Queen of Ashes

Vittoria

The message came at noon, short and smug.

Dinner. Calabria’s restaurant. Eight. Come alone, don’t you dare come with another. – B.

I didn't need the signature to know who it was from. The words carried his arrogance, the kind that could still drip venom even through a cracked screen.

I was at the estate by evening, fastening the thin diamond necklace around my neck. My reflection was all