Secret Baby for the Mafia Prince (Savage Mafia Empire)

21. Luca

Chapter twenty-one

Luca

It’s been a fucking week since I last went to see Gianna. I’m just returning from a meeting with my men.

I’ve been busy trying to find out who is responsible for the chaos around my business. I can’t let anyone ruin what my father built.

The fucking assholes stealing my products have kept me on my toes, mapping out a way to find them. I need to get to the bottom of it and find any holes in my business. Snitches. Whatever it takes to secure everything I’ve built here.

I swing open the door to where she’s been, expecting to see her sitting there on the bed, but the room is empty, silent.

Something feels off, like a storm is brewing. I check the bathroom, but she’s nowhere to be found. My gut tightens, and my mind races.

Where the fuck is she?

I lose all form of reasoning for a second. She does that to me. I storm out of the room, my anger boiling over. I grab the first guy I see, my hand clamping around his neck like a vice. “Where is Gianna?”

The guy stammers, trying to speak, but I cut him off. “Talk, or I’ll fucking kill you,” I hiss, my grip tightening.

He gulps, his eyes wide with fear. “M-Miss Bianca... she took Gianna,” he stammers.

My grip releases on him. What?

What the fuck has Bianca done? I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I’m stunned, my anger momentarily forgotten. “Bianca?” I repeat.

He nods in response.

“What did Bianca do to her?”

He takes a step back, his eyes still wide with fear. “I-I don’t know, sir, but she had her taken away in your absence.”

I’m seething as I walk angrily to Bianca’s room.

Why would my own sister do this? How dare she take away what’s mine?

I barge into her room, my anger propelling me forward.

She’s sitting in front of a mirror, applying makeup with a calm, steady hand. She doesn’t even flinch as I approach her.

“What did you want with Gianna?”

She smacks her lips, her gaze still fixed on her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, you’ve finally noticed.”

My icy glare settles on her as we lock gazes, but she still doesn’t flinch. She’s calm as I stare at her and it only fuels my anger. “Bianca, answer me,” I growl, my patience wearing thin. “What have you done, Bianca?”

She finally turns her full body to face me, and her expression remains serene. “I’ve done my part in helping Father’s legacy stay alive. A decision you couldn’t bring yourself to make.”

My eyes narrow on her. “What are you talking about?”

“I made a fucking trade.”

“What?”

“The shipments aren’t getting seized or attacked any longer. You’re welcome.” Her voice is dripping with sarcasm.

“A trade... to who? The fucking Caruso?”

She keeps mute, staring at me.

“Tell me where the fuck Gianna is,” I hiss, gripping her arm.

Her eyes flash with fear as she flinches in her seat, now showing the fear I’m sure she’s trying so hard to mask, but she refuses to speak.

I tighten my grip, but I remain careful not to hurt her. “Bianca!” I yell, fed up with her antics.

“Fine,” she gasps. “I’ll tell you. Just fucking let go of my arm.”

I loosen my grip slightly, my eyes never leaving hers. “Where is she?” I demand again, using all my willpower to keep myself in check.

Bianca takes a deep breath. “She’s with Mateo Caruso; I traded her to him. He reached out to me with a pretty great offer, Luca.”

I punch the wall in annoyance. Gianna belongs to me. Not anyone else.

“Why are you bothered about it? You’ve only kept her here like a prisoner.”

“My prisoner, not yours.”

Bianca hisses and stands to her feet to stare at me. “I did what you refused to do, Luca. I’m protecting our family’s interests.”

I’m so fucking angry that I might lose control and hit her, but I don’t. I don’t have it in me to hurt her, so I storm out of her room and go to mine, slamming the door behind me.

As soon as I enter, I kick down the nightstand in my room, sending lamps and decorations crashing to the floor.

Gianna is not safe with him. She isn’t safe with anyone but me.

Fuck, why am I thinking about her safety when my plan was to kill her and the rest of her family all along?

Ah, I feel so brainfucked right now!

Still, I can’t stop the thought. He could have his fucking hands on her right this minute, and just the thought of that is enough to fuel my anger even more, making me punch the wall hard. My knuckles are bruised from the impact. I stagger out of the room, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos and rage, but I couldn’t care less.

My head becomes unsettled with Gianna being in the hands of another son of a bitch. This wasn’t part of my plan. I have to get her back. By all means.

