Chapter 21 The Devil's bargain
Sophia’s POV
“Fuck, Gavin! Harder! Yes, please…I’m cumming…”
“Fucking bitch!”
Stefan’s voice exploded through the room as he shoved me off him violently. I hit the mattress hard, the air knocked from my lungs.
“How many times do I have to tell you?” He grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. His blue eyes were nothing like Gavin’s ice-cold ones that burnt with rage. “Don’t call me that name. Are you looking for death, you fucking psychopath?”
I smiled even as his fingers dug into my skin. “Deprive me of my orgasm again and I’ll slit your throat in your sleep.”
His grip tightened. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise.” I traced a finger down his bare chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. “You should be glad I like you, Stefan. Otherwise you’d have been dead a long time ago.”
He released my jaw with a harsh laugh and shoved my face to the other side. “Shut up, you bitch. You know we need each other.”
“Do we?”
He bit my lip. Hard enough to draw blood.
I gasped, pain mixing with something darker that made heat pool low in my belly. He knew exactly what I liked. Bastard.
Stefan pulled back, reaching for his cigarettes on the nightstand. “So tell me. How did he look after five years?”
I settled against the silk pillows, watching smoke curl from his lips. The hotel room was bathed in afternoon light…it was an expensive real estate overlooking Central Park. “The bastard is doing well for himself.”
“Still playing at being legitimate?”
“He’s not playing.” I grabbed my own cigarette, lighting it. “He actually made it. He built an entire empire without his father’s money. And he had multiple franchises. He is well respected in business circles, he is a king in his own right.”
Stefan took a long drag. “Mateo won’t like that.”
“My father doesn’t like anything Gavin does.” Smoke streamed from my nostrils. “That’s why he wants him back.”
“And Gavin refused.”
“Of course he refused.” I stood, walking naked to the window. The city sprawled below…Gavin’s kingdom now. “He thinks he can just walk away. That thirty years of family alliance means nothing. That his blood doesn’t matter.”
“Does Mateo know you visited him?”
“My father sent me.” I turned to face Stefan. “He wants the alliance restored. And he wants Gavin to take his rightful place, the balance of power must be maintained among the five families.”
“And when Gavin continues to refuse?”
“He won’t have a choice eventually.” I walked back to the bed, straddling Stefan’s lap. “Everyone has a weakness. I just need to find his.”
His hands gripped my hips. “You think you can break him?”
“I know I can.” I leaned closer, my lips brushing his ear. “Because Gavin is mine. He’s always been mine. Our families arranged it when we were children. He can run to America, build his empire, play house with his boring fiancée…but in the end, he belongs to me.”
“You sound obsessed.”
“I sound realistic.” I pulled back to meet his eyes. “The Cross and Valdez families have been partners for thirty years. That doesn’t end because the golden son decides to go legitimate.”
Stefan’s grip tightened.
My smile was sharp. “ We just have to remind him that choices have consequences.”
“Your father won’t like you threatening Gavin.”
“My father wants results.” I climbed off Stefan’s lap, reaching for my dress. “How I get those results is my business.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“Life is a dangerous game.” I slipped the red fabric over my head. “Besides, you’re one to talk. How long have you been working on both sides?”
His expression went cold. “Careful.”
“Oh please.” I checked my reflection in the mirror, fixing my smudged lipstick. “You think I don’t know you’re feeding information to the Italians? Playing my father and the Rossi family against each other?”
“If you know, why haven’t you told Mateo?”
“Because you’re useful to me.” I turned to face him. “And when this all falls apart…when the alliance crumbles and territories shift…I want to be on the winning side.”
He stood, pulling on his pants. “That’s why you fuck me thinking about Gavin?”
“I fuck you thinking about Gavin because the anger makes you rough.” I grabbed my purse. “I like rough.”
“You’re insane.”
“Probably.” I walked to the door.
“Don’t fail this time, Sophia.”
“I’m not planning to.” I opened the door, then paused. “And Stefan? Next time, you let me finish. Or I really will slit your throat.”
His laugh followed me into the hallway.
The hotel corridor was empty. My heels clicked against the marble as I walked to the elevator.
My phone buzzed.
Mateo: Report.
I typed back: He refused the invitation. But he has weaknesses. I’ll find them.
Mateo: Do it quietly. We want him willing, not vengeful.
Me: Of course, Papa.
The elevator descended. I watched the numbers drop, my reflection sharp in the polished doors.
Gavin could build his empire. Could pretend he’d escaped. Could play at being respectable.
But he was mine. He has always been mine.
And I would find his weakness.
Everyone had one.
I just needed to look closer.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime.
I stepped out, my heels clicking against the marble as I crossed the lobby. The afternoon sun spilled through the glass walls, turning everything golden …it was too peaceful for the storm brewing inside me.
I slid into the back seat of the waiting black Mercedes. The driver didn’t say a word, he just started the engine.
“Call Marco,” I said.
The car pulled into traffic as the line clicked.
“Principessa,” Marco’s voice came through, smooth and faintly amused. “It’s been a while. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I need information,” I said, staring out at the skyline. “Everything you can find on Gavin Cross’s fiancée.”