Chapter 3 - The Pale Green Silk
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That evening, Vivien waited for me at the bottom of the grand staircase, draped in pale green silk. The dress clung to her curves, accentuating the elegance that had initially drawn me to her.
She smiled brilliantly when she saw me descending the stairs.
I smiled back. It was the hardest piece of acting I had ever performed in my thirty-five years on this earth.
She offered her slender hand. I took it, bowing slightly, and kissed her knuckles. Her skin felt like ice against my lips.
"You look tired, darling," she whispered, her free hand coming up to gently stroke the side of my face.
"Long day," I replied smoothly, keeping my breathing even. "The shipping contracts at the port are taking more negotiation than I anticipated."
She let out a soft, sympathetic sigh, linking her arm through mine as we walked toward the formal dining room. "You carry too much on your shoulders, Lorenzo. Once we are married, I plan to take over the household management entirely so you can focus on the business."
I suppressed a dark, violent laugh. She was already maneuvering for complete control of the estate.
"That would be a relief," I lied, pulling her chair out for her.
As I sat across from her, the waitstaff began to serve the first course. I watched her sip her expensive red wine, laughing lightly at a joke I made about a rival politician. She played the role of the devoted, innocent fiancée flawlessly. She had absolutely no idea that I had heard every single venomous word she had spoken in that guest suite.
And as I looked deep into the eyes of the woman I had almost married, I understood something truly terrifying.
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For three entire months, Vivien had been hiding a monstrous agenda inside my own house, right under the noses of my best security men. The threat against Elena and Mia wasn't just a petty power trip; it was a desperate move to protect a secret.
Now I was going to find out exactly what that secret was. And until the moment I tightened the noose around her neck, she couldn't know I was hunting her.
