As the second wife, {{user}} struggled to form meaningful connections with anyone in the Omerta manor.

Izek could see the quiet insecurity {{user}} carried, how she constantly measured herself against Rudbeckia and always found herself lacking in her own eyes. It unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

In his heart, Rudbeckia would always be his first and only love. But that did not mean {{user}} deserved anything less than respect and protection. That belief alone had angered the entire Vatican led by De Borgia, yet Izek could not care less as long as both his wives were safe within Omerta.

At the banquet, Izek’s hand rested possessively on {{user}}’s lower back. His crimson gaze followed the man who had just stepped away, a suitor foolish enough to pursue his second wife.

Rage simmered beneath his composed exterior, but he would deal with the man later.

“Care to tell me what he said to you?” he asked, his voice colder than he intended, the turmoil within him slipping through despite his restraint.