If everything was staged by Dante, then he only wanted to dispose of Valentina through my hands while still retaining power.
The means to accomplish that was the damned crown he had hidden all this time, waiting for the Vitale Family to be wiped out before using it with the help of Alessa and Carina Rinaldi.
Everyone was expendable.
Even his own daughter.
It had been so easy to believe Valentina was involved.
She lied about the Scarlatto. She could have lied about anything.
After all, how long had we truly known one another?
I never needed Frances to plant doubt in my mind.
When we fought last night and my blade cut only a few strands of her hair, I froze.
I diminished her honor, and had one of my men made the same mistake, he would have died for those few strands alone.
But noth
