But I’m already ending the call, already heading for the door. I can’t stand in this flat any longer. I can’t breathe, not when I know all too well that every second spent lingering is a second where unimaginable horrors could be happening to her.
I hit the button for the lift with more force than necessary. My reflection in the metal doors looks unhinged—eyes too bright, jaw clenched so tight it’s a wonder I haven’t cracked my teeth. The doors slide open, and I step inside, punching the button for the penthouse.
The lift rises fast, but not fast enough. Every second is a noose.
Jonathan’s living room greets me with its usual polished calm, the kind of quiet that usually demands respect. Tonight it barely registers. I’m moving before I’m thinking, heading straight for the double doors that lead to his office.
I don’t knock.
Jonathan is standing dead centre of the room, jacket shrugged off, tie loosened, sleeves pushed to his elbows like he’s been carrying the world on his back all day and only now realises the weight isn’t done with him. He looks up the moment I step inside, eyebrows drawing together as though he recognises something in my face that he can’t quite place.
“Matt, what are you doing in town?” he asks slowly, a note of dread threading through his words.
“She’s missing.” The words rip straight out of my chest, raw and breathless, landing between us with a violence I can’t soften.
Jonathan’s expression fractures in confusion. “Who?”
“Lily,” I manage, though her name almost fractures on my tongue.
And there it is, the blankness that bleeds into bewilderment. He searches my face for context, for reason, for any explanation that ties me to a girl he exiled a year ago in this very penthouse. An exile I bore witness to, without so much as a grunt. Fuck, I could kill past me for being such a fool.
“Lily?” Jonathan’s voice rises slightly, sharp with accusation. “As in Davis?”
My silence is answer enough. He stares at me, incredulous.
“Why the hell would you have anything to do with her? You haven’t seen that girl since… since everything with Jen came out. What the fuck have you been doing?”
I swallow hard, chest tightening, because saying this out loud—here, now—is something I never dared hope I’d get the chance to. It hurts in ways I can’t name, but there’s no room left for secrets. Not anymore.
“I love her.” My voice cracks, hoarse from holding it in too long. “I’ve always loved her. And I’m done pretending otherwise. Salvatore’s betrayal aside—I was never going to marry Gianna. How could I, when Lily holds my heart in her fist?”
Jonathan freezes. The words hang in the air like smoke, thick and acrid. His eyes darken, narrowing with disbelief, then flash with something sharper—anger, confusion, a mixture that makes my gut tighten.
“You…” His voice trembles, almost a growl. “You’ve been lying to us? All this time?”
I meet his gaze, refusing to flinch. “I haven’t lied to you about what matters. I’ve been keeping her safe—”
“Safe?” His laugh is short, bitter, filled with disbelief. “Do you even know what you’re saying? The girl was sent away, Matt!Exiled! And all this time, you’ve been sneaking around behind everyone’s back, hiding—”
“Because I love her!” The words explode out of me, leaving me raw and shaking. “I’ve loved her for years, and I will not just watch her vanish like she’s disposable. I don’t give a damn about Salvatore’s plans or the politics you think should matter. She’s the one thing I won’t lose. She’s the only thing that matters.”
His jaw tightens, and I can see the calculation start behind his eyes—how this will hit the inner circle, the web of loyalties and power, the implications of my actions. His anger is cold now, slicing through the room, but beneath it, I think I see something else—awe, recognition, and a hint of fear.
“You’ve put all of us in the firing line,” he says at last, each word measured, controlled and sharp enough to draw blood. He shakes his head once, slow and disbelieving. “Every one of us. Do you even understand what you’ve done, Matt? You went behind your own family’s back for a girl who was meant to be your stepsister. A girl most of our world sees as a liability. A traitor.”
His accusation lands hard, but I don’t flinch.
“Yes,” I bite out, the word forced past clenched teeth. “I know exactly what I’ve done. And I’d do it again.”
I step forward, closing the distance between us.
“Because she is the only thing that’s ever mattered. Not this organisation, not Gianna, not whatever legacy Da thinks he can force me into protecting.” My jaw tightens. “And you know as well as I do, she is not and never has been a traitor. We already have enough evidence to prove those emails were riddled with code. The next person who calls her that will meet the other side of my fist. Family or otherwise.”
My chest rises, shuddering once but my resolve doesn’t falter.
“We can tear each other apart later,” I say, quieter now, deadlier for it. “You can punish me, strip me of whatever you think I deserveaftershe’s safe. But right now? Lily is out there alone. And every second we waste arguing is another second we’re not getting her back.”
Jonathan’s eyes flare. I see the battle waging behind them, every instinct he’s ever honed—father, leader and strategic—crashing headlong into the truth of my words. His hands clenchinto fists at his sides, knuckles whitening. Jonathan, the leader against Jonathan, the man who would have done the exact same thing for Helen.
