Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 425

Mila pressed her lips together and ignored the man beside her. She dropped her gaze, picked up her fork and knife, and carefully cut a piece from her plate. The slow-cooked beef was tender, infused with a subtle hint of lemon that cut through the richness, melting on her tongue with a freshness that kept it from feeling heavy.

It really was delicious.

After a few bites, she set her utensils aside.

Lysander, seated next to her, raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He simply finished off the rest of the beef tenderloin without fuss.

Every course after that followed suit.

There was a wide array of dishes, all made from familiar ingredients but prepared in creative ways-small, artfully presented, the kind you'd find in a modern European bistro. Mila, though, had little appetite; she sampled only a bite or two of each, just enough to keep hunger at bay, then left the rest untouched.

Once dinner was over,

Leonard met them and drove them to the hotel he'd booked in advance. Finally, Mila didn't have to spend another night on a boat. She washed away the exhaustion of the day, intending to get some much-needed sleep, when faint voices drifted in from the hallway outside her bedroom-

Lysander and Leonard.

In the living room of their luxurious suite,

Lysander lounged on the sofa, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand as he glanced at Leonard in the seat beside him. His tone was cool and even. "Is everything ready?"

"All taken care of," Leonard replied calmly.

As soon as Lysander learned Mila was trapped on the island, he'd sent Leonard ahead to Rome to start preparations. When the plan changed, Leonard-who knew the operation best-had adapted in record time.

But...

"Sir, are you sure you want to bring her along?" Leonard frowned, concern etched on his face. "It's dangerous. She'll be a sitting target. If anything goes wrong..."

"We've taken every precaution."

Under the dim golden light, Lysander's fox-like eyes glinted with a cold, steely edge. "As long as we keep her under close watch, nothing will happen. This is the best possible strategy."

want to dwell on it any longer. "And the

meant Cossio's people. He schooled his features into a blank mask and answered, "Everyone's here. Cossio arrived too. His people are already moving; we should hear

almost mocking smile curved Lysander's lips as he set down his half- finished wine with a sharp clink. The crimson liquid swirled

us

...

was in order, Lysander returned to

the woman curled beneath the blanket, lying on her side, sound asleep. His face finally relaxed into a gentle smile. After a quick shower, he slipped into bed, wrapped an arm around her, tucked his chin against her

breathing soon

in his arms, the woman he thought was sleeping slowly opened her

and fury churned in her

conversation

A sitting target?

they'd kept her in the dark about the plan.

as bait? A

course he knew she'd

But for what, exactly?

To draw Cossio out?

Cossio? Mila doubted it.

details of the plan. All she knew

was important enough to be shoved into the center of the storm, important enough to be the one at risk. But not so important that her safety mattered. Just useful enough to stand in the crosshairs-i anything went wrong, she'd be the one to pay the price. This wasn't just

compare.

terrifying man made the half-healed wounds

shoulder throb in memory.

could never forget those days

still

a pawn to be

Throughout history,

bait ever met a good

laugh threatened to escape