Chapter 146 *
With Scarlett gone, Viviana, Zelda, and Miranda scrambled to their feet, clutching one another for support. They slunk out of the mall under the judgmental gaze of the crowd, their dignity in tatters.
Twenty minutes later, Miranda sat in the passenger seat. Her jaw was clenched so tight her teeth hurt. Blood had crusted under her nose. Her lip was split. She could taste copper every time she swallowed.
That little bitch.
That fucking little bitch.
The words circled in Miranda's head like vultures. Her hands were shaking in her lap from white-hot rage.
She'd underestimated Scarlett. She'd thought the girl was just another naive college student. Someone easy to manipulate.
She'd been wrong.
The memory hit Miranda without warning.
She'd paid them five thousand dollars each. Two men with rap sheets. Convicted pedophiles who'd gotten out on technicalities. The kind of men who wouldn't hesitate to hurt a child if the price was right.
The plan had been simple. Make it look like a rival crime family hit. Snatch the three-year-old girl during the chaos. Take her somewhere remote. Make sure she suffered before she died.
Miranda had wanted Salvatore's legitimate daughter erased from existence.
She'd never imagined the girl would survive. Never imagined she'd end up in Montana. Never imagined she'd come crawling back to New York nineteen years later.
And now here they were. Miranda pressed her fingers against her swollen lip. The pain grounded her.
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Scarlett had humiliated her today in public.
That couldn't stand.
Miranda Kestrel didn't forgive. And she sure as hell didn't forget. She'd made Scarlett once before. She could unmake her just as easily.
— — — — — —
Zelda's bedroom was the best room in the entire Romano mansion. The largest. The brightest. The one with the massive private balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the estate grounds.
Everything about it screamed princess fantasy. Cream-colored furniture with gold accents. A canopy bed draped in silk. Original artwork on the walls. A walk-in closet the size of most people's apartments.
Now she was lying in the center of that massive bed. Her face buried in a mountain of pillows. Her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Viviana sat on the edge of the mattress. She held an ice pack against Zelda's left cheek. Tears were streaming down her own face.
"My poor baby," Viviana whispered. Her voice cracked. "Look what she did to you. Look at your beautiful face."
Zelda's left side was swollen beyond recognition. The skin around her eye had turned deep purple. Her cheekbone was tender to the touch. Every time she moved her jaw it sent shooting pain through her skull.
Her arms were covered in bandages and Band-Aids. Her elbow was wrapped in gauze where she'd hit the glass counter on the way down.
The bedroom door opened. Salvatore walked in. His face was dark. His jaw was set in a hard line.
He stopped at the foot of the bed. Looked at Zelda's injuries. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"That girl." His voice came out low. "I should have left her in Montana. Should have let her rot in that backwards town."
He'd brought Scarlett back for business reasons. The Romano family needed to project strength. Unity. Having the long-lost daughter return was good optics. Good for negotiations.
He'd never expected her to be violent. Never expected her to attack Zelda.
Viviana looked up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy. "She's always been wild. Growing up in that place with no proper discipline. No guidance." She pressed the ice pack harder against Zelda's face. "This is what happens when a child grows up like an animal."
The door banged open again. Nico stormed in. His face was flushed. His breathing was heavy.
"I told you." He jabbed his finger toward his father. "I said from the beginning we only needed one sister. Zelda was enough. But you insisted on dragging that girl back here."
Salvatore's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone."
"No!" Nico's voice rose. "I'm done watching my tone. I'm done being polite about this. Scarlett is a parasite. We can't shake her off no matter what we do."
He started pacing. His hands were gesturing wildly. "We've been too soft. Too forgiving. It's time she learns what happens when you disrespect this family."
Zelda lifted her head slightly. Her good eye was filled with tears. Her voice came out small and shaky.
"Please don't hurt her because of me." She looked at Nico. Then at her father. "She's still family. I don't want anyone to get in trouble over this."
The performance was flawless. She looked like a saint. Forgiving her attacker even while covered in bruises.
Viviana squeezed her hand. "You're too kind, sweetheart. Too good for your own good."
Nico's jaw clenched. "We should handle this the family way. Use our connections. Teach her a lesson she won't forget."
Salvatore was quiet for a long moment. His eyes were distant. He was thinking about what he'd seen an hour ago. Before he came home.
Flashback
Miranda's apartment was on the Upper East Side. Small but expensive. Salvatore had been paying the rent for twenty-three years.
When he walked in, she was sitting on the couch. A bag of frozen peas pressed against her face. Her nose was still bleeding.
He'd crossed the room in three steps. Knelt in front of her. Taken her face in his hands.
"Let me see."
She'd pulled the peas away. Her nose was definitely broken. Her lip was split. Blood had dried on her chin and neck.
Something inside his chest had cracked.
Miranda had been his first love. His only real love if he was being honest with himself.
Back when he was nobody. Just another punk kid with big dreams and empty pockets. She'd been the one who believed in him. The one who saw what he could become.
He'd married Viviana for her family connections. For the money. For the business opportunities.
But his heart had stayed with Miranda. Always.
She'd given him Zelda. The daughter he'd always wanted. Smart. Beautiful. And Scarlett had destroyed her today.
"I want her gone," Miranda had whispered. Her voice was thick with pain and rage. "I want that girl out of our lives. Permanently."
Salvatore had pressed his forehead against hers. "I'll take care of it."