Page 84 of Vicious Kingdom

“No, I’m serious, Alessio.” Penelope switched to English. “He’s your own brother. And he didn’t know Serena and Anna were besties? That she’smyfriend now too? That’s on him. Not you.”

Her words struck.

It was true. I distanced myself so far from the mob that I was absent from the day-to-day life of my own family. They lived a full life, and for everyone’s safety, I wasn’t part of that.

“What do we do now?” Sandro cautioned.

“Well, she’s here to meet with you, Alessio. Might as well spill the family tea, so the secrets are in the open,” Penelope drawled, pushing past her husband, and approached the stairs.

She was here to meet with Alessandro?

She’d said Penelope.

Another fucking lie.

My fingers fisted at my side, and my lungs drew in deep breaths as I battled the urge to hit something.

Sandro reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Wait, my little fireball. Leo? It’s your call. There might still be a way to play this off. Pretend that you don’t know that she knows who you are.”

Penelope snorted, but her husband’s grip tightened on her shoulder.

She knows who I am.All this time.

I growled, running a hand over my hair. Annaliese’s taste was still on my tongue. Worshipping her body was second nature.The memories of the past melded perfectly with the present. There was no letting her go. Not now, not with every fiber of my being screaming to take her again.

Plus, our wedding was happening—soon.

A wife who knows my secret.

There was no way to keep this charade up after today. But once again, I was reminded of the fact that I could never trust my wife. She was manipulative and secretive. A deadly combination.

And I’d just been played by her masterful hand.

“She knows who you are, Leo,” my brother murmured, confirming what I already knew in my heart. “She figured it out—years ago.”

Relief swept through me, bringing a sense of sweet calmness. She knew.

“Can I trust her?” The question was directed at the don.

But it was his wife who answered. “She’s been keeping our secret for the last five years.”

“And even if you fuck this up,Mancini,I would rather die than betray your family,” that sweet voice, full of determination, said behind me.

I looked up to the top of the stairs, and there she was, a vision. Annaliese stood above like a goddess of war, with her hands fisted hard at her sides, a stance so full of determination and strength that it struck me straight through the heart. This woman knew the unholy secrets of my life unsealed and laying bare. And even though I wouldn’t admit it, she was the one who owned my very soul.

Mio dio, she was gorgeous. Unwavering, she stood there, stunning in a semi-dry tee shirt and simple blue jeans. I took in every detail. Short, cropped hair mussed and tangled in wild abandon, eyes flashing with a fire so fierce it almost melted my resolve. Tenacity was her armor, an unshakable certainty hershroud. She was strong and frighteningly brilliant, and too good, too impossibly good for a man like me.

Why have I been fighting this attraction?

I knew the answer to that, of course. But right now, the reasons seemed weak and futile.

The don broke the chaos of my mind. “Let’s take this conversation to my office.”

We ascended the stairs, and Tony emerged, bringing up the rear. The faithful guard followed us and placed a tea service down on the side table. The smell of licorice root and peppermint perfumed the air.

Penelope hurried to pour, Annaliese glued to her side. They exchanged a handful of words in a hushed conversation.

My wife.