He Chose A Fake Heir Over His True Wife

come home fo

rc, his Consigliere, lied sm

knew exactly what

e, and her n

f the empty hous

t, itching reminder of the night I had ceased to exi

ys hiding in

indowless warehouse where the Family stored the ma

o be our

ng a bottle of vintage Barolo while admi

ut provenance, the l

about beauty, the

ld where the titles dropped away

mory, I went there on

silent beauty to drown out

in the sec

ssed, the pneumatic sea

lked

hen I

were

and

17th-century Renaissance c

one of Alex's w

ing

urely biting at her soles, holding a

as la

f the high ceilings

pping crate, watching her with

unbuttoned, hi

ked re

pp

ooked up

face instantly, replaced b

ng here?" he aske

x," I said quietly, fighti

Aria chirped, s

redecorate. This ol

wildly with h

er the rim and spla

ttom corner of

hitched in

gasped. "G

f off the crate, s

stimulation. The doctor said she

ncredulous. "She is

nt," Alex said

t pa

art was the soul of civilization n

e she

again, giggling

rd into a dis

at a heavy bronze cr

wob

r balance, s

rest

y took

shoulder with a sick

scr

ercing sound that

roa

e room in a b

ran to her, sending me cr

e her, panic w

ri

hing her shoulder, her

rm! M

urned

ted with a hatred

this,"

at him,

feet away,"

" he screamed, hi

ant the heir dead. You ar

me harder than

al

rr

tc

s arms, cradling her lik

r face in his

," Alex snarled at m

out, leaving me

lone in t

loor, its metal grin looking

them to t

't kn

Maybe I just needed to

ctor looked pale as h

ently. "She has a rare type. O Nega

tely rolled

e ordered. "I

ping forward. "You cannot. You have a meeting wit

g in the donor chair. "Drain me if y

ervation window, a gho

needle slide

life blood f

o h

ng her his

iven me anythi

cold, hard,

d is

his face growing pa

to drift, his h

etting d

mumbled, hi

quee

fr

ee

the

he DeLu

sn't call

g a whore with

way from t

t didn'

y turned

buzzed in

led i

text. E

et fueled for Paris. De

response

's conting

go, a secret between a father-i

he had said, pressing the secur

had beco

d at th

sing out in the chair for

ed on

o

the clinic witho

uca died in

was born in