Chapter 31
ELENA
Vincenzo’s entire demeanor shifted in a heartbeat.
The raw vulnerability vanished, replaced by sharp alertness.
His body tensed despite the fresh wounds, guarded instincts snapping back into place.
The man who had just laid his soul bare was gone; the calculated leader resurfaced.
He frowned, jaw tightening. “Who?”
“The person asked me to keep their identity hidden,”
Renzo answered through the closed door, voice steady and professional. “Don’t worry — I checked thoroughly. No security threat.”
A pause.
Then footsteps retreating.
Leaving silence in their wake.
Vincenzo looked back at me, his dark eyes steady despite the pain etched into his face.
His hand tightened around mine once — firm, grounding, a silent anchor.
“We’ll stay right here with our son until they clear him to go home,” he said, voice low and resolute.
A promise. A plan.
“But first... let’s go downstairs together.”
His gaze held mine without flinching.
“Whatever — whoever — is waiting... we face it side by side.”
“And what if this anonymous person only wants you?” I asked softly, my voice deliberate as it cut through the quiet between us.
“Not your wife?”
Vincenzo’s steps didn’t falter.
Instead, something warmer shifted in his expression.
Almost boyish.
A small, unguarded smile curved his lips, the kind I had never seen before.
It wasn’t the cruel smirk he once wore when he held all the power.
It wasn’t the cold, calculating edge he used in negotiations.
This smile was real.
“We are one now, Elena,” he said simply, his voice deep and steady.
“Whoever needs to see me must see you too. Automatically. No exceptions.”
