21. Chapter 21
21
As the end of December charged into a new year, the sirocco winds swept through the island, and Elyse and Alessandro threw themselves into the final stretch of their plans. The rainy Sicilian months of January and February felt like one long, deadly game of chess.
Mr. Schmid recommended a top-notch criminal defense lawyer by the name of Felice Giambrone to guide them every step of the way. Together, they went head to head with Boris to ensure Isabella's safety by renegotiating Benedetto out of the equation. Alessandro was offered in her grandfather's place, and they turned over a convincing array of faulty evidence that might later subvert the trial.
Step by step, fear and anxiety continually nipped at their heels, but husband and wife didn't swerve from their path.
By late March, her husband was brought into police custody on two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of possession of a controlled substance. But these details weren't released to the public. It heightened speculation that the capo was about to be taken down by far more serious crimes. Alessandro's arrest helped silence the rumors that had been started by Carmen, Bartolo, and Carmine. He pinned the leak on his three dissenters, effectively wiping out their credibility. The De León name now carried the stench of snitches.
Days after Alessandro's arrest, Bartolo and Carmine's bodies ended up in ditches.
A week later, Alessandro was placed under house arrest. Boris began to express suspicion over their agreement, so, in April, Elyse moved out of the palazzo into one of their other villas. To the outside world, it looked as though she was the nervous wife of a guilty man, hell bent on distancing herself from her husband's crimes.Truthfully, though, the separation took a toll on Elyse. Communication needed to be kept to a minimum. Boris had eyes and ears everywhere. Every word Alessandro fed to Elyse needed to be carefully filtered and cherry-picked. The officers who were monitoring him reported to Boris. Husband and wife began to speak in code on the rare occasions they conversed over the phone.
When they spoke of business matters, words took on different meanings, "My period is a day late." The shipment is a day late.
Over time, they developed an efficient way to communicate in secret, "I forgot to pay the water bill." An ally owes us money.
They even came up with a language for private matters. "I miss New York." I miss you.
Elyse was the one who insisted on, "I hate the rain." I love you.
And Alessandro told her at least ten times a day, "I need some coffee." I am fantasizing about fucking you.
She missed him like crazy. But not much could be done. The show needed to go on. Alessandro's trial was set in early May. He continued running their empire from behind the scenes, often relying on Elyse to take over the duties that he could no longer address due to his house arrest. She took over with the steady, competent hand of a true queen devoted to her king, but she couldn't have done it alone, though.
Mr. Schmid and Mariposa aided her in overseeing their recent ventures in tech, real estate, and healthcare. Elyse even stopped by one of their hospitals to supervise a few surgeries. At the same time, Benedetto and his political allies assisted Elyse with their not-so-legal affairs, Valentina stepped up, too, with her ties to Célia's connections, while helping her retract their dealings with the Beltrán cartel and their partners in Cosa Nostra . Alessandro's forced confinement served as the perfect excuse to part ways. Their businesses weren't entirely free from the mafia, but, in this way, little by little, light began to replace darkness in the kingdom.
During the rare lulls in her hectic routine, Elyse found her mind wandering toward Isabella. Where was her mother now? It bothered her that their relationship had ended on such an anticlimactic note. Was she still in London? There had been no comma, not even a question mark, only an abrupt period.
Reflecting on her last phone call with Isabella often left Elyse in a grim mood. Isabella seemed keen to stay out of her life, forever, but, strangely, the more Elyse thought about it, the more it became apparent that she wasn't truly alone. She might be motherless, but someone else was there to fill the void. Malina was always with her. The older woman became her rock during this time, especially in the late summer evenings when she was alone and consumed by doubt. Whenever sleep eluded Elyse, she would go to Malina.
"Alessandro puts on a brave face, but I think he is afraid. Not for himself . But for me," she relayed on a balmy night in June."I miss him so much."
Malina reached over to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Bravery means nothing without fear, my dear, and anything worth having requires a bit of struggle."
"I just want to know how things will play out. Not every story gets a happy ending. It terrifies me."
"The not knowing," Malina countered, "is what makes your day-to-day efforts so important. The outcome can change at any given moment. Depending on what you did yesterday, what you do today, and what you do tomorrow."
"You think so?"
"I have seen what you are capable of, and even the blind can see that Signor Vitale has never wanted any woman more than he wants you. He would crawl through hell for you. Do not underestimate what you two can achieve together."
Still feeling doubtful, Elyse wrinkled her nose. "You have too much faith in us."
