The fact that I remained a virgin at twenty-one was solely because my sister did not allow me to date. And like the good girl I was, I obeyed.

I always obeyed.

Fat lot of good it did you.

Bitterness washed over me.

No shit.

Ettore placed the keycard into the slot. The red light turned green. He pulled on the lever and threw open the door, standing by it. I hesitated. He pinched the bridge of his nose then sighed, agitated. “Vittoria, I have been shot today and lost a decent amount of blood. I am dirty and I am tired as hell. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say,” he lifted his head and a spark of anger ignited in his eyes as he spoke through gritted teeth, “I have been patient with you in a way that would test even a saint. So, get your ass into the room because you and I are going to have a little talk.” The guilt I felt then evaporated to nothing when he looked me up and down then uttered, “And if you think I’m going to carry you over the threshold, you are out of your fucking mind.”

Our eyes held as I moved into the room.

I knew he had every right to be mad at me. That didn’t mean I had to like it.

Ettore placed the spare card into a slot by the wall and like magic, all of the lights turned on. I glanced around at the huge area around us.

This wasn’t a room. This was something else. To call it an apartment seemed too little. It was a home. A spectacular home. Furnished to the nines, it looked like something you would find in an upscale real estate magazine.

The large living area trailed off into multiple rooms. At first glance, I could see there were at least two were bedrooms. It had a wide-open balcony with an entertaining area on it. The plush white sofas made my feet ache with the need to go lie down on them. It had high ceilings and a kitchen with sparkling counters that held a stainless-steel ice bucket and in it, a bottle of champagne. I wanted nothing more than the go check out the reading nook, but I held myself still, poised, and waiting for the attack that I was sure would come.

Vincenza had warned me about Ettore Scala.

He was a vicious, blood-thirsty man who would stop at nothing until the Vero family was utterly destroyed.

How disappointed she would be if she could see me now. To know I had let this monster touch me.

To know I had liked it…

I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze. Under my dress, I pressed my legs together as the fresh memory played back in my mind.

Weak, she would call me. Pitiful. A disgrace.