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)
Because of me.
The judge now knew of her existence.
This had been my plan all along. My carefully constructed revenge, my way of luring the bastard out into the open. She was the perfect pawn, the unknown daughter, the weakness he never saw coming.
And I had used her without hesitation.
Until now.
Because now I wanted her in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Now the thought of handing her over to fate—to the chaos I had orchestrated—unsettled me in a way nothing else ever had.
The judge would come for her.
He’d see her as a liability, something to be discarded like all the others who had outlived their usefulness.
Whether I admitted it or not, I was the reason she was in danger.
And if I couldn’t protect her, it wouldn’t be the judge who destroyed her.
It would be me.
CHAPTER 44
SABRINA
It was strange to think that eating pasta felt more intimately dangerous than sex with Sebastian.
Last night had been more of a mistake than the night before.
It made me see him as…human.
As almost…boyfriend-like.
Terrifying.
I became more determined than ever to focus on my job and on getting an apartment for my few remaining months in Italy.
So I was sitting in my office, sorting through the various email replies I’d received from the independent designers I’d approached for my first fashion shoot with the new lab-created diamond line.
As expected, everyone was clamoring for the opportunity to work with the House of Diamanti.
The name alone carried weight, power, and prestige.
I was so absorbed in my work that I didn’t hear Sebastian enter.
"Sei davvero bellissima quando ti concentri sul lavoro. È adorabile come la tua linguetta carina spunta tra i denti."
I started at his unexpected presence. “What was that?”
He stepped farther into the room until he stood over me, his fingers sweeping a lock of hair away from my cheek. “I said you look beautiful when you work. I find it particularly adorable how you stick your tongue out from between your teeth when you’re concentrating.”
I covered my mouth. “I don’t do that.”
I totally did that.
It unsettled me how observant this man was.
Nothing got past him—not a glimmer of emotion, a guarded glance, or even a secret thought.
He read me like a rare, uncut diamond, tracing every flaw, every hidden fire beneath the surface.
He pushed my chair out from under my desk. “Come. I want you by my side for this next meeting.”
I dragged my feet on the floor to stop him from rolling my chair farther. “Is this going to piss off half of your executive staff? Because if so, I respectfully decline the invitation.”
The hostile glares I received daily from his employees tired me.
He raised an eyebrow. “You respectfully decline?”
Unease coiled in my stomach. It wasn’t what he'd said, but how he'd said it. That low, clipped tone, signaling displeasure.
I lowered my head and gave him a quick nod.
He chuckled and gave my chair a shove backward. Then, placing his hand on the high back, he leaned over me. “Well, I respectfully decline your declination. Now stand up before you force me to carry you out of here.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
His fingers slid beneath my chin, tilting my face up to his as he loomed over me. “Do you really want to play that game with me?”
A sharp inhale. A single second of hesitation.
I closed my eyes briefly. “No.”
“Good girl. Now come. We’re wasting time.”
With a sigh, I placed my hand on his bent arm and followed him out of the office and down the hall to a conference room guarded by two men in suits.
The moment we reached the double doors, they opened them with seamless precision.
The room was cavernous, with a conference table that seated at least thirty people, carved from what appeared to be black onyx. On the opposite side, rows of high metal tables were arranged with plush velvet-cushioned benches, each station equipped with a flexible diamond-grading light.
But the true masterpiece of the room? The walls.
Spotlit display cases framed the entire perimeter, showcasing some of the most remarkable diamonds I’d ever seen.
Pure crystalline fire, set in velvet darkness, whispering of history, power, and untouchable wealth.
Sebastian pressed a hidden panel. After entering a lengthy code, a click sounded, then a soft whoosh. The display windows slid open in synchronized precision.
He strolled to the first showcase and lifted a necklace from its black velvet cushion. “This is called the Idol’s Eye.”
He stepped behind me. “Lift your hair, dolcezza.”
Knowing I should object, I obeyed instead.
His fingers, light as silk, brushed my nape as he fastened the necklace.
A delicate shiver traced my spine.
His fingertips skimmed the diamond chain, barely touching my skin. “Seventy carats. As you can see from the faint bluish tinge, it hails from the legendary Golconda mines. Once owned by a sultan of the Ottoman Empire.”
I hovered my fingers over the chain, hesitant to touch the mesmerizing diamond.