Chapter 41
Bloodlines and Bitter Truths
The morning sun filters through the lush greenery of the balcony garden, casting soft shadows across the stone floor.
Tessa sits comfortably in a wrought-iron chair, dressed in a cute, casual outfit.
Her eyes are glued to her phone screen as she scrolls through TikTok, a bright, genuine laugh escaping her lips at a funny video.
Inside the bedroom, Lucius stirs awake. The light is soft, but the morning brings a rare sense of calm.
He stands, stepping across the room toward the vintage music box resting on the side table.
With a slow turn of the key, he winds it, and a rich, romantic melody begins to fill the quiet air.
Today feels different. Strange, uncharacteristic warmth settles over him—a quiet desire to simply spend a good, romantic day with her, away from the darkness that usually follows them.
As the music swells, Lucius walks out onto the balcony, his footsteps silent.
Tessa looks up from her phone just as he reaches her.
Without a word, he extends his hand, takes hers, and lifts it to his lips.
The kiss he presses against the back of her knuckles is slow and reverent, a silent vow that in this world, he is the only one who would willingly die to keep her safe.
Their eyes lock. The atmosphere shifts, thick with unspoken emotion.
Lucius steps closer, his arm wrapping securely around her waist to pull her up and against him.
Tessa doesn't pull away. Instead, she rests one hand flat against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart, while her other hand slides up to rest on his shoulder.
A soft smile touches her lips. She closes her eyes for a second, gently humming along with the sweet rhythm of the music box.
Lucius leans down, pressing a tender kiss to the top of her head.
He begins to move, his steps slow and measured, guiding her into a classic, elegant waltz—the kind of dance bred into the wealthy, effortless and precise.
Their movements are fluid, their bodies pressed close together, communicating a deep, fierce affection that words cannot capture.
But the peace is fragile. For a fleeting second, a shadow passes over Lucius’s features. A sudden, deep sadness darkens his eyes, a heavy weight he tries to hide. Tessa catches it instantly. She stops her feet, looking up into his face with an expression full of soft, protective understanding.
She squeezes his hand. "I know, Lucius," she says, her voice a quiet, fierce reassurance in the morning air. "I know you protect me."
The tension in his shoulders snaps. A genuine, breathless smile breaks through his sadness, and he leans down to press a gentle, lingering kiss against her lips.
The music from the background continues to play, drifting out into the open air. Lucius moves his hand to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he gently pulls her face down onto his chest. He holds her tight against his heart, his chin resting on her head.
"Like this," he murmurs his voice thick with an intensity that borders on a plea. "Only stay like this. Don't move."
Tessa stays still against him, burying herself in his warmth. Together, they begin to move again to the fading music, their bodies swaying in simple, quiet steps—front, back, and side—clinging to each other in the quiet safety of the morning.
After the dance ends, Tessa walks into the spacious living room, the soft fabric of her clothes brushing against her skin.
She settles onto the plush velvet couch and turns on the television, a profound sense of peace finally replacing the heavy trauma that shadowed her for so long.
She looks around, her gaze lingering on the elegant shopping bags and pristine boxes resting nearby.
Her recent indulgence is a testament to her freedom—gorgeous dresses from Dior, sleek YSL makeup kits, classic Hermès Birkin bags, a timeless Patek Philippe watch, and bottles of YSL No.
5 perfume. She no longer relies on anyone; practically owning a billion-dollar fortune of her own now, she possesses her own power and independence.
Lucius steps up behind the couch, his fingers gently tracking through her hair in a slow, affectionate wave. He lingers for a fraction of a second before turning away, his long strides taking him toward the quiet sanctuary of his study.
The moment he sinks into the heavy leather chair behind his desk, the piercing ring of the landline phone shatters the silence.
He freezes. Calls rarely come through this secure, private line, making the sudden interruption highly unusual.
Confusion darkens his brow. He reaches out, lifts the receiver, and presses it to his ear, his posture instantly rigid.
"Hello, my son. I know you are not okay."
Lucius’s eyes widen, a sudden flare of pure, lethal anger igniting in his chest.
Don Blackwood’s mocking laugh echoes loudly through the speaker. "Ha! Ha! What, do you think you are doing the right things?"
"Yes," Lucius snaps his voice low and dangerous.
"I am doing right." He grips the receiver tighter, turning the tables on the man who raised him.
"Now it is my turn, Father. You married Raven’s mother. Then you married my mother. After my mother died, you married yet another woman. Did you do right? At least I am nothing like you, Dad."
Don Blackwood’s reply is smooth, dripping with cold malice.
"That is exactly why you are suffering like that, while I am living my life like this. You know what? I am the man who knew that if that girl’s father stayed allied with Alessio Gambino’s father, he would eventually run the entire American syndicate. He would have taken over the Commission. So,
I manipulated him."
The revelation hits Lucius like a physical blow.
The puzzle pieces snap into place with sickening clarity.
His father framed Tessa’s father, executing the betrayal so flawlessly, so cleanly, that everyone else blamed the wrong side.
Every ounce of suppressed resentment boils over.
Lucius always despised his father, but this realization pushes his hatred into something absolute and venomous.
Seeking to shift the weight of the conversation, Don Blackwood speaks again, his tone conversational. "Yesterday at night... the man you captured? I knew he would die."
