Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
He asks one of his men to bring me a glass of juice, and when it’s handed to me, I don’t refuse it because I’m determined to keep my baby safe and nourished throughout this whole ordeal. Leonardo pulls up a chair and sits beside me as if he’s planning on staying for the duration of this waiting period. I sip my juice and look away from him, not wanting to look at such a hideous man who can do such terrible things. I hated Leonardo Conti even before this, but now I truly despise him more than anything else in the world.
While we sit, his phone rings.
“Ah, yes, Angelo, the doctor just left. I’m just waiting here, keeping my pretty pet comfortable for the time being until I get the results.” Leonardo places the call on speaker so that I can hear Angelo Barone as well, likely only to torment and taunt me, and to remind me it’s these men who will decide my fate, not me.
“Did you decide what you’re going to do if the kid belongs to Luciano Moretti?” Angelo asks, as if intentionally trying to stir the pot.
“If the child is mine, then Valentina and I will marry right away.”
My stomach turns upon hearing that proclamation.
“No wedding ceremony this time, just the legal paperwork drawn up to ensure that she belongs to me and that the child, as soon as she pops it out, will become my property,” Leonardo continues.
“And if it doesn’t belong to you?” Angelo asks. His tone indicates that he’s almost gleeful, already knowing or expecting what the answer will be.
“Then I’ll make her abort the bastard, and we will go about selling Valentina at one of my special auctions so that I can get the money back I loaned out to her pathetic excuse for a father.”
I turn abruptly to look at Leonardo in horror. “You’re going to kill my child?” I ask, feeling a cold terror sweep over me.
“Now, now, dear,” he smirks. “It’s more of a conglomeration of cells, really. It will only become a child if it is mine and allowed to survive inside of you. Otherwise—what’s that saying? Oh yes, we’ll simply flush the baby out with the bathwater.”
“You’re a monster!” I hiss at him.
“Perhaps, but I’m an obscenely wealthy one, and you’d better hope you fetch me a good price at auction if it comes to that. Because if I can’t recoup my financial loss over your father’s loan by selling you for a hearty price, then my only other option is to sell you for slaughter, much like a prized pig who has outlived its time in the barn. I know at least one buyer who would like to see you killed.”
His eyes dart down toward the phone, implying that Angelo Barone would pay at least a small sum for the pleasure of killing me.
“I’ve done nothing to cross the Barones,” I say, confused over why Angelo would hate me enough to want me dead.
“True,” Angelo says over the phone. “But the Moretti family has done plenty to vex me and make my life difficult. I owe Vincent and Luciano a debt of pain that I intend to repay in full. Killing you would inflict pain on Luciano Moretti, and that would bring me a lot of satisfaction. And don’t worry, we’ll be coming to get Isla as well. By the end of this, both Moretti men will regret ever crossing me—and ever doubting the power and reach of the Barone family. They will pay for what they have done to me, and you and your pretty ballerina friend will pay for their actions too.”
The waiting feels like forever. Leonardo comes and goes, leaving me in this room alone to ponder my fate and drive me crazy with worry over the life of my unborn baby. And when the next day rolls around, I’ve barely slept more than a few minutes at a time in this cold room as I slouch against the uncomfortable chair. I can already tell by the look on Leonardo’s face as he enters that the test results are contrary to what he would have liked to have been told. This time, he's not alone as he walks in—Angelo Barone is beside him. Angelo looks like a rabid dog, eager to sink its teeth into his pound of flesh.
Leonardo strides toward me with narrowed eyes and a grim expression. Even the perfectly pressed suit that he’s wearing can’t hide the chaos of anger within him. He doesn’t say a single word to me. Instead, he grabs me by the arm, pulls me up from my seat, and snaps me around.
“Careful!” Angelo calls out to my surprise. “Don’t damage the merchandise. The auction is too close for that.”
That settles it then—the paternity test came back so the baby I’m carrying is Luc’s. I know I should feel nothing more than fear over what is about to happen to me, but I can’t help feeling a moment of relieved joy because, just like I thought, the unborn child within me is Luc’s.