11. A New Beginning
Chapter eleven
A New Beginning
Matteo
T he mansion exudes power, its once-quiet halls now buzzing with the weight of an empire rebuilt and fortified. It’s been a year since the blood-soaked night that solidified our hold on the underworld—a year of calculated moves, ruthless decisions, and relentless ambition.
The darkness we embraced hasn’t just grown; it’s flourished, enveloping everything in its path. I stand in my study, the city skyline spread before me, glittering like a promise and a threat. Below, my men patrol the grounds, a silent reminder of the control we wield. Every inch of this territory, every deal brokered, every life extinguished in our name, it’s all ours.
Amelia is the catalyst of this transformation, her evolution nothing short of breathtaking. A year ago, she was a reluctant pawn, fighting against the chains of this life. Now, she wears her darkness like a crown, ruling beside me with a sharp mind and an iron will. My phone buzzes on the desk, breaking the silence. It’s Enzo.
“Speak,” I command, my voice low and even.
“The shipment from the eastern docks arrived.. The ports are running smoothly. We’ve tripled the revenue projections.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“There’s been movement from the Cavani’s. They’re sniffing around the western territories.”
A spark of fury ignites in my chest. The Cavani’s have been a thorn in our side for too long, testing boundaries they have no right to approach.
“Keep an eye on them. If they make a move, I want it crushed before it begins. No mercy.”
“Yes, boss,” Enzo replies before the line goes dead.
I set the phone down on my desk and lean back in my chair, my eyes drifting to the woman seated on the couch across from me. Amelia. My wife, my queen, my obsession. She’s engrossed in a book, her legs tucked beneath her and her hair spilling over one shoulder. She’s dressed in black, a striking contrast to her pale skin and dark eyes. Her hair cascades over her shoulders, framing the sharpness of her features. The soft light of the fire dances across her face, illuminating the faint smile that plays at her lips.
She’s radiant. The realization hits me as powerfully as it did the first time. She’s mine in every way that matters—not just by name or contract, but by choice. The memory of her standing before me, fierce and unyielding, as she chose to stay despite everything we’d endured, still ignites a fire in me.
“You’re brooding,” she says, looking up.
“Planning,” I correct, a smirk tugging at my lips. “The Cavani’s are testing us.”
Her expression hardens, a flicker of anger crossing her face. “They’ll learn, just like everyone else, that we don’t forgive transgressions.”
I cross the room to the couch where she is resting, my hand sliding over her waist. “You’ve changed, you know,” I murmur, my voice filled with a mix of admiration and possessiveness.
“I had to. This world doesn’t leave room for weakness. I refuse to be anything less than what’s needed.”
Her words send a dark thrill through me. Amelia isn’t just my wife; she’s my equal, my partner in every sense of the word. Together, we’ve built an empire that doesn’t just demand respect—it commands fear.
“Our name is untouchable,” I say, my grip tightening. “Our legacy is secure.”
“Not yet,” she counters, a glint of determination in her eyes. “Not until it’s unshakable. There’s still more to do.”
She’s right, of course. The deals we’ve struck, the alliances we’ve forged—it’s all been necessary, but it’s not enough. There’s always another threat, another enemy waiting in the shadows.
“We’ll make it unshakable. No one will ever question us again.” I promise, my voice a vow.
She leans into me, her fingers trailing along my jaw. “When we do, we’ll have everything. Power, control, and… soon a family”
“It’s coming. Everything we’ve fought for is within reach.” I say, my voice firm.
She nods, her confidence unwavering. “Then let’s take it.”
The darkness of the past year has shaped us, hardened us into something unbreakable. As I hold Amelia close, the fire in her eyes mirroring my own, I know one thing: This is just the beginning. Our reign is only starting. I look at my amazing wife in my arms and smile softly to myself.
“Stop staring,” she says without looking up, her voice teasing.
I smirk, unrepentant. “I can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”
She glances at me then, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Flattery, Matteo? Should I be worried?”
