Chapter 4

Valerie's words hit me like a dull, rusted blade, cutting clean through every naive fantasy I'd been holding onto.

I stood frozen, my whole body going cold.

So when it came to money and power, feelings and the truth meant absolutely nothing.

I thought that by surviving the fall into the water, I could escape this tragedy.

But fate had its chains locked around my throat from the very beginning.

Edward noticed me standing there in a daze. He walked over and shoved me — hard.

"Go on, thank Valerie! Marrying Dante is the luckiest break you'll ever get!"

I stumbled, barely catching myself before I hit the ground.

I looked up at Edward's fawning face and felt my stomach turn.

"I'm not marrying him."

I forced each word out through clenched teeth.

Crack!

A sharp slap landed hard across my face.

Edward pointed at me, shaking with rage.

"You ungrateful girl! Who gave you the right to speak? This marriage is happening whether you want it to or not!"

Half my face swelled instantly. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

I didn't cry. I just coldly wiped the blood from my lips, turned around, and walked away from the dock without looking back.

I wandered the streets with no idea where I was going, my mind a mess.

Dante's hatred. Valerie's schemes. Edward's cruelty.

The despair from my past life came crashing over me like a wave, nearly pulling me under.

Without even realizing it, I found myself standing in front of an underground boxing club.

Deafening heavy metal music and the raw, animal roars of men spilled out from inside.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

In the dim light, two shirtless men were locked in a brutal fight inside the octagon cage.

Blood and sweat blurred together, filling the air with something primal and savage.

I spotted Roman Vane right away, sitting below the ring.

He had on a black tank top, his muscles lean and coiled with power.

He held a bottle of ice water loosely in one hand, watching the fight with a lazy, indifferent look.

I walked straight up to him and stepped into his line of sight.

Roman looked up. When he saw it was me, one eyebrow lifted.

"Liliana Rose. What brings you to a dump like this?"

His gaze dropped to my swollen cheek, and something in his eyes darkened.

"Got hit, huh? Rough."

I ignored his mockery and dropped into the empty seat beside him.

"Roman. I want to make a deal."

I turned and looked him dead in the eyes.

Roman let out a quiet laugh and twisted off the bottle cap, taking a long drink.

"A deal? You're about to be Dante's wife — what kind of deal could you possibly make with me?"

"I don't want to marry Dante. And you don't want to spend the rest of your life getting stepped on by The Vane's Family — a bastard son kept hidden in the shadows. Am I wrong?"

I lowered my voice. There was an all-or-nothing edge to it.

Roman went still.

He turned his head and fixed those dark eyes on me like he was trying to see straight through me.

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

"I know exactly what I'm saying." I held his gaze without flinching. "Marry me. Help me destroy the engagement with Dante, and I'll give you everything — twenty percent of the Rose family shares, unconditionally. All of it behind you."

"I want Dante ruined. I want a complete change of power in the Vane Family."

The noise around us seemed to vanish all at once.

Roman stared at me for a full minute.

Then without warning, he reached out and grabbed my jaw, yanking me close.

"Liliana. Do you know what kind of man I am?"

His voice was rough and low — dangerous, laced with warning.

"I'm a mad dog that bites. You really think you can use me and still walk away in one piece?"

Forced to tilt my face up, I looked into the wild fire burning behind his eyes and let a bitter smile cross my lips.

"To deal with someone like Dante, a mad dog is exactly what I need."

"As long as he goes down, I'm not afraid of anything."