**Stefano's POV**
I stood in Gianna's chamber, my eyes fixed on her empty bed, rage curling through me, fierce and unforgiving, mingling with the biting edge of guilt. How could I have let this happen? I’d been so blinded by the goal within reach that I’d failed to protect what I already had.
"You should have locked her up sooner," Ornella sneered, gliding into the room, each step deliberate. "You should have had her cuffed and chained in a dungeon somewhere. If I were you, I’d—"
My hand clamped around her throat before she could spit out another poisonous word.
"Did I ask for your advice?" I growled, pressing harder as her eyes widened, her breath struggling against my grip. "Just like I didn’t ask your men to guard her room. Excellent work, by the way." My claws extended, biting into
