Chapter 53
Present
The message from Gìo had sat in my inbox for hours before I finally decided to open it.
Backstabber: I heard you found out about what happened with Trevor four years ago. Meet me at The DeMone at noon. I can explain everything.
I hadn’t responded. What was there to say?
But after the conversation with my father and finding out the truth about my mom… There was a part of me that wanted – needed – answers.
So, after nearly talking myself out of it a dozen times, I found myself stepping out of a town car in front of The DeMone skyscraper.
The first sign that something was off was the valet, who gave me a surprised look as I got out in my jeans and a baby pink sweater. His hesitation made me glance around, and that’s when I noticed the luxury cars pulling up, men in tailored suits and women in couture stepping out with an air of importance.
An event.
I bit my lip, annoyed. Gìo hadn’t mentioned this .
Before I could decide whether to leave or stay, I caught a glimpse of my father through the massive glass doors. Salvatore Moretti. My pulse quickened. He was standing there, talking to a group of men I didn’t recognize, but who carried themselves with the same kind of authority he did. Next to him was his wife, my stepmother, who looked flawless in a silk dress, her arm looped casually around his. And then there were my half-siblings. The perfect picture of a family.
The family I wasn’t a part of right now.
I stepped inside, keeping my head down as I moved through the crowd, heading to the ballroom. I wasn’t sure why I stayed, but curiosity kept me rooted.
Kim spotted me first. Her eyes widened slightly before she gave me a small wave, before crossing the room to me.
She was so different now than when we first met five years ago. She was nineteen now, a grown woman in a sense. And drop-dead gorgeous with dark Sicilian features. Even I could see the vultures of the New York Mob were already catching her in their sights.
“What’s going on?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
She rolled her eyes. “Some Cosa Nostra thing. Something about alliances and territories. Enzo invited Dad and his associates.”
I hummed. “So? Where’s Gìo? He’s supposed to meet me here.”
Kim frowned. “Not coming. He’s out of the state.”
“What?”
Before Kim could say more, the room fell into a sudden, hushed tension.
The sound of heavy footsteps on marble echoed through the space, and when I turned, my breath caught.
Trevor.
Everything inside me froze.
Without hesitation, he strode through the crowd, his dark gaze locked on mine, and before I could process what was happening, his hand cupped the back of my neck and his lips crashed into mine.
The room dissolved into a blur of shocked murmurs, but all I could focus on was the heat of him, the sheer force of his presence overwhelming me. I kissed him back, instinct taking over, one of my hands coming up to his face, the other settling on his chest as if to steady myself.
I was still mad . I wanted to be loyal to Maria, despite her telling me what happened had nothing to do with me. That I shouldn’t blame Trevor. But I couldn’t not blame him.
When he finally pulled back, his thumb brushed my jawline, lingering for a moment as our eyes met. My cheeks burned as I tried to read his expression, the heaviness of the circumstances settling in.
Trevor’s gaze dropped to my lips, before burning back up to my eyes. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away, heading straight for my father. My breath hitched.
The two of them and Enzo DeMone disappeared into a private room, leaving me standing there, breathless and shaken.
The kiss, the looks, the implications of it all… The room had shifted around me, but I barely noticed.
I pressed my fingers to my lips, still tingling from his touch, and took a shaky breath, feeling every curious eye in the room on me.
I understood what he had just done.
Kissing someone in front of the Cosa Nostra, meant marking them.
He claimed me.
And in this world, that meant no other man would dare to approach me now.
Kim broke the awkwardness without caring. She exhaled with a slight whistle. “ Holy shit . Okay, you got some explaining to do. I mean, Trevor Su ? Hot! Good for you, Lia.”
“Don’t call her boyfriend hot!” Carmen whisper-yelled, finally appearing from across the room.
“Um, hello ?” I recognized Francesca’s voice immediately as she stepped up from my other side. “That might have been the craziest thing I’ve ever seen at a Mob sit-down, and I’ve seen some crazy shit.”
Carmen raised a brow. “Crazier than when they chopped that guy’s dick off?”
“ For sure .” Kim laughed obnoxiously loud – something I loved about her. She never gave a fuck about how she should act. She presented herself however she wanted; fuck everything else. “So. How long has this been going on for?”
“Almost six months.”
“Don’t lie!” Francesca giggled, elbowing me. “I know you two had a thing in college. I remember!”
“ Oh, my God …” I covered my face with my hands, already feeling my blush. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Hey. Ain’t no shame. Be a slut, do whatever you want.” Kim pointed a finger at me, taking a shot of tequila – or maybe vodka – from the bar. “That’s what I live by.”
“That so?”
Kim stiffened at the sound of the voice.
I didn’t need to look to see it was Tony who stepped up, joining our circle by her side.
He puffed on a cigarette, frowning down at Kim as he blew out the smoke in her face. “Casey, right?”
He looked almost… Angry?
I could’ve sworn I saw her molars grind together. She frowned too, her voice as fake as her acrylic nails as she tilted her head. “Man-whore, right?”
Before Tony could respond, Kim spun around and kissed my cheek. “Good luck, babe. Call me later.”
Tony’s eyes trailed after her as she walked away, a breath of amusement leaving him. “Since when does little Kimmy talk back?”
