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Book:Surrender to the Don's Embrace Published:2024-11-9

MILLIE
A few weeks had passed since Father’s call had summoned Sienna back to Chicago, and during this time, an unsettling shift had taken place. The tranquility that had briefly settled over our affairs was abruptly shattered, replaced by an eruption of emotions that would send shockwaves through our tightly-knit world.
My focus was consumed by the intricacies of the financial folders sprawled before me, each holding evidence of the Pergola’s fabricated profits over the past months. The hushed ambiance was pierced by a sudden uproar, causing my gaze to leap from the misleading numbers to the commotion unfolding before me. In a swift motion, Gio propelled himself from his seat, his face a storm of fury, and he stormed out of the room. An invisible thread compelled me to follow, drawing me into the heart of the turmoil.
The scene that greeted me was one of chaos and aggression. Dario, one of our loyal soldiers, was engaged in a violent altercation with another of his kind. The thuds of fists meeting flesh were punctuated by a growing tension that seemed to thicken the very air. Gio, his presence demanding authority, intervened forcefully. His hands captured Dario’s arms, twisting them behind his back as if to imprison his tempestuous impulses. A raw command sliced through the air, “Dario, what the hell is this? Calm down, damn it.”
Sebastian, the ever-watchful strategist, knelt beside the wounded soldier, his countenance revealing concern for the injured amidst the chaos. My grip tightened on the folders, the fraudulent financial records forgotten as a realization clenched at my heart. Dario’s uncharacteristic frenzy could only be a testament to one dire truth: Sienna.
With the injured soldier tended to and sent away, my focus shifted entirely onto the tempest before me. Step by step, I approached Dario, my footsteps echoing the anticipation that pulsed within me. “Did something happen with Sienna?” I inquired, my voice a blend of curiosity and trepidation.
A moment of silence hung in the air, the weight of unspoken truth exchanged between eyes. “You can let me go now,” Dario uttered, his eyes locked onto Gio who, in turn, swiveled his narrowed gaze toward me.
“Why would Dario have any inkling about Sienna?” Gio’s voice bore the cautious edge of someone treading through uncharted territory.
My lips remained sealed, but my gaze held steady upon Dario. The unspoken exchange continued until Gio’s focus finally veered back toward me. “Your father arranged a marriage for Sienna with Arman Gallo,” Dario’s words flowed, a revelation that tore a gasp from my lips. The shock was profound; Father had never breathed a word about seeking a suitor for Sienna. A glance at Gio affirmed that he, too, had been left out of this clandestine arrangement.
Gio’s demeanor hardened into stone, his features etched with a fierce determination. “He never mentioned this to me,” I admitted, my voice tinged with incredulity. The revelation wasn’t just an affront to me but also a testament to the web of secrets entangling our family.
The room hummed with tension as layers of unspoken truths began to unravel. “Sienna and I have been seeing each other during the summer,” Dario’s confession sliced through the charged atmosphere, causing a sharp twist within me. The revelation hung like a heavy mist, now clear and undeniable. A glance exchanged with Sebastian revealed the magnitude of the revelation had impacted even the usually composed strategist.
Fury enveloped Gio, his proximity to Dario bordering on dangerous. “Didn’t you assure me not too long ago that Sienna held no allure for you? That her presence posed no threat? I remember that conversation well, and now you’re telling me you’ve been clandestinely involved with Sienna all summer?”
The tension in the room tightened like a coil, each word a pointed accusation. Gio’s eyes bore into Dario’s soul, seeking answers and vindication, as if this revelation laid bare more than just a love affair. A tremor of realization coursed through me. If Sienna and Dario’s relationship had been concealed, what other truths had I unknowingly shielded from Gio?
My trembling fingers found Gio’s arm, seeking to diffuse the escalating intensity. Taking a hesitant step, I positioned myself between them. “Gio, please, don’t let anger cloud your judgment. Dario and Sienna didn’t intend any harm. Love simply found its way into their hearts.”
