I wanted to choose my own partner, to stand beside someone as equals, not be trapped in a loveless arrangement brokered between Dons like a land treaty. But I had never told anyone this. Not even Nico.
I was afraid that if he found out I was La Regina of the old families, he would feel insecure, overwhelmed, crushed by the weight of it all.
Since childhood, every man around me had only liked me because of my bloodline. I hated those calculated displays of affection, those compliments laced with ulterior motives. But Nico, when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with stars.
The memories of how beautiful things once were made me laugh uncontrollably.
"What are you laughing at?" Nico frowned, his voice laced with disdain. "How could you laugh at a time like this?"
The room had gone quiet around us. Not the natural quiet of a conversation ending, but the held-breath quiet of soldiers who sensed the temperature dropping. Somewhere behind me, a glass was set down without a sound.
I lifted my head and met his gaze head-on. "Do you really think I'm the kind of woman who sleeps her way to the top?"