Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
SOFIA
I sat on the couch, balancing my plate of peanut butter toast on my lap while cradling a mug of decaf coffee between my hands. The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting golden rectangles across the floor. My first day off in a week, and all I could think about was how much had changed in such a short time.
Gray had made breakfast before disappearing into another room to take a call about Lion Freight Services. I could hear his muffled voice through the door, the authoritative tone he used for business matters so different from how he spoke to me.
Last night replayed in my mind like a film I couldn't stop watching. The way his hands had moved over my body, how he'd held me by the throat, not too tightly, but with a possessive grip. Something that should have bothered me, and yet, I'd been only even more turned on. I'd never thought Grayson was that type, but it had made him wild, fucking me like a man possessed as he'd claimed me as his own. And I had adored it.
His nips on my skin had left small bruises, but I’d also seen his back this morning, covered in scratch marks, some that were not going to fade any time soon.
We’d been feral, but damn, I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t been amazing.
As if we’d both needed to let out the darker parts of ourselves in this mess, to give in to the wicked whispers in our mind.
Something had shifted between us. What started as a one-night stand had transformed into something new, something incredible. I'd given him parts of myself I'd kept locked away for years—not just my body, but my fears, my past, my future. My trust.
The thought both terrified and exhilarated me.
I'd let him in, fully.
I took a sip of my coffee, grimacing at the decaf taste. Another reminder of how my life had changed. No more caffeine, no more wine with dinner. I had to consider the life growing inside me.
The doorbell rang, pulling me from my thoughts.
I checked my security feed on my phone, smiling softly at the sight of Meredith, but then it fell when both Leo and Canzio stepped into the frame.
What was Canzio doing here?
Right. Gray had said he wanted to meet to discuss our options. My options.
My chest tightened as I rose and headed to the front door to let them all in, unease churning in my gut.
What was their plan? Was I going to like it or hate it? I doubted I could like any plan they came up with.
I paused in front of the door, drawing in a steadying breath before unlocking it and tugging it open.
"Sofia.” Meredith threw her arms around me, and I hugged her back, although my focus was on Canzio now. "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm fine," I said, though the sight of Canzio Donati had me on edge. He smiled at me as Meredith stepped aside, offering me his hand.
"Canzio Donati, although I feel like you already know that," he said, and I made sure to give his hand a firm shake. The edge of his mouth curled ever so slightly at my grip. Standing before the head of another family was unnerving, but thankfully, he looked past me.
Leo moved to stand beside Meredith, sliding his arm around her waist, his expression unreadable. "Gray around? We're here to speak with him."
"He's taking a call." I didn’t want to say how I wanted to be in the know if it was in regard to me. I wasn’t going to go pushing against the head of the Donati family.
As if summoned, Gray appeared behind me, and I stepped aside.
"Perfect timing," Canzio said, his voice carrying the weight of authority despite its casual tone. "Grayson, we need to talk. Leonardo has some updates."
"Of course, Sofia, is it okay if they come inside?" Gray asked, and I nodded, finding it sweet that he was asking me and not just inviting them in.
"Great, follow me." Gray flicked his head, and the two other men filed past me, although Meredith remained.
"I brought some donuts, thought we could use them," she said as she bent over to pick up a bag I'd not even noticed.
"Sounds good." I turned and headed for the living area, Meredith following along and joining me as I sunk onto the couch.
"So, how is it having Gray around? I feel like we'd be bickering like mad," she said with a grin, attempting to ease the tension settling over us.
"He's great, actually. Helps out a lot." I stared after the men to where they'd disappeared down the hall.
"Guess he has to step it up with a baby on the way," she said as she opened the donut bag and offered me one. "How are you handling it all, Sof? And don't say it's fine."
"What am I supposed to say, Mer? It's a hard situation all around," I murmured, taking a donut but casting glances down the hall. "Any idea what they're talking about?"
"They wouldn't say, but they have a plan," she answered before taking a bite out of her donut.
"Wonder how much blood will be spilled with their plan," I muttered as I lifted the pink glazed donut to my lips. "I hate not knowing what's going on."
"I know, same here," Meredith said with a sigh as she followed my gaze down the hall. "I wish I could fix it all for you right now."
I smiled softly, turning my attention to her, knowing that worrying over whatever they were talking about was going to get me nowhere.
