Chapter 54 Enzo
ENZO
Folding my arms across my chest, I watch as they carry Cristina out of the restroom on a stretcher.
How many more people have to die under my roof?
I'd seen her before the cleaners had gotten to the site, and for all the gore of the scene, I couldn't muster any pity for her.
Allegra, Allegra, what am I going to do with you?
I'd been growing suspicious for a while, and the moment I'd caught her with Luca, sporting such a carefree expression—so unlike Chiara—I'd known something was amiss. I'd tried to push her to see how far she'd take the ruse, but she'd kept her head high and had barely wavered in her act.
My suspicions had been confirmed later at the hospital when I'd seen the way her heart reacted to my declarations. While everything I'd said had been true, I'd also chosen my words carefully to elicit a response from her.
I'd taken Lia aside a few days later and managed to get the truth out of her. Allegra was awake and well—but also bent on revenge. And I was one of her targets. Lia had also informed me of her plans for the ball, so I'd gone along with her act.
If she wants her revenge, then she's going to have it. I said I'd do anything for her, and if that's what she desires most, then it's going to be hers.
To say I'm heartbroken, though, is an understatement. Holding her in my arms and seeing the disdain in her eyes, the way she talked about her philandering husband had me doubting everything I'd done up to this point.
Did I make the right decision?
But when she'd started talking about fucking another man, I'd simply snapped. I wanted to leave my mark on her in such a way that she'd never consider letting another touch her.
Damn it!
I fucked up because I couldn't keep my hands off her. Five years and never once did I feel the urge before, but one minute with my hands on her skin, my cock in her mouth, and I'd exploded—animalistic primitivism and adoring obsession filling me with a need to make her mine again.
I probably would have stopped at that too, since I hadn't planned on actually fucking her. That little savage, though, I should have known she'd never back down without a fight—especially since she thinks I've betrayed her.
The moment she'd bitten down on my cock… God, even now the pain makes me shudder. It's like I lost it. One moment I'd been level-headed, then the next I wanted to fuck her bloody.
Fucking hell!
I lost my goddamn mind, and I went too far. And now she probably hates me even more.
My fists clench in frustration as I realize just how much I screwed up.
I'd rehearsed so many times the things I'd say to her when she woke up, ranging from profuse apologies to professions of eternal love. All of them had involved me getting on my knees in front of her and asking for her forgiveness, and what did I do? I made her get on her knees for me.
I'm a fucking idiot.
I think it's safe to say I let my other head do the thinking for a good minute.
Seeing the extreme lengths she'd gone to in order to get her revenge, it's clear that one measly apology won't cut it, no matter how much time I spend on my knees. No, I'll just have to give her revenge and hope that maybe she'll have it in her heart to spare me.
At this point… doubtful.
With the cleaners busy at their job, Chiara finally makes her way down the stairs, looking as disheveled as ever.
"What happened?" She narrows her eyes at the men carrying her mother.
I shrug, not in the mood to deal with her theatrics. Going by the way she reacted to Martin's death, I don't want another session of hysterics on my hands.
"You might want to check," I cock my head toward the body. "It seems your mother took the masked ball to another level," I say before brushing past her to go upstairs. She focuses her eyes on me but doesn't comment as she goes down.
I'm almost at the top of the stairs when the screaming starts. Shaking my head, I go to Luca's room, taking him in my arms and finally letting the feelings of joy spread through me.
"Soon, your mamma will be back," I whisper in his hair, knowing full well that when she does, I'm going to have to grovel my way into her good graces.
Alas, good things come to those who work hard.
And I'll spare no effort in making sure my little tigress gets her much-deserved happily ever after. Even if that means helping her drive a dagger through my heart.
"I've got her, Lia, don't worry," I tell her and hang up.
I park my car just outside Leonardo's condo. My entire board is made up of screens showing all angles of his house.
I said I'd give her revenge, and that's exactly what I'm doing.
I've been in constant contact with Lia, following Allegra's every step and keeping up with her plotting. Soon enough, it became very clear what she wants to do—make her parents feel exactly what she did when she was on the verge of death.
Her mother met her death without her face, and now her father will die stuck inside his body, unable to move but still conscious enough to know what's happening around him.
