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Seeing I didn't have much choice, I closed the door and marched over to the espresso machine. Steam hissed, spattering droplets of hot liquid onto my wrist. The burn barely registered.

"I really am busy, so I'd appreciate it if you would just say what you came to say."

What the hell? Why do I keep saying "appreciate?"

There was literally nothing I appreciated about this encounter.

I crossed to where she’d retaken her seat and handed her the espresso but didn't offer her a biscotti. The cup rattled against the saucer, betraying my unsteady hands.

She took a sip, leaving a greasy smear of red lipstick on the rim. "Don't hover over me. Sit."

For just a second, I thought about moving to sit behind my desk.

Perhaps it would give me a necessary aura of authority.

Then I glanced at Filomena.

She tilted her head to the side and gave me a once-over, as if she'd just read my thoughts and found them amusing.

Fine. I’ve got this.

I smoothed my skirt and sat on the seat I'd just vacated earlier, perching on the absolute edge, my hands folded in my lap. "How can I help you?"

She leaned back and surveyed me, setting her cup down. "You're an uppity little bitch, aren't you?"

My fingernails dug into my palms, leaving crescent moons of pain. "Did you only come here to insult me?"

"Can you think of a better reason to visit my son's whore on a rainy afternoon?"

I tried to rise.

She sank her claws into my forearm.

"Stop. Don't. I have an acid tongue. Get used it. I thought you New Yorkers had…how do you say?…tougher skin."

I lowered back into my seat. "If this is about me being a witness to the…unfortunate incident…at dinner the other night, I can assure you, you have my upmost discretion. I wouldn't dream of saying anything to any⁠—"

Her laughter filled the room, bouncing off the walls, distorted and horrible. "You think I give a shit what you saw?"

She leaned forward and made a slashing motion across her throat. "I could have cut his neck like the pig he is and watched him bleed out on the floor at my feet and still not give a fuck what you witnessed."

I tightened my fingers until my knuckles whitened.

She laughed again. "Do you still have no appreciation for the world you have entered?" She threw her arms above her head. "We are the Diamantis. We own Rome. We own Italy. There is no such thing as consequences for people such as us."

"My father would think differently." It flew out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Holy shit. Why? Why? Why?

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. "So the kitten has claws after all. So tell me, little kitten, what do you think you know about your father?"

I squared my shoulders and cast a quick glance at Sebastian's office door to reassure myself it was still closed. "I know he's a judge on the Constitutional Court of Italy and a very powerful man. And that there is bad blood between him and your son."

She reached into her Hermes bag and pulled out a gold cigarette case.

Flipping the case open, she selected a cigarette and snapped the case shut.

Tapping the filtered end against the case, she said, "Is that all?"