"Cesare," I say softly, reaching for his hand. "Thank you."
He brings my hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to my palm. "You don't have to thank me for caring about you, Tori. It's not a burden; it's a privilege."
As I look into his eyes, seeing the sincerity there, I realize something has fundamentally shifted between us. This isn't just about protection or duty anymore.
This is about two people who found each other in the darkness and decided to build something real together.
And for the first time in my life, I'm not afraid of what the future might bring.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
cesare
ONE MONTH LATER
“Today,you'll be in attendance with Lorenzo and me. It's a meeting with the Syndicate. You may not like what happens, but you don't interfere or comment unless spoken to," I tell Ciro and Giovanni as we arrive at Ronan Delaney's hotel.
"Yes, boss," they reply in unison.
They're finally stepping up and becoming the men I knew them to be. After Beatrice died, I left them alone, wanting them to heal from her death. But sometimes you need a push, and my boys needed me to push them. For the past month, they've been showing not only me but the rest of my men that they can be trusted to be part of the organization.
"May I ask what's going to happen?" Ciro questions.
"After the shit that went down with the Harringtons, we need a stronger, tighter alliance. One that involves all of the Syndicate," I say as we step into the foyer where Lorenzo waits.
"You mean we'll be given wives?" Gio asks, eyes narrowed.
"Possibly. That's what today is about. We'll wait and see. Your brother is eldest. He'll have first choice, and it'll go from there."
"Lucky me," Lorenzo comments dryly. "But I have a feeling our father has already picked which family I should be choosing from."
I smile. I do indeed. Lorenzo will be marrying one of Ronan Delaney's daughters. If I know my son, he'll be choosing Ronan's eldest daughter, Daire.
But time will tell.
As we enter the meeting room, I scan the faces of the other Syndicate leaders. Ronan Delaney, head of the Irish faction, is already seated at the head of the table. His sharp eyes follow us as we take our seats. His sons, Daithi, Conn, and Caden, are seated with him.
"Cesare," he greets with a nod. "I see you've brought the boys along. Good. Hopefully we can get this sorted today."
I return his nod. "Indeed. The sooner the better."
The rest of the leaders file in. Olezka Morozov, leader of the Bratva, along with his sons, Danil and Rurik, and then all four of the East Street Kings: Prior, Landon, Scantor, and Miller King.
"Gentlemen," Ronan begins, his Irish brogue thick. "We all know why we're here. The incident with the Harringtons has shown us our alliance needs strengthening. We can't afford any more cracks in our foundation."
Murmurs of agreement around the table. I catch Lorenzo's eye, seeing sharp interest there. He knows what's coming.
Ronan continues, "To that end, we propose a series of arranged marriages between our families. Binding our bloodlines will ensure loyalty and cooperation for generations to come."
I watch this sink in for Ciro and Giovanni. Ciro's face remains impassive, but I can see tension in his jaw. Giovanni, always more expressive, looks slightly pale.
Fuck. Here we go.
Olezka speaks up. "Excellent idea. My eldest daughter is of marriageable age. She would make a fine wife for one of your sons, Cesare."
Before I can respond, Prior cuts in. "Any of my brothers would work for your daughters."
I hold up a hand to quiet them. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to discuss terms of these arrangements first."