Lucius’s jaw tightens, shock flashing across his features before hardening back into rage. "Dad, you are tracking me? How dare you?"
Don Blackwood lets out a low, dark chuckle. "At the end of the day, or the end of life, I am still your father."
Lucius chooses not to argue, his voice dropping into a flat, icy register. "Fine."
"Listen to me, Lucius," Don Blackwood continues, his voice cutting through the line with brutal authority. "In the Gambino family, and especially in the underworld, death is a much better fate than getting caught."
"Why do you call me?" Lucius asks frustration heavy in his voice. "To mock me? Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I know you are not coming back from the fight with Alessio," Don Blackwood says.
Lucius demands, "Father, are you predicting my future? Or my death?"
"Yes," Don Blackwood answers. "I know everything. And a son like you—I think you should leave this world just like your mother did. Because in this world, love, and being loyal to only one person, makes you nothing but a piece of shit."
Hearing this, Lucius slams his hand down on the table so hard that the table lamp falls and crashes onto the floor. "Fine," Lucius says, his anger boiling over. "Fuck you."
Don Blackwood delivers his final blow. "Because of her, you will die."
Lucius answers instantly, "It does not matter if I die. But my love will never die."
"One important thing," Don Blackwood adds his tone cold. "I want a grandchild at any cost. Whether you stay alive or die, I am not sure. But I want a grandson."
The call ends.
In his quiet room, Don Blackwood completely breaks down and starts to cry.
His right-hand man steps closer and speaks softly. "Sir, you are the only one who loved her more than anyone else. After marriage, both of your opinions and ideologies became different. She wanted a normal life, and you wanted your world running by Lucius, not Raven."
Don Blackwood places his hand over his eyes, leaning back into his chair.
His right-hand man looks at him and asks, "Boss, why do you lie to him about Tessa's father?"
Don Blackwood sighs, staring into the empty space.
"I do not want my son to know about the good things I have done in the past. I know he will die in the battle that is coming, so there is no point in changing what he thinks of me now. I do not want him to know how close I was to my friends or how much I cared about the people under me.
I want to keep it that way. If he dies, I prefer he dies believing I am the villain, rather than knowing the man I truly was."
"Guilt can kill not only a woman, but also a man," the right-hand man says quietly.
"Yes," Don Blackwood replies, his voice hollow. "But I am alive."
The right-hand man cuts across his words instantly. "Not by heart, sir."
Don Blackwood goes completely silent. The heavy truth hangs in the air between them. Finally, he looks up, his tone flat. "I want to ensure he never knows about my good side. Otherwise, he will feel too much guilt. He will not be able to handle himself before the battle."
On the other side of the estate, Lucius sits in an unconscious mirror of his father. He leans back heavily in his leather chair, pressing one hand over his forehead to completely cover his eyes. The brutal conversation weighs down on him like iron.
At that exact moment, the heavy door of the study clicks open. Tessa stands in the doorway.
"Can I come in, honey?" she asks softly.
It is the first time she has ever called him honey. After such a rough, exhausting talk, the sweet word strikes something deep inside him. It feels like a sudden, safe haven. The hard, defensive lines of his posture instantly melt away.
"Come in, darling," Lucius says, his voice thickening. "It is all yours."
Tessa enters the room, walking slowly towards him. Lucius taps his lap, gesturing for her to come close. Without a moment of hesitation, she sits across his lap, facing him directly.
"Can I ask you something?" Tessa murmurs, her eyes locking onto his.
"Why not, darling?" Lucius whispers, his hands settling on her waist. "Ask whatever you want."
Tessa lifts her left hand between them, tilting her palm to show him her bare ring finger. Nearly a year ago, Lucius wanted to slide a ring onto that very finger. Back then, she held him off, telling him she needed to truly know him first. Now, the empty skin speaks volumes.
A slow, breathless smile breaks across Lucius’s face. "Oh? My queen wants it now?"
Tessa giggles softly, the sound banishing the lingering shadows of his father's call. "Yes. I think I am ready."
Lucius reaches down and pulls open the heavy desk drawer. Resting side by side inside the dark interior are two very different objects: a velvet ring box and a loaded black handgun.
Tessa reaches in first. Her fingers wrap deliberately around the cold steel of the gun, lifting it out.
Lucius watches her, his heart hammering against his ribs as he reaches for the small box.
By claiming the weapon, she explicitly accepts his dark, violent world.
By letting him claim her hand, she seals a silent promise—if Lucius falls in the coming war, she will use that very weapon to ensure Alessio Gambino never takes her alive.
She leans in, closing the distance between them, and captures his lips. Her tongue explores his mouth in a fierce, breathless kiss of absolute loyalty. Amidst the heat of the kiss, Lucius takes her hand. With steady, unyielding fingers, he slides the massive diamond ring all the way down her finger.
The cold metal settles against her skin, binding her to him on the edge of a dangerous war.
She holds the gun tight in one hand while wearing his mark on the other.
They belong entirely to each other now, completely unsuited for anyone else.
But as the diamond shines in the quiet room, a deadly countdown begins—and only blood will decide if this ring means their ultimate victory, or if it is the beginning of a tragic end for the Gambino family.
~