Chapter 3 - THE FIANCÉE’S SMILE
Dominic ordered Vincent to investigate the sedan.
Within two hours, they discovered it belonged to a private security company controlled by the Cross family.
Vivienne’s family owned casinos, shipping firms, and enough judges to make problems disappear.
They were also Dominic’s most important business allies.
The marriage between Dominic and Vivienne was intended to unite two criminal empires behind respectable corporations.
Love had never entered the arrangement.
The following morning, Dominic confronted her in his penthouse.
Vivienne stood beside the windows, selecting flowers for their wedding.
“Why were your people watching Layla Bennett?”
She did not look surprised.
“She worked in your home.”
“She no longer does.”
“She stole from you.”
“No.”
“She seduced you.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
Vivienne placed a white rose on the table.
“You slept with your maid during our engagement.”
“I did not know it was Layla.”
“But she knew who you were.”
“That does not answer my question.”
Vivienne turned toward him.
“I was protecting our future.”
“By following a pregnant woman?”
“By learning whether her children could interfere with our marriage.”
Dominic stepped closer.
“If anything happens to her, the wedding is over.”
Vivienne laughed softly.
“The wedding cannot be canceled.”
“Watch me.”
Her smile vanished.
“You think my father will accept humiliation?”
“I do not care what your father accepts.”
“You should.”
Dominic left before anger pushed him too far.
Vivienne waited until the elevator doors closed.
Then she called her father.
Charles Cross answered immediately.
“He knows,” she said.
“About the twins?”
“Yes.”
“Then we advance the second plan.”
Vivienne looked at the Chicago skyline.
“What if Dominic chooses her?”
“He will not live long enough to choose.”
That afternoon, Dominic returned to the diner.
Layla had not arrived for her shift.
Her manager claimed she had called in sick.
Dominic drove to the address listed in her old employment records.
The apartment had been empty for months.
He found the laundromat room only after paying one of Vincent’s contacts.
The door was open.
Furniture had been overturned.
Layla’s coat lay on the floor beside a broken lamp.
There was blood on the windowsill.
Dominic drew his gun.
Then he heard a weak sound from the closet.
Layla was inside with her wrists tied.
She looked up at him through a swollen eye.
“They took the ultrasound pictures,” she whispered.
Dominic cut the rope.
“Who?”
She grabbed his sleeve.
“Vivienne knows they are yours.”
A shadow moved behind him.
May you like
Dominic turned.
A gunshot cracked through the room.
