Saint Valentine

20

Just 4 chapters left after this! Love you guys so much. Thank you for reading ❤️

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My heart thumps in my chest as I walk into the room. The silence is deafening. I'm not afraid. I'm not scared she will hurt me. I'm worried about what she'll say and where we'll end up, but that's it. I've never been in a situation like this before. I've never had to interview anyone, let alone a suspect, and a murderous one at that. I have no idea what I'm doing, but it's the right thing to do. I just have to fake it — pretend I have this under control and she cannot intimidate me at all. She shouldn't. I'm the one who got the man. It was me he wanted. I should be more confident.

"Bianca Baldessano," Isabella glances up at me, unable to stand up with her hands still cuffed to the table. "What a surprise."

"Isabella Sokolov," I respond. "You're awfully chipper for someone being held captive."

"Well, I am in the presence of the future queen, am I not?"

"Correct. That's me." Not you. It won't be you in a million years.

I walk around to the other side of the table, refusing to look up at the mirror. I don't wanna remember that Valentino is back there. He's watching my moves just as much as he's watching hers. I slide into the seat, resting my elbows on top of the table.

"So," Isabelle leans forward. "It's good dick, isn't it?"

"Well, you wouldn't know, would you?" I respond. I know they haven't had sex. Valentino already told me everything, and I trust him a lot more than I do her. "Anything else you'd like to share?"

"Show me the ring," she says. I hold my hand out, showing her the diamond on my finger. "Hmm... mine was bigger."

"Nice try," I retort. "You never got a ring."

"But I will."

"What makes you say that?"

"I convinced you to come in here, didn't I?"

"So, what — you think you'll convince him to marry you next? That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"I don't think so, no. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. You want the killing to stop, don't you?"

"And that will happen if he marries you?"

"It's certainly a step in the right direction."

"A step in the right direction," I snicker. That sounds outrageous. Does she seriously expect us to just give her everything she wants? "What exactly is your endgame here? Is it land that you're after?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she says. "You're stupid if you think this is about land. It's about far more than that."

"Then what is it?"

"This is about power," she leans forward. "It's about power for me, and power for my family. That's all we want. That's all we've ever wanted. And how will I get that? By marrying the most powerful man I can get my hands on... Valentino Sainte."

"Well, I think he's made it pretty clear that that won't be happening."

"Come on, you know what it's like — girl to girl, woman to woman. We live in a man's world. We're always underestimated by them. They never take us seriously. This just happened to be the one opportunity I need to prove them wrong. I had the chance to give them everything they've ever wanted, to win their respect and admiration... and I was so close. All that stands in my way is you."

"So you want me out of the picture?"

"Ideally."

"Then why not target me instead of killing so many innocent people?"