"Stop being overly dramatic," Alessandro snaps, but I catch the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
"Is she being dramatic?" Adriano's voice cuts through the tension. "Maksim killed our man. He tried to take what belongs to us before the agreement was fulfilled."
Alessandro turns his glare on our brother. "You're taking her side now?"
"I'm taking the family's side," Adriano says, meeting his stare. "And Val is family. Maksim can't get away with taking what's not his, not without consequences."
"She forged a letter," Alessandro counters.
"And he staged an ambush," I reply. "Which is worse, Alessandro? A letter delaying a wedding, or an armed attack that left one of our men dead?"
Alessandro runs a hand through his hair, the first sign of genuine frustration breaking through.
For a moment, I see the brother I used to know. The one who checked under my bed for monsters when I was little.
"What do you want me to do?" he asks. "Go to war with the Bratva? Risk everything we've built?"
"I want you to show them that hurting a Dante has consequences," I say.
"Maksim claims he was concerned for your wishes," Alessandro replies. "He thought I was backtracking on our agreement. He seems quite convinced that you're eager for this marriage."
A bitter laugh escapes my throat. "Eager? He can't possibly believe that."
"It doesn't matter what he believes." Alessandro returns to his desk, resuming his position of power. "I knew you must have sent the letter, but I told him someone else did it. Likely, a rival family trying to destabilize our new alliance."
My world tilts. Even when faced with Maksim's violence against a Dante, Alessandro is determined to move forward with this arrangement.
"So the wedding is still on?"
"Of course it's on." He says it so casually, as if we're discussing dinner plans rather than the sacrifice of my life. "Maksim wanted to move it up, but I managed to keep to our original timeline."
"And you think that's a victory?"
Adriano places a hand on my shoulder. "Val?—"
I shrug him off. "Don't touch me. Don't pretend to care."
"Your actions have consequences, Valentina," Alessandro hisses. "Did you think about that when you forged that letter? When you risked everything?"
I hold my ground even as tears threaten. "I was trying to?—"
"Many more could have died than just your driver," he cuts me off, his voice rising. "The Bratva could have declared open war. They could have targeted all of us. Our businesses, our people. Your little act of rebellion put all of us in danger. You accuse me of not caring about your life, but you don’t care about mine or Adriano’s or Cristian's or anyone but yourself.”
I don’t think that’s true, and yet, something about his words feels true, and guilt grows.
“From now until the wedding, you're confined to the house," he continues, his tone brooking no argument. "The only exception will be for wedding planning activities.”
I can barely breathe as my world grows smaller.
Anger stirs, replacing the guilt I felt a moment ago. I do care if someone dies because of me.
But they don’t feel that about me. My value is only in that I’m a woman Maksim wants to break.
For a moment, I consider telling Alessandro that I’m not a virgin.
That my worth has significantly dropped.
But I can’t risk Cristian’s life.
