Those dark brown eyes full of fire and desperation were so captivating and so unlike his father’s that I wondered if he was truly his son. But after years of observing and spying on the Ezzatis, I’d seen photographs of the whole family, and yeah, this handsome guy with messy dark brown hair was definitely Desmond’s son, but he’d been lucky enough to take after his mother.

“Arianna?” Brent came closer, and I knew everyone was expecting me to finish what we’d started. But there’d been so much blood and so much death everywhere. And I was so, so tired of all of it.

My revenge was only a breath away, and yet, there was still a gaping hole in my chest that couldn’t be filled. Hugo had said that once I ended the Ezzatis, I’d be able to move on with my life, but why wasn’t this making me feel any better? What would I really get by killing people whose only fault was to be born into the Ezzati family?

None of the Ezzatis in this room had actively participated in any of Desmond’s business, unlike the rest of his sons. As I lifted my eyes to the tearful faces of Desmond’s young daughters, I wished I knew what their names were, but Hugo had made sure I never found out, because he thought that knowing them might affect my resolve one day. I supposed he’d been right.

Desmond’s son tried to get to his feet again, but my men kicked him hard in the stomach until he was back on the floor.

“James!” his mother screeched.

This was our enemy, and if I let any of them live, the Ezzatis would continue to exist, and I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t fail my family. But after seeing Desmond’s cold reaction today, I didn’t think killing his family slowly would faze him at all.

In fact, he was probably proud his son was... A thought came to my mind. Desmond was going to die today, and nothing was going to change that. My family would be avenged no matter what I decided to do here. But simply killing Desmond while he laughed at me wouldn’t be enough to fill the void inside me. No, I had to find a way to hurt him, and maybe his family could help me with that.

I made my way toward James, then placed my gun under his chin, forcing him to look up at me. A jolt of energy rushed through my body as his angry gaze met mine. God, those eyes. Why were they affecting me in such a way?

“I have a proposal for you. What would you do if I told you there was a way for you to save your mother and sisters?” I asked, and his brow furrowed.