Chapter 4

Sienna's POV

I know exactly what's going on. The Rossi family got humiliated and lost a fortune at that engagement party. Marco cares about those two things more than anything, so he's taking it all out on Vivian.

Her face goes pale. She immediately changes the subject. "You're so worried about me, why don't you worry about yourself instead? Look at you, working yourself to death running the family, and you don't even have a man. At least I have a husband and a baby on the way. What do you have? Nothing. You're all alone."

She shakes her head, like I'm pathetic and will never have what she has.

An image flashes through my mind—that cold, sharp face with eyes that sometimes soften at the corners. That low voice.

Lately, Aria keeps inviting me to things. And Vincent's always there. Just happens to be there.

He should be busy. Why does he always have time...

My heart skips a beat.

"Sienna?" Mother's voice carries a smile. "You're blushing. Are you thinking about someone?"

I snap back. "No! I need some air. I'm going to the balcony."

I practically bolt from the table.

The night air is cool. I grip the railing, forcing myself to calm down.

This isn't what I came back for. Not this kind of...

"Sienna, can we talk? Just the two of us?"

I turn around. Marco's standing in the doorway, his face still bruised from the engagement party. He's smiling. The kind of smile that makes your skin crawl.

"About our families working together. Let's talk in the study."

I follow him in. If he wants to try something, let him.

"You're smart, so you should understand—" Marco leans in too close. "Your family needs our support right now."

"Get to the point."

"Vivian's pregnant. There are certain things she can't do anymore. But someone still needs to keep things smooth between our families. You get what I'm saying?" He reaches up to touch my face.

I slap his hand away. "Are you out of your mind?"

Marco laughs. "This is a fair deal. You cooperate with me, we keep supporting your family. Pretty good trade, right? And..." He leans closer. "I'm better at taking care of women than you think."

Images from my past life flash through my head. The conference room where he forced me to sign documents. The freezing basement. Getting slapped in front of everyone.

Rage burns through me.

I grab his arm as he reaches for me and twist hard. His shoulder pops out with a loud crack. Marco screams. My knee slams into his stomach. He doubles over. I bring my elbow down on his back.

He hits the floor. I put my foot on his chest.

"You're crazy..."

I crouch down, grab his collar, and punch. Again and again. Every bit of rage from both lives coming out.

Marco tries to fight back, but I learned real fighting. Street fighting, joint locks, the kind of stuff that actually works when things get ugly. He doesn't stand a chance.

"Please... stop..."

I ignore him. Hit him harder.

I keep going until my hands hurt.

The door bursts open. Father, Mother, Vivian rush in.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Vivian screams and runs to help Marco. "That's your brother-in-law! Are you trying to destroy the alliance between our families? You've always been jealous of me, and now that I'm pregnant, you want to wreck my marriage too?!"

I laugh coldly. "He came onto me first. Can't control your husband, so you blame me?"

"Came onto you?" Vivian's voice goes shrill. "Who's going to believe that? Everyone can see what you did to him!"

Then she takes a deep breath, like she's making some huge sacrifice. "Fine. Whatever. I'm your sister. I won't let you destroy yourself. Since he... wants you, then that's how it'll be. I'm pregnant anyway. I could use someone to help keep him happy. You can join the Rossi family, keep him company. This way the alliance stays strong and your reputation stays intact. I'm doing this for you."

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

I look at Mother. "Mom..."

Mother looks down. "Vivian's right. You're still a woman. You need someone eventually. If it's the Rossi family... at least I know you're safe, that someone's looking after you. And the alliance between our families... it's good for everyone."

Cold dread crawls up my spine.

"What about you, Dad?"

Father stays silent. That silence is worse than anything he could say.

Marco struggles to speak. "You... heard them... your whole family agrees... why fight it... without us, your family would've fallen apart a long time ago!"

My mind races.

At the engagement party, Vivian pissed off the Castellanos. The Rossi family lost that harbor deal. They took massive losses.

Marco doesn't want me. He wants my resources.

Vivian's afraid Marco will cheat while she's pregnant. She needs someone to keep him occupied. Someone she can control. Like me.

And my parents? They only care about keeping the alliance stable. What happens to me? Just like they saw the bruises on Vivian's neck and looked the other way. They don't care.

To them, daughters are just tools. Bargaining chips. Pieces to sacrifice when convenient.

So they worked it all out. They're serving me up on a platter.

I look around at this so-called family.

Father won't meet my eyes. Mother looks guilty but determined. Vivian puts on her fake "I'm helping you" act. Marco's on the floor waiting for me to give in.

I close my eyes. Take a deep breath. Pull out my phone and dial.

"What's up?"

I look at the four faces in this room. "I need help."