While I would do anything for my little tigress, I also worry about the repercussions of her actions on her soul.
I was born into this world, so I was never a stranger to the violent side of it. While Allegra had grown up in total neglect, she'd never really seen the ugly side of the world until… me. Her drastic actions and sudden bloodthirst are understandable, but what happens when it's all said and done?
She won't be any happier.
I'm a hypocrite for saying this, since I've been on the same, rather more long-winded path of revenge for years now. But the difference between us is that I can carry this burden with me. After all, I've already murdered both my father and my mother.
Her?
She's never killed a soul before. So how is she rationalizing killing her blood relatives?
My little tigress, for all her bravado and sharp claws, is nothing but a pure soul—one that's been backed into a corner with no escape. I can understand her stance, but I also worry she won't be the same.
My head jerks as I see a taxi stop in front of the building, Allegra getting out of the car. She's dressed like Chiara, her dress a little too short, her heels a little too high, and she has a hard time walking in them as she makes her way across the sidewalk and into the building.
Unbeknownst to her, I'd chosen the date and place and provided her with the ammunition to fulfill her kill.
Now I just have to watch—ready to intervene if things get out of hand. Although from what I'd heard about Cristina's death, I'd say my girl has everything figured out.
It shouldn't make me so pleased to see my little tigress out for blood—so ready to end a life—but fuck if it's not hot. I groan out loud at the thought, images of her being stained with her enemies' blood and me fucking her, our bodily fluids merging into a sublime mix of lust and savagery.
Fuck! I'm already hard.
I need to get myself under control since I'm not taking any risks with my girl.
Turning back to the monitors, I watch as Allegra carefully steps inside her father's home.
I've been keeping tabs on Leonardo and Cristina ever since they made their appearance in New York, convinced I would die and ready to take ownership of the empire.
And that conviction had ensured that they had torn into their resources with lightning speed. They hadn't even settled in nicely before the spending began.
Leonardo with his high-class escorts, booze, and poker games, and Cristina with her haute couture and overpriced jewelry.
A few months and already millions down the drain.
Leonardo welcomes her into his living room, putting aside his half-empty glass of alcohol. They start talking, so I increase the volume.
"You didn't say you were coming," he plops himself on the couch, a bored expression on his face.
Allegra will soon realize that her father is a little too far gone, and I doubt what she has in mind will be as effective as she's imagining. After all, Leo is used to being in a drunken stupor at all times.
"We should be there for each other, papa," she says, imitating Chiara's higher-pitched tone perfectly. "Mamma just died and you're here feeling sorry for yourself," she continues, taking two bottles of alcohol from the table in front of them and depositing them in a drawer.
"I know you're hurting," she starts, but Leo just laughs.
"Hurting? Me? I'm glad that bitch is gone. Good God, I never thought I'd get rid of her… and so easily. Whoever killed her has my thanks," he replies smugly, sourcing another bottle of rum from behind the sofa.
"Papa," Allegra exclaims in feigned shock, "how can you say that?"
"That bitch was out to get me." He shakes his head, reaching for the bottle's neck and tipping it for a long swig. "She knew our secret."
Allegra frowns, and so do I. What secret?
"What do you mean?" she asks, adding, "how?" to mask the fact that she has no idea what he's talking about.
Smart little tigress.
"I got too drunk," he shrugs, taking yet another swig, "and I ended up telling her I took your virginity on your fourteenth birthday." He releases a long sigh, but Allegra is just looking at him in horror, her mask slipping for a good second.
"You did?" she tries to play it off, laughing nervously.
What the actual fuck?
I'd always known Leonardo was a reprobate of the worst order, but this… I almost feel sorry for Chiara. But then I remember what she's been doing for the past few years, and I shake my head. She's just as bad as he is.
"I tried to explain to her that I was drunk," he continues, and I roll my eyes at his explanation, "and that you came to sleep with me one night and things happened… We both know I didn't force you." His eyes land on her, seeking her approval.
"Of course," she replies immediately. "It just happened." Her expression is still shocked, even though she tries to hang on to Chiara's personality; the way her eyes widen just a little or how her mouth curls slightly at the corner gives her away.
To me at least.