Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Chloe&Enzo
Chloe
Enzo didn't answer right away. He picked up his wine glass, took a slow sip, and set it down with a soft clink against the table.
"It's been called off." He said it matter-of-factly, no explanation attached.
My heart jumped, but I didn't dare believe it too quickly.
"When did you call it off?" I pressed.
"Today." Enzo picked up his knife and fork, went back to cutting his steak. Wouldn't meet my eyes. "Just now, actually."
I froze. I hadn't expected Enzo to move that fast. We'd only made things official yesterday, and today he'd already rushed out to break his engagement.
Something sweet bloomed in my chest, but I pushed it down. "So when can I leave?" Until I got a straight answer, I couldn't shake the unease that'd been sitting at the bottom of my stomach.
Enzo looked up at me, mouth quirking like he was dealing with a kid who asked too many questions.
"It takes time, Chloe. My wife is the center of attention for everyone in the family. After finding out the heir broke off an arranged political marriage, you think those fossils are going to welcome a woman who danced in a strip club with open arms?"
The words stabbed through my chest. I knew he was right, but hearing the truth from his mouth made it hurt worse.
I took a deep breath, swallowed my anger, and kept going. "So I just have to stay locked up here?"
"I'm keeping you here because I don't want anyone to hurt you.
" Enzo set down his silverware, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his long legs under the table.
"The family needs time. My brother Julian's been looking for dirt on me.
I'm worried he'll come after you. Until this gets sorted out, you're safest here. "
His tone left no room for argument. He had it all figured out, everything neat and tidy—except he hadn't asked me what I wanted.
"So how long do I wait?" My voice rose without meaning to. "A month? Two months? A year?"
Enzo's eyebrow twitched—one of his few visible reactions. He stood up, walked around the table, and stopped in front of me. I had to crane my neck to look at him, and my neck started aching, but I didn't back down.
"Until the day I marry you."
My brain short-circuited for about three seconds. "What did you say?"
"I said you only have to wait until I marry you. During this time, you just need to stay put, don't go out, don't let anyone know you exist. Everything else? I'll handle it. All you have to do is wait to marry me."
Marry him. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. My eyes burned first.
Damn it. I hated how easily I cried, especially since getting pregnant. My emotions were even harder to control now.
"Why are you crying?" Enzo's voice dropped low, carried an unfamiliar gentleness. "I didn't yell at you."
"I'm not crying." I wiped my eyes, nose already stinging. "Don't flatter yourself."
Enzo sighed and stood up from the table, walked over, and opened his arms.
"This is our first official day together. You planning to spend it crying?"
I buried my face in his chest. The second I did, his arms tightened, pulled me completely against him.
In that moment, I felt like every hardship I'd endured, every hurt I'd suffered—it was all worth it. I finally had someone who was truly mine. Someone who said he'd marry me.
A real home.
I pressed my face into his shirt, felt his heartbeat. Steady. Strong. Just like everything about him. My hands clutched his shirt without meaning to, like if I let go, he'd disappear.
"Enzo."
"Yeah?"
"If you're lying to me, I'll kill you."
"Not many people threaten me." His palm settled on the back of my head, fingers threading through my hair. "Usually, people who say shit like that end up in the river the next day."
I couldn't help smiling. When he said that, his fingertips grazed my scalp gently. That one touch made my whole heart feel like it was soaking in warm water, fizzing.
I melted into his arms, voice softening. "Then you better not lie to me. Because before I hit the water, I'm dragging you in with me."
"Sounds fair." Enzo tilted my chin up and kissed me.
I stood on my toes to kiss him back and wrapped my arms around his neck. Enzo's hand slid to my lower back, tracing my spine through the thin fabric of my pajamas. My body lit up like he'd struck a match, heat spreading from where his fingers traveled, radiating through my whole body.
Soon, I was backed against the dining table. Plates and wine glasses rattled. My elbow almost knocked over the salad bowl—Enzo just pushed it off the table. He clearly wanted something to happen on this table.
"Anna's still in the kitchen," I reminded him, voice already breathless.
"Trust me, Anna's a smart woman."
Sure enough, the kitchen light was already off. Anna had left without a sound.
Before I could say anything else, Enzo's kiss came down again, and he lifted me onto the table, pressing down on top of me.
Well, what the hell. I'd gotten enough surprises today. And it wasn't like this was our first time on a table.
But suddenly, I heard something roll onto the floor. I looked down. A diamond ring.
It spun twice before stopping, light fracturing off it in blinding rays.
I recognized the design.
This was from a jewelry design case I'd worked on when I was still at Falcone Group. The client wanted a one-of-a-kind engagement ring. Oval-cut blue diamond centerstone, platinum setting, pavé diamonds on both sides, shaped like two intertwined hands.
The meaning behind this ring—eternal love. Price tag starting at six figures. Something ordinary people couldn't afford in a lifetime.
And it had just rolled out of Enzo's pocket.
My heart stopped, then kicked back into overdrive. Enzo didn't seem to notice the ring had fallen. He was unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, exposing the solid muscle beneath his collarbone.
Was this for me?
I thought when he said he'd marry me, he meant way down the line. I didn't think he already had the ring ready.
I'd told Vivian, my closest coworker back then, that I loved this design. But I never thought Enzo would know. Had he asked Vivian?
I couldn't help spinning fantasies, each sweet possibility making me dizzy.
