"My three-year-old maid’s daughter secretly led me upstairs and showed me the woman I planned to marry threatening her mother and implying she could make the little girl disappear. Vivien thought no one important was listening, but she had made one mistake: the child knew exactly which man in that house everyone feared.

I sat in the parlor that evening, a crystal glass of scotch resting in my hand, watching Vivien meticulously arrange the seating chart for our impending wedding reception.

She looked absolutely radiant, humming a soft tune as she moved the small, embossed name cards around the velvet board.

"I was thinking we should place the mayor near the center, next to your uncle," Vivien suggested, turning to me with a bright, innocent smile. "It shows a strong alliance."

"A brilliant choice, darling," I replied smoothly, taking a slow sip of the burning liquid. "You have such a wonderful instinct for politics."

She beamed, clearly pleased with herself, and returned to her task. "It's all about ensuring the right people are in the room when the power shifts."

The subtle double meaning in her words made my jaw tighten so hard my teeth ached. She was entirely correct. The guest list was crucial, but not for the reasons she believed.

"Speaking of guests," I said casually, setting my glass down on the side table. "I reviewed the preliminary list of your family members attending from out of state. It seems a bit... sparse."

Vivien’s hand hesitated over a name card for a fraction of a second. It was the only tell she gave.

"My family is quite small, Lorenzo. You know that," she replied smoothly, not looking back at me. "Just a few distant cousins. I prefer to keep my circle tight. My loyalty is to you now."

"Of course," I murmured, standing up and walking slowly across the room until I stood directly behind her.

I reached out and gently rested my hands on her bare shoulders. She leaned back into my touch, completely unaware of the violent restraint it took not to snap her neck right then and there.

"I was just thinking," I whispered near her ear, "that it's a shame your uncle Carlo couldn't make it. He seems like such an important figure in your life."

Vivien’s entire body went rigidly stiff beneath my hands. The name hung in the air like a live grenade.