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“Time’s up, bitch.”
***
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Luca?”
A panicked Alessandra shook Drake awake and put her phone on speaker so he could hear what Luca said. Drake quickly grabbed his phone from the nightstand and began recording the conversation.
“I’m very disappointed in you. You were warned that you only had one week. Did you think you’d actually get away with this?”
“I’m not signing the goddamn papers. As a matter of fact, the copy was destroyed. I won’t allow you to threaten my wife like that,” Drake said.
Luca laughed down the line. “That’s so sweet. I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in this matter, Mr. Walker. Alessandra knows the consequences of her actions.”
Alessandra looked at Drake, and he nodded. “Please, Luca. I… I care about Drake. I don’t want him to get hurt. There must be some other compromise or arrangement we can make.”
Drake laced his fingers through Alessandra’s and squeezed them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“You’re weak, Alessandra. How can you care for that Neanderthal? I told you before, he’s just playing with you. Same little bird, different gilded cage. I’m sick and tired of you disrespecting me. You have always been mine.”
“I’m not weak, Luca.” Alessandra’s lip trembled. Drake moved closer and gathered her in his arms.
“A ring on your finger doesn’t change things. Marcello’s only option is to plead if you refuse to divorce Drake. Mr. Walker will be offering him a very generous deal.”
“No way in hell! That’s not happening. You don’t get to hold me over a barrel. Alessandra is my wife, not a pawn,” Drake spoke resolutely.
“Ah, clearly, you’re just waking up and haven’t heard the news yet.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Drake asked.
“You know how it is, Walker. Sometimes things just get misplaced. There is no evidence against Marcello Russo. You can’t possibly prosecute an innocent man without evidence to back it up.”
Drake and Alessandra looked wide-eyed at each other, trying to determine the validity of Luca’s words.
“Well, aren’t you happy, Alessandra? Your brother will be home much sooner than expected. You should be grateful. Remember where your loyalty lies.”
“Fuck you, Luca! I’ll never be yours.”
“We’ll see, darling. Ciao, bella.”
Luca ended the call, and Alessandra resisted the urge to chuck her phone across the room. She turned to Drake, who was already scrolling through emails on his phone.
“Fuck! Jerry is calling us into his chambers this morning.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Of course it’s not okay. Damn it! This is all your fault. I can’t believe you’re this naïve.”
He hopped out of bed.
“How is this my fault? You can’t keep blaming me for this. We should be past this by now. We’re a team, Drake!”
“If you had told me the truth about Luca’s threats initially, I could’ve prevented this from happening. I would’ve warned Jerry. How did discovery disappear when I’ve been combing through it all week? My case has gone to shit because of you. Fuck! I should’ve known better.”
Alessandra felt as though she’d been slapped. “How dare you pin this on me? I had nothing to do with this. I was trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need your fucking protection. Don’t bother anymore.”