I slipped the ring back into his jacket pocket on the chair, pretending I hadn't seen anything. But I couldn't stop my mouth from curving up.
I felt deeply guilty for doubting him earlier. He wasn't keeping me inside because he wanted to hide me away like some dirty secret mistress—it was because the family situation wasn't settled yet.
He'd put the entire villa in my name and carried a six-figure diamond ring in his pocket.
This man was terrible with words, but every single action told me the same thing—he was serious.
The rush of happiness hit me like a tidal wave, washing away all my anxiety and suspicion. I looked at Enzo's profile, felt like I had to tell him now. I couldn't wait any longer. If I held it in much longer, I'd burst.
"Enzo."
He was leaning over my chest, looking up at me.
"I need to tell you something."
I took a deep breath. My heart hammered at the base of my throat, fingers twisting together. I'd rehearsed this line a thousand times in my head, but now that I had to say it out loud, my tongue felt like lead.
"I'm pregnant." I looked at him expectantly.
Enzo
Chloe was half-lying on the dining table, hair spread across the dark surface, eyes holding the most complicated light I'd ever seen. Nervous. Hopeful. Scared. And a little bit of pleading she probably didn't even realize.
I stopped. My chest was still heaving from our intimacy, but I couldn't hear anything anymore. Blood rushing to my head drowned out everything else.
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
The woman I loved was carrying my child.
I was about to become a father. After a brief flash of joy, something deeper surged up.
No. Worst possible timing.
Valentina's face flickered through my mind. The engagement hadn't been called off. It couldn't be. Valentina's family was currently the only ally powerful enough to help me completely crush the conservative faction.
Truth was, I had zero plans to marry Chloe anytime soon. At least not before I buried Julian and the conservatives. I'd only said those things because her eyes had gone red when she asked about the engagement, and I just couldn't stand seeing her cry.
Now she was about to cry again.
"The baby's yours." Chloe's voice shook. "Three months."
She was waiting for my reaction. I could see it clear as day.
All those chess moves, all those calculations precise enough to suffocate—when I heard "three months," they all faded into background noise. What replaced them was one very simple thought. So simple it was almost stupid.
Three months. She'd carried this alone for three months.
During those three months I didn't know about, she'd been living alone in that basement apartment where sunlight didn't reach.
She'd been dancing on a strip club stage, dealing with Silvio's harassment, enduring drunk hands reaching for her and filthy comments.
She'd handled morning sickness alone, gone to appointments alone, faced an uncertain future alone.
And she'd been carrying my child the whole time.
I looked down at Chloe's stomach. She wore a loose T-shirt. Nothing showed. Three months was too early for any visible changes. But I knew what was growing in there. Half her, half me. Right now, maybe just the size of a fist, not really anything yet, but already real. Already undeniable.
My child.
Tears spilled down Chloe's face.
"Don't scare me." Her voice trembled badly. "Say something."
"Why are you crying?" When I spoke, I realized my own voice was off, rough like I'd swallowed broken glass. I cleared my throat. Didn't help. "I'm just overwhelmed."
Chloe froze. Then she laughed, tears mixing with laughter, but still devastatingly beautiful.
I had a very strong urge—to lock her somewhere no one could find her, never let anyone touch a hair on her head again.
"You sure?" She sniffled. "You're really happy?"
"Do I not look it?"
"Your expression looks the same as when you're pissed. Seriously, how many expressions do you even have?"
She tapped my chest lightly, no force behind it. Like she was being playful.
"Enough to last you a lifetime."
I straightened up from the table and braced my hands on either side of her. Chloe tilted her head back to look at me, and in those honey-colored eyes, all the fear had melted away. What replaced it made my chest tighten—love.
She'd believed every single word that came out of my mouth. The engagement's off, wait to marry me—she'd swallowed every lie I'd fed her, then handed me her biggest secret.
And I was using her innocence to deceive her.
"Enzo?" Chloe's hand covered mine. "What are you thinking about?"
Thinking about what a fucking mess I've made.
"Thinking about what to name the baby," I said.
Chloe smiled. Her whole face glowed. She pulled my hand to her stomach, covered it with her own palm, and said seriously, "We don't need to rush the name. Let's just get him born safe and sound first."
I tightened my arms around her and rested my chin on top of her head. Her breath came warm against my collarbone, soft and steady, like a silent kind of trust.
The fireplace burned hot, warming the whole living room. We didn't end up continuing on the dining table. After a while, Chloe's breathing deepened, her fingers loosened their grip on my shirt, and her whole weight sagged against me.
She'd fallen asleep.
But my brain was still running at full speed. This surprise had disrupted my plans. I needed to rearrange everything.
No one could know about Chloe's existence. If Julian's people found out I had a pregnant mistress, they wouldn't let that leverage slip by. The alliance with Valentina's family had to speed up, too. I needed to deal with these problems as fast as possible.
Then, after the dust settled, find a way to break the engagement with Valentina. It'd probably cost me, but with the right price, nothing was impossible.
The only wild card—Valentina Lombardi wasn't a woman who let go easily. She had an almost obsessive hunger for power. Breaking things off with her meant going to war with the entire Lombardi family.
That would be one hell of a headache.
But it was all worth it. I held my sleeping beauty with one arm, pulled out my phone with the other, and sent Luca a message.
"Send people over. Beef up security at the villa. Anyone suspicious within a one-kilometer radius—don't wait for clearance. Handle it."
Luca replied in three seconds. "Copy that."