"Liana." Gia's voice is soft and careful. "Do you... do you have feelings for him?"
"No." The word comes out too fast, too defensive.
"Liana—"
"I don't." I stand abruptly, needing to move. "He left me there, Gia. For hours. I was terrified and alone and he didn't come because he thought I was lying to him."
"I know. And he's an asshole for that." She pauses meaningfully. "But that doesn't answer my question."
"It doesn't matter what I feel," I say finally, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's over. Papa ended it. And even if he hadn't, I could never trust Santino again after what he did."
"Are you sure about that?"
I turn to face her sharply. "What?"
"Are you sure you could never trust him again?" Gia asks, her expression sympathetic. "Because the way you're acting right now, you look like someone who's heartbroken. Not someone who's relieved the engagement is over."
"I'm not heartbroken."
"Okay." She doesn't sound convinced at all. "Then what are you?"
I look down at my wrists, at the raw, bloody marks from the zip ties that cut into my skin for hours.
"I'm tired," I say quietly, honestly. "I'm tired and I hurt and I just want to sleep and not think about any of this."
Gia walks over and hugs me gently, carefully avoiding my injuries. "Okay. We'll talk tomorrow when you've rested." She pulls back. "But Liana? Whatever you're feeling? It's okay to feel it. Even if it's complicated. Even if it doesn't make sense." She leaves, closing the door softly.
I'm alone in Papa's study now, surrounded by the familiar smell of leather and cigars. I walk to his desk and pour myself a drink from his crystal decanter, something I've never done before.
Take a sip, letting the burn distract me from everything else—the pain, the confusion, the hollow feeling in my chest.
Tomorrow, I start actually running the family business the way I've always dreamed.
Tomorrow is a new beginning.
I just wish it didn't feel so much like an ending.
Chapter 26: Santino
Three days.
It's been three days since Dominic Costa called off the engagement in that parking lot, his words final and unforgiving.
Three days since I've seen Liana, since I've heard her voice or seen her face except in photos sent by my men.
Three days of planning, strategizing, and preparing for war against the Benedettis.
"Boss." Bruno drops a thick folder on my desk with a satisfying thud. "Benedetti's shipping routes. All of them. Every location, every schedule."
I open the folder and study the documents inside with careful attention, absorbing every detail.
The Benedettis have their hands in everything—shipping operations, warehouses scattered across the city, distribution networks that stretch into three states. All of it operating under legitimate business names that look clean on paper.
All of it vulnerable to the right pressure.
"Good work." I look up at Bruno. "What about their protection? How many men do they have?"
"Light." Bruno points to a map he's spread across my desk. "They've got men stationed at the main warehouses. Maybe two or three per location. Nothing we can't handle with proper planning."
