Chapter 16 Silvo
SILVO
Istride down the hallway, my footsteps echoing off the marble floors. My mind is consumed with thoughts of the Moretti situation. Strategies forming and discarding themselves with each passing moment. So focused am I on my own thoughts that I nearly collide with Carmela as she rounds the corner.
“Whoa, easy there,” I say, my hands instinctively reaching out to steady her.
Her green eyes flash with surprise, then soften when they land on me. After last night and this morning, there’s a new ease between us—fragile, but real.
“Silvo,” she says, her lips curving into a small smile. “Everything okay? You look tense.”
I realize my jaw is clenched tight, my shoulders rigid. “Just came from a meeting with my father. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Her smile fades, replaced by concern. “The Morettis?”
I’m surprised she’s picked up on the family dynamics so quickly. “You’re observant.”
“I pay attention.” She reaches up, smoothing the furrow between my brows with her thumb. The gentle gesture catches me off guard. “What did he say?”
I hesitate, the instinct to shield her from the darker aspects of my world warring with a newfound desire to include her. “He’s handing over full control of operations to me. The Morettis have been pushing boundaries, and he wants me to handle it.”
Carmela’s hand drops to my chest, resting over my heart. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
“It’s what I was born for.” But saying it out loud, with her looking at me like that, makes the weight feel heavier somehow.
“Still,” she says softly, “it’s okay to admit it’s overwhelming.”
Her understanding, her willingness to see beyond the role I’m expected to play, loosens something in my chest. I pull her closer, not caring that we’re standing in the middle of the hallway where anyone could see.
“Last night,” I murmur, my lips brushing her temple, “this morning—that’s what I need. You. Us. It’s the only thing that makes sense anymore.”
She tilts her head up, her green eyes searching mine. “I’m scared, Silvo.”
“Of me?”
“Of how much I’m starting to need this. Need you.” The confession seems to cost her something, vulnerability shining in her gaze.
I cup her face in my hands. “Then don’t fight it anymore. I’m done fighting it.”
“What if I lose myself?”
“You won’t,” I promise, my voice fierce. “I’ll never let that happen. Your fire, your independence, your strength—those are the things I’m falling for, Carmela. I don’t want to change you. I want all of you, exactly as you are.”
Her breath catches, and for a moment, we just stand there, the weight of what’s building between us heavy in the air.
“I don’t want to lose myself to this marriage,” she finally says, her voice barely above a whisper. “There’s more to me than just being Mrs. De Luca, your wife.”
Her words pierce through me, and I understand completely. I take a step back, giving her space to breathe.
“You’re right,” I say, meaning it. “Being my wife will never eclipse who you are, Carmela.”
She blinks, surprise flickering across her features as if she hadn’t expected me to understand.
“You’re a force of nature,” I continue. “Fierce, passionate, uncompromising. Those are the qualities that drew me to you from the moment we met. I don’t want you to lose that fire, that essence that makes you who you are.”
Her gaze holds mine, searching for any hint of deception, but finding only sincerity. Slowly, the tension in her body begins to dissipate, and she offers me the faintest of smiles.
“Thank you, Silvo,” she says softly. “I needed to hear that.”
I nod, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “I can promise you I will never try to change who you are at your core. Your independence, your strength, your passions… they’re what make you, you. And I want nothing more than for you to embrace them fully.”
Carmela’s eyes shine with understanding, and in that moment, I feel a shift between us. A barrier has been broken, a wall of mistrust and fear chipped away, allowing a glimmer of real connection to shine through.
“Alright then,” she says, squeezing my hand. “I’m holding you to that, Mr. De Luca.”
I chuckle, pulling her into an embrace and relishing the feeling of her body against mine, the warmth and vitality that seems to radiate from her very being.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Mrs. De Luca.”
I pull back slightly, studying her face. “Come with me to my office. I want to show you something.”
Curiosity flickers in her eyes. “What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
I take her hand and lead her to my private study. Once inside, I unlock a drawer in my desk and pull out a thick folder.
“What’s this?” she asks as I hand it to her.
“Everything about the Moretti family. Their operations, their weaknesses, their history with us.” I lean against the desk. “If you’re going to be my wife in this world, you should understand the players.”
Carmela opens the folder, her eyes scanning the documents. “You’re trusting me with this?”
“You proved yourself at that poker table. You’re smart, observant, strategic.” I cross my arms. “And you’re right—you’re more than just my wife. You could be an asset to this family if you choose to be.”
She looks up at me, something shifting in her expression. “You really mean that.”
“I do.” I move closer. “I told you I wouldn’t change who you are. But I also won’t waste your talents by keeping you in the dark.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Teach me, then. Everything.”
The trust implicit in those words hits me harder than any bullet. This is what I’ve been hoping for—Carmela choosing to be my partner, not just accepting her role but embracing it.
“It starts with the Morettis,” I say, opening the folder to the first page. “And why does my father want them eliminated?”
As we bend over the documents together, our shoulders touching, I realize this is the real turning point. Not the sex, not the passion, but this—the moment she chooses to stand beside me fully, eyes open to all the darkness and danger that comes with my name.
And I’ve never wanted her more.