We all look at the man on the floor who is slowly coming to, and I feel rage build up in me again. Zack has worked underMatteo for years, and my brother has been nothing but fair to the man. Matteo trusted him as his right hand and treated him like one of the family, which makes his backstabbing even more infuriating.
“Let’s get to work.”
For the next several hours, we work together like a well-tuned machine. Antonio works on extracting information from Zack, Nico deals with the clean-up crew, and my father deals with the cops when they show up following a report about a gunshot.
I spend the entire day in my office, using the information Antonio extracts from Zack to fix the mess he made, then patch the security hole in the computer network. I quickly realize that we won't recover all the money Zack stole, but it's the betrayal of someone so close to my brother that hurts more than the lost money. Still, I'm determined to get at least a huge chunk of it, if only to get Zack back for the betrayal.
It’s nearly five in the evening when I finally shut down my computer, and then everything comes crashing down. One call to Fiona tells me that I’m still blocked, and fuck if that doesn’t sting. I’m not certain showing up to her place will win me any favors, so I decide to skip my apartment, too, and head to my family’s estate.
My mood doesn’t improve around my family, so I decide to remove myself from their company. I walk outside, and I’m unsurprised when I find myself heading toward the butterfly atrium behind the house. The moment I step in through the doorway, a wave of warmth washes over me, contrasting with the cool air of the house. The air here is thick and humid, and when I take a deep breath, I’m hit with the sweet, earthy scent of blooming flowers mixed with the almost musky aroma of dampearth and something else… It’s something subtly sweet. Like an overripe fruit.
There are butterflies everywhere. The space is a living and breathing mosaic.
The world in here feels hushed. Almost sacred—but of course it is. This atrium was my father's gift to my mother, one of the many ways he loved to show his affection to her. When I step inside, I can almost sense her presence. Twenty years later, and her touch still lingers on every flower she planted and tended to. I walk down the rows of flowers, lost in thoughts and memories, when I realize that the atrium is not empty.
I spot my sister, Gabriella, standing in one corner, the same spot our mother used to when she was tending to new flowers. But Gabriella wouldn't know that. She was a baby when our mother died, but watching her stand on that very spot, hair tied over her head in a messy bun as she works on a painting, reminds me so much of our mother.
I smile and start toward my sister when I realize that she's not alone. Nico, our stepbrother, is with her, standing silently by the side to watch her paint. I sense some weird tension between them as I move closer, but I have enough on my plate and don’t want to poke into whatever the hell is going on between them.
I must make some kind of noise as I approach because they both turn to look at me. My sister’s expression softens into a smile when she spots me.
“Hey Enzo,” she chirps, setting down the paintbrush and turning to me. “What are you doing here?”
“Just thought I'd come out for some fresh air,” I say with a shrug, walking over to peek at her painting. It's an entire section of a garden. “Wow,” I whisper, leaning in for a closer look, fascinated by how realistic it looks. I've seen Gabriela's paintingsbefore—hell, every one of us has at least a couple of her paintings in our homes and offices. Still, I can’t help but be impressed by her talent. “This is beautiful, Gabby.”
“Thanks,” she beams up at me. “I’ll paint you one so you can gift it to Fiona since you two are dating now. Do you think she likes flowers? Or maybe something else. Will you ask her for me?”
I sigh as my mood sinks once more, “I don’t think she wants to talk to me right now, Gabby.”
“What, why?” she asks, turning her head to me and then to Nico. “You told me that Enzo and Fiona are together.”
“I thought they were,” Nico tells her, and something crosses his gaze as he looks at my sister, but then it’s gone just as fast. “But apparently, Enzo fucked up.”
“What did you do?” Gabriella’s eyes are back on mine, and I find myself smiling.
Christ, she looks so much like our mother, it’s uncanny. From the hair, to the eyes, and even the small dimples on her cheek—they remind me so much of the woman that I only got to spend thirteen years with before she was stolen from us.
“Enzo!”
I sigh and tell them everything that happened, from our dad setting me up on a date with Natalie and how it's all a misunderstanding. I didn't want to hurt Eatella’s feelings and had every intention of letting her down easy, but then Fiona somehow found out about the date. Gabriella's face turns from one of impatience to pity as I explain everything that's happened over the last couple of hours. When I'm done, I find myself reliving the moment over and over again.
The finality of Fiona’s words as she cut off ties with me. The hurt and betrayal in her eyes.
I fucked up.
Before Gabriella can respond, a familiar voice comes from behind us.
“I thought I might find you here.”
We all turn to see my father walking through the rows of flowers, his expression somber. Gabriella excuses herself, squeezing my arm as she passes, and Nico follows her out with a meaningful look in my direction.
My father stops beside me, his gaze moving over the flowers. “Your mother used to come here when she was upset,” he says quietly. “Said the butterflies helped her think.”
“I remember.”
He’s silent for a moment. “I owe you an apology, Lorenzo. I pushed you into that lunch with Natalie because I wanted to see you happy. All your brothers have found love, and I thought…” He sighs. “I didn’t realize you’d already found it yourself.”
“You couldn’t have known. I kept it private.”
