He looked deeply unimpressed by my logic. “I own half the city, several judges, and enough weapons to start a war. I think I can manage a fucking giraffe.”
Another helpless laugh escaped me. God, this was dangerous.
Because lying there in his bed with soft morning light brushing across his face, I forgot for one horrible moment that he manipulated me into marriage. Forgot he only married me because he needed an heir. Forgot every reason I should have hated him.
And maybe the worst part? I still hadn’t told him I knew. I knew about the will. About the inheritance. About why he really needed me.
Every time I almost brought it up, something stopped me. Fear, maybe. Or selfishness. Some terrified part of me worried that if I forced us to say it aloud, whatever fragile thing was growing between us would shatter.
“You’re thinking too hard again,” Leo murmured.
“You don’t know what I’m thinking,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“No,” he agreed calmly. “But your face gets sad when your brain works that fast.”
That stupid twisting feeling returned to my chest again. I hated how observant he was.
“Get dressed,” he said, sitting up and stretching lazily beside me. “We’re leaving in an hour.”
Bythetimewearrived at my old home, my nerves were tangled into knots. I barely stepped through the front doors before a tiny blur came hurtling across the marble foyer.
“CHIARAAAA!” Sienna launched herself into my arms so hard she nearly knocked me backward. I caught her with a startled laugh, holding her tightly against me while she buried her face into my neck.
“You came back,” she whispered shakily.
Emotion clogged my throat. “Of course I came back.”
I kissed the top of her dark hair while relief and guilt crashed together painfully inside me. Over Sienna’s shoulder, Aurora stood near the staircase pretending she wasn’t emotional. Matteo leaned against the wall with crossed arms, trying very hard to look unaffected while obviously watching everything.
And then there was Leo. Standing beside me in an expensive black coat like some terrifying mafia king who had accidentally wandered into a children’s fairytale. Sienna spotted him.
“The Serpent!” she gasped dramatically.
Leo looked down at her. “Signorina.”
“You came too?” she asked, barely containing her glee.
“Of course,” he said easily. “Someone has to drive the ladies to the zoo.”
“That’s probably bad for traffic laws,” Matteo muttered.
To my absolute horror, Leo smirked slightly. Aurora noticed too. Her eyes narrowed like she didn’t trust any of this. Honestly, neither did I. But Sienna didn’t care.
“The zoo!” she squealed excitedly. “You promised!”
“I keep my promises,” Leo replied simply. The words hit me strangely hard. My Papa never kept promises. This was a welcome change.
The drive into the city was filled almost entirely by Sienna’s nonstop chatter. She sat between us in the backseat, swinging her little legs excitedly while asking Leo approximately one hundred questions a minute. “Do lions eat mafia men?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you own the zoo too?” she giggled.
“I could buy it if you want me to.”
“Can we steal a penguin?” Her eyes widened.
Leo glanced at me with complete seriousness. “How attached are you to the penthouse?”
