Chapter 1 - The Morning Light
Aria woke to the sound of rain lashing against the reinforced glass of the master suite.
For a terrifying second, she didn’t know where she was. She reached blindly for the edge of the mattress, expecting the cold walls of her father’s townhouse. Instead, her fingers brushed against Egyptian cotton and the heavy silk of her discarded wedding veil.
The events of the previous night rushed back in a violent flood. The wedding. The bruises. Dante Rossi walking out the door.
She sat up, pulling the duvet to her chin. He had actually left her alone. In her twenty-two years, men with power had never kept their promises, yet the most dangerous man in Boston had surrendered his own bed because she had flinched.
A soft knock at the door made her gasp.
"Come in," she managed to say, her voice hoarse.
The door opened, but it wasn't Dante. It was a woman in her late twenties, dressed in a sharp black suit, her dark hair pulled into a severe bun. She carried a tray of coffee, fresh fruit, and pastries.
"Good morning, Mrs. Rossi," the woman said, setting the tray on the glass table near the window. "My name is Sienna. I’m your personal detail."
Aria blinked. "Detail? You mean a guard."
"I mean a shadow," Sienna corrected smoothly, though her eyes were surprisingly warm. "Mr. Rossi’s orders. I go where you go, and I answer only to you. He also requested I give you this."
Sienna slid a sleek, black American Express card onto the tray.
"What is this for?" Aria asked.
"Your new wardrobe," Sienna replied. "Mr. Rossi instructed me to take you shopping today. He specifically requested that you buy clothes with open necklines. V-necks. Scoop necks. Whatever you like."
May you like
Aria’s hand drifted to her collarbone, where the yellowing bruises were still visible. "But... people will see."
Sienna paused at the door, her expression turning fierce. "That’s exactly the point, ma'am. The Boss wants the whole world to see what they did to you. Because if anyone ever asks about them, they’ll also have to ask what Dante Rossi is going to do to the men responsible."
