46
“A re you comfortable, cara ?”
Alessandra raised her eyes from the magazine she was leafing through to find her father standing in the doorway to her childhood bedroom. He had on a burgundy robe over his silk pinstripe pajamas, the same model he wore since she could remember. The man was nothing if not a creature of habit.
Nero slid his dark gaze to Tatyana. “What about your friend?”
“I'm fine, thank you,” she replied quietly from where she was perched up on the windowsill, knees hugged to her chest.
“Your husband screwed up, didn't he?” There was satisfaction behind those words, and he didn’t even try to hide it as he met Alessandra’s eyes again.
His shone with something callous, and she wisely chose to keep her mouth shut.
She couldn’t forget the last conversation she’d had with him and the way he’d spoken to her then.
From the corner of her eye, Alessandra saw Tatyana shift uncomfortably.
“Maybe this will serve to teach him a lesson, hmm?” he said almost thoughtfully. He grabbed the doorknob, starting to leave. “Your mother will be glad to see you in the morning.”
When he was gone, Alessandra let out a heavy sigh.
“He's charming,” Tatyana deadpanned.
“Tell me about it.”
“He doesn’t like any of us, does he?”
“Not really. No.”
Tatyana let out a humorless breath. “Figures.”
Alessandra checked her phone, probably for the tenth time since they had arrived at her parents’ house.
“You okay?”
She placed the phone face-down on the mattress beside her and gave the other girl a weak smile. “Yeah, just... rattled.”
“He's not going to call tonight.”
“I know.”
After a minute, Tatyana stood and switched off the light in the room. There were enough spare bedrooms in the house, but neither girl wanted to sleep alone tonight.
Curled up on her side of the bed, with the duvet pulled to her waist, Alessandra stared off into the dark. A thin beam of moonlight cut through it, settling on her old, white wood desk. She watched as the light cast a glow over the shiny wood, leaving the rest of the room encased in shadows.
Something about the imagine ignited a timid feeling of optimism. No matter how vast the darkness, there was always some light to be found in it.
The tension in her chest lessened, if only momentarily.
There was still hope for better times to come, and she was going to cling to it with everything she had.
???
“Oh, bambina , I’m so happy to see you.
” Gabriella rushed across the white marble kitchen floor to pull her daughter into a tight hug.
Alessandra's body tilted forward on the high stool, her face pressing into her mother's chest. She chuckled and pulled away after a moment, brushing hair from her face.
“Hey, Mamma.”
Gabriella turned to the other girl with a warm smile. “Hello, Tatyana.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Rossetti.”
“Do you want coffee, dears?” Her mother was already reaching for the pot, a frown pulling on her groomed eyebrows. “Where is Valentina and why is breakfast not ready?”
Alessandra tried not to roll her eyes at her mother's fretting. “We already ate, Mamma.”
“When did you get up?”
“Around six. We didn't sleep that well.”
At this, Gabriella's expression morphed to one of concern. “I'm sorry, bambina . Your father told me. I can’t believe he didn’t wake me up last night. ”
Somehow, Alessandra already knew he hadn’t told her about the attack. It was better that way. “It’s fine. There was no reason to wake you. We just needed a place to stay for a night or two.”
“You know you are always welcome here, amore .” She poured coffee into a cup then paused. “I’m sorry about your father, Tatyana.”
“Thank you.”
Silence stretched for a long minute. Then Valentina entered the kitchen to prepare Gabriella's breakfast, and all tension flew out the window.
As the food cooked, the women settled on making small talk.
Gabriella shared the news about one of Alessandra’s cousins getting married, and she pretended to take an interest, even as her mind was elsewhere.
She checked her phone as discreetly as she could, and when there was still no sign of Roman reaching out, she couldn’t help the angst settling deep into her bones and driving her thoughts toward a dangerous slope.
It had only been a few hours since she'd last seen him, but she was already on edge and desperate to hear from him.
It was nearing eight o'clock when the two men entering the kitchen through the back door put an end to the gossiping as well as Alessandra's anxiety.
She shot to her feet, not even hesitating to run to her husband and cling to his neck as she pressed herself against him. He caught her by the waist, and she buried her face in his chest, letting his familiar scent and warmth calm her frayed nerves.
All too soon, Roman let go of her. She pulled back and only then noticed that he was wearing the same clothes as the night before.
Before she could ask how he was, he looked over her head, and the glint of irritation in his eyes made her turn around.
Nero had materialized in the doorway, his face a blank canvas.
“My office,” her father said, his eyes dragging from Roman to Matteo. With that order still lingering in the air, he turned to walk away.
Matteo sighed, setting down the pot of coffee he'd just grabbed before exiting the kitchen.
A muscle in Roman's jaw ticked. He followed after Matteo quietly, his pupils so dilated from tiredness and God knew what, his blue eyes looked almost black.
Alessandra stared at his retreating back and pushed down the frustration threatening to overwhelm her. After a sleepless night of worrying and obsessively thinking about her husband, she didn't even get to say hello.
A gentle palm smoothed the hair spilling over her shoulders. “Sit down and finish your coffee,” Gabriella said softly.
