08
Rage burned through me like wildfire. Hailey. That conniving, backstabbing bitch. She had tried to have me killed. It wasn’t enough that she had been Tony’s mistress, and snatched him from me. No, she had wanted me gone permanently.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “She really tried to kill me?” My voice was low, dangerous. Zaverio’s expression remained unreadable, but his eyes darkened. “She paid the gunmen. If I hadn’t been watching, they would have finished the job. I’m sorry I arrived late and they still managed to hurt you.”
The thought made my stomach churn. Hailey had played the part of the smug mistress for years, but this was different. She had wanted my blood on her hands.
I clenched my fists. “I want her dead!” I said in a dangerously low voice
Zaverio titled his head, watching me with quiet amusement. “Patience, querida.”
I turned on him, my fury barely contained. “Don’t tell me to be patient. That bitch-
“And she will get what she deserves,” Zaverio cut in smoothly. “But first we have bigger fish to fry.”
Lexhaled sharply, trying to steady myself. “What’s the plan?”
He stepped closer, his presence commanding. “Stefano Reeds is celebrating his sixtieth birthday in two days. Tony will be flying in for the event.”
I stiffened at the mention of Tony’s father. The man was as ruthless as his son, maybe even worse.
Zaverio continued, “The Reeds Cartel is struggling. Their funds are running low thanks to Tony’s reckless spending and Hailey’s expensive tastes. Stefano is too proud to admit it, but the truth is, they’re on the verge of
bankruptcy.”
I smirked despite the anger boiling inside me. “So that’s why Tony’s coming back? To beg Daddy for help?”
Zaverio’s lips curled into something dangerous. “Exactly. But they won’t want anyone to know. Stefano built his cartel on the image of power. If word gets out that they’re losing their grip, their enemies will pounce.”
I folded my arms. “So how do we use that to our advantage?”
Zaverio’s eyes gleamed with something unreadable. “We show up together.”
Ifrowned. “And?”
He took another step toward me. “As husband and wife.”
My breath caught. “What?”
Zaverio didn’t flinch. “We are getting married.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh, to tell me he was joking. But he didn’t. He was dead serious.
I blinked, “What?”
Zaverio’s smirk remained. “You heard me.”
I let out a short laugh. “You’ve lost your mind.”
He raised a brow. “Have I?”
“Yes!” I snapped. “You want me to marry you? That’s insane.”
G
“For our plan to work, we need to get under Tony’s skin. And what better way than for his ex–wife to show up
married to the man he thought he killed?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. Damn it. He wasn’t wrong. Tony had an ego the size of Las Vegas. This would
treak him.
The Divorced Bonaire Mata Duren
Still, the idea of marriage… again?
I swallowed hard “Marriage is a big step, Zaverio.”
I swallowed, my mind racing. The idea of getting married again, after everything I had been through with Tony. made my stomach twist.
Zaverio must have sensed my hesitation because his voice softened. “Once we get what we want, we go our separate ways. You can stay with your family, live your life however you choose. But right now, this is the best way to get inside Tony’s head.”
I exhaled slowly. Marriage had been a prison for me. The thought of doing it again, even if it was just a part of a plan, felt suffocating. But at the same time, this was the perfect opportunity to get what I wanted–revenge.
I lifted my gaze to Zaverio’s. “Fine,” I said “Let’s do it.”
A slow smile spread across his lips. “Good. Then we need to move quickly. First, we get a marriage license.
Then, you prepare for the party”
I nodded, my mind already shifting gears. There was no turning back now.
The drive to the courthouse was quick, but my thoughts were a storm. Marco followed behind in another car,
unaware of what was about to happen.
When we arrived, Zaverio barely gave me time to process before leading me inside. The whole process felt surreal. Signing papers, exchanging vows–not the romantic kind, just the legal necessities–and within minutes, it was done.
I was married.
To a man I barely knew.
When we stepped outside, Marco was leaning against the car, arms crossed, his expression wary.
As soon as he saw me, he straightened. “What is going on, Mistress?”
I hesitated, but there was no point in hiding it. “I just got married.”
Marco’s eyes widened. “To him?”
I nodded.
“This is insane!” Marco blurted out
I sighed and nodded, “Yeah. It seems like that’s what my life has become now, a chasm of insanity.”
