I needed to be smart. Careful. One wrong word and everything could blow up.
"You wanted to see me?" I kept my voice neutral. Set the files on his desk.
"Sit." My father gestured to the chair across from him. "We need to discuss your performance while I was away."
Performance. Right. Like I was some employee being reviewed instead of his son.
I sat. Kept my posture relaxed. Gave no indication of tension.
"Were there any problems with Miss Romano during my absence? Any attempts to escape? Any concerning behavior?"
"None. She was compliant. Cooperative. Exactly what you wanted. She attended her lessons, followed instructions, caused no issues whatsoever."
My father's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you were able to manage her effectively?"
"Of course. You gave me a job. I did it."
"Luca here has mentioned something interesting." My father leaned back in his chair. "He says you seemed very invested in watching the girl. Almost too invested. Private conversations. Closed door meetings. Time spent together that went beyond simple supervision."
Ice flooded my veins. But I kept my expression bored. Slightly annoyed at the implication.
"Luca is seeing problems where there aren't any. I was following your orders to watch her, teach her about the family, make sure she understood what was expected. That required time together. Private conversations. How else was I supposed to ensure she'd be the wife you wanted?"
Luca spoke up, his voice careful. Calculated. "I'm not accusing you of anything inappropriate. I'm simply observing that the amount of time you spent with Miss Romano seemed excessive for basic supervision. There were moments when you appeared quite... familiar with each other."
I turned to look at Luca directly. Let my eyes go cold. Dangerous. The look that reminded people what I was capable of.
"If you're accusing me of something, Luca, say it clearly. Don't dance around with vague implications like a coward. Ifyou think I crossed a line with my father's future wife, state it explicitly so I can address the accusation properly."
He backed down slightly. Shifted his weight. "I'm not accusing you of anything specific. Just noting observations that seemed worth mentioning to Don Salvatore. For the family's protection, of course."
Of course. For the family's protection. Translation: trying to undermine me with my father.
"Enough." My father's voice cut through the tension. "Both of you shut up. Kai, the girl moves fully into my wing tomorrow. After that, your job watching her is done. You won't need to spend time with her anymore. I'll be handling her supervision personally."
Every muscle in my body wanted to tense. To react. To show some sign of how those words affected me.
I forced everything to stay relaxed. Controlled.
"I understand completely. If you don't need me to continue managing her, I'll focus on other family business."
My mind raced. I needed to discredit Luca. Make my father doubt his observations. Plant seeds that would grow into dismissal of anything else Luca might report.
"Though I have to say, Father, I'm concerned about Luca's paranoia. He's been seeing threats where there aren't any for months now. First it was the northern suppliers, which turned out to be nothing. Then the shipping routes, also nothing. Now he's implying something inappropriate between me and your future wife based on me doing exactly what you ordered. It makes me wonder if his judgment is becoming compromised."
My father's gaze shifted to Luca. Assessing. "Is that true? Have you been seeing problems that don't exist?"
"No, of course not. I'm simply being thorough. Vigilant. As you've always taught us to be."
"Vigilance is good. Paranoia is dangerous. It makes people see conspiracies everywhere. Makes them unreliable." My father turned back to me. "You're dismissed, Kai. Send in Marco on your way out. We have other matters to discuss."
I stood. Nodded. Walked out without another glance at Luca.
Once in the hallway, I allowed myself one slow breath. One moment to process.
That had been close. Too close. If Luca had actual evidence instead of just suspicions, I'd be dead already. We'd both be dead.
But I'd managed to deflect. To plant doubt about Luca's reliability. It wouldn't stop him from watching, but it might make my father dismiss future reports as paranoid imagination.
