lap and I stare emptily into the distance. I don't know how to feel about this development. In a way, I'm freer being Bernardi's prisoner than I ever was at home. But Bruno wants to kill me, and Adrian wants to hurt me. Well, I'm not letting either of them go through with their wicked plans.
Eleanora gently pries the letter away from my fingertips.
I silently watch her throw it in the fireplace. As I watch the paper crinkle and burn, I wonder how my future will turn out. Whether I will ever be able to escape this place with my life intact, and whether Bruno still wants me dead.
Finally, I pick myself up and walk over to the painting of Adrian. I force myself to stare right back into his cold, calculating gaze. I've painted him lifelike and vivid, so much so that the sight of him like this scares me, yet fills me with need. I don't want to admit that I still have feelings for the man. I've fought this attraction between us since I set foot in the Bernardi Estate, and I'm not going to stop until I feel absolutely nothing for Adrian Bernardi.
Yet, the thought of being away from him fills me with dread and regret.
But I need to get out of here, no matter the cost. Staying at the Estate means one thing and one thing only—my untimely death.
And I'm too young to die.
11
Adrian
My brother Ryder and I are being driven to the home of the Carluccis, and I don't know which one of us is hating this more.
I don't fucking like leaving Marzia behind with only the mute maid there to guard her. I don't trust my father anymore. I've seen firsthand what he's capable of.
As for Ryder, he seems pissed off his womanizer lifestyle has been interrupted for an occasion like this—one that doesn't even concern him directly. "I hate this," he mutters for the millionth time.
"Stop complaining." I grunt. "I don't like it either."
Just then, the driver pulls up in front of the Carlucci Villa, and the doors are opened for us.
I step out of the limo, buttoning my black jacket as I examine the building in front of us. The Carluccis are certainly loaded, but just as I suspected, even their home screams nouveau riche. There is no class in the design of the outlandish building. It's overly primped, with a garden so laden with blooming flowers it almost looks ugly. The hedges are cut into decorative shapes, everything is tacky and gilded, and the whole place says… We have money and you don't.
Fighting the urge to groan again, I force myself to stride forward where a small, plump man is awaiting my arrival eagerly.
He shakes my outstretched hand with gusto, rushing over himself to explain who he is and where I am. His name is Gustavo Carlucci and apparently, he's my bride-to-be's father. Without taking a single breath, he explains Nicoletta is turning eighteen in two months, tells me her mother died when she was a little girl, and that he took special care in sheltering her from the world any way he possibly could.
He even explains Nicoletta has been sheltered so much, she hasn't seen another man between the ages of fourteen and sixty-five ‒ except for him of course ‒ since she was five.
To me, it seems excessive, but he delivers the news proudly, as if he deserves a pat on the back for keeping his own daughter captive like some caged bird.
Ryder seems even less enthusiastic than I am as Gustavo insists on giving us a tour of the property. The garden tour alone takes over an hour, because the man is intent on explaining every single type of flower and plant in the luxurious surroundings of the villa. When we finally enter the house, which is even tackier on the inside, I quickly realize this could go on for hours unless I put a stop to it.
I just need to be careful, so I don't offend him. "Actually, Signore Carlucci, we're a bit tired from our long journey," I explain with a polite smile. "If you could show us to our rooms now, we'd like to rest a bit before dinner."
I needn't have worried about Carlucci getting offended. He seems like a caricature of an Italian chef as he laughs heartily, saying, "Of course, of course. Perdonami, I got a little too excited. A maid will show you to your rooms. Dinner will be served at