Page 100 of Venomous Vows

“To get Spencer.” I glance over at her and Marcella stares back at me with a frown. “I can’t say that I blame him, Elena. That man almost tried to get all of us. Everyone but Dad.”

“How does that make sense?”

“What does Dad have that’s worth it?” she says with a shrug. “Nothing. A failing business and daughters who barely speak with him. He knows what he did was wrong, and he’s going to see a therapist or something.”

I’ll believe that when I see it. And right now, with everything happening, I can’t find peace with him.

If ever.

“I’m glad if he does,” I mutter. “But he needs help.”

“He’ll have to worry about that. And see, Elena, Adrian is doing this for all of us. For you. I’m locked up in his house because of The Disciples. He has a presidential-stocked security team on you at all times. Me, too. We need to move on with our lives and we can’t because of all this.”

“He’s going to get himself killed if he thinks he can just stride up somewhere and kill someone.”

“Zane’s with him.”

I shoot her an exasperated look. “It’s Zane.”

“Zane is pretty handy.” My brow lifts and my sister rolls her eyes. “Ew, no. Not like that, stop.”

“You like him?”

“No.”

“Why did you say it so quickly?”

Marcella glowers at me. “Because it wasn’t a hard question to answer. Don’t go making up things in your head right now when we have more important things to worry about.”

“I don’t.”

“You’re pregnant.”

“Women have babies all the time.”

“Yeah,” she agrees. “But not Adrian Bernardi’s baby.”

I know what that comes with and it’s a lot of responsibility. Adrian needs to keep his business and father’s legacy alive, and I’m the key. It meant a lot to me when Adrian stated that we didn’t need to have kids.

I’m not sure if he meant it wholeheartedly, but he seemed to. He hasn’t mentioned it since.

“You don’t think he got you pregnant on purpose, do you?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Why did you say that so quickly?”

A scoff leaves my lips, followed by a chuckle. “Because I know Adrian. And he wants me to want what he does. Anything else gives him rejection. A man like that doesn’t handle it well.”

“True.” She gives my hand a little shake and then sighs. “What are we going to do?”

What I was born to do.

Drive Adrian into a damn nervous breakdown for not listening to me.

33

ADRIAN

---