Chapter 32 Gianna
Gianna
Ailish drops me in front of the greenhouse, and memories of Finn and me being here the last time flash across my mind.
Finn is still unconscious. I didn't want to leave his side, but I wanted to get this over with before he wakes up.
I squint my eyes under the harsh burn of the hot sun and run my hand through my hair before walking towards the greenhouse.
I step inside, and like before, the beauty remains, but it feels like more flowers have been added to the collection. I like flowers, but really don't know names except for the popular ones like roses and tulips. The ones here don't look common, and because of that, they look even more beautiful.
I step deeper into the greenhouse, checking my watch. We agreed on ten, why isn't he here yet? Finn could wake up anytime, and I want to be by his side when he wakes up.
I tap my foot on the floor as I wait, chewing on my bottom lip. "Still impatient as ever," Vito's voice comes from behind some plants, and I stop fidgeting.
"You're here," I say, feeling no fear.
"You asked me to meet you, here I am," he says, looking behind me and around the greenhouse.
"You didn't come with the Irish boy," he says with a smirk. "You two looked inseparable from what I gathered last time."
"Like you and Rina," I say, and the smugness disappears.
"Something about you has changed. You look different," he says, stepping closer. He's right, I have changed. I feel different and the same at the same time. I don't even know how that's possible, but that's how I feel.
I take the recording out of my pocket and hand it to him. He looks at me, confused, his brows knitting together. "What is this?" he asks, reaching for it. He takes it from me.
"It's a recording of Declan that will make him powerless."
Vito narrows his gaze at me. He plays the recording, and I wait patiently for him to finish it. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he asks. He's right. I didn't call him here to give him the recording. I called him here for another purpose.
I want this long-term rivalry between the Irish and Italians to end. "Nothing... yet, but I need you to meet someone," I say with an even voice. On a normal day, I would tremble at the mere sight or voice of Vito, but now, I feel only confident.
"What?" he says, confused, and I glance at my watch. He should be here... now. I hear the screech of a parking car outside, and I know Liam is here. That day at the cafe, I made a deal with him. If I could get him what he wanted, he would put an end to this long-time hatred between our families.
He enters, and the air in the greenhouse grows thick like smoke before a storm.
Vito stiffens, his posture sharpening, jaw locking as his eyes narrow with cold, measured hate.
All of this, the blood, the betrayal, and the beef started with Vito, Liam, and Rina.
"What is this?" Vito snarls, his voice razor sharp as his eyes flick to me.
I step aside, moving out of the invisible battlefield forming between them.
Liam stops just a few steps from Vito, his chin raised in defiance. This is just a meeting.
It feels like two strong forces colliding, neither one willing to flinch.
They stare at each other, locked in a silent, dangerous dance.
Power. Pride. History. The weight of it all makes the glass walls of the greenhouse feel too thin.
I roll my eyes. Whoever said men were better rulers must have missed the ego check.
I clear my throat, and they look at me, like they just remembered I'm part of the equation.
"Yeah, I'm here too," I say, glancing at my watch, meeting their eyes. "There's no need for an introduction," I add, stepping between them. "You both know who you are. It's why you're both here that we need to discuss."
"Gianna," Vito starts, but I cut him off.
"Liam will soon lead the Irish," I say, turning briefly to Liam before meeting Vito's gaze.
"And?" Vito asks.
"I know we've had a bad history together," Liam starts, tucking his hands into his pants pockets, trying to be casual but guarded. Vito raises a brow, scoffing.
"Bad history?" he repeats like it's a phrase that physically offends him. "You tried to kidnap and marry my wife."
Liam tilts his head. "Well... technically, she wasn't your wife yet."
"Is this a joke?" Vito raises his voice. Liam's eyes meet mine, and I raise my brow, silently reminding him he agreed to this part of the deal.
He exhales. "I apologize about that incident," Liam says finally, and I feel a quiet wave of relief in my chest. We're getting somewhere. Vito doesn't respond. He doesn't blink, doesn't flinch, just stares. It's the kind of silence that weighs more than words.
"Vito?" I press gently, urging him to say something, anything. Liam raises his hand, signaling me to hold off. He sighs deeply, and when he speaks again, his voice is quieter, more human.
