Chapter Fifteen #2
“Now, now, Bell. You see, you see what I said. You two should be on the same side. You two should be so strong that people fear you together.”
Vittorio steps back, crosses his arms, and glares at us both, his eyes flicking from her to me and back again.
I feel the barrel of the gun move from the back of my head, but I don’t take my eyes off my brother.
I stare him down, and she steps around me, in between us.
She tucks the gun into the back of her waistband.
She presses her hands to each of our chests.
“Together, we can have it all. Divided, they win.” She slides her hands up to Vittorio’s cheek, and he leans into it, his eyes never leaving mine. She then turns to me. “Take a minute to calm down and reassess. We’ll be in the living room.”
She turns and walks away. My brother watches me for a while, neither of us breaking the stare before he blinks, smirks, turns, and walks away after her like a fucking sheep. I take a deep breath, blowing out my frustration at the situation, her words crashing through my brain.
Was that self-preservation? Did she mean it?
Can I trust either of them? My mind reels on the outside.
I’m the same cold-hearted bastard that I’m renowned to be.
But her—something about her gets under my skin.
I don’t know if it’s the rejection that stung, but I never saw her.
Never liked her. She was just a pawn in this game we like to call life.
Well, I thought she was a pawn, but now she’s proven herself to be a queen.
They’re becoming more powerful together.
I can see it. But is that something I want to be a part of, or could I just take them both out?
Eradicate them and rule when my father dies.
Either way, I will not be following her like a little lapdog, as she so kindly put it.
I step into the living room both their gazes flick to mine.
“This isn’t over. I need to see Father.” I storm out of the house and slide behind the wheel of my car.
I take a deep breath and head to my father’s office before I decide on something that can change the whole hierarchy.
I need to see where my father stands in the grand scheme of things.
I need to have all the facts before I burn this kingdom to the ground.
So, after the confrontation with Arianna and Vittorio, there’s clearly no love lost between us, and we constantly butt heads over the reality of what we remember. I’m off to test a theory. I pull up at my father’s office in the city.
“Good afternoon, Mr Ricci,” the receptionist singsongs at me, and I nod as I stroll through the corridor to the office at the end of the hall.
I don’t knock. I just push right in. Father’s eyes fly to mine as I step to the side, leaving the door open.
The member of staff whose blouse is open and skirt is almost around her waist tugs at her clothes, trying to right them as she pries herself out from between my father and his desk.
“Bellino, son, what do I owe this pleasure?” There’s a bite to his tone while he tucks his dick back away in his trousers, totally ignoring her as she scurries out of the office.
I lean over and slam the door. Stepping forward, I undo my jacket and take a seat in the chair opposite.
My father sighs and sits back in the chair, tucking himself in before sliding his hands onto the table.
“So, you wanted…” he trails off.
“We need to go over a few things. I’m turning thirty soon. I think it’s time to move into the next phase.”
“Well. If you had married Arianna, that would be the next move, but unfortunately, son, without a marriage of standing, we won’t be able to move forward.”
“So you’re saying because I’m not married, that I’m incapable of running the business?”
“I’m sorry, son, it’s just the way things are.
Enzo came to see me about you marrying his daughter.
I feel that could be a good match. I need to look into her further, into her mother, her…
breeding before I make a final decision.
I’m just waiting for some more information to come back before I lock in the proposal and form the contract. ”
I nod. I steel my emotions like always and ask. “So why can’t we move forward without a wedding? You know I’m gay anyway, so is there really any point?”
“Point?” He stands from his desk, fists clenched.
“Appearances are everything. You can be gay behind closed doors. After an heir is birthed. You will move up, and only then will you step into my shoes… eventually, and lead the family along this path. What you do once your part of the transaction is complete is up to you as long as it’s kept in private. ”
“What about change? Don’t you think we’re getting stale? Don’t you think we’re set in our ways? Isn’t forcing a marriage a little archaic?”
