Chapter 16 - The Patriarch's Study
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I threw on a simple pair of jeans and a sweater, my hands trembling so badly I could barely do the buttons.
When I opened the bedroom door, Mrs. Gable was waiting, her face a mask of stone. She didn't say a word, just turned and led me down the winding corridors to Arthur Perry's private study.
She opened the heavy double doors and gestured for me to enter alone.
The study smelled of old leather and cigar smoke. Arthur sat behind a massive desk, staring out the window. Standing beside him was a man I didn't recognize—a tall, scarred enforcer with dead eyes.
"Sit," Arthur commanded, not turning around.
I sat rigidly in the leather chair opposite his desk.
Arthur finally turned. His eyes were bloodshot, furious. He tossed a stack of photographs onto the desk in front of me.
I looked down and my stomach plummeted.
They were photos of Leandro and me from last night. Leandro wrapping his jacket around me. Leandro kissing me in the back of the SUV. The flash of a hidden camera in the dark.
"My son has always been ruthless," Arthur began, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "He is calculating. Cold. But he has never been distracted. Until you."
"Mr. Perry, I—"
"Silence!" Arthur slammed his hand on the desk. "Stella is gone. Russo betrayed me. The Rossis are moving in on our territory. My empire is bleeding, and my heir is playing house with a waitress!"
He leaned forward, his eyes boring into my soul.
"I know what you are, Maya. You're a spy. You were planted in that restaurant. You manipulated Stella. You manipulated Leandro."
"That's not true!" I cried, panic rising in my throat.
"You have twenty-four hours to leave this city," Arthur said, ignoring my plea. He pulled a thick envelope from his drawer and threw it on top of the photos. "There is one hundred thousand dollars in there. Take it. Disappear. If I ever see your face again, or if Leandro ever mentions your name, I won't just kill you. I will find every person you have ever loved and bury them next to you."
The scarred enforcer stepped forward, resting his hand on the gun at his waist.
"Do we have an understanding?" Arthur asked.
May you like
I looked at the money, then at the door. Leandro wasn't here to protect me. And even if he was, he was a traitor to his own family.
"I understand," I whispered, grabbing the envelope.