A lone tear trickled down her cheek. Alessandra wiped it off with her thumb and cleared the bitterness clogging her throat before walking back to the island.
God, she was a mess.
???
Two hours later, the men’s impromptu meeting had yet to end.
“I heard you were here.”
Alessandra was startled by the voice coming from the doorway. She'd been immersed in her phone, trying to distract herself while she waited for Roman to come out of her father’s office .
Tatyana raised her eyes from her own phone, taking in the newcomer with open curiosity.
“What are you doing here, Luca?”
He took a step forward, raising the hand holding a manila envelope. “I have a delivery for your father.”
“He's in his office with Roman and Matteo and some other men. This is Tatyana, Roman's sister.”
Luca glanced at her. “Hey.”
“Hi,” Tatyana said, blue eyes sparking with interest. She abandoned her phone completely, and Alessandra would have found her sister-in-law’s reaction indefinitely more amusing, were she not so tired and cranky.
Luca's attention returned to her. “You good?”
“Mhm,” she answered noncommittally. “And you?”
He looked well, much better than the last time she'd run into him. Even his hair was different, cut shorter than she was used to seeing on him.
A small nod was his only answer.
An awkward silence stretched between them, and Alessandra could sense that he wanted to speak with her in private, but Tatyana being there prevented him from addressing it. Before he could get any bright ideas, she dismissed him with a, “Good seeing you.”
Luca took the hint, although the look in his eyes told her he wasn't happy about it.
“Friend of yours?” Tatyana asked when he was gone.
“Ex-fiancé,” Alessandra murmured, lowering her gaze to her phone.
“Ah.” There was something in the other girl's voice that sounded awfully close to disappointment.
Alessandra didn't get why. As far as she was concerned, her sister-in-law could have Luca, although she was fairly certain Roman was never going to allow it.
Another fifteen minutes passed before the men finally emerged from Nero's office on the first floor. Alessandra was crossing the foyer from the bathroom when she saw Luca coming down the stairs, followed by another man.
He stopped at her side, eyes filled with concern. “You don’t look too well.”
“I’m just tired.”
“I heard about last night. I’m glad you’re back here with your family where you’re safe.”
“Roman can keep me safe,” she bit back angrily, though she didn’t know if that was exactly true at the moment.
“Last night proved different.”
“Luca… that’s none of your concern.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re the boss’s daughter. Your safety is my concern.”
Before she could reply, steps thundered down the stairs, and she looked up to see Roman heading their way. The look on his face made her hair stand on end. He was so visibly angry it was downright frightening. Instinctively, she took a step back from Luca.
“Leave,” Roman said, not even looking at Luca, his voice hard like reinforced steel.
“Since when is this your house, Russian ?” Luca sneered.
Roman was on him so fast, he didn’t have time to react before he was being pushed into the wall, his back slamming hard against it. Roman kept him pinned there with an arm firmly planted into his throat.
“One more time,” Roman growled. “Come near her one more time, and I’ll fucking end you.”
“Roman,” Alessandra begged softly, though she didn’t dare get closer to them. She didn’t think he was this upset just because Luca had spoken with her.
Luca glared at him with wild eyes, both hands wrapped around Roman’s forearm as he struggled to breathe.
“Let him go.”
Alessandra looked up. Her father had appeared on the first floor landing, looking at the altercation below with barely restrained fury. Whatever had happened in that office must have been bad.
Roman didn’t move or lessen his hold.
“I swear to God, Roman. Release him, right the fuck now .”
It took another moment, but then Roman removed his arm from Luca’s windpipe, causing him to cough as he tried to recover from the assault.
Leaving him there, Roman turned and grabbed Alessandra’s wrist as he dragged her into the kitchen.
Tatyana looked up when they entered then blanched at seeing the murderous look on her brother’s face.
“What happened?” she asked cautiously.
Roman turned to Alessandra with fire in his eyes. “If I see his hands on you again, I’ll put a bullet into his fucking head.”
“He barely touched me. Why are you acting like this?”
He didn’t answer, but something in the dark depth of his gaze gave him away. He was overwhelmed, and Luca was just a way to release tension. An outlet for the violence buzzing under his skin.
“Did you sleep at all?” Despite his mood, she took a step closer and touched his rough cheek. “Did you even eat today?”
“I'm fine,” he bit out, trying to shake off her touch.
He was stubborn, but so was she. Alessandra fisted the front of his shirt, refusing to back down. She pressed herself to him despite Tatyana still being in the room.
“Have something to eat before you leave.”
“Alessa—”
“Please. For me. For my peace of mind.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but she wouldn’t have it. She let go of his shirt and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the island. “Five minutes. There’s food left. I’ll have a plate ready for you in no time.”
As he begrudgingly sat down and she turned to head to the stove, she caught sight of the small smirk playing on Tatyana’s face. Ignoring that, she quickly set out to fill a plate with scrambled eggs before he could change his mind.
She let out a quiet sight.
She loved him, but sometimes he was as obstinate and unmovable as a giant bull.