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She's pregnant… seriously?

The fact that her father owed me would've been enough. But I'd be damned if I let those vultures tag her like property.

I sit there with the hum of the lamp and the city and my own heartbeat, and for a second, I let my head hit the back of my chair.

I lied to my brother.

I lied in a way you can't walk back without leaving shoe prints in concrete.

What the fuck was I thinking?

Just then, the phone on my desk rings, the landline that only a handful of people have that number to.

None of them ever calls with good news.

I pick up, already knowing who it'll be. "Moretti."

"Luca." Don Salvatore Fiorello's voice creaks through the line, ancient and unyielding as the man himself.

At ninety-two, he's the oldest member of the Council, and arguably the most powerful. "We need to talk."

"Don Fiorello. What can I do for you?"

"This engagement of yours. The Council has... concerns."

"Concerns?" I feel my stomach hollow out. "With all due respect, my personal life?—"

"Is the family's business," he cuts in. "Especially when it involves bringing an outsider into the inner circle."

I bite back the string of curses that comes to mind. "What do you need?"

"The Council will need to meet with her."

"She's not ready for that," I argue.

"This isn't a request, Luca." His tone hardens. "We meet immediately."

My hand tightens on the receiver, and the line goes dead before I can argue further.

Fuck. Whatever Declan told them, I know he's kept the pregnancy a secret.

My brother, the viper, would never lose such a strong hold.

But this is spiraling out of control faster than I anticipated.

Now I'm flying Belle to Italy to face five of the most dangerous old men I know.

What the actual fuck am I doing?

I need to find Belle. Now.

I find her in Sofia's bedroom, drawing.

She looks up, and Sofia frowns. "Daddy. You're bothering us!"

Since when did I become an intruder, and my kid start loving Belle this much?

And it hits me right in the chest—this tiny traitor of mine already picked a side, and I'm not complaining.