Page 179 of Wicked Villain

He’s unaware of what happened, but the motherfucker is still her husband.

I clear my throat, deep and guttural in a very exaggerated way.

The two stop kissing instantly. The moment Corrado sees me and Allegra, fury washes over his bulldog face. The fury ramps up by a hundred degrees when he glances down between Allegra and me and notices we’re holding hands.

He straightens and shoos the maid away, but I notice how Allegra watches her with indignance.

The maid stares back at her, at least having the good sense to look ashamed.

“What are you doing here?” Corrado barks. “And how dare you come into my home again unannounced?”

I get the feeling that as awful as he is, he doesn’t like the idea of Allegra seeing him with his mistress.

I release her hand and stare Corrado down. “Watch it, Corrado. Remember who you’re talking to.”

His jaw stiffens and he stands, straightening out his jacket. “Where’s my wife? I know you have her somewhere.”

“Mirella is none of your concern.”

Corrado looks at Allegra and sneers. “Not even going to say hello to your papa?”

“Hi, Papa.” Allegra humors him, but I love the sarcastic bite to her tone.

Corrado switches his gaze back to me. “You have ruined my family. Turned them against me and poisoned their minds.”

I shoot him a mirthless grin and shake my head. “No, Corrado, you fucked that up all on your own.”

He looks back at Allegra. “Is this how you let your husband speak to your father? You’re okay with this? Him disrespecting me?”

I step forward, balling my hands into tight fists. “Don’t address her. You speak to me, not my wife.”

A thunderous expression fills his face. “And where is my wife, Lev?”

“Like I said, she is none of your concern.”

“I’ll beg to differ. First you take my daughter, now my wife.”

“Whom you won’t be getting back. Put simply, she’s left your miserable ass.”

Corrado goes stiff. “Is that what you came to tell me? That my wife has left me?”

“No, that’s just a bonus. I’m here to tell you I know your secret.”

He smirks. “What are you talking about? We’ve already been over this. We came to our agreement and signed contracts.”

I chuckle. “We did. Then I found out you had one more secret buried under the sand. It turns out this one is the secret that matters most.”

I glance at Allegra, hold her gaze for a few heartbeats, then look back at her father. “I know Gabrielle died, Corrado.” I harden my expression and continue. “I know it was Gabrielle who died. Not Allegra. This is Allegra.” I point at my wife.

The shock on Corrado’s face is indescribable. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anyone looking so taken aback that their skin looks like it may unravel from their body.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stutters when he eventually regains the ability to speak.

What a fool he is, denying it. “You know good and well what I’m talking about.”

“No. I don’t.” He looks at Allegra, defeat settling in his eyes.

“No point trying to fool me, Corrado. I know the truth.”