He smirked, amusement flickering across his face. “You’ve definitely got a screw loose.”
Across the room, Carlo let out a low growl. Not loud, but it vibrated with pure tension. Giorgio stiffened. The fear in his eyes was immediate and obvious. Carlo might’ve been silent, but he didn’t need to say a word; his presence was enough to shift the whole room.
I risked a glance his way and caught the glare locked straight on us. I winked at him. My big possessive bear. Then turned on my heel and headed for the bar to fix myself a drink.
“Any word on Brando? Still being a dumbass?” Maxim asked.
Carlo’s tone stayed cool, but there was an edge beneath it. “News is coming. He needs a little push.”
Maxim raised a brow. “Push how?”
Carlo’s glare sharpened. “Go deal with him,” he said flatly.
My stomach clenched. By now, I knewexactlywhat“deal with him”meant. It wasn’t about sitting down over espresso and having a heart-to-heart.
Maxim gave a lazy shrug, completely unfazed. “Why me? You know he doesn’t fear me.”
Carlo’s voice dropped, firmer now. “Then make him. Shake him up to make him think twice…but no real damage. I can only trust you with this.”
“If Brando shows up in the city black and blue, people are going to know something’s off. If word gets out that you’re not backing him up, he’ll be in real danger. There are plenty of people who’d love to settle old scores.”
Carlo’s voice rose. “That motherfucker didn’t come to the funeral and the oath ceremony. Everyone already knows what this means, and this is on him. They can beat him to a pulp for all I care.”
Maxim stayed quiet for a moment. Then, cautiously, he said, “Brando chose the hard road, that’s true. Why won’t you take the easy one?”
Carlo snapped. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“Give him what he wants. It’s not even a lie, Carlo. Youdocare about that kid.”
Carlo’s fists tightened on the counter, knuckles turning white. “Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. You don’t question my calls. You don’t get to tell me what to feel. This is your last warning.”
Maxim’s gaze was steady but tinged with disappointment. After a beat, he gave a short nod. “Understood, boss. It won’t happen again.”
The conversation died. The room fell into a thick, uneasy silence as they returned to their work. A moment later, Maxim’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen, then looked up. “Michael couldn’t get hold of Lucia.”
Carlo shoved the papers on the desk aside. “Casualties?”
“Over twenty. There was a clash in the street. Looks like Tony’s marching in with an army.”
Carlo went silent. He bit the inside of his lip, thought for a moment, then finally said, “We’ll hold off for now. But I want Lucia back here, and fast. Reach out to all our U.S. contacts. Raise the bounty. I don’t care what it costs, bring her back to me.”
Before I could stop myself, the question left my mouth. “Why does Lucia need to be here?”
Carlo’s bloodshot eyes darted toward me. “Because this is her fucking home and I’m her fucking husband. Where the hell else would she be?”
His words twisted like a knife in my chest. But they also triggered a blaring alarm in my head. I couldn’t let myself get attached to this man. Falling for Carlo? That’d be suicide.
If he still wanted Lucia back aftereverything, after the scandal that nearly shattered his empire, then I had no place in his world. No future. No chance.
And honestly… maybe I didn’t blame him. Anyone who looked at Lucia would fall under her spell. Even I, completely straight, couldn’t stop staring at her. She was magnetic. Unshakable. The kind of woman youfeltwalked into a room. Of course he wanted his golden queen back.
I needed to wake the hell up. Figure out what I wanted, what the hell I was doing, before I drowned in this thing growing inside me. Thisthingthat could only end in heartbreak.
That night, after sex, Carlo held me like he always did, arms locked around me, hands moving slow, as if memorizing every inch of me. “You seemed distant.”
This man noticedeverything. Or maybe I was that bad at hiding it. I smiled, going for playful. “You were inside me for over an hour. What kind of distance are we talking about?”
He touched my temple, fingers lingering like he was trying to read my thoughts. “I want to know everything that’s going on in here. That’s an order.”