"How's the theater restoration coming along?" I asked in an effort to distract myself.
Meredith's face brightened, and I knew she was ready to find a way to keep my mind busy. "It's amazing, Sofia. We've uncovered the original moldings beneath all that awful 1970s paneling. And the stage—you should see it. Leo found a restoration specialist who worked on Broadway theaters."
"That's wonderful." I meant it, despite everything. Especially with how she was lighting up as she spoke about it.
"The main chandelier arrives next week. Imported from Italy. We’re using the old original one for one area, but this one is for the main area. And the seats—" She stopped, studying my face. "Are you actually listening and keeping your mind busy? Am I actually distracting you, or just filling the room with words?"
I smiled and shook my head. "I am, actually. It's nice to hear about normal things. Beautiful things being restored instead of lives falling apart."
Meredith took my hand, her green eyes serious. "Do you need to talk? Really talk? I'm here, Sofia. Whatever you need to get off your chest."
The lump in my throat made it hard to swallow. "I just—I feel like such a mess, Mer. Everything's happening so fast. The pregnancy, Gray moving in, this engagement with Juan..." I lowered my voice, glancing down the hall. "It all happened so quickly. And now the Donatis are involved. I never wanted to drag anyone into my family's problems."
"You didn't drag anyone anywhere," Meredith insisted. "Gray chose this. We all did."
Before I could respond, the doorbell rang again.
Leo appeared from the hall instantly. "I'll get it."
I exchanged a look with Meredith. We weren't expecting anyone else.
Leo returned moments later, holding a cream-colored envelope between two fingers like it might be contaminated. His expression had darkened.
"Special delivery," he said, handing it to me as I stood.
The heavy card-stock felt expensive, the Ference family crest embossed in gold on the back flap. I slid my finger under the seal and pulled out an invitation.
Mr. Juan Ference and Miss Sofia Savoca
request the honor of your presence
at a celebration of their engagement
The date was exactly one week away. My stomach churned as my heart plummeted.
"It's the engagement party invitation," I said quietly, surprised that it was actually handwritten.
Gray emerged from down the hall with Canzio, joining us in the living area. "What is it?"
I handed him the invitation. He read it, his jaw tightening.
"I'm going with you," he stated.
"Gray, you can't. Ernesto would?—"
"I don't give a fuck what Ernesto would do," Gray interrupted. "I'm attending as your date."
"That's suicide," I protested. "If you show up at our engagement party?—"
"We have a plan in place," Leo cut in, his voice calm. "A power move."
The cold way he said it had me glancing uneasily at Mer, who looked just as concerned as I felt. "That sounds dangerous."
Leo shrugged. "This life is dangerous, Sofia. You know that better than most. Calculated risks are part of it."
I wanted to argue, but he was right. I'd grown up in this world. I knew its rules, its dangers, its costs. I'd just fooled myself into thinking I could escape them.
"It's not a terrible plan, and it could alter things in the trajectory we'd like.” Canzio stepped forward. "Sofia, I've been wanting to chat with you properly. Back when the Savocas were in Ironstone and Antonio ran things, we had mutual respect for one another."
I blinked, surprised. My father's ways, much like the rest of the family, didn't align with the morals and code of the Donati. In a way, the Donati saw themselves as superior to all other families thanks to their code, and they valued those who held up to a similar code more.
"My father was..." I searched for the right words.
"A hard man," Canzio finished for me. "But he stuck to his word with business dealings. That's not always the case in our world, so I respected him.” He released my hand. "From what I heard of Marco, I wish he had run things from the beginning. He seemed to know what he was doing and had better morals."
A genuine smile tugged at my lips. "He was a good man. He gave me my freedom."
Canzio took my hand again, patting it in an almost grandfatherly gesture. "Is anyone ever truly free these days? Even the average person is chained with laws, taxes, and the price of living." His ice-blue eyes held mine, seeming to pierce right into the depths of my soul, like he could see everything. "Freedom is no longer something easily gained."
The truth of his words struck hard, more than I would've thought. But he was right. I'd never been free, not really. I'd just been hiding, pretending I could outrun my past.
"My son tells me you were once your father's underboss," Canzio continued. "That's unusual."
I felt Gray's eyes on me. "It was temporary. After my uncle made a mistake that cost lives, my father needed someone he could trust while he looked for a permanent replacement. He died before he could."
