I’m halfway to the east wing stairs when I nearly collide with Mia.
“What are you doing out here?” I hiss.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” she says. “Giovanni just did his very polite ‘the east wing is temporarily secured for your safety’ announcement. Which I’m pretty sure is rich‑guy code for ‘stay in your tower, Rapunzel.’”
“I was eavesdropping,” I admit. “D’Angelo wants a meeting. About me. He’s landing today. Dante’s meeting him on a cliff somewhere like they’re doing a Godfather remake.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “Okay, that’s…a lot.”
I lean against the wall, suddenly tired.
Up until now, Dante’s control felt like the main enemy. The rules. The confiscated phone. The house that’s as much prison as palace.
Now there’s a man out there who signed a line that said he could make ‘
