Later , in the main hall , Rupert was holding court . Laughing . Sipping his drink . like he hadn't sold his soul for power and perfume . And then his eyes landed on me . I didn't look away . He stared like he was trying to place me . Something about me tugging at the edge of memory . Maybe it was the way I stood . Maybe the way my chin lifted when I didn't smile . But I held that gaze . Didn't blink . Didn't move . Just let the recognition simmer - not enough to boil . Just enough to itch . Then I smirked . And I turned and walked away . The last stop of the night was Marian's dressing room . She wasn't there yet . Soft lighting . Perfume still hanging in the air . Mirror framed in rose gold and vanity lights . I pulled the black rose from my clutch . Velvet petals . No thorns . Deliberate . I placed it on her vanity , right beside her lipstick . A small card beneath it read : " For the Queen of Ashes . " Let her chew on that . Back in the car , Lothario was pacing before I even got in . " What the hell was that ? " he snapped , slamming the door shut behind me . I pulled off the wig slowly . My scalp prickled . " I did what I came to do . " " You brushed past your father . Rupert saw your eyes . Marian's gonna lose her damn mind when she sees that rose . " " Good ," I said . Calm . Measured . - Li- L -..- L L ! r - 7:03 Mon , Sep 15 He ran his hands through his hair like he wanted to scream . " You're playing too close to the fire , Vanna . " I turned to him and smiled , voice low , steady . " Good . Let them smell the smoke . " He stopped moving . " This isn't a game , Vanna . " " I'm not playing . " Sam was sitting nearby , feet on the desk , typing something into a secondary server . He glanced at me , smirking . " She's dangerous now , " he muttered , more to Lothario than to me . " You're just scared because you're in love with her . That , or you think she's gonna vanish again and leave you with nothing but ashes ." Lothario didn't answer . I didn't either . Because they were both right . I had ashes . But I was building a blaze out of them . And next ? Next I'd start peeling the empire , layer by filthy layer . Was tor I didn't want to kill them . Not yet . Death merciful . So I chose something worse - embarrassment . Humiliation . Ruin . There was a wine shipment heading for a private tasting in Verona . Expensive bottles from a vineyard Rupert's crew laundered money through . The guest list ? All high - tier allies of the Fiore family . Men who shook hands . with devils and smiled through blood . Lothario tried to talk me out of it . " It's reckless , " he warned . " You spike one shipment and they'll start tightening their circle . " " That's exactly what I want , " I told him . " Let them get paranoid . Let them start looking over their shoulders . " Sam helped me synthesize a little cocktail . Not fatal . Not even permanent . Just ... unpleasant . A slow - reacting gut disruptor , tailored to mimic food . poisoning . The kind that hits ten hours later like a curse , makes people question what they drank - or who served it . 2/4 16.0 % 7:04 Mon , Sep 15 I slipped it in at the bottling warehouse , disguised as a new hire from logistics . They had no idea . Two days later , the headlines started rolling in . " Wine Tasting Scandal at Verona Estate - Over Twenty Guests Hospitalized . " " Sabotage Rumored : Alliance Cracks Between Fiore and Rossi ? " " Is There a Mole Inside the Circle ? " I read every single article with my morning coffee and a quiet , satisfied smile . Chris ? He spiraled . He fired half his staff . Called emergency meetings . Blamed the Vitellis , then the De Lucas , then even Rupert himself . Paranoia looked good on him . Sam handed me a news clipping with Chris's photo on it , circled in red . " Your little prank turned him into a lunatic . " I just stared at the picture . At the tight set of his jaw , the wild in his eyes . That wasn't the brother I used to know . Flashback hit me like ice water . We were young and free , running barefoot through Nonna's vineyard , chasing each other with stolen cannoli . Chris had this ridiculous laugh - high - pitched and unfiltered . He used to grab my hand when I was too scared to jump fences . Used to cover for me when I'd sneak into the library at night . He was my best friend once . The only one who never judged me when I cried . The boy who held me during thunder and pinky - promised me forever . I blinked the memory away and looked down at the photo again . Now ? Now he's the man who kicked my hospital bed across the room like I was garbage . The one who helped stage my public death so he could move on without shame . He's no brother . He's just another player on the board . Another piece I'll knock down . Eventually . Chapter 8 7:04 Mon , Sep 15 I whispered to myself , " He was my brother once . Now he's just a target I'll leave for last . " And I meant it . Not because he wasn't important . But because he used to be everything . And I want him to feel it when I come back . Last . And loud . Chapter 8 4/4 17.0 % 7:04 Mon , Sep 15 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!