***

I’ve been restless all day as I smoke in my office. Bianca has fucking thwarted my plans and now she has made me look weak, seeking help from the Carusos.

She has no idea the mess she has gotten me into. I pull out my phone and dial Vito’s number. He answers on the second ring.

“Boss,” he says, as soon as he picks up the call.

I let out a cloud of smoke in the air. “I want you to keep an eye on the Mancini family.” I’m fuming in anger as I stare at the empty space. Information is always power; I need to know everything there is to know about them if I want to stay a step ahead. “I want to know everything. Every fucking thing.”

“Okay, Boss.”

I cut the call and squash the cigar on my ashtray, prepared to leave.

I’ll do whatever it takes to stop the Carusos and the Mancinis.

Whatever it fucking takes.

***

The next few days are a blur of suits, ties, and handshake deals. It’s a welcome distraction from the simmering anger and betrayal still smoldering in my mind.

Andre has an eye on the Mancinis for me, feeding me details about their business and, most importantly, Gianna.

In one of his reports, there's a picture of a toddler clinging to Gianna. Another photo shows Gianna carrying the little girl. I’m not sure what to think of it. Did she fucking lie to me about being with someone else?

“That-” I growl, stopping myself from lashing out a curse word, as the possibility suddenly strikes me hard.

Fuck .

She has had another man fucking touch her and cum inside her. Someone else has heard the noises she makes when she's close, had her nails dig into his skin when she wants them to move faster.

I’m so damn pissed. I can’t stop thinking that could have been my child if things didn’t get messed up between us… if her family hadn't murdered mine. Now, some other man gets the life we could have had.

What strikes me harder is how my mind keeps playing these games with me.

Dammit! My plan was to kill her, not to fucking fall for her again and crave the life we could have had.

***

Marcus had me engaged in his new shipment’s arrival through my trucks. Business has been different lately, and I hate to admit it, but Mateo has been true to his word. My shipments haven't been stolen lately.

However, I could have handled it without having to lose Gianna. In fact, that’s what I was handling on my last trip.

Bianca and I have barely spoken or seen each other lately. I’ve been too drowned in work.

I look up from the papers on my desk to see Vito standing in the doorway of my office, a curious expression on his face. “Vito, what brings you here?”

He approaches me, his eyes darting around the room before focusing on mine. “Someone is here to see you, Boss.”

My eyes narrow on him, trying to decipher who it might be. I am not expecting anyone. “Who is it?”

Vito glances around the room again before focusing on me. “It’s not someone you might be expecting.”

I raise an eyebrow, my curiosity getting the better of me and I’m already tired of the dance around with Vito. “Send him in.”

“Boss, he has requested to meet with you outside. He wishes to be discreet.”

“Who is it, Vito?” The tone of my voice tells him to quit fucking around.

“Pietro. Pietro Caruso.”

My eyes narrow on his in disbelief.

“Pietro?” I ask, surprised.

It strikes me as surprising to have him meet me without setting up a meeting. In the three years I had been away, I had carefully studied everyone in the game in New York City so I could gather my allies and sift out the rest.

Mateo had always been the one in charge of the Carusos’ affairs. I underestimated the usefulness of his younger brother, sidelining him. He’s still a player and, now that he’s in the picture, I could maybe make him dance to my tune.

I need more players to use, so this meeting quite intrigues me.

“He has something for you. It is important.”

“Take me to him.”

Vito leads the way as we exit my office and walk out to the compound.

A black-tinted SUV is parked in front of my house. Two men are standing in the front of the car with black shades on. I can see another man in the driver’s seat, while a fourth is standing outside, beside him.

Vito opens the door to the passenger seat for me and shuts it as I slide into it.

“Ah, Luca De Santi. Thank you for coming.” A man in a gray tailored suit says as I enter the car. His face looks just like Mateo’s, only a much younger version.

“Pietro Caruso.”

“You’ve really done your homework well.” He lets out a chuckle. “For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t know me. Mateo has been the favorite son running my father’s business for as long as I know.”

Pietro extends a hand, a smug grin spreading across his face. So far, I like what I’m hearing.

“Pleasure to meet you, Luca. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“What could you possibly want from me?”

He smiles as he retracts his hand after I ignore his shake. “I have everything you need.”

