"The engagement to Alessandro Marchesi was not just about you," he continues, his voice taking on the lecturing tone he uses when explaining business matters to people he considers intellectually inferior. "It was about strengthening our position, creating an alliance that would have given us access to the Marchesi shipping operations, their connections in Sicily, and their influence with the families in Naples. It was about building something that would have secured our power for the nextgeneration. And it was also about letting the other families see that I have my children and my empire under control, despite your brother’s bad decisions."
He sets down his cup again, and I can see the disappointment in his eyes—cold and absolute.
I frown. “Marchesi? I?—”
He gives me a cold, patronizing smile. “What we didn’t tell you was that Alessandro was found to have been betraying us. Ferrucci? The name he gave you? That was his mother’s maiden name. The Marchesi family have been a thorn in our side for years, and they were trying to infiltrate us, to bring us down from the inside. Your brother and I formulated a plan, with Luca aware of it—” He pauses—letting me absorb the fact that Luca knew things he didn’t tell me—and continues.
“The plan was to use the wedding to bring down the Marchesi house for daring to try to infiltrate and compromise us. The wedding would never have actually happened, and we would have been, once again, proven to be the reigning power in these territories. The wedding would still have served its purpose—to show the other families that Romeo’s indiscretions have not made us weak. But you’ve destroyed that. Completely.”
His jaw tightens. “Instead of bringing them to their knees, I’ve been forced to go begging and had to offer them a substantial financial settlement just to keep them from declaring open hostility. Do you know what that settlement cost? Three million dollars, Giulia. Three million dollars to smooth over the embarrassment of my daughter getting pregnant by one of my soldiers and breaking an engagement that they imagined they were going to use against us and that I had planned to use against them.”
The number makes my stomach turn. Three million dollars. Because of me, because of my choices. And the knowledge of the machinations makes it even worse.
"But the money is the least of it," my father says, and now there's an edge creeping into his voice. "The real damage is to our reputation, to our image. To the perception of whether I can control my own household."
He leans forward, his espresso forgotten. He doesn’t need to stand or loom over me, doesn’t need to threaten me physically. His presence alone is enough to make me feel small and worthless, utterly ashamed.
"The Rossi family has been testing our territory in Brooklyn," he says, his voice dropping. "They've been moving product through our docks without permission, without paying the appropriate fees. When Romeo's men confronted them, do you know what they said?"
I shake my head, not trusting my voice.
"They said that maybe the don has lost his edge. That maybe he's too distracted by family problems to notice what's happening in his own backyard. That maybe it's time for new leadership in this organization."
The words hit me like ice water. The Rossi family is one of the smaller operations, but they're ambitious and ruthless, and they've been looking for an opening to expand their influence for years. And now they think they've found one. Because of me.
"The Benedetti family has been making inquiries," my father continues, his voice still low and deadly quiet. "They’ve been asking questions about succession plans, about whether Romeo is ready to take over if something were to happen to me. Whether the Ciresa family is stable enough to maintain our current alliances."
I can feel the weight of his gaze, the disappointment radiating off him in waves.
"You wanted to avoid marrying Alessandro because you thought you were in love with Luca Moretti," he says, his voice mocking. It makes me want to disappear. "You thought that ifyou could just be with him, if you could just have what you wanted, that everything would work out. That love would be enough."
When I force myself to look up at him, his expression is carved from stone.
"Love is a luxury, Giulia. It's something people like us can't afford. Because while you were playing dress-up at that club, while you were pretending to be someone else so you could fuck one of my soldiers, the real world kept turning. And now we're all paying the price for your selfishness."
The words are designed to hurt, and they do. They cut deeper than any physical wound could, stripping away the last vestiges of the fantasy I'd been clinging to—the idea that maybe, somehow, this could still work out. Maybe Luca and I could find a way to be happy together despite everything.
But there is no happy ending here. There's just damage control and the grinding reality of living with the consequences of my choices.
"You will marry Luca Moretti. You’ve gotten what you wanted. The story is that you've been secretly involved for months, and the pregnancy is a result of your inability to stay apart. It's not ideal, but it's believable enough that most people will accept it without too many questions."
He finally picks up his coffee again, taking another sip. "Anyone who questions the timeline or suggests anything inappropriate will be dealt with," he continues, his gaze flinty as it holds mine. "Luca understands this. Romeo understands this. And now you understand this as well. You will play the role of the happy bride. You will smile and be grateful that you’re getting exactly what you wanted. And you will never—never—give anyone reason to doubt the official story. Is that clear?"
I nod, feeling cold all over. "Yes,Papa."
"Good. Now get out of my sight. I have other problems to deal with."
I haven’t eaten, but I don’t care. I can’t stomach food right now anyway. I stand on shaking legs and walk out of the dining room, my father's disappointment following me like a shadow I can't escape. The hallway feels too long, the walls pressing in on me from both sides, and by the time I reach the stairs, I want to physically run from the weight of what I've done, from the reality that I've destroyed not just my own life but potentially the entire family's position in the organization.
I thought I could have something to hold onto while still doing my duty, something precious that was just for myself, and instead it’s spiraled wildly out of control.
And now Luca, the one person I wanted to love me, hates me for what I’ve done.
I make it to my room and lock the door behind me, sliding down to sit on the floor with my back against the wood and my arms wrapped around my knees, trying to hold myself together while everything falls apart.
Three million dollars. Territory disputes. Questions about succession and stability, and whether my father can control his own household.
All because I fell in love with the wrong man and was too selfish to accept the life I was supposed to live.
