Francesca "Frankie" is a stunning criminal defense lawyer with a sharp edge, her beauty hiding a heart hardened by anger and painful memories. She's out for revenge, and nothing's going to stop her.
Hector, shaped by power but haunted by guilt, is a...
"A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green."
- Francis Bacon
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My family was falling apart. Theodore had locked himself away in shame. Our name was dragged through the fucking dirt, tainted by a scandal that had rocked the entire city.
And I was losing my fucking mind.
How the hell had I not known about my cousin's twisted affair with his own father's girlfriend? How was it that the enemy did but I didn't? Daniel, and the bitch he'd been cheating with, fled the house as soon as their dirty secret was exposed. And my uncle didn't even bother going after them. He shut down. The scandal had completely destroyed him.
My investigation consumed me. I spent sleepless nights combing through surveillance footage, digital forensics, sitting in on endless meetings with cybersecurity experts, trying to find anything that could lead me to the son of a bitch behind this disaster. But it was like chasing a fucking ghost. Every clue led me into a dead end. A fucking wild goose chase. Days went by, and we still had nothing. My family was crumbling, and I was fucking watching.
But I'd find that cocksucker. I wasn't going to stop until I did.
"Morning, gorgeous," I said, placing a gentle kiss on my mother's forehead. I drew up a chair beside her at the breakfast table, planting another kiss on my sister's cheek, "Good morning, sweetie."
I tried to keep the rage at bay as I sat at the breakfast table with my mother and sister. I leaned down to plant a kiss on my mother's forehead. "Good morning, beautiful."
Her face lit up with that gentle smile she always gave me, the one that made everything seem okay for a second, even when it wasn't. "Good morning, honey," she replied, her hand reaching up to caress my cheek with warmth I didn't deserve. "Anything from Daniel?" she asked, her voice soft, but the pain there was real.
"No word yet," I muttered, my jaw tight. "But I'll find him."
Maddie shook her head sadly. "I still can't believe it. How could Daniel betray Uncle Theo like that? Theo's done nothing but love him."
She wasn't wrong. Theo had been more of a father to us than an uncle after we lost our father. He'd taken care of us, raised us, treated us like his own. That's why my anger at Daniel burned so deep. Theo didn't deserve this shit.
"Let's not bring it up around him, okay?" I told Maddie. "He's dealing with enough." I turned back to my mother. "Can you try again to get him out of his room today?"
"I'm making his favorite for lunch," she said softly. "I'll try again then, don't worry."
I kissed her cheek, gave Maddie's shoulder a gentle squeeze, and left the house as soon as Zane pulled up in the driveway.