The atmosphere was charged with unspoken reproach as Gio’s focus shifted onto me. “And you knew all along?” he questioned, his voice laced with betrayal. The weight of loyalty and trust bore down on me, a heavy burden I could no longer evade.
“They are my sisters,” I defended, my voice quivering with the weight of a decision that had led us down this path.
“And I am your husband,” Gio’s words sliced through, carrying with them the bitterness of deception.
The room crackled with tension, each word a dagger that threatened to cut through bonds forged through loyalty and blood. The confrontation between Gio and Dario was a battlefield of unspoken emotions, grievances, and a web of secret affections that had now unfurled into view. Sebastian, an unexpected voice of reason, interjected, attempting to bridge the chasm between incensed allies.
In that charged moment, amidst the collision of emotions and loyalties, the fragility of our world had been laid bare. The threads of family, loyalty, and love were tested, revealing the delicate balance that held our world together.
In a dimly lit room, the tension hung heavy, thickened by the weight of unspoken fears. Gio’s voice was a low murmur, carrying an air of grim anticipation. His gaze was fixated on Dario, a man with a connection to a web of troubles. “I have a feeling it’s just as dire as I’ve been suspecting,” Gio said under his breath, the words swirling in the air like smoke.
His eyes locked onto Dario, a silent plea for clarity. “Just give it to me straight: are we heading for a catastrophe on Sienna’s wedding night?” The question was loaded, pregnant with implications.
“Come on, Sienna marrying that guy? He’s way past fifty, it’s downright absurd,” I chimed in, my tone tinged with disbelief.
Sebastian’s voice dripped with disdain as he added, “Over fifty and a vile excuse for a human being.”
Gio’s gaze bore into Dario, intensity radiating from him. “Tell me, is her wedding night going to turn into a disaster?”
With an eerie calmness, Dario confessed, “I’ve been intimate with Sienna.” His revelation hit me like a blow, and I winced at the weight of the admission.
Gio’s reaction was visceral. “Why couldn’t you exercise a bit of self-control? Couldn’t you have drawn the line at not crossing that boundary?”
Unwavering, Dario held his ground. “I don’t regret it, not now, not anymore.”
The room seemed to vibrate with tension, caught in the whirlwind of their emotions. “This is an absolute mess. Do you grasp the consequences if Arman Gallo discovers his bride isn’t chaste?” Gio’s frustration was palpable, his concern etched deeply into his features. “Pearce will sniff out that it happened here in New York, and we’ll find ourselves in a hopeless predicament.”
“Gallo’s a small man in more ways than one. I doubt he’s expecting any blood on those sheets with his, well, limited endowment. Sienna might not even notice,” Sebastian interjected with a macabre jest.
Dario’s restraint snapped, and he lunged at Sebastian, blades glinting ominously in the dim light.
A dangerous standoff ensued. Blades poised, eyes locked in a fierce contest of wills, it was a confrontation on the brink of violence.
But then Gio’s voice boomed, a command that cut through the tension like a blade. “Enough!” His physical presence forced them apart, a reminder of his formidable authority. “If you two don’t regain control of yourselves this very instant, I’ll put you down like rabid dogs.”
“He provoked me,” Sebastian’s voice was defiant, his eyes alive with that unsettling glint that hinted at the darker shades of their existence. It was easy to forget amidst the veneer of normalcy we sometimes managed to uphold.
“He provoked him by saying something utterly abhorrent,” I retorted. The memory of Sebastian’s comment lingered, a stain on the air.
Sebastian’s eyes rolled, exasperated. “For God’s sake, I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“You failed miserably,” Gio’s voice was a frosty rebuke. “Now put those knives away, both of you.”
Reluctantly, Dario and Sebastian sheathed their blades, the tension slowly receding.
Dario’s voice held remorse. “I shouldn’t have let my anger get the best of me.”
Sebastian’s admission was grudging. “Perhaps I should learn to hold my tongue now and then.”
A new question arose, a glimmer of hope amidst the turmoil. “But she’s not carrying his child, is she?” Gio’s voice broke the silence, steering the conversation towards a different edge of uncertainty.
Dario shook his head, confirming the negative.