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said.
I folded my arms, leaning slightly forward. “I’m listening”
Zaverio studied me for a moment before speaking. “Tony is my half–brother.”
I blinked. “What?”
His words felt like a slap, knocking the breath from my lungs. I shook my head, trying to process what he’d just
“That’s impossible.”
Zaverio exhaled, his jaw tightening. “It’s not.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Explain.
He nodded, pacing a few steps before turning back to me. “My mother worked as a maid for Tony’s father. was just a teenager when he… when he forced himself on her.”
I stiffened, my hands clenching into fists.
“She found out she was pregnant weeks later,” Zaverio continued, his voice steady, but I could hear the pain. beneath it. “When she told him, he threatened to kill her if she didn’t get rid of the baby.”
A shudder ran through me. That sounded exactly like something Tony’s father would do. I had only met the man once, and even in his old age, he had an air of cruelty about him.
Zaverio’s expression darkened. “She went to a clinic, planning to end the pregnancy, but at the last moment, she beaded the doctor to let her keen me He
iments and beload har penana –
I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heartrace. So si
“She ran,” Zaverio confirmed. “She raised me on her own, working herself to the bone, always reminding me to keep my head down. She told me the truth about my father but warned me never to seek him out. She said men like him destroy everything they touch.”
I nodded slowly. “She was right”
Zaverio’s lips curled into something bitter. “For a long time, I listened to her. I lived in the shadows, trying to
survive. And then… I saw you.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“That night in the bar?” I whispered.
His gaze softened. “The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were different. You weren’t like them.” He took a step closer, his voice dropping. “I wanted to save you from him, Ciara. I wanted to take you away.”
My breath hitched.
He had wanted to save me.
And I had almost gone with him.
But Tony had arrived before I could make that choice.
I forced myself to focus. “So what changed? You could’ve left Vegas, but you stayed. Why?”
Zaverio’s eyes darkened. “Because Tony’s men left me for dead.”
The room felt colder.
I didn’t move, didn’t even breathe as he continued.
“When I woke up, bleeding out in an alley, something inside me snapped. I realized I was done keeping my head. down. I was done running.” His voice was low, filled with a quiet fury. “And when I found out Tony was the son of the
man who ruined my mother’s life, I knew exactly what I had to do.”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
He had built an empire in the shadows. He had risen from the dirt Tony had left him in and become one of the most powerful cartel leaders in Vegas.
All while keeping his identity a secret
I exhaled shakily. “So this isn’t just about Tony.”
“No,” Zaverio admitted. “It’s about everything. His entire bloodline is tainted with corruption and cruelty.” His voice turned sharp. “And I refuse to let it continue.”
My chest felt tight. I knew what it was like to want revenge. To crave justice for all the wrongs done to you.
And Tony had wronged both of us.
A thought struck me. “If you’ve been watching over me, then you must know what he did to me.”
Zaverio’s expression darkened. “I know everything.”
A lump of anger and pain swelled in my throat. “Then tell me. Tell me who was behind the attack at the
cemetery.”
He hesitated for just a second, then said, “Hailey.
I sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”
Zaverio nodded. “Tony’s mistress. She paid the gunmen.”
My mind reeled. “She tried to have me killed?”
“She didn’t just try,” Zaverio said coldly. “She wanted you dead.”
I felt sick. I had always known Hailey hated me, but I had never thought she had the guts to go that far.
Rage bubbled inside me
That woman had watched me suffer, had smirked at my pain, had stolen my husband right in front of me- and
now I found out she had been behind the attack that almost ended my life?
My fingers curled into fists. “That bitch,”
Zaverio’s voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it. “She made a mistake by not finishing the job.” I exhaled, my body tense with fury. “She’s going to wish she never crossed me.”