“Always,” I reply, my tone low and playful.
Her laugh is soft, but it tugs at something deep within me. She sets the book down as I take her hand, my thumb brushing over the delicate curve of her knuckles. It’s strange, this tenderness that has woven itself into the fabric of our lives. Strange but welcome.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, my voice quieter now.
Her smile falters slightly, but she squeezes my hand. “Better, I’m not that nauseous anymore”
We’ve been through so much. But it also brought us closer in ways I never imagined possible. It stripped us bare, forcing us to confront not only our pain but our deepest fears and desires. There’s a new glimmer of possibility. I reach out, resting my palm gently against her stomach. She covers my hand with hers, her fingers trembling slightly.
“No one will touch you, or our child this time. I’ll make sure of it.”
Her gaze softens, and she leans into me, resting her head against my shoulder. “I believe you,” she whispers.
Those three words hold a power I never thought I’d crave. For a man like me, trust has always been a dangerous gamble, but with Amelia, it’s different. She’s different. There’s a quiet confidence in her now, a strength born from surviving the fire we’ve both endured. She’s not the same woman I forced into this life a year ago.
“You’re thinking too much,” she murmurs, her voice breaking through the silence.
“I’m thinking about you,” I reply, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
She tilts her face up to mine, her lips curving into a small, knowing smile. “Good. Because I’m thinking about us.”
I can’t help but smirk. “Am I supposed to be worried?”
“Always,” she says, echoing my earlier words with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
But her tone softens as she continues. “I never thought I could feel this way, Matteo. For you. For this life. But now…” She pauses, searching for the right words. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Her honesty stuns me. Amelia’s walls have always been as impenetrable as my own and hearing her admit this, feels like a victory I never expected to win.
“You’re mine,” I say, my voice rough with possession. “You’ve always been mine, even when you hated me for it.”
She doesn’t flinch at my bluntness. Instead, she leans closer, her lips brushing against my jaw as she whispers, “You’re mine, Matteo. Every dark, twisted part of you.”
The words ignite something primal in me, a need so overwhelming that it consumes every rational thought. I grip her waist, pulling her into my lap as my mouth claims hers in a kiss that’s anything but gentle.
It’s a collision of need and power, of two souls too stubborn to yield but too connected to let go. Her fingers dig into my shoulders as she matches my intensity, her defiance and passion fueling the fire between us. I break the kiss only to trail my lips down her neck, savoring the way her breath hitches when I nip at the sensitive skin.
“You drive me insane,” I murmur against her throat, my hands roaming over her body with a desperation I can’t contain.
“Good. Because you do the same to me.” She breathes, her voice laced with challenge.
I rest my forehead against hers. “Amelia, I’ll give you the world. You’re everything to me—my obsession, my reason, my queen. ”
Her lips part, but no words come out. Instead, she cups my face in her hands and kisses me with a tenderness that nearly undoes me. As the night stretches on, we talk about the future, the empire we’ll build together, the family we’ll fight for, and the darkness we’ve both embraced. Amelia may have once longed for freedom, but now she’s chosen something else. She’s chosen me, just as I’ve chosen her and in this life we’ve carved out of chaos and pain, that choice is everything. For the first time in years, I feel something close to hope. Not just for us, but for the life we’re creating—a life that will be ours, no matter the cost and God help anyone who tries to stand in our way.
Amelia’s laughter has filled the vast halls of the estate, a haunting melody that wraps around me like a vice. She’s changed in ways I never anticipated. Her sharp defiance remains, but it’s been honed, sharpened into something darker, something uniquely ours.
Where once she might have flinched at the sight of blood or balked at the mention of revenge, now she stands at my side, unwavering and fierce. She doesn’t just wear the crown of the queen of my empire, she owns it.
I watch her stand and make her way to the window. She is wearing one of my black shirts, the fabric too large for her slender frame, yet somehow it looks better on her than it ever did on me. It might be the way her baby bump looks under the fabric.
