Wicked Lies

Eleanor I was never meant to be free. My father made sure of that, treating me like one of his diamonds. Precious, polished, and locked away until sold to the highest bidder—Leonardo Rossetti, the hotheaded son of the most ruthless crime family in New York. Our marriage was a business deal, nothing more. He made that clear the moment we exchanged vows. I wasn’t his wife, I was his possession. A pawn in his family’s empire. He made the rules. I broke them. I ran. I lied. I fought him at every turn. Because if he thought I would submit, he was wrong. If he thought I would fear him, he didn’t know me at all. But the real battle wasn’t between us. It was inside me. Because somewhere in the war of wills, I stopped wanting to escape. Leonardo I never wanted a wife. Love was a weakness I couldn’t afford, and Eleanor Price was nothing more than leverage. This marriage was about power, about securing my family’s hold on the gem trade. She didn’t agree. She challenged me at every turn, testing my patience, my rules, my control. She lied. She ran. She pushed me past my limits. And instead of breaking, she made me want her even more. I told myself it was obsession. Possession. That the way I watched her, the way I needed to know where she was at all times, had nothing to do with feelings. But then someone threatened her. And I learned the hard way. Eleanor isn’t just my wife. She’s mine.

Eleanor I was never meant to be free. My father made sure of that, treating me like one of his diamonds. Precious, polished, and locked away until sold to the highest bidder—Leonardo Rossetti, the hotheaded son of the most ruthless crime family in New York. Our marriage was a business deal, nothing more. He made that clear the moment we exchanged vows. I wasn’t his wife, I was his possession. A pawn in his family’s empire. He made the rules. I broke them. I ran. I lied. I fought him at every turn. Because if he thought I would submit, he was wrong. If he thought I would fear him, he didn’t know me at all. But the real battle wasn’t between us. It was inside me. Because somewhere in the war of wills, I stopped wanting to escape. Leonardo I never wanted a wife. Love was a weakness I couldn’t afford, and Eleanor Price was nothing more than leverage. This marriage was about power, about securing my family’s hold on the gem trade. She didn’t agree. She challenged me at every turn, testing my patience, my rules, my control. She lied. She ran. She pushed me past my limits. And instead of breaking, she made me want her even more. I told myself it was obsession. Possession. That the way I watched her, the way I needed to know where she was at all times, had nothing to do with feelings. But then someone threatened her. And I learned the hard way. Eleanor isn’t just my wife. She’s mine.