“Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying you’re a bad influence on my cousin. I’m actually happy that you’re bringing life into him, allowing him to experience emotions. However, along with that comes Gio’s distraction from other things. I know how it feels. I get just as distracted when it comes to Beatrice. I lose focus when she’s the topic of conversation. But unlike Gio, I’m only his consigliere. He’s the boss and the head of this organization. The entire organization’s fate rests on his decisions. When you’re in danger, Gio loses himself, and instead of thinking clearly, he’s even more lost. You are both his strength and his weakness, Millie. His world revolves around you. So, if you’re thinking that he’s distancing himself from you, you’re not wrong. Gio talked to me about it, and don’t be angry with him. He’s doing everything he can to protect not only you but the entire family.”
Taddeo stood up, his eyes carefully observing me. So far, I hadn’t said anything to him. I was grappling with everything he had shared with me. Was it too obvious that I was irritated by Gio’s earlier attempt to send me away, especially considering Taddeo’s words?
“I just want to say that Gio bears a tremendous responsibility. Your life as his wife revolves around danger. So, I hope you’ll trust him and not get tired of understanding him,” Taddeo said with a restrained smile. “I should get going. I have many more things to attend to since Arcel is not around, and his obligations have temporarily fallen on me. Our current adversary is Nicolas Belleza, was it? He knows every move and operation of the organization. He can read Gio’s mind and evade him or come up with countermeasures. Or maybe, someone is feeding him information? Who knows? He’s something else and a handful. We need to come up with new strategies that he can’t figure out.”
Taddeo walked away, but before he left me completely, he added one last thing.
“Watch your back, Millie. There may be a mole in the family, feeding information to our adversaries.” He brought his index finger to his lips, making a hushing gesture.
I was left even more stunned by his final words. Did that mean they suspected there was a traitor among their ranks? But who?
~***~
After my conversation with Taddeo, I decided to heed Gio’s advice and return home. I approached my two guards and informed them of my intentions. They promptly prepared my vehicle, ensuring my safe journey back home. As we left the headquarters earlier, I noticed a few vehicles following us. Initially, I raised concerns and promptly alerted my guards. However, they informed me that these were Locatelli’s men.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Despite their strict surveillance and occasional feeling of confinement, I managed to endure it. I understood why the heightened security was necessary. Gio didn’t want a repeat of past events, and he might also be cautious about potential traitors, as Taddeo had mentioned.
I couldn’t help but wonder who the potential traitor might be. If there was one, who was it, and what drove them to such actions?
Upon arriving home, I needed some rest. I felt drained and exhausted. Ever since the incidents involving Sienna and Dario, everything had changed for all of us. Aunt Elsie had been holed up at home for days, and when I tried to talk to her, she refused. According to one of their house helper, Aunt Elsie didn’t speak to anyone. I couldn’t blame her, as I had acted similarly in the past. But for Sienna’s sake, I needed to be strong.
Later that night, Gio returned home. I was unsure how to approach him. He didn’t say anything either. We both seemed to be feeling our way around, and I wanted to talk to him and tell him not to distance himself from me, but I also needed to emphasize what his cousin had advised.
Emotions were clearly affecting Gio. His emotional state had changed him, making it difficult for him to perform his duties. Was this my fault? Had our love become a weapon for our enemies to manipulate him?
I felt him lie down beside me, waiting for him to hug me as he used to, but it never happened. I took a deep breath as I realized Gio would not embrace me anymore. His phone rang, and he quickly answered it.
“Yes, do what I instructed you to do. I’ll be the one to kill him.”
I widened my eyes at Gio’s words. Nicolas? Did he know where they were? Had he located Nicolas’ hiding place?
“We will proceed with the plan, so we will catch the traitor in action. Do that. Thanks.”
Traitor! Based on Gio’s words, it seemed like they had an idea of who the traitor among them was.
I couldn’t help but glance in his direction. I turned to Gio and noticed the way he looked at me. Despite the poor lighting, I could still discern the darkness and coldness in his eyes, as if all the emotions he had shown me in the past months had vanished.
“Do you know who the traitor is?” I shouldn’t have said that. Gio would wonder how I found out about a traitor, but there was no going back now.
“How did you find out about the traitor?” However, Gio’s expression remained unchanged as he stared at me.
I lowered my head and bit my lip. I didn’t want to tell him that Taddeo and I had talked. I didn’t want him to think I was influenced by his cousin’s words.
“But yeah, I know who it is.” The way he said it, it was like he was talking about a thing, something he was about to discard.
I could see the anger building up in Gio’s eyes. When he noticed my scrutinizing gaze, he looked away from me.
In recent days, I knew Gio had been relentless in his search for the Belleza family. That’s why he was rarely at home. I knew he wanted revenge and justice for what happened to Dario and Sienna.
Gio remained silent. I recalled another thing Taddeo had said: that Gio might be blaming himself for how everything had turned out.
Despite my reservations, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to Gio. His body tensed. I knew he was carrying a burden he didn’t want to share with anyone, even me. But I wanted him to know that I was there for him, no matter what.
“Do you regret loving me?” The words came out of my mouth on their own. “Because of me, you’ve neglected your duties as the organization’s boss. Who knows what our enemies might be planning? When we were at odds, maybe they devised a plan to take advantage of it, and they used me as a distraction.” That’s when I realized that yes, I changed Gio’s way of life, and I don’t know if it’s for the better. It seems not.
Gio looked puzzled. “Why are you asking me that?”