"Stasia? Stasia, are you there?" Lori's voice called desperately. "What is going on?"
Matteo ended the call. The sudden silence that followed was the loudest thing Anastasia ever heard.
She stared into the floor-to-ceiling mirror in front of her. Matteo was staring at her reflection from behind, his eyes dark, and utterly furious.
"I believe," Matteo whispered, leaning down until his lips grazed the shell of her ear, "that we had a discussion about who you belong to."
His hand moved to rest on the nape of her neck. His thumb traced her jawline with a tenderness that was more frightening than a blow.
"Come, I will show you the consequences of your actions," Matteo said. He grabbed her arm so tight she winced.
He didn't speak as he dragged her out of the sanctuary of the wardrobe suite. The house, usually humming with the quiet efficiency of a five-star tomb, was now deathly silent.
