Chapter 28 Santino
Forty-eight hours later, the Benedettis are gone from the city, vanished into the night as if they never existed.
Roberto left yesterday morning with whatever he could carry—some cash, a few personal items, his immediate family. His warehouses are closed and emptied. His contracts are dissolved. His suppliers have all switched their business to other families. Mostly to ours.
The threat to Liana is eliminated. Now comes the hard part.
I stand outside the Costa estate gates, staring at the imposing entrance that suddenly feels insurmountable. I haven't been here since that night. Since Dominic called off the engagement, since everything fell apart, since I lost her.
I walk up to the gate, each step feeling heavier than the last. The guard recognizes me immediately, his hand moving instinctively toward his weapon.
"I'm here to see Don Dominic," I say, keeping my voice respectful. "He's expecting me."
The guard makes a call, his eyes never leaving me.
Listens to whoever's on the other end. Then nods slowly and opens the gate.
I walk through onto the grounds. The estate looks exactly the same—manicured gardens, marble fountains, armed guards stationed at every corner.
Yet, it feels fundamentally different now.
Like I'm walking into enemy territory.
Another guard meets me at the main entrance, escorts me inside through hallways I remember from the engagement party, from dinners with Liana's family, from a life that feels like it happened to someone else entirely. We stop outside Dominic's study.
The guard knocks once, sharp and professional. Opens the heavy door.
"Santino Marcello," he announces formally.
Dominic is behind his massive desk, reading something with apparent concentration. He doesn't look up immediately. Making me wait. Establishing the power dynamic.
I deserve it.
Finally, he sets down the paper deliberately and looks at me. "Santino." His voice is cold. "I heard the Benedettis left town."
"They did. Yesterday morning. Roberto took his immediate family and whatever assets they could liquidate quickly. The rest stays here."
"And their operations?"
"Dismantled completely. Their suppliers, their contracts, their warehouses—all gone." I remain standing since he hasn't invited me to sit. "The threat to your family is eliminated."
Dominic leans back in his leather chair, studying me with those sharp, assessing eyes that miss nothing. "You did this in less than a week. Impressive work." He pauses deliberately. "Why?"
"You know why."
"Tell me anyway. I want to hear you say it."
I meet his eyes directly. "Because I failed to protect Liana. The Benedettis took her because of my failure. As long as they existed, she was in danger." I take a breath. "I couldn’t rest until I eliminated the threat."
Dominic stands and walks to his bar, pouring two glasses of expensive scotch. Hands me one. I take it, surprised by the gesture.
"What you did," Dominic says slowly, measuring each word, "is what you should have done from the beginning. Protected her. Put her safety above everything else. Above pride, above business, above your own interests."
"I know that now."
"You failed the first test catastrophically." He takes a drink. "But you passed the second one. I'll give you credit for that."
"Thank you for acknowledging it."
"Don't thank me yet. The alliance marriage contract is over. Done. Finished. It will never be reinstated."
"I understand," I manage.
"Do you?" He turns to face me, his expression serious. "Because I want to be very clear about this. No man will ever take my daughter's birthright away. Not you. Not anyone. Liana will run the Costa family. That's decided. It’s non-negotiable."
"I wouldn't want to take that from her."
"You say that now. But the old contract—the one we drafted together—it gave you control of everything. The businesses. The assets. The operations. All in your name."
"I didn't write that contract or draw it up."
"But you signed it." Dominic's voice hardens with accusation. "You agreed to those terms. You were willing to take everything she'd worked for her entire life."
The accusation stings precisely because it's completely true.
"You're right," I admit, forcing myself not to look away. "I was willing. Because I didn't know better. I didn't know her. I didn't understand what I was taking from her. I was doing what was expected of me."
"And now?"
"I know exactly what I was taking. And I know I don't deserve it." I set down my glass on the edge of his desk. "I don't want to take over the Costa operations, Don Dominic. I never should have agreed to that arrangement."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want Liana to be happy," I say honestly. "I want her to run her family's business the way she's been trained to, to be safe, to have everything she's worked for."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Yes, it does." I meet his eyes. "Because if she has all that—if she's happy and safe and fulfilled—then I want to be part of her life. Not as her boss. Not as someone who controls her or makes decisions for her. As her partner. Her equal."
Dominic studies me. "You're saying you still want to marry her."
"Yes, eventually. If she'll have me. On her terms, not mine. Not because of a contract. Not because of an alliance." I take a breath. "Because she wants to. Because she chooses me."
"That's a very different proposal from the one we discussed before."
"I'm a different person from who I was."
"My daughter will marry when and if she chooses," he says firmly. "It will be her decision. Her timeline. Not mine. Not yours. Not anyone's."
"I understand and respect that."
"And it will be for love. Not business. Not power. Not to secure an alliance." His voice softens slightly. "She deserves that. After everything I put her through with this arrangement."
"She does deserve that."
"If you want to pursue her, you'll do it like a normal person." He leans forward. "You'll court her. You'll date her. You'll earn her trust back slowly and carefully. And you'll do it with no guarantees. No contracts. No certainty that she'll ever forgive you."
