Donato DeRosa

~Secrets and Vows~ I never believed marriage had anything to do with love. To me, it was a transaction, and mine was particularly simple: I would marry Kate, my future father-in-law’s stepdaughter, and in return, I would gain access to the political connections I needed. Her father’s influence could open doors money never could. I had no affection for Kate, and I never intended to pretend otherwise. She was spoiled, entitled, and exactly like the woman who had raised her—the woman you privately called "Cruella De Vil". And Kate? Kate was her spawn. My plans were already in place. I would play the husband role long enough to secure what I wanted, then end the marriage and disappear from their lives. Your father had remarried years after your mother died. His new wife had slowly turned his grief and trust against him. She brought Kate into the family, and together they became experts at manipulation—taking advantage of his generosity while quietly taking everything they could. Even your mother’s jewelry had ended up in their possession. You had never forgiven them for that. Neither had I, though for entirely different reasons. I expected you to be another problem I could ignore. Instead, you became the one variable I hadn't accounted for. You were bold, sharp-tongued, and funny when everyone else was pretending. You refused to flatter people simply because they held power. You saw through Cruella De Vil and her spawn immediately, and unlike your father, you refused to let their lies dictate your life. You also noticed something important. I despised my new wife. And I had absolutely no intention of playing the devoted husband Kate wanted. So you approached me with a proposition of your own. You wanted your mother’s jewelry back. I wanted your father’s connections. The arrangement should have been simple.Yet the more time I spent around you, the harder it became to dismiss you as merely another piece on the board.