Chapter 5
LUCA
In another lifetime, perhaps I would've allowed my heart to settle in Caroline's hands. By every possible marker in Italian-American culture, she's the kind of woman who would make a fine wife for a man like me, despite the tragedy that stripped her of the ability to have children of her own.
She sits in my office, dressed impeccably in white and beige silk. Her light brown hair combed into a wavy waterfall that pours over her shoulder. Her caramel brown eyes scan her surroundings, while the elegant gold bangles on her wrists jingle with every movement of her hands.
"Caroline, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," I say as I take a seat behind my desk—a massive construction made of ancestral ebony, the surface crowded with a computer and files but never cluttered. "How've you been?"
"I've been good, Luca, thank you for asking," she replies with a pleasant smile. "Though the rumor mill has been churning rather loudly as of late."
"The rumor mill."
"Oh, you know our Little Italy community. Word travels fast."
Caroline doesn't take her eyes off me, and I notice the edge in her tone.
It shouldn't come as a surprise. People talk.
Secrets slip. I instructed all of my staff to keep quiet, but human nature is still human nature.
And the treasure I've been hiding is far too precious not to arouse Little Italy's interest.
"You've already spoken to her," I say. "On my house line. We'll discuss how you got that number."
"I needed to hear my sister's voice, Luca. Can you blame me?"
I watch her, wondering how much more she knows. Everything she says may be a probe, gauging my cooperation on the matter, which is delicate, regardless of how I approach it.
Raquel, my PA, comes in with a couple of coffees for us.
"I added sugar and frothy milk in yours, Miss Mancuso." She sets it down on the edge of my desk, leaving it within Caroline's reach.
"Just the way I like it. Thank you, Raquel."
"Is there anything else I can get you, Mr. Petrucci?"
She gives me a hopeful look, waiting for a hint of my forgiveness. But as the saying goes, loose lips sink ships. Raquel is now on notice. I respond with a shake of the head and watch her leave. As soon as the door closes behind her, I expect the air to thin, even slightly.
Caroline keeps the pressure on, however. "You know, Luca. You don't have to punish her for telling me about Valentina's return. Raquel understood that I'm simply worried about my sister's well-being."
"Valentina chose to stay hidden for a reason. And given her family history, I can't say that I blame her."
"Ours is a complicated situation, I won't deny it."
"Come on, Caroline. I know the stories. Valentina was just a little girl when your father married her mother. And the circumstances of Anna's death are still suspicious."
She frowns. "Valentina's mother was also my stepmother for a long time. You seem to forget. I cared about her very much. Anna died in a tragic, unforeseen accident. I had to bury another mother, mind you. It almost tore our family apart."
"Anna didn't want to have any more children.
You're telling me that a man as obsessed as Mauro to continue his lineage wasn't pissed off about that?
And let's not forget about his third wife, Cindy, who vanished.
My guess it was because she didn't want to be a part of this life.
Your father isn't making it any easier for any of the women in his family. Not even for you."
"I'm still a Mancuso, whether the line ends with me or not."
"Which brings us to Michael," I say.
Caroline scoffs and shakes the notion away with a flick of her slim wrist. The bangles dance and capture beams of sunlight before they settle again.
"Legally speaking, he does have a pretty good chance of succeeding.
Of course, my father wants nothing to do with the Petruccis, so I'm afraid we're dealing with a battle of wills here.
Which is why our wedding is pretty much the only solution left to keep this battle from turning into an even bloodier war. "
"I agree. We've lost too many foot soldiers already," I reply. "But our marriage is no longer the optimal solution."
And there it is, the shadow stretching across her pretty face. The realization that everything she had planned up to this point is about to fall apart.
"Wait, Luca. What are you talking about? We have the event scheduled. We planned a massive wedding party for the entire Camorra to attend. A peace treaty between our families for us to sign along with that marriage certificate."
"It's not going to happen. And frankly, I think it's for the better. You deserve someone who truly adores you and wants to spend the rest of his life with you." I lean forward to press home my point. "Caroline, you deserve a good man."
She takes a deep, shuddering breath, carefully choosing her words. "What changed then? Is this about Valentina?"
"She gave birth to my brother's son, a Petrucci. He belongs to my family, not yours, regardless of what Mauro might think or wish."
