---- Chapter 10 Alex POV: Paris was supposed to be a triumph. A new beginning. The start of the life | wanted, on my terms. But from the moment Aria stepped off the plane, a small, nagging unease began to crawl under my skin. She was loud in the customs hall, complaining about the wait. At the De Luca safe house-a discreet, impossibly elegant hotel particulier-she gawked at the antiques and made a crude joke about the nude statue in the foyer. The manager, a man who had served my father for thirty years, looked at her with thinly veiled disdain. | smoothed it over with a thick stack of euros, but the comparison was unavoidable. Katarina would have glided through this space with an innate grace, speaking to the staff in flawless French, her poise a reflection of the family's power. Aria just looked cheap against the backdrop of old- world luxury. "| love it, baby!" she squealed later, jumping on the silk- covered bed in our suite. "We're finally here!" She threw her arms around my neck, and | forced myself to smile, to feel the victory. | had it all. The heir-the twins-on ---- the way. The fiery woman | craved in my bed. The perfect wife waiting dutifully back home. But as Aria chattered on about shopping, my mind kept drifting back to New York. Katarina hadn't answered my last text. She hadn't called. It was unlike her. She was always so ... responsive. So correct. "| need to make a few calls," | told Aria, disentangling myself from her grip. "Family business." | went into the adjoining study and tried Katarina's number. It went straight to a disconnected message. A cold knot formed in my stomach. That was impossible. Her number was on the family's corporate plan; it couldn't be disconnected unless | ordered it. | tried her personal email. The message bounced back: * Address not found*. Panic, sharp and unfamiliar, began to prickle at the edges of my control. | was the Underboss of the De Luca family. | controlled everything. People didn't just disappear unless | wanted them to. "Alex, honey!" Aria called from the other room. "Come join me in the bath! The tub is huge!" "In a minute," | snapped, my voice harsher than | intended. ---- | needed to call my father. | needed to find out what the hell was going on. | picked up my phone, my thumb hovering over Donato's number, but a deeper, more primal fear stopped me. What if he already knew? | redialed Katarina's number again. And again. The same robotic voice answered, telling me the number was no longer in service. She was gone. Really, truly gone. And for the first time, | realized that for all my power, all my planning, | had completely lost control of my wife. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!