DAWN
I'd been wiling away my life in the past for so long, but now….
Now, I'm living in the present.
And my new present includes a critical visit to the compound of Luca Ferraro, the Ferraro don. But the Ferraros are a lot different than how I remember before Dad moved us all to Japan when I was fourteen.
Back then, they'd been the Italians who demanded an envelope of cash every month from my Korean grandparents. I think maybe they had a nice house in Elizabeth or some middle-class burb like that.
But as this guy named Matti drives Byron and me up the winding driveway of Luca Ferraro's place in Alpine, New Jersey, I can see they've seriously stepped up their game. My hands itch for my sketch pad as I gape at their large multi-building stone and dark wood estate.
And that instinct to capture everything I’m seeing on paper only becomes worse when we go inside. A guard in a black suit escorts us through a two-story A-frame foyer into an open-plan great room, kitchen, and dining area space.
The entire downstairs is sparsely furnished, with only a wrap-around couch in the great room and a round table with chairs in the dining area. But my animator's eye is totally impressed with the dynamic walls.
Done up in dark grey textured tiles, they feature everything from bookshelves to several tactile wall art pieces, which keeps the living room from looking like a minimalist nightmare.
The floors are also dynamic. No carpets anywhere, but there are a couple of paths made out of pearly raised dots. They blend into the interior way more subtly than the neon yellow tactile flooring at the Rhode Island Design School.
Thanks to missing my MFA presentation, I'm no longer a grad student at RhIDS. And I only know enough about interior design to do rough background sketches for my dreamy animation work before handing that part of the project over to a specialist. But I've got enough real-world knowledge to guess someone commissioned a team of specialized designers to put together this living room. The space radiates with both power and strong intent.
I get the same sense that I got when I first entered Victor's apartment in Japan—that it's a reflection of the people who live here.
I glance over at my brother as the guard leads us into the living room. I still don't love that he's apparently on the Ferraro Family payroll, his dirty cop paycheck as steady as the one he gets from his department. It feels like he's walking in Dad's footsteps, though I'm still not clear on whether or not he's doing some kind of undercover work.
It feels like Byron’s playing a dangerous game. But maybe he was right about me coming here for help with my Victor problem. These are the only people I've ever met who floss as hard as he does.
About a minute after we sit down, a cute kid with long curly hair and light brown skin shows up. "My mom is getting ready. She said to tell you she'll be right out."
Then she drops her voice to say, "Today is the anniversary of the day my parents got married—the second time, not the first. Don't forget to tell her happy anniversary!"
Okay, that sounds like an interesting story.
"We for sure won't," my brother assures her. He sounds totally pleasant as if we've just stopped in for a Sunday visit. He really does take after our dad.
I want to smile at the little girl, too, but it curdles on my mouth.
If I'm reading the skin tone right, she's multiracial. Like Byron and me. Like the baby I'm carrying right now. She's almost the living embodiment of why I'm here. Unlike my brother, I can’t smile like there's absolutely nothing wrong.
I cast another look at Matti, the older Jewish guy who brought us here. Matti and my brother say this woman can help me, but I don't know. There may be no help, I think despondently, especially when it comes to Victor.
The woman we're here to see shows up just a few minutes later, and I immediately understand how she managed to Meghan Markle one of the oldest Mafia families in America. She's, like, stupid gorgeous. It's as if the words "ethereal" and "striking" decided to have a human baby. And for whatever reason, that baby was like, "you know what I'm going to do with all this beauty? Go into divorce law."
Byron stills beside me when she walks into the room, but Matti must be radiance immune. He just stands up with an "Amber, thanks for meeting with us."
She has a rock the size of Rhode Island on her wedding ring finger, and that makes me look down at my own finger. My ring of black onyx sandwiched between two raised bars of stainless steel is plain in comparison but way more ominous.
"This ring makes me your owner…I own you now."
A chill runs down my back, recalling Victor’s words to me on our wedding night.
But if Amber, unlike pretty much every other lawyer I've tried to consult with, agrees to take my case, I might be free of him soon. Outrageously beautiful Amber Ferraro, whose sneezes are probably worth more than what I can afford to pay her.
"Hello," she says like she's a normal person and not possibly an angel who fell to earth. "I'm Amber Ferraro."
I just stare at her, wondering, not for the first time, why Victor chose me, a chubby RhIDS animation student, as opposed to somebody like her. If I looked like Amber, maybe I could understand his obsession with me, but—
"Hey, Dawn, you're really quiet,” Amber says. “Can you give me a voice cue, so I know where you are?"
My skin heats with embarrassment, and I want to disappear into the couch. Wow, I'd been so busy staring and comparing myself to her, I'd totally forgotten to answer her question, even though Matti had told me, like, three times she was blind before we got here.
