CHAPTER 7
Matteo
A message pops up on my phone screen.
They’re in the house.
I roll my eyes. Of course they are. My fucking father told his precious golden child where I might be, just like I expected. It’s a good thing my plan counted on my father’s predictability. By now, I know him too well and the way he thinks.
But he’s not going to find my new house. No one knows about it except my closest and most trusted men. None of them have worked for my father, only for me. And they haven’t been anywhere near him, so that should be enough to keep him from finding me.
He and Adriano will be looking for me, probably together. If Adriano thinks Chiara is pregnant with my twins, then that’s just perfect. And if not, it doesn’t matter. I have an even better plan.
In this house, Chiara’s room is just down the hallway, so I head there. When I unlock and open the door, she lifts her gaze to me. The room is very similar to the one from my last house. Only a bed and a bathroom. No way out.
It’s important that she can’t escape, find any weapons, or hurt herself. The last one isn’t a concern because she cares about the lives of her twins. There’s no way she’d kill herself, unless she believed she didn’t have a choice. But there’s no reason for her to despair just yet.
“I have an offer for you,” I say. “Divorce Adriano and marry me instead. Your children will be mine. You’ll be alive and under my protection. You’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted and more, and I’ll have heirs. Female or male, I don’t care. Think about it.”
I flash her a smile and leave the room. It’ll be a tempting offer for her. I don’t know how exactly she’s managed to make Adriano fall so hard for her, but I don’t give a fuck.
It’s not going to happen to me. I’m stronger than that, and I have zero interest in her. Or any other woman.
Marriage is just a transaction anyway. If I marry Chiara, I’ll be able to say I have a family, and that’s what many mafia families around here respect. They see it as a sign of stability.
Having heirs or daughters to marry off for an alliance can always be useful, and Chiara can give me two children without me having to do anything. It’s the perfect setup. All she has to do is say yes.
Maybe she doesn’t care about Adriano at all and she was with him out of fear, so switching to me won’t matter to her. Or maybe she really loves him, because for some reason, everyone adores Adriano.
But it doesn’t matter. Her twins stay alive if she accepts. If she refuses, she can’t know what will happen to her or to Adriano. Her children will always be in danger. And if Adriano doesn’t believe my relationship with Chiara is real, he will once she sends him the divorce papers.
It would be very fun to watch Adriano lose everything.
His precious wife, mine.
His children, mine.
And when he snaps and makes a wrong move, I’ll be there to take everything else he has.
What will my father do then? If he’s still alive by then, will he finally admit he never should have put Adriano first?
He won’t. Not out loud. He hates losing and being wrong about something, especially now that he’s made it clear he’s willing to help Adriano against me.
I’ll be happy once he and Adriano are both gone forever.