Her words stir up memories of Capri when he said, “Mine.” When I felt possessed, not in an ownership way, but treasured. But then it was gone.
"And how does one become 'theirs'?"
"By proving your own loyalty. By choosing them, even when it's hard." She smiles sadly. "Trust me, I know how difficult that path can be."
I sense there's more to her story, but before I can ask, Mirabella runs back, hands cupped around something.
"Look, look!” She opens her hands to reveal a ladybug crawling across her palm.
As we admire her discovery, I think about Eva's words. About how I felt in Alessandro’s arms. It wasn’t just passion, but belonging.
Maybe I can build something true here. Maybe I can prove myself worthy of being one of Alessandro's people.
I begin to feel a sense of purpose. If Alessandro Dante's trust must be earned, then I'll earn it. If his heart is guarded, I'll find a way through it. I'll become someone he can't help but believe in, can’t help but love.
22
ALESSANDRO
I rub my temples, staring at the stack of reports documenting the coordinated attack on our operations. Three simultaneously. Two good soldiers dead. All while I was fucking my new bride in Capri.
"You need sleep," Adriano says from the leather chair across from my desk, his own eyes bloodshot from our twenty-hour work session.
"What I need is to find who's responsible." It has to be Marco Vitale, but I can’t prove it.
I shuffle through another report, the words blurring together. Dawn will break soon, marking our second straight night here.
"Luca thinks you should take a look at Marchini," Adriano says.
"Luca thinks a lot of things." I scan a financial report showing the estimated losses. "I appreciate him and Cristian staying a bit longer, but they’re both not as familiar with the business as they once were.” Luca and Christian stayed until I got home, helpedgather intel, but had to leave early this morning… or was it yesterday? I can’t blame them. Luca has his own business to run.
“That doesn’t mean he’s wrong.”
“You think it’s Marco too, though."
Adriano shrugs. “Make more sense, but then again, Marco isn’t that flashy. Plus, it’s too obvious.”
“It’s smart and convenient to hit me while I’m away.”
“Yes, but he wasn’t the only one who knew you were away.”
I scrub my hands over my face. “We should see who else Marco is buddying up to. Perhaps he’s behind it but is trying to keep his fingers clean.”
“We’ll figure it out. But fuck, Alessandro, we’re dead on our feet. We need some sleep.”
I smirk at him. “You just miss your wife.”
“I’d think as a newlywed, you’d miss yours too, or didn’t you consummate?—”
“Shut the fuck up. If you want to go to your wife, go.”
Adriano rolls his eyes. He’s the only one who gets away with it. "Eva said Isabella was asking about you.”
I keep my eyes on the papers. "And?"
"And nothing. Just thought you'd want to know."
I grunt noncommittally, but my mind flickers to Isabella. Three days home, and I've barely seen her. Part of me wants to believe she had nothing to do with this, that the timing is coincidental. Especially since I can’t prove her father was a part of it. Butanother part of me reminds me that coincidences don't exist in our world.