"Luca, what are you saying?"
"I'm marrying Valentina this Sunday." I rip the Band-Aid off.
Caroline gasps. Her shoulders drop, and I genuinely feel sorry for her. However, I don't regret the decision. Valentina is safer with me. The fact that I can't get her out of my head is an issue I'll have to deal with eventually, but the conclusion is simple. She's safer with me, and so is her son.
"Are you sure about this?"
I offer a slight shrug. "I understand you're in a delicate position, trying to bridge our two families somehow. But the truth is, Valentina was never really a Mancuso."
"She's my sister! We practically grew up together! Our father loved us both equally, there's no doubt about it."
"You and I know that's not entirely true," I reply with a cool grin. "And the mere fact that Valentina chose to disappear after what happened with my brother speaks volumes in and of itself."
"She was scared and confused," Caroline explains. "I can't blame her. Our father's temper tends to get the better of him, especially where the Petruccis are concerned. He took what Stefano did quite personally."
"He had every reason to. My brother started this shit show, but I'm ending it.
Valentina and Michael will be taken care of.
They're safe in the Petrucci family. I'm sure, after some time has passed and the wounds have healed, Mauro and I can sit down and revisit the issue of Michael's heritage.
I mean, if he still wants to name Michael as his heir, it would be optimal for both families. "
Caroline narrows her eyes at me, a smile testing the corners of her mouth. "You're playing a dangerous game here, Luca."
"With you?"
"No, it would be a better way to end the feud between the Petruccis and the Mancusos," she says. "But my father won't see it that way. He'll see it as an insult of the highest order."
"Once Valentina and I are married this Sunday, it will be done," I say.
"Maybe. I'll do my best to talk him into a peaceful approach."
I gaze at Caroline, curious. "Why?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why are you helping? I just called off our wedding.
As a Mancuso, as a woman, you should feel insulted.
Furious, even. I'm reneging on a perfectly viable deal.
And I know it wasn't easy for you to convince Mauro to give his blessing for it either.
The old man must've been gnashing his teeth the whole time. "
I certainly don't mind pissing him off. Someday, he will pay for what he did to my brother. Stefano may not have been a pillar of righteousness and decency, but he was my blood, my family. Nobody cuts into my family and gets away with it. Not even a fearsome dinosaur like Mauro Mancuso.
My father didn't fear him. He faced him head-on every damn time.
So will I.
Caroline lets out a heavy sigh. "I'll admit, Luca.
I do feel insulted, hurt, even. I thought we had come to a satisfactory agreement," she says.
"But at the same time, my heart breaks for Valentina.
She really believed Stefano was the one.
It's not her fault your brother turned out to be an absolute piece of shit. " She pauses, waiting for my reaction.
Despite the surge of boiling blood in my veins, I keep a straight face and a cool head. "I won't argue with you there," I tell her. "Stefano made plenty of mistakes along the way."
"What matters most is that we put an end to the bloodshed, one way or another. If you think it's better to simply marry Valentina and keep Michael in your family, then so be it. I can't force you to do otherwise."
"No, you can't."
"I still think it will be incredibly difficult to hash out with my father, but maybe you're right. Maybe, once the ink is dry on your marriage certificate, he'll have to simply accept it and adjust accordingly. He still needs an heir."
"He could always try getting himself a fourth wife," I chuckle dryly.
Caroline shakes her head slowly in genuine dismay.
"I did warn Cindy before the wedding. I told her she didn't know what she was getting herself into.
She thought she was marrying an old man for his money and influence, but she was signing up for much, much more.
The truth hit her hard in the face the next day, when she realized she was going to stay cooped up with my father until she produced an heir. "
I notice Caroline shudder in disgust.
"He's been looking for Valentina since she first left two years ago," I say.
"Oh, yes, though nowhere near as intentionally as he did after Cindy vanished."
"Yet I was the one who found Valentina."
Caroline gives me a curious look. "And you didn't even know about Michael."
"The Mancusos played their cards close to the vest, I'll give you that. But it's over. The decision has been made. Valentina and Michael belong with the Petruccis."
"I hope so, Luca. My sister deserves better," she says. "How is she, by the way? I'd like to see her."