Chapter 24%
If I couldn’t have Dominik, I’d have the next best thing–Zeus. Her lover. Her obsession.”
And it worked.
Zeus fell into my trap with open arms and closed eyes. But now? Now that smug little phoenix Savannah was rising again–this time with the one man who never looked my way.
She didn’t just take Zeus. She took Dominik too.”
And I don’t care how pretty her little wedding dress is- I’ll drag her down the aisle in chains if I have to.
She thinks her past is clean? She thinks her future is safe?}
No.
Not if I have anything to say about it.
-0
So I dressed like revenge–wine–colored silk, perfume soaked in old power, red lips that could bleed a man dry.”
I invited him under the guise of a business deal.
He arrived. Amused. Smooth. Unbothered.
“Dominik,” I purred, crossing one leg over the other, “I have to admit–I didn’t expect you to bite the leash so quickly.“>
He raised a brow. “Should I be insulted or flattered?“\
just thought men like you could smell betrayal.”}
He smiled faintly. “And yet here I am.””
I leaned closer. “You really think Savannah’s yours? That she’s loyal?“}
“Why wouldn’t I?”
1 tilted my head. “Because she’s been fucking Zeus behind your back.”
That made him pause.
“She’s been crawling back to him,” I continued, voice low, intimate. “Like a bitch in heat. Over and over. And you…what? You’re the prize she gets after spreading her legs for scraps?”
His smile vanished.
Good.
“You don’t have to believe me,” I said sweetly. “Just believe this.” I handed him the photos. Blurry. Grainy. Perfect. Savannah on Zeus’s lap. Her mouth on his neck. Clothes half–off. Just enough shadow to blur the lies into something that looked real.
He studied them. Quiet. His jaw tightened. A flicker of something in his eyes.
“Yes,” I whispered, leaning in like I was sealing a secret. “She’s using you like she used all of us. And when she’s done? She’ll light a match and walk away like nothing happened.”}
Dominik said nothing. I poured the whiskey.
Waited. Watched the fury bloom across his face like a bruise.§
Yes.
Good. Burn, motherfucker. Burn just like me.}
SAVANNAH’S POVE
I lit a cigarette I didn’t even want, leaned against the balcony rail of the Moretti villa, and watched the waves chew up the rocks below.
Another leak dropped that morning. Grainy footage. Blurred silhouettes. Heavy breathing, fake moans, and a woman who sounded almost like me screaming Zeus’s name. Edited like a budget porno.
They really thought that would work?
Zoraya was spiraling. Again.”
I exhaled a slow curl of smoke, handed my phone to my men, and said, “Trace that IP. If it leads where I think it leads, leave a horse head in her inbox.”
He didn’t laugh. He never does. Just nodded and vanished like a damn ghost.
And yet… it kept getting better.}
An hour later, Dominik walked into my office, unbothered as always, lips curled into a smirk. He tossed a velvet envelope onto my desk and leaned against the doorframe.
“She came to me.“D
I raised an eyebrow. “Zoraya?“}
He nodded once.
“Did she cry or beg first?“”
“Neither. She wore red and smelled like desperation.”
I grinned, unfolding the envelope. Inside were edited photos–me on my knees, Zeus behind me. A five–star porn fantasy, with all the
10.19 AM
detail of a child’s finger painting.
Dominik chuckled. “She called you a homewrecker. Told me you’re screwing your ex behind my back. Said you’re mentally unstable.”
I snorted. “All true. Still not her business.”
He shrugged. “And I let her think I believed it. Let her taste a little victory.”
I tilted my head. “Why?”
“Because now she thinks she has an invitation.”
My smile widened. “Give her one,” I said. “Formally. Dinner. Wine. High ceilings. Somewhere she can feel small.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You want her near us?“}
“I want her where I can see her.”
He gave a small bow, then left without another word. That’s what I liked about Dominik–no questions, no noise, just execution.
I poured myself a glass of Barolo, staring at the edited pictures still lying on my desk.
Pathetic.
Zoraya was unraveling thread by thread, and she didn’t even see the needle in my hand.
She wanted to ruin my engagement?}
Oh sweetheart. You should’ve ruined me when you had the chance.§
Now? You’re just entertainment.
The invites went out like bullets dressed in silk.
Gold foil, wax seal, hand–pressed elegance. Dominik and I didn’t just announce a wedding–we declared war. And for Zeus?
His came hand–delivered.
Luca picked the courier himself–Moretti gray suit, dead eyes, silence like steel. Inside the envelope: a polaroid of me in Dominik’s arms, laughing like history never happened. Lipstick still fresh on the photo. My handwriting on the card:
“You had seven years. He only needed seven nights.“}
I didn’t have to imagine his reaction.}
-D
Two nights later, Viktor called. I picked up.
“Your fiancé’s ex is a goddamn disaster,” he said. “He punched a priest. Collapsed outside his father’s restaurant screaming your name.“}]
I sipped my wine. “So… he got the invite.“>
“He’s ruining the family name. His father’s losing it.”
“Tell him to send Zeus flowers. I’m already planning the funeral for his pride.”
“Savannah…“0
“He earned this, Viktor.”
Pause.
“You don’t love him anymore?“D
I smiled. “I loved the man I thought he was. Then he buried me. Twice.”
a-
They said he got arrested outside the Bellagio.
Drunk. Raging. Whispering my name like prayer. Threw a bottle at a valet. Pissed on a Rolls–Royce that wasn’t his. His father disowned him. Again. Pfff. Publicly.
It was beautiful. A slow, perfect fall from grace.
He could’ve had me. But he fed me to fire. Now I drink from ash and wear the crown he thought I’d never survive to touch.”
Later, I got his voicemail. Raspy. Slurred. Broken.
“Savannah… please. I’m sorry. So fucking sorry. I can’t breathe. Seven years, baby. Call me back. Please.”
I listened once. Then again. Then I deleted it. No reply. No tear. He could’ve had forever.
Now? He doesn’t even get a response.
