267

267
Allesio’s POV
The buzz of the conversation around me faded as I stared blankly ahead, the voices becoming a dull hum. Alaric was talking about something-some issue with the Cruz family, I think-but it didn’t matter. His words blurred into the background. My mind was somewhere else entirely, a place I didn’t want to go but couldn’t stop myself from falling into.
I clenched my fists under the table, the memory creeping in like an unwelcome guest.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Alaric said, glancing at me as he tried to balance Francesca on his lap. She was squirming, reaching for the pen he’d set down on the table a moment earlier.
“I’m listening,” I replied, my voice rough as I dragged myself back to the present.
“You don’t look like you are,” Alaric muttered, handing Francesca the pen in defeat. She giggled, immediately starting to scribble nonsense on the notepad in front of her.
“Sorry,” I said, exhaling sharply. “What were you saying?”
“The Cruz family,” Alaric said, his tone sharp, though he kept his movements gentle as he adjusted Francesca’s position. “They’ve been quiet-too quiet. It’s not like them to sit on the sidelines for this long, not after what happened.”
“Maybe they’re waiting for something,” I suggested, though my focus was slipping again. “Or maybe it’s because Emilia is his daughter and she chose you.”
“They’re waiting for me to show weakness,” Alaric said flatly. “They think Dominic’s death was their victory. They’re wrong.”
The name hit me like a punch to the gut, and I glanced away, pretending to be engrossed in the glass of water in front of me.
“Who do you think did it, Daddy?” Francesca piped up suddenly, her innocent voice cutting through the tension like a blade. She wasn’t really asking-she didn’t understand the weight of her question-but the way Alaric froze told me he felt it anyway.
He gave her a small, strained smile. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out, sweetheart.”
Her focus had already shifted back to her scribbles, leaving Alaric and me to exchange a brief, loaded look.
Dominic’s name was floating in my head, and all. of. a sudden I was back in that moment. The night we found out Dominic was dead.
It was a Tuesday evening. I remember that because we had been planning to meet at the usual spot-just a few drinks to relax after a long day. We didn’t expect a damn thing to go wrong. The world was fine. Until it wasn’t.
I had just stepped out of the shower when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but something about the urgency in the caller’s voice made me pick up anyway. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak before the words hit me like a blow to the chest.
“Allesio… it’s about Dominic. There’s been an accident.”
I froze, the phone still pressed to my ear, my heart beating so hard I could hear it in my head. “What do you mean? What happened?”
“Car crash. He didn’t make it.”
The rest of the conversation was a blur. I remember telling them I’d be there immediately, running out of my apartment without even thinking about grabbing my jacket. The world around me spun in slow motion. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
Dominic. My friend. My brother. Gone.
By the time I arrived at the hospital, the scene was a mess of tears, confusion, and disbelief. Alaric was there, pacing by the entrance, his face as pale as I had ever seen it. He didn’t even need to say anything. His eyes-those sharp, calculating eyes-spoke everything I needed to hear.
We didn’t have to wait long before they let us in. The doctor explained that the crash had been violent, the car mangled beyond recognition. It felt like my legs might give out from under me as I stepped into that sterile white room. There was no way this was real. This wasn’t happening.
And yet, there it was.
Dominic’s body, cold and still, lying there on that hospital bed. His skin had already started to lose color, his eyes closed for good. It was as though the world had stopped spinning. The air felt thick, suffocating, as I stared at him-my friend, the one who had always been there through everything, now gone in the blink of an eye.
Alaric was the first to speak, his voice rough, barely above a whisper. “Who the hell would do this?”
His words cut through me, and for the first time that night, my anger sparked. Who would do this? Who could have taken Dominic from us like that? The Cruz family. Alonso Cruz. That name had been rolling around in the back of my mind for years, always in the periphery of our lives, always lurking in the shadows.
The Cruz family had been our enemy for years. We knew they were dangerous, but we never thought it would get to this point.
