Loreley sat in a secluded corner of the VIP lounge in 'The Queens', her fingers absently tracing the rim of her glass as she listened to Victor Solano lay out his proposal.
He leaned forward, his voice low but unwavering.
"You have everything you need to destroy Brooks Bellini. And once she falls, Zayden will follow."
Loreley exhaled slowly, swirling her whiskey. She had anticipated this.
Victor had never been one for patience, and now that she had fed him Brooks' secret, he was circling, waiting for the kill.
"She's already unraveling," Loreley murmured. "I just gave her the first push."
Victor smirked. "Then let's give her the final shove."
His fingers drummed against the mahogany table.
"We leaked it. Quietly, at first. We let whispers spread—let Zayden hear them from people he trusts. By the time Brooks realizes what's happening, the damage will be irreversible."
Loreley met his gaze, her expression unreadable. This was the moment. The moment where she could tip the scales entirely.
If she did this, if she exposed Brooks' deception, Zayden would have no choice but to react.
His entire empire would fracture, and the power vacuum that followed would be ripe for the taking.
It was exactly what she had been working toward. And yet—
Loreley tapped her nails against her glass. "There's something you're not saying."
Victor's smirk didn't falter. "I'm saying that once Zayden is weakened, you'll need to act fast." He leaned in slightly, his dark eyes glinting with something sharp. "If you want to take his place, that is."
Loreley stilled.
Victor wasn't just proposing Brooks' downfall. He was offering her the throne.
"You want me to replace him," she murmured, watching him carefully.
Victor shrugged. "You were never meant to serve men like Zayden. You were meant to rule."
Loreley exhaled slowly, her mind racing. It was tempting. So tempting.
But she wasn't ready to answer yet.
She pushed back her chair, standing with deliberate slowness. "I'll think about it."
Victor chuckled, shaking his head. "Think fast, cara."
Loreley walked away without looking back. She needed to clear her head.
Because for the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure which move to make.
Loreley had barely settled into Riley's office when a knock sounded at the door.
Riley poked her head in, arching a brow. "Are you expecting company?"
Loreley sighed. "Not tonight."
"Well," Riley smirked. "Too bad."
And then she stepped aside, revealing the last person Loreley expected to see.
Dominic Russo.
Dressed in a sharp navy suit, his presence filled the room effortlessly, like he belonged wherever he stood.
He stepped inside, hands tucked casually in his pockets, his dark eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
"Cattaneo," he greeted smoothly.
Loreley leaned back in her chair, unimpressed. "Russo."
Riley let out a low whistle. "This should be fun." Then, with a wink, she disappeared down the hallway.
Loreley arched her brow. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Dominic smirked, moving toward the bar cart without asking permission.
"Business, of course." He poured himself a drink, glancing over his shoulder. "Though I have to admit, the personal side of things is much more interesting."
Loreley sighed. "If you're here to interrogate me about your boss's paranoia, I suggest you finish that drink and leave."
Dominic chuckled, taking a slow sip. "Zayden's got a lot on his mind these days." He turned to face her, leaning against the bar. "Can't imagine why."
Loreley tilted her head. "Maybe because he's realizing the woman in his bed isn't as loyal as he thought."
Dominic smirked. "You are making things difficult for him."
She shrugged. "That's the goal."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You could have walked away from all this, you know."
Loreley held his gaze. "And do what? Disappear?"
Dominic studied her for a long moment. Then, a slow smile. "No," he murmured. "You're not the type."
She hated that his words sent a ripple of something dangerous through her.
Dominic stepped even closer, close enough that she could smell the faint trace of whiskey and clean spice on him. "I've been watching you."
Loreley arched her brow. "That's not creepy at all."
Dominic chuckled. "No, just… interesting."
Loreley smirked, tilting her head. "Careful, Dominic. Being seen with me is dangerous."
He grinned. "I like danger."
For the first time in years, Loreley felt something she hadn't expected—curiosity. And Dominic Russo was a dangerous man to be curious about.
Loreley's return to the Moretti estate was met with silence. A silence that felt different.
Heavy. Unsettling.
She moved through the dimly lit halls, her heels clicking softly against the marble. Something was wrong.
Then, she heard it—low voices from her father's study. She stepped closer, pressing herself against the doorway, listening.
Inside, Don Moretti was speaking in hushed tones. "It's done. Zayden will never know."
Loreley frowned.
The second voice—older, unfamiliar—sighed. "It was a risky move, Don. You could have ruined everything."
"I did what I had to." Don Moretti exhaled sharply. "The Moretti name would have been wiped out if I hadn't made the deal."
Loreley's pulse spiked.
"What deal?" the other man asked.
"I gave Zayden's father what he wanted." Her father's voice was quiet. "We weakened our own holdings, stepped back from key territories in exchange for protection."
Loreley's stomach dropped. She stepped back, her breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts.
Her father—the man who had cast her aside for being a disgrace—had sold out their family. He had made them weak on purpose.
For Zayden. For protection.
Loreley swallowed down the bile rising in her throat.
She had spent years thinking her father had abandoned her because she had failed him. But he had betrayed all of them long before she had ever left.
She turned on her heel, her heart pounding against her ribs. She needed to confront him.
Now.
The door to her father's study swung open with a force that rattled the frames on the walls.
Don Moretti barely had time to react before Loreley was standing in front of him, her eyes ablaze.
"You sold us out," she whispered, her voice shaking with barely restrained fury.
Her father's face remained impassive. "You shouldn't be eavesdropping."
Loreley let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "And you shouldn't have betrayed your own family."
Don Moretti exhaled, rubbing his temple. "You don't understand—"
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Loreley snapped. "You let the Xandros family gut our legacy. You let them take everything from us."
He sighed, shaking his head. "I did what I had to—"
"You destroyed us."
Silence.
For the first time, something flickered in her father's expression—guilt. Loreley's hands curled into fists.
She had spent years trying to reclaim what had been stolen. And now she knew—
It hadn't been stolen. It had been given away. By the man who was supposed to protect them.
Her voice was quiet but deadly. "I'll fix this."
Her father's gaze sharpened. "And what does that mean?"
Loreley took a slow breath, steel in her spine.
"It means I'll restore the Moretti name." She turned to leave, throwing one last look over her shoulder. "With or without you."