"Yet you walked away from that power."
"I wanted a different life." I glanced at Gray. "I wanted to help people, not hurt them."
Canzio nodded, thoughtful. "Noble. But perhaps misguided. Power, used correctly, can help many people."
"Or destroy them," I countered softly.
A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. "You remind me of my wife. She never hesitates to speak her mind, even to me." He turned to Gray. "She is a strong one, Gray. Best remember that."
Gray moved to my side, his hand finding the small of my back. "Sofia's strength is what drew me in from the beginning."
I fought the urge to lean into him, to draw from his warmth and certainty. Instead, I asked the question that had been burning in my mind since they arrived.
"What exactly is this plan you mentioned? This 'power move'?"
The three men exchanged glances.
"You don't need to worry about the details," Gray said.
"The hell I don't. This is my life, my family, my problem. I deserve to know what you're planning."
Leo's expression remained impassive, but I caught a flicker of something akin to respect in his eyes, while Canzio’s lip tugged into a slight smile.
"We've been looking into Ernesto's finances," Leo said. "And his connection to the Ference family. There are... inconsistencies."
"What kind of inconsistencies?"
"The kind that suggests this alliance isn't about peace between families," Gray explained. "It's about money. A lot of it."
Canzio stepped in. "Ernesto's been skimming from family accounts for years. Marco was onto him. We believe that's the real reason Marco was killed. Along with power. Two birds with one stone."
I stared at him, the world tunneling in as his words settled over me.
Ernesto implemented his own son's death?
I leaned into Gray to steady myself, his arm snaking around my waist to comfort me.
"You're saying my uncle had Marco murdered? His own son?"
"We're saying it's a possibility we're investigating," Leo clarified. "We need more proof."
My mind swam as I saw how it all connected easily. "So this power move?—"
"Is about showing our hand," Canzio said. "Letting Ernesto know we're onto him, without revealing everything we know. Applying pressure to see how he reacts. Hopefully, with the risk of the truth coming to light, he'll back off and let you exit this arrangement."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
Gray's hand tightened on my back. "By me attending the engagement party as your date, with Leo and Canzio as my backup."
"That's insane," I protested. "Ernesto would never allow it."
"He won't have a choice," Leo said. "Not with what we know."
"And what exactly do you know?" I demanded. "You just said you need more proof."
"We know enough to make him nervous," Gray assured me. "And a nervous man makes mistakes."
I looked from Gray to Leo to Canzio, these men who had inserted themselves into my mess, who were risking their lives for me and my unborn child. Part of me was grateful beyond words. Another part was terrified of what their involvement would cost.
"There has to be another way," I said. "One that doesn't put all of you in danger."
"There isn't," Gray said firmly. "Not one that keeps you and our baby safe."
Our baby. I placed a hand on my still-flat stomach, thinking of the tiny life growing there, oblivious to the chaos surrounding it.
"I don't want anyone else to die because of me," I whispered.
Gray pulled me tighter against him. "No one's going to die."
I wanted to believe him. But I'd grown up in this world. I knew how quickly things could go wrong, how easily blood could be spilled.
"Promise me you'll be careful," I said, looking up at him. "All of you."
"We always are," Leo answered, which wasn't the reassurance I was looking for.
Meredith moved to my side, taking my hand. "It's going to be okay, Sofia. They know what they're doing." Although even her voice betrayed her own unease at the situation.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The weight of everything—the pregnancy, the engagement, the revelation about Ernesto possibly killing Marco—pressed down on me.
Canzio checked his watch. "We should go. I have another meeting across town." He turned to me. "Sofia, it was a pleasure to finally meet you properly."
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Donati."
"Canzio, please. We're family now, in a way." He nodded at me before focusing on Leo.
As Leo and Canzio headed for the door, Meredith hung back. "I'll come by tomorrow, okay? Girls' day. No crime family talk allowed."
I managed a smile. "I'd like that."
She hugged me tightly before following the others.
Gray walked them out, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more. I sank back onto the couch, the forgotten invitation discarded onto the coffee table by Gray. One week until I had to go to this engagement announcement before a bunch of the Ference family and my own. One week for Gray and the Donatis to gather whatever evidence they needed against Ernesto.
One week before everything changed again.