Matteo.
Annalise froze in the doorway, her mouth half-open as if poised to speak, get no sound emerged. She clutched the edge of the doorframe, her knuckles white against the dark wood. Ethan, however, stood his ground, meeting my glare with defiance. His shoulders were tensed, but his expression remained the same.
Firm. Unyielding.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” My voice came out low and dangerous, cold and sharp as a finely honed blade.
Ethan ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, exhaling sharply. “After the attack on you, things didn’t go as planned that way. Reed said…”
“Forget what Reed said!” I roared, slamming my palm against the bedframe. The dull thud echoed through the room, and a flare of pain shot up my side. I ignored it, my fury consuming me. “You had one job, Ethan. One. Ensure her safety. How could you fail at that?”
“She’s not dead, Matteo,” Ethan snapped, his tone tight with irritation. “If she were, we’d know. No one was after her, not after you made sure everyone knew you were with Annalise. She’s a smart woman, and she’s with Reed. They’re hiding.”
Hiding.
I scoffed.
Hiding from me. Because there was no way she refused to leave with that plane so I would know exactly where she was at all times.
The idea clawed at my mind, each new thought more unsettling than the last. Valentina was many things… stubborn, frustratingly so… but hiding from me? No.
But with Reed…
Gosh, I hated that smug bastard.
“I’m not playing this game, Ethan.” My voice dipped lower, ice forming in its stead. “I want facts. Where is she, and why isn’t she here?”
If she refused to leave with the plane, then she should be by my side.
Not with Reed.
Ethan hesitated, and before he could speak, Annalise interjected, her voice soft but trembling with conviction. “She fled, Matteo. That’s the only explanation. She didn’t want you anymore and fled.”
I whipped my head toward her, my patience fraying to the point of breaking. One more word from her and I could…
“Stay out of this.”
“No!” Annalise’s voice grew stronger, fueled by some inner resolve. “She left because of you. Everything you must have put the girl through, all the situation no one else should endure. What did you expect?”
Why was she here?
“You don’t understand the situation,” I bit out, but my words felt hollow even to my ears.
Ethan laughed… a dry, humourless sound that grated on my nerves. “I can’t believe you’re on some emotional high horse right now when you literally left the girl to die with your asshole of a brother without a care.”
The accusation landed like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth to say something back, but no words came.
Ethan pressed on, stepping closer. “Those were the reasons why I didn’t bother doing anything once I confirmed she was safe. She shouldn’t continue waiting for the scraps of your love and trust. It doesn’t work that way.”
“She understands why I’ve done what I’ve done,” I said, more to myself than to them.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “You really believe that?”
The silence in the room became suffocating. My chest tightened as the weight of his words pressed down on me.
Valentina had fled, not because of the danger around her, but because of the danger I had become.
“She’s not safe without me,” I said finally, my voice quiet but firm.
Ethan shook his head, his expression filled with equal parts, frustration, and pity. “She’s not safe with you either.”
I clenched my fists, my mind racing. No matter what they said, Valentina was vulnerable out there. And I couldn’t… wouldn’t… leave her to fend for herself.
“Reed mentioned something,” Ethan said, his voice softened. “It’s about Isabella… and your father.”
The mention of Isabella sent a jolt through me. My jaw tightened. “What is it?”
“You need to see it for yourself,” Ethan replied grimly.
“Then take me there.”
Ethan hesitated, his gaze flickering to Annalise. “You’re not in any condition…”
“I don’t care about my condition,” I interrupted, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The sudden movement sent a wave of dizziness through me, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. “If this has to do with Valentina or Isabella, I’m going.”
Ethan muttered a curse under his breath but moved to help me steady myself. Annalise hovered uncertainly, her hands twitching as if she wanted to intervene.
“Don’t,” I told her sharply.
Her expression hardened, a flicker of anger crossing her face. She crossed her arms and took a step back. “You’re impossible,” she muttered.
I ignored her, focusing on the task ahead.
***
The old Navarro estate loomed ahead, its shadow stretching across the darkened landscape like the grasping fingers of a spectre. It was a place steeped in history and corruption, its grandeur marred by the secrets it housed.
As we approached, voices carried through the air… low, tense murmurs that hinted at a storm brewing within.
“Luca’s here,” Ethan said, his tone grim.
Of course he was. The devil was never far away from the one who birthed him.
I couldn’t wait for the day I would drive a bullet through his head.
The grand hall was as I remembered it… opulent and cold, a monument to my father’s obsession with power. We entered without ceremony, our footsteps echoing against the marble floors.
“Ah, Matteo,” my father greeted, his smooth, calculating voice cutting through the tension. He was seated at the head of the long dining table, a glass of wine in hand. Luca stood to his left, his expression unreadable. And beside him…
“Isabella.”
She turned to face me, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “Hello, fiancee.”
Her tone was laced with derision, and my temper flared.
“Where is she?” I demanded, stepping forward.
My father raised an eyebrow, his expression one of feigned innocence. “Valentina? Isn’t it obvious? She’s gone. And good riddance. Now, we can focus on more important matters… like cleaning up this mess you’ve made.”
My fists clenched at his words, anger coursing through me like fire. “The only mess here is you.”
Luca chuckled, the sound low and taunting. “Still so dramatic, Matteo.”
“Shut up.”
The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with unspoken threats.
“Reckless. Intolerable. Stubborn,” my father said, his voice almost pitying. “Worse qualities to have as a mafia heir or don or whatever you want to call yourself. You’ve outdone yourself. But it’s time I take back the reins and show you how it’s done.”
“What did you do with Valentina?”
My father’s smile faltered, his eyes narrowing. “Careful, Matteo. You’re treading on thin ice.”
I stepped closer, my voice low and dangerous. “And you’re standing on it with me.”
Luca moved as if to intervene, but I cut him off with a snarl. “Stay out of this.”
The argument exploded then… a storm of accusations, threats, and bitterness that echoed through the halls of the Navarro estate.
But my father’s final words struck the deepest blow.
“You’re a fool, Matteo,” he said, his voice icy. “Clinging to a woman who was never meant to be kept. A woman you shouldn’t fall for. Sacrificing your family for something so small.”
I took a step closer, my gaze locked on his. “Better to lose everything than to become you.”
The silence that followed was deafening, a charged moment where the weight of my words hung in the air. For the first time, my father’s mask slipped, a flicker of something… anger, perhaps even fear… crossing his face.
“Then you’d better prepare yourself,” he said finally, his voice quiet but menacing. “Because you’re about to lose more than you ever imagined.”
His words were a warning, a promise of the battles yet to come. But I didn’t flinch.
Let the storm come.
I’d find Valentina. I’d bring her back. And I’d destroy anyone who dared stand in my way.