We were wrong.
I stood there for what felt like hours, barely aware of the time passing, staring at Dominic’s lifeless body. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face-laughing, joking, a constant presence in our lives. The man who had been our brother. And now, he was gone.
“Allesio…” Alaric’s voice brought me back to reality. “We have to find out who did this. We can’t let it go. We’ll make them pay.”
I glanced over at him, seeing the fury in his eyes. The same fury I felt burning inside me. There was no way I was going to let this go, not without answers. Not without making whoever did this regret the day they ever crossed us.
Back in the present, I shook my head, trying to push the memories away. But the anger was still there, buried deep inside me, gnawing at me. Every time I thought about it, I felt like I could rip someone’s throat out with my bare hands. The Cruz family had taken Dominic from us, and it was their fault. Everything about their empire, their ruthlessness, had led to this.
But it wasn’t just that. It was the lies, the manipulation, the way they twisted everything for their own gain. They were behind so much of the pain we had endured, so many of the problems we had faced over the years. And now, they had taken our brother.
I glanced over at Alaric, his face hard, his jaw clenched. I knew he was thinking the same thing. He hadn’t said much since we found out about Dominic’s death, but his actions spoke louder than anything. He had been hunting the Cruz family ever since. Every lead he followed, every conversation he had, was a step closer to finding out who was responsible for Dominic’s death.
But I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the truth.
“What do you think, Allesio?” Alaric’s voice brought me back to the moment, and I realized he had been talking to me for the past few minutes, waiting for my response.
I blinked, shaking my head as I wiped the sweat from my palms. “Sorry, I-” I cleared my throat. “What did you say?”
Alaric narrowed his eyes at me, his suspicions clear. “You’re not paying attention. What’s going on? You’re distracted.”
I hesitated, my stomach tightening as I tried to force the words out. “I don’t know,” I muttered. “Just… thinking about everything.”
Alaric’s gaze softened, but there was still a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. “I know this is hard, but we need to focus. Dominic’s death wasn’t an accident. You know that, right? Cruz is still out there. And we need to find evidence and take our revenge. Dominic didn’t deserve to die like that.”
I nodded, my anger bubbling up once again. I couldn’t just sit back and let this go. But as much as I wanted revenge, I also knew the risks. If I made the wrong move, if I said the wrong thing, everything we had worked for could come crashing down.
And then there was Rosa.
I had promised her I wouldn’t tell Alaric about the Cruz family’s involvement. She didn’t want him to know, didn’t want to bring that kind of pain into his life. But the truth was eating at me, gnawing at my insides. How long could I keep this from him? How long could I keep my loyalty to Rosa above my loyalty to Alaric?
The answer was becoming less and less clear every day.
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice tight. “I just… I’ll deal with it, okay?”
Alaric studied me for a moment, and I could see the doubt in his eyes. He wasn’t buying it, but he didn’t push. Instead, he nodded and stood up from the desk, carrying Francesca with him.
“Alright, but don’t keep everything bottled up. If you need to talk, I’m here.”
I watched him leave the room, his words hanging in the air long after he was gone. And for the first time, I didn’t know what to do. Everything was closing in on me. The truth. The anger. The guilt.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it all inside.
I sat there for a long while, the door to the office still closed behind Alaric. The silence in the room was oppressive, and the thoughts swirling in my head felt suffocating. I had told myself I could handle it, but the weight of everything was becoming unbearable. The anger over Dominic’s death, the knowledge about the Cruz family, the secret I was keeping from Alaric-it was all too much. I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to focus, but the thoughts just wouldn’t stop.
I didn’t realize how long I had been sitting there until I heard a soft knock on the door. It creaked open just a little, and I saw Alaric’s face appear, his gaze serious.
“Allesio,” he said, his voice calm but with an edge I couldn’t ignore. “We need to talk. I can’t keep acting like you haven’t been acting very shady these days.”
