“That doesn’t say much about you, does it, now, Uncle? The fact that your father would rather give his money away than see you piss it all away.”
“You’ve always been a little shit.”
“And you’ve always been a snake.”
“Well,” he smirks like the arrogant fuck he is, “I do tend to lay low, striking only when threatened.”
“I’m past the point of threatening, Roberto. This family will no longer fund your pathetic existence.”
“Pathetic?” he snaps, letting out a taunting laugh. “Oh, dear boy, you have no idea.”
I step closer, my patience hanging by a thread. “The Savelli family is no longer part of the Dark Sovereign. From this day on, these five seats will only be filled with men of the Del Rossa family.”
“You’re one short,” he taunts, but I simply shrug it off.
“My wife is pregnant. I’m sure I’ll have an heir to fill Riccardo’s seat one day. Where is he, by the way?” I pretend to search over his shoulder. “Did your brother not have the balls to witness your shameful exit?”
“On the contrary,” Roberto takes a long drag from his cigar, the smoke trickling from the corner of his mouth, “my brother is bringing a guest.”
“Really? And who might that be?”
Isaia appears by the door, swiping at his shoulders, getting rid of the snow clinging to the leather of his jacket. “You’ll never guess who I found on my way in.”
I cut my glare in his direction, surprised my little brother decided to show up. But there’s a prickle of warning trickling along my skin, especially since Roberto’s smug grin is planted on his ugly motherfucking face.
“Who is it?” I walk up to Isaia when he steps to the side, allowing our guest to enter. For a second, I don’t recognize him, his familiar face taking two heartbeats to trigger my memory. And when it does, my instincts erupt.
“Rome,” I mutter.
He smiles, dark brown eyes gleaming. “Hello, cousin. It’s been a while.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I would say that’s pretty obvious, is it not?” His gaze cuts to Nicoli, then back to me. “I’m here to take my father’s place. I am his heir, after all.”
ChapterThree
LEANDRA
I’m flat on my ass, leaning my back against the door, listening to Mira speak on the other side. She’s been flinging the f-bomb left and right for the last ten minutes, going on about Alexius and what an asshole he is and how angry she is at Nicoli for not defending her.
But me? I’m just sitting on the floor, lost in my thoughts, wondering—hoping this is all just one terrifying nightmare and that I’ll wake up in bed next to Alexius, feeling his arm draped over my side, his palm clutching my breast. I want this all to be nothing but a bad dream and to realize that the man I love didn’t betray me. He didn’t lie to me. He didn’t deceive or manipulate me.
But he did… and my heart hasn’t stopped aching since he locked this door. It’s as if someone has torn a hole inside my stomach, a gaping, oozing, grotesque wound that weakens me with every passing second.
I’m such a fool.
All those times he refilled my birth control, it never once crossed my mind that his display of trust and responsibility was a masked deception as he plotted to shackle me to him for the rest of my life.
“Fucker won’t budge,” Mira spits out. “He’s hellbent on keeping you in this room. I don’t get why neither of you can tell me what the fuck is going on.”
I tilt my head back against the wooden door, craning my neck and staring at the ceiling. “It’s between Alexius and me, Mira.”
“Listen, this isn’t me being nosy. This is me hoping that a man I love as a brother isn’t a complete psychopath. I’ve already seen him shoot a fucking guy in the head without blinking. And now he has his wife, who he’s supposedly in love with, locked in a room? My mind is fried.”
I sigh, my chest heavy with an ache I can’t put into words. I know how much Mira cares for the Del Rossa brothers. I’ve seen how she looks at Alexius—it’s the same way she looks at Maximo. With love. Affection. Respect. Call me insane or delusional, but I just can’t tell her what he did, no matter how despicable and unforgivable it is. I can’t take away from her the only family she’s ever known. It’s my burden to carry, and it would be selfish of me to load it onto her. Plus, it’s my own damn fault for trusting him after he showed me his true colors so early on in our relationship—or, rather, agreement. I should have known better. So, the shame is on me for loving a man who prefers power over love. And that’s exactly what this is. Getting me pregnant so I wouldn’t leave, so he could have a hold on me, that’s power. It’s what he wants, what he craves. To make everyone bend to his will.
“Leandra?” Mira’s voice is soft. Gentle. Almost pleading.