Page 51 of Righteous Deceit

“Amadeo,” I snap, and he clamps his mouth shut.

Nodding vigorously, he sits up straighter. “You want me to get to the point.”

I smile, the gesture anything but serene.

“She’s been spotted with two different men in as many days. It’s not the first time. Rumors are swirling about what your motives are regarding her matrimony. They’ll begin circling, expecting you to pair her off.”

I scratch my chin. “I don’t understand. What men?”

“The first is Charles Junior Lincoln.”

“CJ.”

“Hm,” he confirms.

I frown. “He’s her stepson, for fuck’s sake.”

“That’s where it gets sticky.”

“Sticky?”

“She entered his office recently and stayed for hours. When she left, the two looked inebriated.”

I shrug.

“The family believes them to be involved.”

“Because she went to his office?”

“Because the moment she entered his office, CJ closed his blinds and locked his door.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re fucking.” Stupid, certainly.

“It doesn’t mean they’re not, either.”

I can’t imagine my sister letting her late husband’s son fuck her, but I can’t deny it unequivocally. As close as Alessia and I are, we don’t talk about sex.

“That’s not all,” Amadeo continues. “She’s been spotted many times with Diego Greco.”

“Should I know that name?”

“He’s one of Caruso’s capos.”

I clench a fist.

“I understand we’re brokering peace with their outfit, but it looks bad. Mere months ago, we were rivals.”

“We’ll always be rivals.”

He nods once. “They want her married, Salvatore. They believe she’s disrespecting our ways.”

My eyes narrow. “They all keep whores.”

“Their whores aren’t billionaire stepchildren or rival family members,” he argues quietly.

My nostrils flare as I force an inward breath. “What’s in the envelope?”

“Proof.”

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