"I apologize for what happened to Elena under the watch of my younger brother.
Kieran got what he deserved." I feel that one.
I've heard stories of how Elena was treated by Kieran, and it's something that breaks my heart.
Our families aren't just rivals. We're entangled in blood and betrayal, in a history built on scars.
This is why I thought Finn and I could never work out.
How could something grow from soil poisoned by decades of hate?
But I realize now that no matter how messed up the past is, I can't pretend that I don't love him. I can't bury what I feel. We've both sacrificed too much. This war... this stupid, generational war... needs to end. Right here, right now.
Liam takes his hand out of his pocket. His posture straightens, but there's no pride in it. For the first time since I met him, he looks like he's sorry. Not just performative guilt. Real, bone-deep regret. "It wouldn't have happened under my watch," he says, voice heavy.
Across from him, I see Vito visibly relax, just slightly. There's tension still coiled in his jaw, in the sharpness of his stare though. He's not convinced, but he's listening.
"Unlike my brother," Liam continues. "I know when not to cross the line, Vito. This feud... this hate, it's costing us all too much. Business is being disrupted, and people are getting hurt. Enough is enough."
Vito raises the recording in his hand, his fingers curling around it like a weapon. "So, what do you want from me?"
Liam takes a deep breath. "We agree to make peace and work together to take down Declan." The words hang in the air like a gauntlet thrown between them. Vito doesn't answer right away. He watches Liam, measuring every ounce of sincerity. Every unspoken threat.
Then, finally, with a slight nod, he speaks.
"Fine." I close my eyes, the breath I've been holding finally escaping.
A weight lifts off my chest. "I'll request a meeting with Declan," Vito continues, glancing at Liam now not as an enemy, but as a potential ally.
"You know what to do." Liam nods once, his expression unreadable, but I can tell. He knows the stakes.
And just like that, the Italians and Irish agree to a fragile peace.
Liam and Vito speak for a while. Every second they spend talking, going back and forth, my eyes flick to my watch, and my mind is on Finn. Is he stable? Has he stirred? Does he know that he's safe?
"How is he?" Liam's voice pulls me away from my thoughts.
I blink and look up. "He still hasn't woken up," I say quietly, swallowing down the lump in my throat. A tear threatens to fall, but I blink it back.
"He's a strong boy. He'll be fine," Liam says, his voice unusually gentle as he pats my shoulder. I press my lips into a thin line, forcing myself to nod.
"I know."
Liam smirks and leans back, watching me like I've surprised him somehow. "I knew to place my bet on you. You actually pulled it off."
"At the cost of Finn's health," I mutter, guilt rising like bile in my chest. My stomach turns thinking about it, what he endured to make this plan work.
"He'll be fine, Rosso," Liam says again, this time more firmly, before turning away and walking out of the greenhouse.
I watch him go for a moment, the sound of the door clicking behind him oddly final. Then I make my way over to Vito, just as he drops a call with Marco.
"Please, make sure everything goes well," I say, unable to keep the plea out of my voice. Vito slides his phone in his pocket and nods.
"You sorted it all out. I guess you didn't really need my help after all," Vito says, and for the first time, I hear something new in his voice: respect.
"I always needed your help, Vito," I reply, meeting his gaze. "But there are some battles you need to fight on your own."
He nods thoughtfully, like he understands more than he's letting on. Then his brow tightens slightly. "I heard what happened to the Irish boy," Vito says. "I don't like the Irish... and I don't trust Liam fully either, but I'm glad Finn fought to protect you."
I nod, pulling my lips into a thin line. Vito sighs softly. "The girls all say they miss you. Come home, Gianna." His voice shifts on the last part. Quieter. "When you're ready. You can stay wherever you feel safe, but the door at home is open. It's been open."
Something cracks in my chest. I look at his face for the first time really since he showed up at Declan's office.
There are circles under his eyes I didn't notice before.
He looks tired in a way I haven't seen. He's been worried about me, I realize, and the thought almost undoes me.
I've spent so much time being angry at him that I missed it.
"I can't... not yet. Finn is still unconscious. I need to make sure he's fine," I reply, and Vito nods. And just like that, the dynamic between Vito and me has changed.