I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling, struggling to find the words. How could I explain this? How could I tell him that everything I was doing-everything I was holding back-was for him, but it was tearing me apart?
“I’m fine, Alaric,” I said, my voice sounding less convincing than I wanted. I straightened in my chair, forcing a nonchalant tone that didn’t fit the turmoil I was feeling inside. “Really. Just… distracted.”
Alaric stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click. His posture was rigid, his arms crossed as he looked at me like he was trying to read every thought on my mind. He was good at that. Too good.
“Distracted?” He repeated the word with a hint of disbelief. “You’ve been distracted for weeks now. You’re not fooling me.”
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “I’m not trying to fool you, Alaric. It’s just… it’s been a lot. This whole thing with Dominic, the Cruz family-it’s a lot to process.”
Alaric’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing. “It’s more than that. I know you, Allesio. You’re not the type to let things like this get to you. Something’s been bothering you, and I don’t think it’s just Dominic’s death.”
I stood up from the chair, suddenly feeling like the walls were closing in on me. I paced around the room, unable to stay still. My heart pounded, and every step I took felt heavier than the last. I needed to say something, anything, to make this all go away. But the words wouldn’t come.
“I just… I don’t know what to tell you, Alaric,” I muttered, still pacing. “I’m trying to deal with it, but it’s hard. I’m angry. I want to make them pay. But I can’t… I can’t do this to you.”
Alaric stood there, watching me carefully. “Do what to me? What are you talking about?”
I stopped pacing and looked him in the eye. For the first time, I saw a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. He could sense that I was holding something back, something important. He had to know I wasn’t telling him everything.
“I don’t want to drag you into this,” I said, my voice quieter now. “I’m… trying to protect you.”
Alaric’s face hardened. “Protect me? From what? From the truth?”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “I don’t want to hurt you, Alaric. There’s more going on here than you think. The Cruz family…you were right. They were involved in Dominic’s death. But I don’t think you’re ready for that yet.”
Alaric’s eyes widened for a split second, and I could see the tension in his jaw as he clenched it. His fists were balled at his sides, and I could feel the rage building in him, just beneath the surface.
“What do you mean, ‘involved’?” he asked, his voice steady but strained.
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know all the details. But they had a hand in it. They were behind it.”
Alaric’s expression turned cold, and he stepped forward, closing the distance between us. “So you knew this and didn’t tell me?” he demanded, his voice rising. “You kept this from me?”
I felt the guilt shoot through me like a sharp blade. “I was going to tell you, Alaric. But I… I couldn’t. I didn’t want to add more to your plate, not when everything is already so complicated.”
He looked at me, searching my face as if trying to understand what I wasn’t saying. I could see the wheels turning in his head, the realization dawning on him. His eyes hardened even further.
“You knew,” he said quietly, his voice dangerously calm. “You knew, and you still didn’t tell me. Why?”
I took a step back, my hands clenched at my sides, and I could feel my own anger rising. “Because I wasn’t sure how you’d take it. Because it changes everything, Alaric. It puts everything at risk. You’re already dealing with so much, and I didn’t want to be the one to make it worse.”
Alaric’s gaze flicked away from me for a moment, his expression unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he was angry, hurt, or something else entirely. But the silence between us was suffocating.
“You should have told me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t trust anyone who keeps things from me, Allesio. Not even you.”
I felt a pang in my chest at his words, but I didn’t back down. “I’m not lying to you, Alaric. I just… I was trying to protect you. I was trying to protect us.”
His eyes flashed with a mix of disbelief and frustration. “Protect me? By keeping the truth from me? You’re not protecting anyone like this, Allesio. You’re only making it worse.”
I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I should have told you. But I didn’t know how.”
Alaric’s hands were balled into fists now, his knuckles white. “Well, now you’ve told me. And you’re right about one thing-you’ve made it worse.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I knew I had messed up, but hearing it from him made everything so much more real.