MATTEO’s POV
My gaze lingered on her peaceful sleeping form as I rose from the bed, a contented smile gracing my lips.
Exiting the bedroom, I made my way to the study, anticipation dancing in my every step. Upon entering, I noticed Carter seated on the sofa, his presence causing me to tighten the robe around me instinctively.
Sensing Carter’s intense scrutiny, I adjusted my posture as I moved towards my swivel chair, settling into it with a sense of composure, ready to face whatever awaited me.
“You look happy”. He said.
“I am happy”.
“Hmm…”. He forced a smile on his face. “We have information about your wife’s-”
“Ex wife”. I interjected, and all he did was look up at me and force a chuckle.
“Ex wife”. He said, stressing the word ‘ex’. “We know who he is”
I suddenly became interested in the whole conversation.
“Who?”. My voice was low and dangerous.
“Anthonio Rossi”. He said, and I tried to figure out who that was. “One of the top drug lords in Italy”
“He hasn’t made half of what I have. So…what makes him top?”
“He’s rich enough boss”.
I chuckled and crossed my arms on my chest as I leaned back on my seat.
“He’s very unusual, boss”. Carter said, but I didn’t pay any attention to him.
“He’s a mad man”. He said, his gaze never leaving me.
“And? I can be mad at well”.
“No, he’s different. Look at this…”. Carter dropped some pictures on my desk. My eyes scanned them, and they widened in shock.
“What did he do to them?”. I asked, looking away from the pictures in my hands.
“Mauled them with a truck then burnt them alive. He’s killing streak isn’t normal. He doesn’t kill with a purpose but…for the fun of it”
“And he should know he’s messing with the wrong man”. I said as I threw the picture aside.
“No, you are”. He said to me, and I turned to him, waiting on an explanation.
“You have a weakness.” He reminded me of the one thing I dreaded hearing. “Aria…and he’ll find that out and use her to get to you. Who knows what he might do to her”.
“And he doesn’t have a weakness?”. My voice was very low and calm. I felt defeated. Thinking of the horrendous things Aria could suffer in the hands of that beast of a man, I folded my hand into a fist and slammed it right into my desk
“You took his one weakness away”. He said
I took a deep breath in and opened my eyes wider than normal.
“That can’t be his only weakness, and I didn’t have a choice!”.
“But you killed her with your bare hands. That doesn’t sound like love but resentment, Matteo. You hated her”. He said the words I didn’t want to hear, and I sat there looking at him.
“I didn’t want her dead”.
“But you did it and…”. He paused. “What if Aria finds out? What, then?”. He rubbed his temple. “What if he sends information to Aria? She’s going to hate you, Matteo”.
Hate me? Hate me? If there was anything I wanted nothing to do with it, it would definitely be Aria’s hate for me. I wouldn’t be able to take it. I sighed and pushed my hair backward. This was becoming a headache.
“Where is he?”
“No information on that yet, but we will find him”
“Well…find him before he kills you all, and I promise you, I’ll kill you first”. I said, but I heard Carter clear his throat.
“There’s something you should know?”. I turned to him, and he kept his eyes on me. “If Anthonio wins this war and takes your throne, he won’t let you die. I know for a fact that he’ll torture you so bad you’d wish you had died a long time ago”. He said, his voice bitter and low that it shook something in me. I remained frozen in place, unable to move or utter a single word as he turned and walked away, leaving me to grapple with a torrent of self-pity and regret.
Yet, as the door closed behind him, a new presence entered the room. Gia stood before me, her arms folded tightly across her chest, her gaze fixed upon me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. Despite the anger raging within, I forced myself to maintain a facade of composure, meeting her gaze with a steely resolve.
“Don’t know why you trust him so much”. She said, and my eye brows creased as she spoke
“Why?”
“He’s a snake, and my instincts are never wrong”
“Carter wouldn’t dare”. My voice was firm.
“Okayyy but I believe the most trustworthy man you have isn’t Carter. It’s Charlie”
I scoffed and chuckled.
“Charlie speaks like a child and thinks like a child. I can’t have him being my right hand”. She kept staring at me, so I kept on. “And Alonzo?”
“There’s something about him that don’t seem genuine”. She said, and I scoffed again.
“He took two bullets for me”
“Maybe he’s saving you for later”. She smirked, but those words hit hard. And, how well do I know these men?
“Dad was murdered at his own event, and they knew about it. Only an inside man would provide such information”
“Carter?”
“Or your sweet, sweet Alonzo”. She walked to the door and stood by it. “I mean, if i wanted my enemy dead, I’ll have to become friends with him, then stab him in the back so I won’t get suspected for anything”.
“And you’re saying he took those bullets for me to get close to me?”
“Yes. And I know you have many rival companies, and some might get extreme by hiring hunch men or assassins-“.
“Yes”
“We need to be extra careful with you. Make me your right hand”
I blatantly refused
“Why?”.
“Cause it’s too dangerous”
“What’s dangerous about business men fighting to be top?”
“They could go overboard sometimes”.
“And then we’ll work it out”. She said, and I laughed at her childish idea. “I could help you find whoever this Anthonio guy is”
My head snapped towards her direction
“How…”.
“Heard Carter and Charlie talking about it”. She sighed, took a step forward, and smiled.
“Make me your right hand, Matteo. Let me help you out, and I promise not to judge you”. I took a deep breath and considered telling her everything about me, wondering how she’d react to it all.