Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 93347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Barone shook his head, his expression resembled pity. “Understanding the stakes isn’t the same as respecting them. She’s not like us, Sebastian. She’s not built for this world. She doesn’t play by its rules.”
“That’s why I have to protect her,” I snapped. “Do you think I’m blind to what’s coming? The judge will come for her, but he’ll have to go through me first.”
“And when he does?” Barone shot back without raising his voice. “When he comes at her with everything he has, do you think your name alone will shield her? Do you think she’ll thank you for dragging her into a war she didn’t ask for?”
“I’ll make her understand,” I said through gritted teeth, though the words sounded hollow even to me.
Barone let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You don’t make someone understand love, Sebastian. You earn it. And right now, all you’re doing is building walls between you and her.”
I turned toward the window, staring at the café below.
Sabrina still sat there, unaware of the storm brewing in my office, unaware of the decisions being made about her life.
“She stays with me,” I said. “No one takes her away, not the judge, not you. She’s mine to protect, and I won’t let her go.”
Barone exhaled slowly. “You’re so much like your father, Sebastian. That same unyielding pride. That same refusal to listen. I thought you’d be different.”
I turned back to him sharply. “I’m nothing like him.”
“No?” He arched a brow. “Then prove it. Show her she’s more than just a piece in your game. Because right now, that’s all she’ll see when she looks at you.” When he reached the door, he paused, his hand on the handle. “You have time to fix this. Don’t waste it.”
He left without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of the city outside.
I returned to the window, and the view it gave me of the café.
Barone’s words echoed in my mind, his warning impossible to ignore.
He was wrong.
He had to be.
CHAPTER 43
SEBASTIAN
She was hiding from me.
I’d arrived home after several late meetings only to learn that she had stormed to the upper level.
She then spent the evening dragging her personal items back into her old bedroom before locking herself in.
She hadn’t even come out to eat.
This was unacceptable.
Tearing off my tie, I kicked off my shoes and ripped open the buttons of my confining dress shirt. The urge to confront her was strong, but instinct told me that approach would only push her farther away. I needed her to see the man beneath the title, not the ruthless strategist she loathed.
Once I was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, I padded barefoot down the corridor to her bedroom.
As I raised my fist to bang on the door, I paused. Glancing down both sides of the corridor to make sure no one observed my foolishness, I pressed my ear to the door.
Silence.
No venting her anger to a friend, or worse, her mother, on the phone—or even, much worse, crying.
With a sigh, I curled my fingers into a fist and pounded on the door.
“Go away. I said I’m not hungry.”
“Sabrina. It’s Sebastian.”
A long pause. Then, clear and unwavering—
“Fuck off.”
I exhaled through my nose, rolling my shoulders. “Open this door.”
“May I remind you, Signore Diamanti, that my workday is finished? I’m now on my own personal time.”
“I’m not asking as your boss. I’m asking as your—”
Fuck. I’d almost said husband.
I dragged a hand through my hair, forcing patience I didn’t feel. “Just open the damn door.”
“Go to hell.”
“Sabrina. I’m warning you.”
A sharp, disbelieving laugh rang out. “For once, being forced to live in this stupid prison is worth it. We both know you can’t break down that door.”
She was right. The door was thick, solid oak with wrought iron hinges. It would be madness to throw my shoulder against it. Instead, I stretched my arm out, fingertips skimming the upper doorframe until I felt cool metal.
The key.
After slipping it into the lock, I turned it with a slow, deliberate click before pushing the door open.
From the bed, Sabrina sat up, her midnight-dark hair wild around her shoulders. “What the fuck? That was locked!”
I held up the key, my slow smirk infuriating her further. “Was it?”
Her eyes blazed as I pocketed it, certain this wouldn’t be the last time I’d need it.
Sabrina launched off the bed, her fury palpable. “That is it! I’m done.”
She yanked her suitcase from the closet and threw it onto the bed with a resounding thud. After marching to the wardrobe, she flung it open and grabbed entire outfits, hangers and all. She stomped back to the bed and shoved them inside with forceful, jerky movements.
“I’m leaving. I’m not staying another night under this roof with you.”