”

Luciana laughs. “Not a nice one. She won’t be happy to see you. God knows why.” Her eyes drag down the length of my suit in an attempt to objectify me. It’s pathetic. She’s pathetic, much like the rest of her family.

“Luciana,” Viola says, shaking her head. “Stop being so disgusting.”

Maria laughs and shoves her in the shoulder. “Yeah, you are acting desperate.”

“If you would all excuse me, I’ve got a plane to catch.”

Gio shakes his head. “You can’t even stay for dinner?”

“No time to lose,” as the thought of tonight’s dinner with the Benedetto family without Bella makes my stomach turn. “See you when I’m back,” I say, turning and striding out of the dining room.

None of them say a word to stop me as I head toward the exit, knowing that there was no way I’d stay at dinner with them alone. The only good part about those dinners is seeing my fiancé.

I halt mid-step, my feet suddenly feeling like bricks.

I was looking forward to seeing Bella tonight. When did that happen? An icy shiver slithers down my spine, reminding me of my revenge mission. Nothing has changed, and nothing could change; the only way forward is to watch them all burn.

* * *

My cell phone buzzes,sending my heart racing as Jane’s name appears on the screen. “Hello,” I answer.

“Hey boss, I’ve discovered the date and location.”

My muscles tighten and my blood runs cold. “When and where?” I ask, hoping that going after Bella wouldn’t destroy my mission to take down Gio’s disgusting side business.

“One week’s time at a club called Insignia.”

“Thank fuck for that,” I exhale in relief.

“What?” she questions.

I shake my head. “I’m in London for the weekend. Just got in. I’ll be back in Washington on Monday.”

Jane clears her throat. “Okay, do you want to come over here and we can brainstorm a plan? I know some trustworthy people who can help us out.”

My jaw tightens as I contemplate whether Jane is reliable enough to provide me with the contacts I need. “We’ll discuss further on Monday,” I murmur before disconnecting the call.

I stalk down the street toward my headquarters, my thoughts darkening with a plan to surprise Bella.

Her family, being useless as ever, had no idea which hotel her aunt had booked them into, making it difficult for me to locate her.

To pull off my plan, I need to enlist the help of the finest hacker on my payroll, Jack Oliver, who should be at the headquarters working. Hacking into her aunt’s phone is the only way to find them and ambush them later in the evening.

It feels good to be back on my home turf as I round the corner and step through the revolving doors into my office block. However, the moment I step into our building, I’m assaulted by the image of Henry and five of my subordinates hovering near the entrance.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

They all go still at the sound of my voice, turning to face me.

“I didn’t know you were back in town, sir,” Henry says.

I cross my arms over my chest. “It is an impromptu visit. Are you discussing something important?” I ask as I gaze at the five other men—all high-ranking members in our organization.

Henry glances at Kane, one of our spies. “Kane has discovered a plot against us and I didn’t want to bother you with it like last time.”

“What kind of plot?”

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