Chapter 102 Me First
❦ Rosalind ❦
Fire surged in my chest.
My nails dug into my palms.
I glared daggers at Sabella, every nerve in my body buzzing with rage.
“Get. Out.” I hissed through clenched teeth.
Her face moved into a sneer like she wanted to argue, her chin tilted with arrogance.
But when her eyes landed on mine, tasted the fury there, she slid out of the car without a word.
I reached for the door handle, but she was already circling me, her fingers going for the back seat door handle.
My temper roared.
“Don’t you dare.”
Sabella froze, then whirled on me. “I don’t know who shoved a stick up your ass, but you’re not leaving me here stranded. And in case you forgot, I was with Dante first.”
My throat burned with retorts, but before I could shred her, Dante jumped in.
His voice was a frantic whisper, not understanding the source of my rage.
“Rosa…”
“Get behind the wheel.” I cut him off harshly.
He hesitated.
Too slow.
I circled the car and got into the driver’s seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the hurried exchange of Dante whispering something sharp to Sabella. She sputtered something I couldn’t hear with disbelief, before Dante swiftly dropped into the passenger seat beside me.
Good choice.
The engine roared as I pushed forward, tires screeching on the gravel. Sabella’s figure blurred in the rearview until she was gone, swallowed by the distance.
For a moment, there was silence. Only the hum of the road beneath us. Then Dante spoke, his voice soft, as if he was afraid to annoy me further.
“Who did this to you?”
I dragged my hand across my face carelessly, refusing to let new tears fall.
“I’m fine. Someone at odds with Viktor took me. But I’m fine. He won’t be a problem anymore.”
Dante nodded. His gaze was respectful, but still full of questions. “The auction’s tomorrow evening. I’ll make sure I bid swiftly…”
“No.” I murmured. “I’ll bid myself. Is the proxy account ready?”
“It is.” He said without hesitation.
“Good.” My fingers tightened on the wheel. “Once I have the hotel back, you’ll manage it. I’ll return to Boston. There’s nothing left for me here. I’ll sell my father’s house too.”
The rest of the ride was silent. When I pulled into the private lot of the Grand Marlow, I let the engine die down, leaned back against the seat, and closed my eyes for a moment.
“I don’t want you getting in too deep with Sabella,” I said finally, exhausted. “You’re an adult. I can’t control you. But you should know she’s a cunning, sly bitch. She’s still trying to claw her way into Viktor’s bed, and God only knows how many other men she’s playing at the same time just to feel important.”
Dante’s jaw ticked. That was all I needed to know he hadn’t known.
My lips pressed together. Better late than never.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Dante said quietly.
I sighed out of pity, remembering how I’d pushed him toward her at that party, the same night I first met Dominic.
The first time I met her, I’d thought it would bloom into some sort of friendship. Only to realize she had history with Viktor and was fighting tooth and nail to preserve that history.
Jealousy curled sharp claws into my chest. I clenched my teeth, they were no longer my business.
Or I would try to make it not my business.
I couldn’t deny what I felt for Viktor. But it was time I started putting myself first.
Dante offered to send soldatos with me, but I waved him off. “The ones at the hotel are enough,” I muttered.
I didn’t need more shadows trailing me. They’d all proved useless anyway.
I left him in the car, stepped into the private elevator, and rode it up alone to my penthouse suite.
Inside, tears threatened to fall again, but I forced them back down. Not now.
Now I needed action, not weakness.
I stripped, took a long, scalding shower, swallowed a quick dinner without tasting it, then sank into my bed.
The flash drive sat on the table beside me, catching the faint glow of the city lights through the window.
My gaze locked on it, my mind whirling in circles.
It was time to stop waiting, stop relying, stop bending myself in half for men who couldn’t even see me.
I would plug it in. Discover my father’s secret. And leave Viktor to his own damn devices.
He would never stop having men come after him. The consequences of his role would resurface time after time. And frankly, I didn’t have it in me to play protector anymore.
He was supposed to be the one protecting me, and was doing such a sham job of it.
Giannis’s face swam back to me, his voice dripping with malice. He needed his vengeance. And I…
I was done standing in the way of other people’s retribution.
Whether I loved them or not.