The Billionaire's Mistake (Anya and Daniel) novel Chapter 260

Eric drew a sharp breath through his nostrils, leaning forward to grind out his cigarette amid the groaning protests of the buttery leather beneath him.

"You always were too damn quick for your own good," he growled. A humorless grin twisted his mouth. "Yeah, pride goeth for that fat fuck after all. Tried to hire out an unassuming hit on what he must've assumed was a small piece of the Shaw outfit, only for it to turn out he put a bull's-eye right between Mathew's new wife's eyes."

He shook his head in disgust while Liliana blinked in surprise, her delicately arched brows shooting skyward.

"A wife? When in Dio's name did that ruthless bastardo finally settle down?"

Her imagination conjured forth visions of the infamous Mathew Shaw escorting a glamorous, bejeweled woman worthy to stand at his side as head of his shadowy empire. The image caused a jealous flare of resentment to bloom in the pit of Liliana's belly, deepening her scowl.

Eric huffed a dark chuckle, lips parting to reveal a slightly wolfish smile. "Well there's the thing, sorellina. From what I hear, this wife of his is some dolce piccola attrice he plucked from the gutter, showered in diamonds and furs to remake as his personal escort and arm candy."

Liliana's grip tightened fractionally around her glass at that proclamation. So Mathew had chosen himself some vapid, useless ornament to parade around, had he? She couldn't deny the flicker of vindictive satisfaction at knowing this mystery woman was likely to have the constitution of wet paper. A far cry from the tigress she often envisioned matching the brutal crime boss's own nature.

"And what of the wolves?" she prompted, sipping her amaro to cover the slight thickening of her voice. "Let me assume Don Gambino's coffers ran dry once more?"

Eric nodded grimly. "Their attack teams hit the new missus's convoy on the way to the hospital this morning. Now the few survivors are spending eternity pushing up zinnias in an unmarked mass grave courtesy of the Shaw family's lethal retribution."

That caused Liliana to snap upright in her seat, eyes sparking with ire. "On his home territory? And now la famiglia has directly paid blood tribute for this...signora Shaw?"

"Looks like those wolves over-reached after all," Eric remarked blandly, albeit with a twinge of respect tingeing his gruff timbre. "Should know better than to strike the serpent when you poke at his mate's nest."

"No..."

Liliana shook her head adamantly, obsidian curls bouncing against the sharp column of her throat as she rose gracefully to her feet. Placing her empty tumbler back on the tray with a decisive thunk, she turned her back on Eric and strode toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the estate's manicured grounds.

"You misunderstand, fratello," she murmured in a voice that somehow managed to resonate with chill command while barely rising above a whisper. "Mathew Shaw would never permit something as precious as a true mate into the bloody heart of his world. No, this wife is nothing more than an ill-advised infatuation, a mere plaything. He may have struck down the wolves snarling at her heels...but make no mistake, he has discarded their carcasses all the same."

Her delicate hands smoothed across the impeccable lines of her silk sheath dress as she squared her shoulders. "I will simply have to pay a visit to this new...signora Shaw. See for myself whatitch motivates a king's folly."

At the city hospital's pediatric recovery ward, the day continued to unfurl in blessed tranquility for Vivian. The danger and crisis of the morning felt like another world entirely compared to the serene scene surrounding her niece's bedside. She loved to watch her sleep.

Maya remained sound asleep, aided by the lingering sedation from her procedure. Nurses checked in every half hour to monitor her vitals and intravenous medications. Each time they emerged with a soft smile and a reassuring nod to indicate everything was proceeding perfectly according to plan.

For Vivian's part, she was simply content to bask in quiet stillness, curled up in the overstuffed recliner beside Maya's bed as the sun tracked across the sky beyond the windows. Never before had a silent, unremarkable hospital room felt so much like sacred ground.