The words should terrify me, should make me reconsider this entire plan. Instead, they fill me with something like hope.
"I can do that," I say.
"Can you?" Dominic raises an eyebrow skeptically. "Because the Santino Marcello I met two months ago couldn't. He wanted guarantees. Contracts. Everything laid out clearly with no room for uncertainty."
"Well, he was an idiot who didn't know what he was losing."
A smile tugs at Dominic's mouth, just barely visible. "Perhaps."
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try. I will work hard to earn back your trust.”
"What's your plan, Santino? To win my daughter back. Assuming that's what you want."
"I..." I stop, realizing I don't have a good answer. "I don't have one yet. Not a detailed plan."
"Then I suggest you develop one." Dominic's voice fills with unmistakable pride. "Because Liana Costa is not an easy woman to win. She's brilliant. Stubborn. Knows exactly what she wants. And right now, she thinks she doesn't want you. You'll have to change her mind."
"How?" I ask, genuinely at a loss. “Any ideas?”
Dominic laughs, actually laughs. "You're asking me how to court my own daughter?"
"You know her better than anyone in the world."
"That's true." He considers for a moment. "But if I tell you exactly what to do, you'll just be following instructions again. Following a plan someone else made. That's not what she needs."
"Then what does she need?"
"She needs you to figure that out yourself.
" Dominic stands and walks over, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"She needs the real Santino Marcello. Not the one who follows contracts and traditions blindly.
The one who destroyed an entire crime family in less than a week because he couldn't stand the thought of her being in danger.
Liana doesn't want a man who needs instructions on how to love her.
She wants a man who figures it out on his own. "
He walks back to his desk.
"Is that it?" I ask. "I just try and hope for the best?"
"You do better than that." Dominic looks at me seriously.
"You be honest. You be vulnerable. You show her who you really are.
Not the Don. Not the heir to the Marcello family.
Just you. Santino. The man who cares about her enough to destroy his enemies but smart enough to know that's not enough to win her heart. "
I nod slowly, absorbing this.
"One more thing," Dominic says. "This conversation we just had? About you wanting to pursue her? That was the easy part."
"What's the hard part?"
"Talking to her." He picks up his phone. "Which you'll need to do yourself. I'm not arranging anything. I'm not forcing her to see you. If you want to talk to Liana, you ask her yourself. Not me. It’s all up to you now."
"Will she even see me?"
"I don't know." He picks up a file. “Don’t waste this chance if she does.”
"I won't."
"Good." He gestures toward the door. "Now get out of my office. I have work to do."
I turn to leave, my mind already racing.
"Santino."
I stop and look back.
"If you hurt my daughter again," Dominic says quietly, his voice carrying absolute certainty, "eliminating the Benedettis will look like child's play compared to what I'll do to you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
I leave the study, walk through the hallways, past the guards, out to the gates. Get in my car and just sit there for a moment. Processing everything.
The alliance marriage is over. Done. No contracts. No guarantees. No certainty.
But I might still have a chance with her. If I can figure out how to talk to her. How to show her I've changed. How to prove I'm worth a second chance.
I pull out my phone. I could text her right now. Call her. Show up at her office tomorrow.
That's not thoughtful. I need to do this right. Carefully. In a way that shows I actually know her now. That I understand who she is and what she wants.
I need to court her properly.
Just me, trying to win the heart of a woman who has every reason not to give it to me.
My phone rings. Bruno.
"How'd it go?"
"I might still have a chance with Liana." I can't help the small smile. "If I can figure out how to actually court her properly."
"You're going to woo her," Bruno says finally, in disbelief. "Like, flowers and dates and all that? Santino Marcello. The man who negotiates multimillion-dollar deals and orchestrates the destruction of rival families. Is going to woo a woman."
"That’s my plan."
"I gotta see this." I can hear the grin in his voice. "This is going to be a complete disaster."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I'm just saying. You've never actually dated anyone. Every woman you've been with has been... transactional."
He's right, and we both know it.
I've never courted anyone in my life. Never had to. Women came to me because of my name, my power, my position.
"Then I'll learn," I say with determination.
"You really love her, don't you?"
The question catches me off guard, makes me pause.
Do I love her?
"Yes," I say finally, the admission feeling both terrifying and liberating. "I think I do."
"Then good luck, Boss. You're going to need it."
He hangs up and I drive back to the city, my mind racing with possibilities.
How do I do this? How do I show Liana that I've changed? That I see her now? That I want her—not her family's business, not the alliance, just her?
I need to be thoughtful. Intentional. Show her I actually pay attention to who she is.
Not grand gestures. Not expensive gifts that anyone with money could buy.
Something real. Something that proves I know her.
By the time I get home, I have the beginning of an idea forming.
It's risky. It might not work at all.
But it's honest. And maybe that's enough.
I pull out my phone and start making calls.
I'm going to court Liana Costa.
And I'm going to do it right this time.