I could lose everything—my position, my power, my wealth. But as long as I have Gina by my side, I don’t give a shit. If I’ve learned anything in the years of ruling this territory, even if it is a fiefdom of my father’s kingdom, it’s that I’m a hell of a businessman. Not just in criminal underworld dealings, but in the business world. I have capital and assets that were earned through legitimate avenues that no one, not even my father, can touch. I’ll rebuild if needed; I’m not worried about that.
What I am worried about is the potential fallout from my plan before it has time to be set into motion to fully protect Gina.
The phone on my desk rings, slicing through my thoughts and plotting. Picking it up, I know who is calling without looking at the call display since Riccardo had already called to warn me.
“Ciao, Papà,” I answer.
“Figlio.” He calls me son and continues in Italian, since he rarely speaks English. “I want to ensure everything is ready for your bride’s visit.”
My teeth clench, but my voice remains controlled and unemotional. “You know it will be.”
“That’s not what I said.Iseverything ready? Not will it be.”
I hold back my sigh. “The final detail is being confirmed as we speak.”
“Good.”
“I’ve reserved the penthouse suite at The Empress Hotel,” I add to get under his skin.
I love and respect my father; he may be cold and domineering at times, but family is everything to him, as it is to my brothers and me. However, I’ve reached my limit of being under his thumb.
Where Rosa and her father will stay on this asinine trip for us to meet before the wedding—a wedding thatwill nothappen if all goes as planned—is something I can control with my father right now.
He may respond by planting a boot on my throat, rather than just keeping me under his thumb, but he’ll discover how far I’m willing to go in order to be my own man and the ruler he damn well knows I am.
“Why are they not staying at the house?” he demands.
“This is my home.”
“It’smyhome. Everything you have is becauseIallow it, Tommaso.”
“Then take it,” I say boldly, meaning every word.
He’s silent for a moment. “Is this because of your signature?”
“Ah, yes. I would like to address the elephant in the room: whydidyou forge my signature to make a stronger alliance with the Altera family?”
I hadn’t explicitly addressed this a few days ago when I had spoken with him, caving and going along with his plot before I had seen Gina.
“That’s not something you need to know.”
My head falls back as a cold laugh fills my office. “This is my life. Damn right I need to know.”
“Why are you demanding to know now?” he deflects. “You had your chance—”
“Bullshit,” I cut him off. Anger swells within me, but I keep it in check. Losing my temper will only prove in his mind that I’m still the impulsive, unhinged youth I had been, not the ruler fit for building and sustaining my territory.
“What’s really going on?” I ask, softer. Authentic concern laces my question. “Does Altera have something on you and is blackmailing us for this union?”
The line is so silent I wonder if the call has been disconnected, but then he speaks, and he sounds…trapped. “See that the visit with Rosa and Arturo goes smoothly. Take care,mio figlio.”
Then the line does go dead.
My father hasn’t openly admitted it, but his silence screams the answer to my question. I plan to unearth what the actual fuck is going on here, and once I do, I’ll use that knowledge to my advantage and further my plan.
Including blackmailing or murdering anyone I have to in order to be successful. Not for my own gain of more power and wealth, but for protecting what’s mine.
Gina.Il mio sole.
