Serena POV
The following afternoon, Julian and I were seated at an exclusive restaurant owned by my family. The crystal chandeliers overhead cast a warm, opulent glow over the pristine white tablecloths.
A young woman approached our table. She is holding a large bouquet of ostentatiously expensive flowers.
I recognize her face immediately from the blurry background reflections in her cloying forum posts. Her name is Chloe.
Julian froze, his steak knife halting so abruptly that its blade scraped harshly against the fine porcelain plate. A flicker of raw panic flashed in his dark eyes. His jaw clenches tight.
A sudden, violent surge of acid rose in my throat, bringing with it the coppery taste of blood. I had to press my fingernails into my palm to still the tremor in my fingertips. I place my fork down. I did not move my lips, but the muscles in my jaw tightened, and the faint sound of my teeth grinding was lost in the restaurant's soft music. I introduce myself as Julian's sister.
"Cease this game," Julian barks at me. His voice is sharp and commanding. He turns to Chloe and orders her, "Leave. Now."
Chloe does not move. She stands there, her knuckles white around the stems of the flowers. She puts on a pathetic, deeply victimized expression, her wide eyes darting between Julian and me.
I indicated the empty chair beside me. I gestured for her to sit. "Please," I said, my tone laced with a false, saccharine sweetness. "I should very much like to hear your tale."
A plate was overturned, and in the sharp sound of shattering porcelain, he reflexively thrust the woman away. His throat worked, his larynx bobbing as he tried to force a sound from his constricted lungs, but the air seemed to have solidified.
Chloe sees me acknowledging her, and a sudden, reckless burst of confidence animates her features. She steps closer and boldly clings to Julian's shoulder. She whines loudly, pouting, "Julian, baby, when are you going to finalize the split with your terrifying wife?"
My entire body went numb, a cold stillness spreading through my veins.
I held his gaze as I reached into my designer handbag. I pulled out a thick, heavy stack of papers. They are the pre-prepared severance and asset-relinquishment documents. I slapped them flat on the table right in front of him.
Julian stared down at the papers. The color drains completely from his face, leaving it ashen.
He panics. He violently shoves Chloe away from him. He lunges across the table and desperately grabs both of my hands. He stammers, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to form a sentence to explain away the living, breathing reality standing right next to him.
Chloe stumbles backward from the force of his shove. She collided with an empty table. She looks at him in pure, unadulterated shock. Thick tears well up in her eyes. She turns around and flees the restaurant, sobbing loudly.
Julian looks at me. He looks at the door. In a single motion, he breaks every single rule of mafia protocol. He abandons his lawful wife at a highly public table. He ran out of the restaurant after his mistress.
Later that evening, I am sitting in the quiet of the back of my armored car. I check the forum. Chloe's account had a new update. She smugly boasts that she successfully confronted the wife and secured her Don, and was moving into the secret love nest he had purchased and furnished months in advance just for her.
My driver pulled the vehicle smoothly up to my private estate.
I step out of the car. I paused and look across the street. My own personal syndicate soldiers are dutifully carrying matching sets of luxury luggage into the opulent penthouse building directly opposite my front gates.
My jaw tightened. I walk across the street. I enter the penthouse lobby and take the private elevator up to the top floor.
The brass doors slid open. Chloe is standing in the center of the sprawling living room wearing a designer silk robe. She looks at me with a sickeningly smug, triumphant smile.
"I am pregnant with Julian's child," she announced without preamble. She sauntered forward, gesturing to the lavish space. "Julian bought me this penthouse." She points a manicured finger to the armed guards at the door and tells me, "He reassigned your personal staff to protect me." She crosses her arms and proudly reveals, "We have been sleeping together for three years."
The kitchen door swung open. Julian walked out. He is holding a glass of iced water. He saw me, but instead of pulling away, he walked over to Chloe and gently places his hand on her waist to support her.
I stared at his hand, then slowly dragged my gaze up to his face. "A child?" I asked, my voice a deadly, quiet whisper. I coldly remind him of the invasive, highly complex medical procedure he underwent five years ago. He did it to ensure that no illegitimate heirs would ever threaten the Falcone bloodline.
Julian stiffens rigidly. He cannot meet my eyes. He looks at the polished hardwood floor and admits, "I had the procedure reversed a year ago. For Chloe."
The words landed like a physical blow. A year ago. He had been planning this for a full year—lying beside me every night, accepting my trust, my money, my power—all while secretly ensuring he could father a child with another woman.
The heavy front door of the penthouse clicked open. Julian's mother bustled in. She is carefully carrying a large, insulated thermos of traditional restorative soup. She immediately sees Chloe and beams with radiant joy at the prospect of at last having a grandson.
Then she turns and locks eyes with me. Her warm smile vanished, her expression hardening into a mask of silent, stubborn defiance against my authority.
I looked at the three of them—the husband who had betrayed me, the mistress who had mocked me, the mother-in-law who had known and approved—and something inside me clicked into place.
The game was over. Now, the war would begin.
