Chapter 13%
DANICAS POV
The day had arrived. The night was mine. Alyssa had entered the game, but Danica De Santis was the one pulling the strings. I had carefully crafted my new persona to perfection: poised, dangerous, and dripping with power. When I stepped into the restaurant, every eye would be on me. And that was just the way I wanted it.
I ran my fingers through my hair, making sure every lock of it was in place. The wine–colored dress hugged my body in all the right places -just the right amount of seductive, just the right amount of dangerous. It screamed blood and danger, something dangerous enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. I knew exactly what I was doing.
Salvatore’s eyes almost popped out of his head when I entered the room. I caught the hunger in his gaze, the admiration. It wasn’t just because I looked good–though I certainly did. It was because he saw something more. He saw me, really. And in that moment, I could see it in his eyes. He loved me. But there was also something more, something deep. A fire, a heat, something that neither of us had dared to address !
I smiled at him, and the look in his eyes said everything
“You look stunning,” he murmured, voice low, like he didn’t want anyone else to hear.3
I smiled, back, my lips curling in the smallest of smirks. “Thank you. But let’s not waste time. Tonight’s about business.“}
Salvatore nodded, a small but genuine smile pulling at his lips. I walked toward the nursery, where my triplets were waiting with the nannies. I whispered a quiet goodnight to them, my heart full of a fierce kind of love that only a mother could understand. Their safety was everything to me now. They were my reason for fighting, for clawing my way back to the top.
“Be good for the nannies, I told them, kissing each one on the forehead. Til be back soon.
I knew the house was heavily protected, my security team watching every inch of it. Salvatore made sure no one could touch us. With that final reassurance, I turned and walked toward the car, Salvatore drove me to the restaurant, letting me out right at the entrance.
“Call me if anything goes wrong,” he said, his tone serious but caring
gave him a small nod, brushing my fingers over the door handle. “I won’t need to. Tonight’s already mine.“X
He smiled, that dangerous glint still in his eyes. “I’ll be waiting ”
I watched him drive off, and for the first time in a long while, I felt calm, There was no fear now. No hesitation. I had everything under control. Everything.
I walked into the restaurant like I owned the place–because, frankly, I did, People turned their heads. Whispers filled the air. They didn’t know who Alyssa was, but they could sense the power that rolled off me like an electric charge. I was in control.
As I walked deeper into the venue, I spotted her. Dulcie. The same old Dulcie–desperate for validation, hungry for attention, a poor Imitation of what I once was. She was sitting at the bar, champagne glass in hand, trying way too hard to look like she belonged.
She spotted me immediately. Her eyes narrowed, a look of disbelief and anger flashing across her face. She stood up and marched toward me, her heels clicking on the polished floor.
“Danica?” she said, her voice a mix of disbelief and fury. “You’re fucking alive?”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my lips, “Oh, I’m alive, darling. Very much so,”?
Her face twisted with anger. “You bitch! You fucking bitch!” she hissed, her hand swinging back, ready to slap me across the face.
I stepped back, holding my hand up to stop her “Uh–uh,” I said, my voice cool and steady, “Think before you act. You’re not slapping me:“2
Dulcie froze, her hand midair, as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She blinked, trying to piece things together, but the wheels in her head were turning too slowly.
“Slap me, and you’ll regret it, I continued, voice steady and firm. “After all, I’m your biggest investor. You don’t want to piss me off, do you?”
The shock in her face was priceless. Her mouth opened, then closed again, as if she didn’t know whether to speak or just run. Her whole façade cracked, and for a brief second, I saw the true Dulcie–the insecure little girl who never stood a chance.
“I said,” I repeated slowly, letting my words curl like smoke, “Think before you hit your biggest investor.”)
She blinked. “Wha–Investor?“.
“I go by Alyssa Voss now,” I said, stepping closer, every click of my heel slicing through her composure. “Nice to finally meet in person, darling“.
Her lips parted. Her eyes widened. And I watched it–the slow, spiraling horror flood her stupid little face &
“No,” she whispered, stepping back, voice shrill. “No, no, you can’t be. You–Danico–You’re dead. I saw the damn bodybag. You’re dead!”
I tilted my head, offering a venomous smile. “Guess I didn’t feel like staying dead.”
She clutched the edge of the bar like she might collapse. “You lied to me. You’ve been in my life–in my business! You’ve been playing me this whole time, you evil fucking bitch”
Haughed “Aww, don’t cry, Dulcie. You played dirty first, remember? Sleeping with my husband. My best friend. Helping him cover up my father’s death. You helped bury me alive.”
“I didn’t bury your” the screeched, and heads began to turn. She didn’t care. Her champagne glass slammed against the table. “That was all Reagan
“Oh, so you’re innocent now? I murmured, stepping in closer, dropping my voice low and venomous near her ear. “You think that erases what you did?
9.50 PM c
She tried to speak but her mouth just quivered.
“You want to know something else, sweetheart?”
I leaned in, letting my perfume hit her like a blade laced with arsenic. “You
She didn’t answer. Couldn’t. So I told her anyway.}.
“I own sixty–five percent of your fashion line.”
0:50 PM ch