He sure doesn’t expect me to trust this easily? I’m not letting him, or anyone for that matter, catch me by surprise. Not anymore.

“What? What brings you here?”

His black hair is in a ponytail. He takes out a box of cigars from the pocket of his suit and places one in his mouth. He extends the box to me, offering me a cigar, but I decline.

“Now, Luca, that isn’t the reason I came to you.” He takes out a lighter and lights the cigar.

“I have information that I think you’ll find very interesting.” Pietro takes a drag with the corner of his lip curved in a grin.

“What kind of information?” Not many times does information come knocking at one’s doorstep, not in our world. There must be a catch.

“Information about Gianna. That pretty little thing is now staying in my brother’s mansion. Sucks he had her first.”

No, I fucking had her first.

I stop myself from yelling those words at him as I clench my jaws tight. I will achieve nothing good by spooking him off. “Tell me more.”

“My brother is about to get married... to Gianna.”

Fuck .

“And...” He takes another slow drag.

I’m fighting the urge to squeeze the words out of his mouth as he delays with every second.

“He would be the father to your child, Sophie.”

What ? What the fuck did he just say?

“What the fuck do you mean ‘your child’?” I grunt, replaying his words.

“Gianna has a daughter that, surprisingly enough, looks just like you.”

He has to be fucking joking.

“So the report was fucking correct and Gianna indeed has a kid.”

But ‘my’ kid? Fuck .

Pietro nods with a serious expression on his face. “Yes, Luca. Gianna has a daughter. Based on the digging I’ve been doing, I’m pretty sure she’s yours.”

I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut.

I’m stunned, confused, and angry all at once. I can’t believe I'm just now finding out about this. I don’t want to believe it just yet.

Pietro hands me his phone with a picture of the girl, Sophie he said was her name, and I take it from him, my hands shaking with rage.

Her eyes are the same color as mine, with an innocence to them. She has chubby cheeks and a playful smile that reaches her eyes. Her blond locks frame her small face and her resemblance to Gianna is uncanny.

Oh, God!

I’m both confused and angered.

What if she’s really mine? I have a child and Gianna’s been keeping her from me all this time.

If that is true, I’ve missed out on so much… all those early years of my child’s life—years I will never get to experience again.

What have I done?

In that moment, reality hits me hard. I can’t believe I’ve been so obsessed with my plans for revenge that I let my pride blind me. If he is indeed telling the truth, I might falter with my plan.

Gianna has a child with me. Fuck !

No, I refuse to believe this. “This proves nothing; you could be wrong. Looks are not hard evidence.”

“Have you ever wondered what happened during those years you were away?” He takes a plastic bag from beside his seat and hands it over to me. It has strands of hair in it. “I am a hundred percent sure, but you confirm it yourself.”

Shit .

“I retrieved this from the maid who took care of her when my brother had them in his house. This bag has strands of hair that belong to your daughter, Sophie.”

“Where is she?”

Well, I did make love to her more than once without a fucking condom. I never thought to ask if she was on birth control or anything.

I’m still in shock… Gianna has a daughter. My daughter.

This changes everything.

***

I’m pacing back and forth in my mansion, my mind racing with thoughts and questions.

Vito finally returns.

As I gaze at her innocent face, I’m struck by her familiar brown eyes—the same eyes that stare back at me in the mirror every day. It’s like looking at a baby picture of myself.

Plus there’s her age... she’s around the same age as when I left New York. The coincidence is uncanny, and my mind starts to wander again.

I turn to Vito, my face plastered with determination. “Where the fuck is it?”

I gave him the plastic bag Pietro had given me, along with strands of my hair, to get a DNA test done with a quick call to the hospital to hasten the process. I cannot bear the thought of living in oblivion for a moment longer than necessary.

“It’s here, Boss.” He hands over a piece of paper to me and watches me carefully as I scan through it.

I stare at it in disbelief.

It’s positive. I have a daughter.

Fucking Christ.

I’m struck by anger, my mind reeling with disbelief and outrage. “How could she keep this a secret from me?”

I pace back and forth, my anger boiling over, as Vito watches me with a sympathetic expression.

However, I’m too far gone; my anger is already consuming me. “I need time to process this,” I snap, my voice sounding distant in my ears. “Get out, Vito. I need to be alone.”