"No," chided the housekeeper, "I have just the right amount. For good reason, too. Signor Vitale has always known how to take advantage of those who underestimate him, and he has only grown sharper and wiser since you came into his life."
"I don't doubt Alessio at all," she whispered, "I think I may be the weakest link at times."
"I disagree. You arrived here, knowing so little about our world. Resisting your fate every step of the way. But look at you now . Look at how far you have come. You took your worst nightmare and turned it into a dream that is within reach. Do not give up mere steps before the finish line."
Elyse gave a pause. Her reservations subsided for the time being. "Thank you, Malina."
"Of course."
"You always seem to have the right words."
"Then may I say one more thing? Even if it is something you do not want to hear? "
Elyse eyed the older woman warily. "Go ahead."
"Your grandfather has been reaching out to me again."
"About what?"
"You, of course."
"What does he want?"
"A chance to make things right."
Around the middle of July, Malina managed to nag Elyse to the point of surrender. She agreed to start meeting Benedetto on weekends for chess. Their renewed bond was fragile. The relationship was still tainted by tragedy and resentment, but, at least, it was no longer broken. When Elyse visited her grandfather's villa on Saturdays, she noticed that traces of Gianna, her photographs, her possessions, her clothes, had begun to disappear around his house.
Only the baby grand remained untouched in the parlor room.
One Saturday, during one of their chess matches, Benedetto announced quite suddenly, "You do not need to keep the music box anymore."
Elyse glanced up with a frown. "But it belonged to my mother."
His face grew weary. "After years of missing her, I am finally realizing that there is nothing to be gained by holding on to the past. Life is too short. We should not dwell on things that cannot be changed."
"I thought she forgave you?"
"Forgiveness does not fix what was broken. It simply helps us find peace in the aftermath."
A pang hit her chest. Because she knew he was right. Some stories were destined for tragedy. No matter how much they all wished for a different ending.
"Toss it," said her grandfather, "if you wish."
Her frown deepened. "What about loyalty?"
"What about it?"
"I thought the box was meant to keep an eye on me?" Elyse remarked as she eyed him in an uncertain way, not knowing whether or not he was being sincere. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I have seen enough."
"What do you mean?"
"Your actions never fail to align with your words," her grandfather explained. "I hope, in time, you will come to trust me, too."
Elyse didn't offer a response. She wasn't ready to open up to Benedetto completely. For now, she simply continued to move her pieces across the checkered board between them. Watching him as he watched her. Getting to know him as he got to know her. Both of them had reached the final chapter with Isabella. But their story as grandfather and granddaughter had just begun.
August arrived in a burst of oppressive heat. With Alessandro's future so uncertain, more allies abandoned ship. Elyse and Alessandro didn't care. Money could always be made again. But freedom from Cosa Nostra was priceless. They were happy to cut these ties, even choosing to look the other way when the Svizzis went after their supply chain with the cartel. The Trevisanos then went after the Svizzis. The two clans clashed like two greedy predators chasing after the same coked-out multimillion dollar prey. Without lifting a finger to defend their territory, Elyse and Alessandro watched the bullets fly and bodies drop.
He told her, "Let them fight. We have already won."
"They just don't know it yet," she added.
Later, Alessandro directed Elyse to funnel more millions into their new businesses. Elyse decided to name one of their hospitals after his mother. She also started sending in anonymous leads through her network to Guilia Amato, a well-known reporter based in Palermo. Benedetto helped spread the news through his contacts. Then, they waited for the dominos to fall.
Temperatures dropped in September. Nasty rumors about the Chief of Police, Boris Demasi, began to swirl. A man motivated by blackmail and bad blood. The public started questioning his integrity.
Then came October. Elyse sent in the final bombshell to Giulia. Proof that Boris had been using lies to bring down Alessandro.
His trial stretched into November. The prosecution put up a good fight, but they were no match for the lawyer that Valentina and Ce?lia had found for him. Mr. Giambrone was fierce and smart. He tore apart the defense and attacked the evidence like a bulldog on steroids.
In December, an article from the local newspaper reported on Boris had fabricated most of the evidence used against Alessandro. By the end of the month, Alessandro's case was thrown out. The moment Elyse found out, she rushed into the living room to find Malina.
"Is it true?" the housekeeper demanded after Elyse delivered the news.
Her knees gave out as she sank into an armchair. A smile of disbelief slowly stretched over her face. She murmured in awe, "I think so, Dios , I thought this day would never come…"
They’d won .
They'd fucking won .
Yet, such a victory felt bitterly underwhelming. It’d been achieved through such ugly, underhanded means. Nevertheless, this moment marked the beginning of an end. The light at the end of their tunnel. A chance to live on their own terms. They were devils who would've done anything to escape hell.
