Sienna POV:

"Seal it!" a Capo roared over the thumping bass of the club.

"Seal the alliance, Moretti!"

Julian rose from his leather chair.

Moving with the soundless weight of a panther that had just fed, he rounded the table and pulled Valentina flush against his chest.

He did not hesitate.

He crushed his lips to hers in front of fifty Made Men, claiming her right there in the glaring light of the Commission.

My stomach bottomed out, a leaden sickness seeping through my veins.

I tasted the bitter sting of bile in the back of my throat.

For three years, he had only ever kissed me in the shadows of dark corridors and the sterile quiet of hidden safehouses.

He had always told me public displays of affection were a weakness.

He had lied.

A Capo lounging near the bar pointed his scotch glass at me.

"What about the soldier's daughter?" the man mocked, a cruel laugh escaping him.

"Her heart rate almost exploded for you, Jules."

Julian finally broke the kiss, though he kept his arm wrapped possessively around Valentina's waist.

He slowly turned his head to meet my gaze.

There was no discernible warmth in his striking features-only a terrifying, calculated emptiness.

"A mere soldier's daughter is not my type," Julian stated, his voice carrying over the sudden hush of the room, loud and unequivocally clear.

"And she never will be."

The room erupted into a chorus of mocking laughter again.

The entire Underworld had found its chief amusement for the evening.

I was a foolish commoner dreaming of a crown I was never meant to touch.

Swallowing the jagged lump forming in my throat, I backed away toward the exit.

Nobody tried to stop me.

Nobody cared enough to even look.

I pushed through the heavy iron doors and stepped blindly out into the alley.

A torrential rainstorm was already flooding the cobblestone streets.

The freezing water instantly soaked through the thin fabric of my dress.

Grabbing a discarded black umbrella from the brass stand near the door, I popped it open.

I just wanted to go home.

I desperately needed to scrub the suffocating smell of the club off my skin.

The heavy doors banged open behind me.

Julian strode out into the night.

Valentina was tucked firmly at his side, shivering delicately in her expensive silk dress.

Julian saw me standing there in the deluge.

Yet, he refused to look at my face.

He marched straight toward me and violently snatched the umbrella right out of my trembling hands.

The metal handle scraped painfully against my palm, tearing the skin.

The freezing rain immediately crashed down on my unprotected head and shoulders.

Without missing a beat, Julian thrust the umbrella into Valentina's hands, ensuring she was perfectly shielded from the raging storm.

"Go warm up the armored SUV, Costa," he murmured to her.

His voice was softer and more tender than I had ever heard it.

"I'll be right there."

Valentina shot me a passing glance of hollow pity before walking away, safely huddled under the black canopy as she headed for the car.

I stood completely exposed in the relentless downpour.

My soaked hair plastered to my freezing cheeks.

Meanwhile, Julian stepped back under the club's heavy canvas awning, perfectly immaculate and dry.

He pulled out his phone and rapidly typed something.

A second later, my burner phone vibrated heavily in my wet pocket.

Numbly, I pulled it out.

It was a mass notification from the Syndicate's encrypted network.

Julian Moretti had just officially announced his betrothal to Valentina Costa.

Attached was a high-resolution picture of them standing united in the VIP room, sealing their power.

I slowly looked up from the glowing screen at the man standing a mere few feet away from me.

He was already turning his broad back to walk away through the rain toward his new queen.

With a trembling thumb, I held down the power button on my phone until the screen finally went pitch black.

Sienna POV:

I sat on the freezing tile floor of my safehouse bathroom, still shivering in my wet clothes.

The sharp beep of the electronic lock on my front door pierced the silence. There was only one person in the world who possessed the master override code to my security system.

He must have handed Valentina off to his guards the second they were out of sight, using some fabricated emergency as an excuse to leave his new fiancée alone on their engagement night.

Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed down the hallway before Julian's imposing frame filled the bathroom doorway.

He shrugged off his tailored suit jacket, tossing it carelessly onto the counter. The scent of rain, expensive whiskey, and the lingering, nauseating sweetness of Valentina's floral perfume rolled off him.

He reached down, his large hand clamping around my arm as he hauled me up from the floor.

"Why are you sitting in the dark like a stray dog?" he demanded.

His grip was bruising, and his sheer possessiveness felt like a suffocating weight in the cramped space.

He shoved me back against the freezing cold tiles of the wall, leaning in to kiss my neck.

I immediately turned my face away, letting his lips hit the hard line of my jaw instead.

"Don't," I whispered.

Julian froze. His fingers dug into my chin, forcing my gaze up to meet his. His eyes were a storm of dark, furious intent.

"I told you the betrothal is a political facade," he warned, his voice dangerously low. "Do not test my patience tonight, Sienna."

"Three years ago, a Made Man touched my thigh in the compound," I said, my voice hollow and detached.

"You beat him until his skull fractured. You told me no one could touch what belonged to you."

"You do belong to me," Julian growled. He pressed his body flush against mine, effectively trapping me.

"Touch her and you die. That rule still stands."

"Only in the dark," I countered. I pushed my palms against his chest, but he was an immovable wall of muscle.

"In the light, you let them call me a whore. You let them laugh at me."

Julian scoffed, finally stepping back to run a frustrated hand through his damp, dark hair.

"That is Omertà," he stated coldly.

"I have an image to maintain. The Commission will not respect a Don who shows weakness for a low-ranking girl."

"You respect Valentina," I shot back.

The masseter muscle at the base of Julian's ear jumped, and the cadence of his breathing grew heavier.

"Valentina is a tactical genius. Her bloodline brings power. I have to train her tomorrow to protect her territory. It is strictly business."

"Teach me," I pleaded, taking a desperate step toward him.

"Teach me the Family's legitimate money-laundering operations. Let me prove I have a tactical mind. Let me stand beside you."

Julian looked down at me, a cruel, mocking smile touching the corners of his lips.

"You are too soft for the numbers, Sienna. You lack the constitution for this family's business. Just stay in your lane."

He reached out, condescendingly patting my cheek as if I were a naive child.

"I will acknowledge you after the bloodline is secured. Just wait for me."

He turned on his heel and strode out of the bathroom. A moment later, the heavy thud of the front door clicking shut echoed through the empty house.

I walked over to the vanity, staring blankly at my pale reflection in the mirror.

It was not softness that defined me.

It was a profound and bitter stupidity.

I finally understood the bitter truth: Julian looked down on me just as much as the rest of the Syndicate did.