SIENNA
I didn't sleep.
Not because of the flash drive. Not because of what I saw.
But because of what I didn't.
The drive confirmed Dominic was behind my father's downfall—but it didn't say why.
There was no clear motive. No confession. Just a silent war waged in signed documents and veiled threats. Every piece of evidence was fragmented, carefully curated to expose my father but not Dominic.
It was brilliant.
And terrifying.
Because it meant he planned this long before I ever knew his name.
I sat at the edge of our bed—no, his bed—with my knees drawn up, staring at the ring on my finger. A symbol of alliance, of ownership, of lies.
Of power.
I hadn't taken it off.
I didn't know if I could.
Not until I understood everything.
That morning, I was halfway through writing a memo to our legal team when Elena Russo arrived.
Uninvited.
Unannounced.
And smiling.
"Good morning, sister-in-law," she said as the butler stepped aside to let her in. She wore a scarlet dress and pearls like armor. Her lips curved like she already knew all my secrets.
"Elena," I said tightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Dominic didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"I'm staying for a while. A few days. Maybe a week. Maybe longer."
I blinked.
"Here?" I asked.
She smiled wider. "Where else? I need to spend more time with family."
DOMINIC
I got the message while still at the office.
"Your sister's here."
No other context.
Sienna's text was cold and clear, and it set off alarms in my head.
Elena never did anything without purpose.
And she certainly didn't "drop by" without a motive sharpened like a dagger.
By the time I arrived home, the air had changed.
Sienna sat on the couch, ankles crossed, hands still. Elena sat opposite her, sipping wine like she owned the world.
Their conversation stopped when I walked in.
Which told me everything.
"Elena," I said, voice like ice, "this wasn't the arrangement."
"Arrangements can evolve," she said sweetly. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause problems."
"Then why are you here?" Sienna asked, not missing a beat.
Elena turned to her, eyes full of amusement. "To meet the woman Dominic married under such...interesting circumstances. And to find out why you haven't run yet."
Sienna smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Maybe I'm staying to see how the game ends."
Elena's gaze flickered.
My stomach tightened.
SIENNA
Elena Russo was beautiful, poised, and toxic.
But she wasn't the same kind of threat as Dominic.
She was open about her venom.
Where Dominic poisoned you with a kiss, Elena stabbed you with the bottle and told you to bleed quietly.
And I respected that clarity.
"What do you want from me?" I asked her when Dominic stepped away to take a call.
She tilted her head, setting down her glass. "Curiosity. And maybe a warning."
"I don't need one."
She leaned forward. "Everyone needs a warning, Sienna. Especially the smart girls who think they're winning. Because no one wins against my brother."
I stared at her. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Trying to win?"
"Aren't you?"
I stood. Walked to the bar. Poured a drink I wouldn't finish.
Then said, without turning around, "I don't want to win. I want to survive."
A pause.
Then her voice, quieter.
"Smart. But survival has a cost. And Dominic always collects."
DOMINIC
I stood on the balcony, phone pressed to my ear, watching my sister poison the woman I married.
"You should've warned me," I muttered to Luca.
"She said she had questions."
"She always has questions."
"Then maybe it's time she got answers."
I hung up without replying.
Because deep down, I knew Luca was right.
Elena showing up wasn't a coincidence.
It was the beginning of something unraveling.
And I didn't know yet whether it would be me—or Sienna—at the center of the fallout.
Later That Night – SIENNA
I couldn't sleep. Again.
So I went to the library, where it was quiet and dim, and sat on the floor between shelves.
Reading contracts.
Not ours.
My father's.
I'd had copies sent from the archives at Hart Enterprises under a false name. One of the perks of marrying into power—I had access to systems I never dreamed I'd control.
And as I read the third page of a merger draft dated five years ago, I saw something that stopped my breath.
R & R Holdings
A shell company listed as a silent investor.
I'd seen the name before.
In the flash drive.
I rushed to my laptop, pulled the file open, and compared the numbers.
R & R had moved nearly $75 million into Hart accounts over three years.
All off-books.
All untraceable.
And all routed through Russo properties.
But not Dominic's.
Elena's.
DOMINIC
I found her at 2:14 AM, cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by paper.
Her hair was a mess. Her eyes were on fire.
And her voice was razor-sharp.
"You told me you never meant for it to be me," she said, not looking up.
I nodded.
"I believe you."
I froze.
She looked up.
"But you meant for it to be him. My father."
I said nothing.
"I found the paper trail, Dominic. I followed the money. And it doesn't lead to you."
My jaw clenched.
She stood, walked toward me.
"It leads to your sister."
I didn't answer.
Couldn't.
And that was all the answer she needed.
SIENNA
He didn't deny it.
Which meant I wasn't fighting the man who destroyed my family.
I was married to the man who protected the one who did.
I stepped back.
"So what now?" I whispered.
Dominic looked at me, eyes shadowed. "Now we stop pretending the real war is between you and me."
His voice was quiet.
Dangerous.
"I didn't marry you to break you, Sienna."
I swallowed hard. "Then what did you marry me for?"
He stepped closer.
"To save you from her."