TamI'll provide Hallie Wynter thirty days.Thirty days of living with me some time recently I'll wed her.Thirty days for her to tell me no, so I can shoot her running back to my family's greatest match – her father.She might act intense, but I do n't misdoubt my capability to break her.She's so guiltless. So naive.The young lady will be requesting to go domestic by the time I'm done with her. HallieTam Cornell is as well ancient for me; as well difficult, as well cold, as well everything.It was noway assumed to be him.I know he's pushing me, attempting to shoot me back to a father who's fair as merciless as he is.He considers he can stun me with his unprintable words and rough touch, but nothing he can uncover me to will make me take off. My father has continuously guided me family is everything.And in thirty days Tam Cornell will come my family, as well, whether he likes it or not. Find the heart- dashing world of the Mafia Delegated. Leo Cornell is a reasonable- haired demon with an ice-blue aspect that cuts right through me.Thinking he'll get his retribution on my father, he's stolen me from one imprisonment and landed me straight in another. But he's not the as it were controller around. I'll turn his outrage to work for my possess devices.He considers he'll destroy me, but he's guarding me from somebody worse.He fair does n't know it yet.I trapped Kaja from her bed in the center of night like a creature in a puck- tale.My arrange to corrupt her will make her dangerous father feel my pain.But as I get to know her, she stirs product interior me I allowed was long dead.I know it's off-base, but her slim body and sleek dull hair interest me.I call her my Raven Will I set her free some time recently I devastate her?
Chapter 1 Cha 1
"What's more important than family, Hallie?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. Nothing is more important than family. Family is everything."
I knew my lines well. I'd been saying them since I'd been able to talk.
Marlon Wynter, my father and head of the Wynter Syndicate, put both hands on my shoulders. He pulled me towards him and placed a kiss to my
brow. I wished the kiss contained some warmth, some tenderness, but it was cool and perfunctory.
"Good girl. I knew you wouldn't let us down. This alliance with the Cornell Firm is necessary. You understand that, don't you? And Harvey is a good man, for a Cornell, anyway. I wouldn't be considering this otherwise."
"Yes, Dad. I know all of that."
He let out a sigh, and I suddenly saw the years in my father's face. He was only in his mid-fifties, but these past few years had been hard on him. Turf wars over who controlled which parts of the city had grown rife, and with three families all fighting over various boroughs of London, they'd been even harder. We had some of the police in our pockets, but so did the other families. It had become a case of whoever could pay more were the
ones who bought their loyalty, and there was always the chance that loyalty would change. Who did we trust?
"Of course you do. It's just hard for me, trying to make the right choices for you on my own. I wish your mother was still around. She should have been here, today of all days."
Yes, my mother would have loved to have seen me in my wedding dress. I imagined her standing behind me, rearranging my hair and placing my veil on my head. But it wasn't to be. She'd died thirteen years ago, when I was eight, and I still missed her every day.
"Is Jayden coming?" I asked.
I wanted my younger brother in the church with me. If anything had happened to Dad, he would have been the one to give me away. I'd kind of
hoped he'd have swung by this morning, if only to wish me luck, but I hadn't seen him. If he didn't turn up at the church, I'd kill him.
"Yes, he's at the church already, making sure everything runs smoothly on our side."
My shoulders slumped with relief. "Good. I was worried he'd been out partying all night and was still sleeping off a hangover."
"I can't promise that he doesn't have a hangover, but he's definitely not sleeping."
I smoothed down the front of the designer wedding dress and sucked in a breath to quell my nerves. I shouldn't be nervous. I was about to marry
one of the sons of a powerful family, tying our two families together. It was no hardship. Harvey and I had spent time together over the past couple of months, and we got along well enough. In time, I thought I could come to
love him.
I'd gone for a cream dress instead of the traditional white, and lace
sleeves encased my arms. A beaded bodice sheathed my torso, and layers of silk and more lace fell to the floor. A pair of cream Jimmy Choo sandals cradled my feet, and my curly red hair was piled up on top of my head,
tendrils carefully teased loose, and fresh flowers woven within the tresses.
I felt beautiful, and I hoped Harvey would think the same when he saw me. I pictured him becoming overwhelmed with emotion and maybe even shedding a tear, but then I pushed that image from my head. That was never going to happen. Harvey wasn't marrying me because of any feelings he might have for me. This was happening out of loyalty to our respective families, nothing else.
I didn't want to feel that dip of disappointment in my stomach, but I did.
I would have liked to fall into the arms of my husband, to have him say he couldn't live without me, for our nights to be filled with passion, instead of this being an arrangement.
Passion would come later. There was plenty of time for that. My best friend, Layla, burst into the room.
"Oh my God, Hallie. You're beautiful."
She gave me a hug, and tears welled in my eyes. "Thanks, Lay." "You can't cry," she admonished me. "You'll ruin your makeup."
I flapped my hand in front of my face, hoping to keep my mascara in place. "I won't. I'm okay. You look gorgeous, too."
I hadn't wanted to be one of those brides who put their friend in some hideous dress to make themselves feel prettier. Layla was my only
bridesmaid and technically my maid of honour as well, so I'd let her choose whatever dress she wanted. She'd gone for an A-line blush-pink strappy number, and it showed off her curves and olive skin to perfection. Her dark hair fell in waves across one shoulder, and small diamonds glinted on her earlobes.
My dad's gaze darted between us. "I'll give you girls a moment," he said, before exiting the room.
I got the impression he was relieved to get out of here.
Layla dropped onto the edge of my bed. "Are you excited? I can't believe you're going to be a married woman in a few hours."
"I know. It's crazy, isn't it. I feel like we were only in school a few months ago."
"Me, too. I would say I envy you, but I hope I don't get married until I'm at least thirty. I need to sow my wild oats first." She gave me a wink and stuck out her tongue.
I raised both eyebrows. "Well, this isn't exactly something I had planned, Lay."
"Shit, yeah, I forgot. Sorry."
I exhaled a breath and smoothed my dress down again. "Forget about it.
This is a new start for me."
"Marrying the enemy." She dropped her voice so she wouldn't be overheard. "You know you don't have to do this, don't you? You can always say no to your dad."
"Say no to my dad? Are you serious?"
"You're his daughter. He should care about your happiness."
A knot tightened in my stomach. "He cares about me staying alive. Our two families joining means we'll be taking over two thirds of London.
We're stronger together than we are apart. We can stop any other families from reigning over the city."
She cocked her head. "The Gilligans, you mean."
We both knew it was one particular family that posed our biggest threat. "Yeah, them."
Layla let out a sigh and took my hand. "It's just so crap that you can't do what you want."
I squeezed her fingers. "I'm happy, Layla. I promise. Try to be happy for me, too, yeah?"
She plastered a smile on her face and jumped to her feet. "You're right.
I'm being a total twat. Now, where's that champagne. Don't tell me your dad is letting his daughter get married to someone she barely knows without getting totally shitfaced on champers first."
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