From Mafia Pawn To The Don's Queen

en in my hand was going to

nth, pointed to the tablet on his desk. It sh

of any warmth. "Take the fall for the embezzlement. Or

. They belonged to Chloe, his mistress. But Liam Valenti,

sting his silk cuffs. "She can't handle

he document. I signed away my career as a

ke a prize. He didn't offe

ll on, of course. You'll look

th his mistress, thinking he

iancée. I was the one who laundered his money. I knew

stopped crying. I pulled out a burne

to jail. I wa

ds to the one man

Protoco

pte

a

lack resin barrel

knew it was going to en

it,

me at the altar. His finger hovered over the tablet scree

he said, his tone flat. "Or the funding

gainst my ribs, fra

document on th

a con

ing, wire fraud, and embezzlement throu

I didn'

sentence of twenty y

gue. "This isn't my mess. The forensic accounting trail.

ew York families, the man known as t

the same ones I had bought h

one casual, as if discussing a spilled drink rat

But you... you're a lawyer, Ava. You kn

t punched the ai

ing me to sav

o sacrifice myself

ing but my spine straightening by instin

eyes we

gave rivals before

ed the

hts in my mother's pri

f her heart monit

, Ava. I own the doctors. I own the electricity keeping her

d anothe

alking in, reaching for t

ds," Liam c

ion bl

I was supposed to

our Union Ceremony twice b

ou

other's pale fac

thing I had lef

hr

y hand snatching the

," he co

e gold nib t

blurring the loop

away my

y my future

e to protect the wom

out, sliding the

smi

rifying, sat

and the nurse on the screen

the heart moni

said, snatching

He looked at the pap

ill on, of course. House arrest isn't so bad

, pausing with his ha

houlder. "You look a mess. Chloe is wai

oak door c

into the room, hea

ll minute, shaking so

a perso

coll

red so his porcelain mistr

the back of my hand

rating, replaced b

hing

phone from

pp, disguised as a

my mothe

ab

ught he

t he held

I was the one who

re the bodies were buried-

age into an en

was just three

ered over th

is, there was

empire wou

ld try t

already de

d thre

Protoc

e