Chapter 23: The Power of Red

The anger still burned hot inside me as I stood before the mirror, applying the final stroke of red lipstick across my lips. Bruno thought he could control me, bend me to his will, but tonight, I would show him just how wrong he was.

I was done playing nice. Tonight, I was going to make him eat his words. He wanted to play games? Well, I had a few of my own.

I tilted my head to the side, admiring the shade of red that contrasted sharply against my skin. It was bold, seductive, and dangerous—everything I intended to be at the family dinner downstairs. Bruno wasn't going to know what hit him.

The dress I had chosen lay across the bed—a slinky, form-fitting number that left little to the imagination.