“Back-talk?” Francesca raised a perfectly shaped brow, interlocking her arm with mine. “All I heard was facts, baby bro.”
We laughed as we turned around, extending a hand out to Carmen. She smiled too, joining us. “Bye, Tony.”
“Hey!” Tony shouted after us. “What happened to freedom of choice?”
“I want to marry your daughter.” My voice boomed in the quiet, royal room. The grand door had just closed behind us and no one had even gotten the chance to sit down.
Enzo DeMone laughed, taking a seat on one of the armchairs.
I remained standing, holding Salvatore Moretti’s gaze as he settled his hands on the office desk and leaned over it. “If you think you can just come in here–”
“I apologize if that came off as a question. I will marry, Natalia. With or without your permission.”
“I won’t let my daughter walk into the lion’s mouth–”
“I am in love with your daughter, Don Moretti. And she is in love with me.”
“Now, I know the boy is lying,” Enzo grumbled.
“I know you saw her kiss me back. Both of you,” I finished, looking straight at Salvatore.
“That’s not–”
“I love her. We have been together for years. I have been dating your daughter since we both studied together at Columbia.”
Salvatore’s jaw grinded, no wonder furious that he’d been unaware of my relationship with Natalia.
“Even if that’s true, Salvatore,” Enzo began speaking. “Why’d he wait until now? He’s trying to get between our business arrangements.”
Digging into my suit jacket’s inside pocket – ignoring both Dons and their soldiers as they pointed their guns at me – I pulled out the velvet box, opened it, and set it on the desk.
“I was waiting for the right moment to ask her.”
For the first time that afternoon, the room was filled with silence, both Bosses’ eyebrows shooting to their hairlines.
“Consider this marriage, between me and your daughter, the final step in concluding the rivalry between our families.”
Salvatore’s hard gaze stayed on me. “Why now?”
“Nothing will stand between me and the woman that I love.”
“That’s the third time you’ve said that.” Enzo’s voice caused me to slowly turn to him.
A man acknowledging his love for a woman in the criminal underworld was a dangerous thing – something many considered a weakness. I’d never felt stronger.
“It’s the truth,” I confessed.
He nodded, then stood and walked over to Don Moretti, before speaking low to him only.
They shook hands and Enzo turned to me, slapping my shoulder before walking out with his men. “Good luck, slick .”
Salvatore sighed deeply, leaning back in the office chair.
“If she says yes , she will become a Su. All obligations to the Cosa Nostra will be ended. Continuing to work with you will be her choice.”
He didn’t like that but shook my hand nonetheless. Calling my bluff . “Tell you what, kid. You get that ring on her finger, we’ll talk.”
When we walked out, the party was gone.
I didn’t know if I wanted to kill or thank Gìovanni.
I knew it was him who sent me the message with the fake news. He wasn’t here. I’d used a program to scan the entire building’s security footage for his facial recognition on the drive over. Nothing had come up. Except for his private jet’s coordinates. The fucker was forty-thousand feet up in the air.
I didn’t fucking appreciate being a pawn in his game.
But making Natalia my wife might just get me to forgive and forget for the first time in my life.
The chilly air nipped at my cheeks as I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders. The terrace of Zach’s penthouse overlooked the city, the grey skyline overcasting the sky. The occasional car horn and buzz of life below drifted up to us.
The terrace door slid open, and Zach stepped outside, joining me at the table. He studied me for a moment before speaking. “I heard what Trevor did at the Italians’ this afternoon.”
I stiffened, gripping the fluffy blanket tighter. The memory of Trevor’s kiss still burned in my mind. After leaving the event to have a drink with the girls down the street – the whole sit-down had gone to shit after the incident – I went back to Zach’s place to spend time with Maria.
“He had no right,” I muttered, my voice low but sharp.
Zach raised an eyebrow, his tone even. “If you want to be mad at someone, you should be mad at me. I’m the one who hurt Maria. I’m the one who got Trevor involved in this mess.”
I shot him a look. “What happened between you and Maria was complicated, and none of my business. But Trevor is my boyfriend, Zach. He owed me the truth. He owed me loyalty.”
“If it had been the other way around,” Zach said, leaning forward, “Wouldn’t you have taken Maria’s side, even though we’ve been friends for years?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came. I hated that he was right, and my silence confirmed it.
Zach sighed, his expression softening. “If Maria found it in her to forgive me… I’m sure you can forgive Trevor. He’s not perfect, but you know he’d move heaven and earth for you.”
I didn’t answer, the weight of his words settling heavily in my chest.
The terrace door slid open again, and Maria stepped out, balancing two plates of food in her hands. The scent of her cooking wafted over us, warm and comforting, but my stomach churned instead of growling.
“Dinner’s ready,” Maria announced with a smile, setting the plates on the table.
Zach stood, pressing a quick kiss to her temple as he brushed past her and headed to the kitchen to bring the rest of the dinner. She smiled, her cheeks flushing pink.
The sight of their effortless affection, the ease with which they’d patched things up, hit me like a gut punch.
I gulped and turned back to the food, placing a delicious portion of pasta onto my plate. The faint smell of the meat hit me. My stomach twisted painfully, and suddenly, the nausea I’d been ignoring all day became impossible to dismiss.
Turning in my chair, my hands gripping the edge of the large potted plant by the table, I doubled over and emptied my stomach.