Benedetto was safe.
Her husband was free.
Their businesses were no longer rooted in violence and crime.
Shadows would always exist no matter where they went, but, at last, light outshined the dark.
Without even bothering to pack up her suitcases in the villa where she had been staying, Elyse rushed back to the palazzo. She couldn’t wait to be with her husband. As she entered their front door, Alessandro was already waiting in the foyer. He swept her up into his arms and spun her round and round in the air like a slow-motion scene from an old-fashioned romance. Brown and blue-gray shined brighter than the stars.
"You did it, Alessio," she exclaimed with a sweet sting in her eyes. "I can't believe it! I'm so fucking proud of you!"
Happiness flowed down her cheeks in streams of glistening tears.
"No, we did it," he whispered happily, kissing away her tears, "I could not have gotten this far without you, cuore mio . It was all for you. Everything was for you."
"Thank you," Elyse breathed, "for saving me."
Alessandro gave her a wry look. He pressed his palm to his stomach. In the exact where his scar hidden beneath his shirt. "You saved me first."
In truth, they had saved each other. Elyse clung to Alessandro in a tender embrace. "I love you so much."
"Not as much as I love you. I am yours. Forever. Always."
Elyse grabbed his wrist and started pulling him toward their bedroom. A small, inviting smile curved on her lips as she flirted, "Show me, then, how much you love me."
His eyes immediately darkened with interest. "With pleasure, wife."
They made their way to bed. The door clicked shut behind their hurried steps. Clothes disappeared from their bodies. Circumstances had separated them for almost a year. It had been hard, not impossible, but hard, to find time for sex. Elyse felt deprived of her man, and, from the hungry look in Alessandro' s eyes, she could tell that he had been suffering in the same way.
They didn't waste any time. Husband and wife were drawn to each other as though strung together by invisible thread. Arms twined around bodies. Skin burned skin. Alessandro dipped his head to kiss her properly, stealing her breath away.
As he reached for a condom, Elyse brushed his hand aside. "Wait."
His eyebrows shot up in a question. "Cuore mio?"
She took his hand and placed his palm on her belly. "I'm ready. If you're ready."
Understanding seemed to hit Alessandro like a bolt of lightning. All at once, his eyes popped wide and round, a grin spread across his face, and his cock jumped from semi-hard to steel in one second flat.
"You do not need to say another word," he said laughingly, pushing her onto the mattress and positioning his hardness between her legs. "I have been ready since our wedding night!"
She chuckled at his enthusiasm, which quickly turned into a moan of delight as her husband bent down to suck on her breasts. He used his cock to rub her slit, dipping inside her core every few seconds or so to wet the tip before returning to dote on her clit. The bastard teased her and teased her until—
"Stop fucking around," Elyse growled in frustration.
"Imploralo," he teased, smirking. Beg for it .
Elyse decided that it was time to let the cat out of the bag.
"On my knees?" she tossed back, wickedness twinkling in her eyes. "Or my back?"
If at all possible, Elyse felt her husband grow even harder between her thighs. " I fucking knew it ."
"What?"
"You understand me perfectly!" Alessandro growled.
"Guilty as charged," she finally admitted.
"How long has this been going on?"
She lowered her lashes demurely. "Long enough."
"Fuck."
"Are you upset?"
" Dio, no ," he groaned under his breath, "I am at your mercy right now."
Within the next second, Alessandro pushed himself inside her. His fingers laced with hers. He pinned her hands on either side of her face, gazing down at her, fucking her, with nothing but love in his eyes.
"The future feels bright," he gasped in awe, "because of you."
She smiled up at him, flushed and breathless. "No, the future is bright because of us ."
"To paradise," murmured Alessandro.
" To paradise ," Elyse echoed softly.
Pleasure peaked and washed over them. As Elyse laid drowsily in Alessandro's arms, her thoughts turned inward and introspective. Elyse didn't know if God would ever forgive the sins she had committed alongside her husband, but she’d spend the rest of her life trying to atone for them. She intended to start her work in their hospitals. Strangely, though, Elyse didn't feel remorseful.
Through all the madness and the mayhem, they became each other's sword and shield. They found some honor in the gray. They chased away the darkness, and they’d continue to shine, together, together, always together , no matter what shadows loomed ahead.
Every sin, every struggle, and every stumble along this journey had been purposeful. They’d all been necessary. Each step had brought Elyse closer to Alessandro. With him, even hell felt like heaven because, in truth, he was no devil.
He was her angel.