He blows out a breath. “You are not in a position where you need to think, Bellino. You follow the plan set out for you. Are you really trying to insult our beliefs? Our breeding? This is set in stone. This is how we do things, how we have always done things, and how we will. Always. Do. Things!” He gets louder as he shouts the last few words, slamming his hand down on the desk.
I rise, fastening my jacket, and nod before turning and leaving.
Before I’ve even clicked the door closed, I hear him buzz his secretary.
“Send the temp back in.” I shake my head as I stroll down the corridor.
A dejected-looking woman walks back towards my father’s office with her head hanging down.
It’s the same young woman as before. I don’t want that life.
The one he’s dangling in front of me. I don’t want to be like him.
I will take it and make it mine. As I make my way outside to my car, I know one thing for sure: I will have to use them to get what I want.
On the drive back home, I plan over and over in my head how to take him out.
That will be easy. I can get close to my father; he trusts me, but the accounts and everything else getting that into my name will be another matter.
Arianna says she can help, but trust does not come easily to me, and I wouldn’t trust her not to screw me over yet.
But I can use her. I can make her think I want to work together and screw them over later.
I have people I can buy. I can pay. But I need someone I can trust. There is no one in this world I trust, but there’s a niggle at the back of my brain.
Arianna and Vittorio. She wants to be a family, whatever the fuck that means.
She wants to be trusted. She wants to form an alliance.
But how much can I trust her and my brother?
What about him? Whose side will he be on?
My father always favoured him, always gave him special attention, or so I thought.
He allowed him to be a child. I killed my first man at the age of eleven.
My father gave him everything. Me, he only ever took from me.
When this narrative came crashing down, I’m left wondering what the reality actually was.
When the chips fall, can I trust my brother, too, or will he betray me to side with Father?
I need to figure out this conundrum first because if my brother chooses Father, I can’t trust Arianna either. I need to clear my head. I need to think. Everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down, and I need to regroup.
I do nothing but think about the situation.
Which side will the chips fall? I call Arianna a few days later and set up a meeting with her and my brother.
If I want them on side, to help with the dirty work.
I need to play nice. Once Father is dead, I will destroy them both, but for now, I might as well use them to get what I want.
As I walk into the house, they now share the Bianchi house.
I look around, and there are subtle differences.
The house feels warmer, different somehow.
Less stark. I follow the housekeeper through to the sitting room.
“I thought we were having a meeting?”
Arianna nods. “Yes, but this is family.” I huff at her as the housekeeper rolls in a tray of sandwiches, a pot of coffee, and some pastries.
My brother strolls in, snatches a sandwich from the plate, and walks over to Arianna, leaning down and kissing her forehead before taking a seat next to her. He peels the crusts off his sandwich, stuffing them in his mouth and chewing. He looks relaxed—so does she.
I stand. “I’m not here for a fucking tea party.” I snap my walls firmly up. This setting is a complete contradiction to the “meetings” I’m used to.
“Sit down, Bellino,” she returns, and I glare at her. “Bell, sit down.” She softens, but I don’t like the familiar tone and the nickname.
I don’t know why, but I do. I take a seat and snatch a sandwich off the plate, glaring at my brother as I rip the crusts off mine, stuffing them in my mouth the same way he did.
He smirks at me as he stuffs another bite in.
I stare between them as we eat, assessing each other, no one wanting to be the first to cave.
Once Arianna finishes her sandwich, she dusts off her hands and flicks the crumbs from her lap, then glares at me.
“So what do you want, Bellino?” Her tone is challenging; she’s all business now.
“What?” I snap.
“I mean, in the grand scheme of things, what do you want?”
“I want to burn it all down, I want to piss on the flames, and I want to marry someone I want.”
“You have someone in mind?” She leans forward slightly, assessing, interested.
I nod.
“So how can we help?” The look that spreads over her face is purely devious. She’s not the timid little thing she tricked us all into believing she was. She’s something darker.