Antonio’s expression hardened, not with anger, but the kind of frustration that came from too many sleepless nights. “You think we don’t get that? You think any of us don’t wish we could live clean and simple?” He leaned forward. “None of us chose to be born a DeLuca. But with that name came circumstances out of our control, circumstances that still exist. We don’t get the luxury of playing by everyone else’s moral rulebook. You want to tell her the truth? Fine. But the second you do, you’re not just gambling your heart. You’re gambling all of us. Our safety. Our anonymity. Every quiet year we’ve managed to steal.”
Giovanni set down his spoon, the humor gone but not the warmth. “It’s not about right or wrong, Marcus. It’s about survival. Tell her, and every camera in New York will follow the thread straight back to our door. You’ll make her a target—and us, too.”
Luca leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “If you wanted a clean chance with her, you should’ve never manipulated her in the first place,” he said, his tone gentler than his words. “But hell, we’ve all made ourshare of mistakes when it comes to women. That’s why we’re all single. Every damn one of us. The best we can do now is learn from each other’s screwups.”
Marcus didn’t answer. The glare from his monitor caught the reflection of four faces, older now, harder, but still the same boys huddled in the dark years ago, their birth mother’s arms around them, her voice soft with exhaustion and love: Sometimes, my darling boys, it’s okay to be afraid.
The words slid through him now, heavier with time. Maybe fear wasn’t the problem. Maybe the real danger was letting it decide who he became.
He could lose Frankie now, lose her clean, or risk her hating him forever later. If he waited until love was certain, maybe it would hold long enough to weather the truth.
A fucking jackass plan. But hope had its hooks in him.
He exhaled and rubbed a hand over his face. “Fine,” he said quietly. “We’ll do it your way.”
“Don’t look so down,” Giovanni said. “The upside of our plan includes you wowing her so completely she falls for you—hard. That way, when she eventually finds out you’re Mr. Uptight, she’ll be too in love to light the match.”
Luca leaned forward, smirking. “So…you want some pointers on how to be good in bed?”
Marcus glared. “Fuck off.”
“So, I’m hearing yes.” Luca laughed.
“Even if the answer’s no,” Lorenzo muttered, “we all know he needs help.”
Luca lifted his stick like a pointer. “Warm up, hydrate, pace yourself. Change angles. Read the hips, not the face. And for the love of hockey, don’t celebrate too early. No fist pumps.”
Giovanni raised his tasting spoon. “Mise en place. Start with anamuse-bouche, something you can do with your hands. Let it simmer, do not scorch. Sauce is foreplay. If you think you’ve used enough, add more.”
Lorenzo adjusted his headset. “Reduce latency. Ask for real-time feedback, then iterate. Eyes on the user interface, not the wall. Also, patch the ‘wrong name’ bug before deploy.”
Antonio steepled his fingers. “Three-part plan. One, presence. Make her feel like the only line item on earth. Two, ratios. Eighty-twenty, her first. Three, close with clarity. Tell her exactly what you want tomorrow, not just tonight.”
Despite himself, Marcus found his shoulders squaring. God help him, he was taking notes.
Luca smirked. “Want my conditioning routine?”
“No.”
Giovanni brightened. “I’ll courier over truffle oil.”
“No.”
Lorenzo typed. “Sending a checklist.”
“Delete it.”
Antonio nodded once, satisfied. “Good. Then go. Be undeniable.”
Marcus reached for the end call, but before he could tap it, Lorenzo’s sharp, “Wait,” caused him to pause.
“What?” Marcus asked.
“Her name is Frankie,” Lorenzo deadpanned.
Marcus ended the call before they could see the smile that wasn’t one. It felt wrong on his face, like a borrowed expression that didn’t quite fit. Maybe he was a monumental asshole. Maybe he was just a man who’d run out of right choices.
Either way, he’d do what DeLucas did best—keep moving, keep control, and pretend the world wasn’t balancing on a bad idea.