Feeling rude, I lean forward and say, "Hi, I'm Dawn."
But then I stop—because wow, she already knows that. Ugh. Could I be any nerdier?
"Thanks for meeting with me," I finish lamely.
"No problem," she answers, settling into the seat directly across from us on the large wrap-around couch. "Now tell me about this soon-to-be ex who's got you so worried you think Matti's not up for the job."
"It's not that we don't think he's good enough," Byron says beside me, hitting her with his best flirtatious smile, even though she can't see it, and, c'mon Byron, she's the wife of a major crime boss. Could you pick a worst person to flirt with?
"It's just the more juice, the better with this guy," Byron explains. "He's not going to let my sister go easily—especially now that she's pregnant."
"You're pregnant," Amber says, tilting her head thoughtfully. "So you'll need a custody agreement after the child is born. And I'm assuming this is a bad guy we're talking about if you're here talking to me. Not just your run-of-the-mill rich asshole.
"Exactly," I answer. "He's bad. Really bad."
"Chinese Mafia out of Rhode Island," Matti explains.
"Actually…" Byron clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "He's located in Rhode Island right now. But technically, he operates from all over."
Matti shifts to turn to the both of us, his face clouding over with new consternation. "So, this is an international case? Why didn't you tell me that at our initial consult?"
"I'm sorry," I answer for the both of us—even though withholding the real details about Victor's background had been Byron's idea, not mine. "We were afraid we'd only have one shot, and we wanted to double our chances of representation by making sure both of you were in the room when we told you my husband is…um…Victor Zhang."
Amber's expression doesn't change, but Matti's chin drops as if I've sucker punched him.
"You don't mean Victor Zhang, the head of The Silent Triad?" Matti prompts with a sickly look. Like his breakfast won't stay down if my answer is yes.
But unfortunately, I have to reply, "Yes, that's him. I'm really sorry."
I swallow, wishing that I had a different answer for him…and this baby I'm carrying.
"Who's The Silent Triad?" Amber asks into the hushed silence that follows my second, even more heartfelt apology.
"Nobody," Matti answers, jumping to his feet. "Because we're not taking this case. Sorry to have bothered you about this, Amber. If I'd known—"
"Matti, sit down," Amber snaps, cutting him off. Though, how she knew he was standing, I have no idea.
Nevertheless, she waits with a stern look until Matti sits down again. He crosses his arms over his chest, like a kid in time out.
"We're not taking this case," he tells Amber while glaring at me. "Luca isn't going to let you. I can guarantee you that."
Her face narrows as if Matti's challenged her to a duel. "We'll see about that," she answers. Then she directs her gaze back to me and repeats her question. "Who's The Silent Triad?"
Byron answers before I can. "The Silent Triad is an international criminal organization with branches on every continent but Antarctica. Victor Zhang is one of their three dragonheads."
"A dragonhead is like a crime boss," Matti supplies. "And that means if you take this case, you're not just going up against this guy, but his whole organization."
"Noted," Amber answers, her voice tight. But then, instead of wavering, she says, "Okay, Dawn, tell me how you got mixed up with this dragonhead."
I let out a huge, relieved breath. Amber is exactly what Byron promised she'd be. Fierce, unflinching, and unlike most mafiosos on the Eastern seaboard, unintimidated by Victor's name.
And though she hasn’t agreed to take the case yet, I’m already sensing that she will. She's going to help me escape my silent owner, even though I’m carrying his child.
I know that. I know that even before I open my mouth and tell her the story of how I met the man who would eventually destroy my life.
This story concludes in
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Thank you so, so much for reading VICTOR: Her Ruthless Owner. Are these two permanently ruined? Or is the darkest hour just before the Victor and Dawn Forever!? Find out in the thrilling conclusion of the Victor trilogy.
Here are all the “Reader Eggs” from this story. Please let me know on Facebook how many you found and/or have already read.
1. Koyamo - TWELVE MONTHS OF KRISTAL [only available during the holidays]
2. Dr. Olivia Glendaver - RUTHLESS CAPTOR
3. Lena’s summer romance - KEANE: HER RUTHLESS EX
4. Chrysanthemum (the creation) - HIS ENDURING LOVE
5. Chrysanthemum (the opera production, starring Sirena Gale) - HER RUSSIAN BEAST
6. Amber Ferraro - RUTHLESS HUSBAND
7. Stone - RASHID: HER RUTHLESS BOSS
And last, but not least….
8. Rap Star Wives: His Majesty - DEVIANT PRINCE [RUTHLESS KING]
Love a super naughty alpha? Check out this free preview novella for ZAHIR: Her Ruthless Prince!