Val is standing there with a wide smile and arms wide. “Principessa…”

“Valerie…” I let him pull me in for a tight hug, breathing in his cologne. The man is fine as hell… he’s just lucky Wicked…

When he pulls me back, his hands fall from my arms before he turns to the person beside him.

Long blonde hair, blue eyes like Mama, and skin that matches my tan. She’s not a complete replica of me, but you see the similarities. “Ivy.”

Her face cracks into a smile. “Hi.”

I step forward, wrapping my arm around her neck and pulling her in for a hug. A little more awkward than the one with Val, but I don’t expect anything else. “Come in.” I step aside and gesture into the foyer, eyeballing Val as he enters with a cheeky grin.

Uncle and Aunt are behind them, so I give them a quick kiss and gesture inside. Uncle glares at Val the entire time, but they’ve agreed to play nice. Since our settlement with the Russians, and with a La Rosa in their arms—literally both of them—I can’t imagine them wanting trouble.

Closing the door behind me, my eyes land on Ivy, who is standing against the staircase, watching me. Everyone else has disappeared and it’s just the two of us.

“Val told me everything. I’m sorry what you’ve been through with, well—”

“—that man?” I lift one eyebrow at her, gesturing to the spot on the stairs. She lowers herself down, folding her hands on her lap. She’s wearing a white turtleneck knitted dress that stops just above her knees, and a single diamond cross around her neck. Her hair is pulled back into a high pony, showcasing her soft cheekbones and bright blue eyes. She resembles Gigi Hadid more than me. The polar opposite in every way.

“Can I ask you something?” she asks gently, and I don’t know what I was expecting meeting her for the first time. I guess the thing that scares me most is that she is going to be exactly like me. Then we’ll most likely kill each other. But she isn’t. She is the polar opposite and it is—refreshing.

“Of course.”

She shifts her body inward, giving me her whole attention. “If you had known about me before, would you have done something—anything to help me?”

My heart squeezes in my chest at her wide, doe eyes. Resting my hand over hers, coffin-shaped black nails against her soft pink. “Ivy, there’s only one thing in this world that I will kill and be killed for, and that’s family.” I touch the long curls over her shoulder. “And that includes you.”

She breathes out a relaxed deep breath. “Okay.”

“What’s it like there, though? I mean, I love Val. Trust him too. I can’t imagine him being a problem?”