“Do you ever think about what’s next?” she asks suddenly, her voice soft but tinged with steel.
I wait a few minutes before getting off the couch to cross the room and stand behind her. My hands settle on her hips, pulling her back against me. “Next is whatever we decide it to be,” I murmur against her ear.
She leans into me, but there’s tension in her posture, a hesitation. “What if someone tries to take it away?”
“They won’t. No one will ever take you or our child from me. I’d burn the world down first.” I growl, my arms tightening around her.
Her laugh is low, dark, and it sends a shiver through me. “And I’d help you light the match.”
The words shouldn’t excite me the way they do, but this is my wife—my perfect contradiction. She’s mine in every way that matters, but it’s her choice to stay, her willingness to embrace the darkness, that binds us together. Turning her in my arms, I tilt her chin up to meet my gaze.
Her eyes hold the same storm they always have, but now there’s something else—a hunger that mirrors my own. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed, and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. As I lead her to the bed, the world outside ceases to exist. It’s just us—two souls intertwined by love, obsession, and a shared darkness that no one else could ever understand.
In this moment, there’s no betrayal, no enemies lurking in the shadows. There’s only the promise of what’s to come. As I lay beside her and she falls asleep I know one thing is true: nothing will ever come between us again. Amelia’s breathing is steady beside me, I find my hand instinctively drawn to the small, growing curve of her stomach.
The thought of the life we’ve created fills me with a reverence I didn’t know I was capable of. It’s as if this child, not yet born, has given me a purpose far greater than anything I’ve ever known.
Amelia stirs slightly, her eyes opening to find me gazing at her. “What’s on your mind?” she murmurs, her voice heavy with sleep.
I brush a strand of hair from her face. “You. Our child. The future.”
She smiles faintly, but there’s curiosity in her expression. “What does that future look like, Matteo?”
“Strength,” I say, my voice low but certain.
“Loyalty. Power. A legacy that will never be broken.”
She tilts her head, watching me intently. “And love?”
“Above all else,” I reply, my fingers tightening slightly on her hand.
“Love is the foundation of it all.”
She rests her head against my chest, and I take a deep breath, the weight of my emotions almost too much to bear.
In the silence that follows, I think of the traditions and whispers of the old families, the rites passed down through generations of men like me.
A poem comes to mind—one my father once recited in the stillness of the night when he thought no one was listening. I shift, pressing my lips to Amelia’s forehead before speaking, my voice steady and deliberate as I recite the words to our unborn child in her womb:
“In shadows deep where silence dwells,A heartbeat rises, a tale it tells.Of blood and power, a lineage vast,A future forged from a haunted past. To you, my heir, this vow I make,Through fire, through pain, for your sake.This empire, this name, this crown I defend,For in you, our story will never end. When the world stands against, when the storms rage near,I’ll guard you, protect you, erase every fear.For in your veins flows the strength of kings,The weight of our history, the song It sings. So grow, my child, in the arms of your queen,In a world both brutal and serene.You’ll rise, you’ll rule, with wisdom and might, Born of the darkness, destined for light.”
When I finish, silence falls between us. Amelia lifts her head, her eyes glistening with un-shed tears as she looks at me. “I’ve never heard anything like that. It’s beautiful.”
“My father recited this poem when I was young. It’s our child’s legacy. Our legacy.”
Her hand moves to cover mine on her stomach, her gaze never leaving mine. “You make it sound so certain. Like nothing could ever take this away from us.”
“Because nothing will. Not the enemies we haven’t met yet. Nor the world itself. I won’t let it.”
Her smile is small but filled with something I recognize as the same fierce determination that drives me.
“Then let’s make sure this legacy is one worth building,” she says.
I lean down, brushing my lips over hers, a silent vow in the contact. As the night stretches on, I hold her close, the words of the poem echoing in my mind like a prayer. I’ll sacrifice anything to protect our child and Amelia for the rest of my life.
We are the Moretti’s, and nothing will get in our way.