Rodrigo met his brother's eyes. "Everything. She needed to know that we never hated her, that she was just caught in our mess. She deserved that much."
Leo nodded slowly, pain crossing his features before he masked it. "I couldn't stay. After… everything." He trailed off, unable to voice the details of their mother's cruelty.
"I didn't think Gabriella would keep her locked up like that if you were gone," he added eventually. "I thought her anger would cool and that she'd eventually see Giana as a person. Or at least a useful asset to be treated decently. I was naive. Gabriella's anger never cooled. It just found new targets."
Dario snorted softly. He picked up a slice of salami from the shared plate and folded it neatly.
"Useful asset, sure, but let's be real,Leone." He popped the salami into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before adding, "Gabriella should have just asked Rodrigo to marry her instead of you and saved everyone a lot of fucking drama." He shot Rodrigo a sideways glance, half-teasing, half-probing.
Rodrigo didn't rise to the bait immediately. He picked up his beer again, taking another long pull. The image of Giana, pale but resolute, her fingers laced tentatively with his, flashed in his mind. The warmth of her skin. The fragile peace she had offered.
"I would be a lucky man," he said, the words quiet in the hushed kitchen.
Leo's head snapped up, his eyes wide with sudden, dawning comprehension. Dario froze mid-chew, his gaze locking onto Rodrigo with intense focus. The playful smirk vanished.
"Oh," Leo breathed, the single syllable laden with sudden understanding. "Really, Rodrigo? She's seven years younger than you."
"Eight actually," Rodrigo replied. "Age doesn't matter."
Dario swallowed his mouthful, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. It was warm, almost relieved.
"Took you long enough to figure out you were gone on her, big brother. Christ, I have known for years you have only one soft spot, and it was for her."
Rodrigo sighed. There was no point in denial. Not here. Not with them. The truth felt like shedding an old, heavy skin.
"I knew," he admitted, his voice rough. He picked up the knife again just to have something solid in his grip. "I just had to hide it to keep her safe. If Gabriella had ever suspected I had caught feelings, what do you think she would have done?"
Leo's grin faded, replaced by a grim understanding. "Used her safety against you. Threatened her. Hurt her. Made her existence a living hell specifically designed to break you if you dared step out of line."
"Exactly," Rodrigo said.
He remembered the cold calculation in Gabriella's eyes whenever she looked at Giana as if she weren't a person, but a tool, a weapon, a bargaining chip. The thought of her turning that focus onto Giana because of Rodrigo's feelings… It was a nightmare that had fueled his distance for years.
"I protected Giana, and I made damn sure Gabriella never saw anything in me but the dutiful son managing an asset."
Dario ran a hand through his hair and let out a long exhale. "Fuck me, why is our family so messed up?"
The legacy of Gabriella's ruthless ambition and their father's death felt like a stain they couldn't scrub clean, no matter how hard they tried.
Rodrigo looked at his brothers. Leo, who had defied and suffered, and Dario, the loyal soldier grappling with his own demons. A fierce protective surge rushed through him. They were all that was left. They were all that mattered.
"At least now, we have a chance to be better than her, right?" Rodrigo looked between them, seeking confirmation andsolidarity. "To build something that isn't just cages and blood debts?"
Leo nodded slowly, and Dario clapped a hand on Rodrigo's shoulder. "Damn right we do."
Leo's expression softened, the intensity shifting back to concern. "Just try not to hurt her, okay? She's been through enough because of us."
"Hurting her is the very last thing I'm planning," Rodrigo replied with a slight smile.
Dario raised an eyebrow, the familiar teasing glint returning. "Okay, Casanova, whatareyou planning? Beyond giving her Sicilian heads on a platter?"
Rodrigo's smile widened, and he looked from Dario to Leo. "We deal with Vincenzo Falcone, and we make sure anyone else who looks at her understands the cost of touching her. Afterward, I somehow convince her to stay with me."
Leo let out a soft huff of laughter, shaking his head. "Right. Simple. Just dismantle a Sicilian crime family's ambitions, then convince the fiercely independent woman whose life we ruined to stick around. No pressure."
Rodrigo's smile didn't waver. "She asked me to teach her to fight. Guns. Blades."
Dario whistled low. "Playing with fire, brother. Teaching the queen how to wield the sword? Bold move."
