32. Kaz
“You’re goingto stay here with Domenico. Don’t do anything stupid, Caelia,” I warn her, my voice dangerous.
I can’t afford distractions right now. I have too much on my mind to worry about her. The party is in full swing, but there aren’t many people she could seek help from. The only person I’m concerned about is her sister, and she’s not here.
“I understand,” she replies.
I exchange a knowing look with Domenico. He knows he must always keep a close eye on her. She didn’t want to be here in the first place, and she might do something reckless. Ermanno’s business is crumbling. Even if I were to spare someone’s life to rebuild it, it would take years. I have destroyed all his shipments and business relationships. No one trusts an associate who can’t deliver on their promises. I expect to find Ermanno in his office, as he said he was expecting me. I head in that direction, adjusting the gun concealed under my jacket. The two men posted at the entrance don’t flinch as I pass between them. Why would they? I’m wearing the face of Ermanno’s son. I’m not being perceived as a threat.
Revenge is not as fulfilling as I anticipated. It’s too late to turn back now, and it won’t bring my father back. It won’t give me a father and the countless moments I could have shared with him. It will only add more blood to my hands. I have learned to live with it. It’s a given in this life. It’s disappointing, really. There’s no joy or excitement. I do this because I must.
I knock on Ermanno’s door.
“Come in,” he says.
His office is secluded at the back of the mansion, shielded from prying eyes. I find my father’s murderer alone, seated behind his extravagant desk. He doesn’t look well these days.
“You wanted to talk?” I feign interest.
We won’t have much time to talk. In a way, we will, but only because I want some answers before I end his life. Sevastyan wants me to take him by surprise, knowing that I’m the only person from the outside who can get close enough to him these days. However, I have taken the liberty of modifying the plan. Ermanno holds answers, and he will provide them to me. His head rests in his hands. I lock the office door. I don’t want us to be interrupted by his men.
“I wanted to discuss what has been happening recently. Have a seat,” he gestures to the chair in front of him.
I’ve grown accustomed to resisting the urge to kill him as soon as I set my eyes on him.
“I have a question for you as well,” I say with a deadpan expression, drawing the silencer and pointing the barrel at his head.
Ermanno freezes, staring at me blankly. The violent years of his past are reflected in his eyes, but he’s tired. He’s too old for this.
“Mattia? What are you doing?”
“Yeah, about that, Ermanno. I’m not Mattia.”
As I move around the desk, I press the gun barrel against his temple. I flip off the safety, a cruel smile spreading on my lips as he realizes his life is finally in my hands. A mix of emotions flicker across his face—fear, bewilderment, dread, and, surprisingly, confusion.
“What are you talking about, son? What’s gotten into you?” His brows furrow.
“Mordvinov,” I whisper. “Does the name sound familiar? It should, considering you killed my father.”
“What?”
Ermanno tries to make sense of what is happening—my mind races, as this is not the reaction I expected. The room is silent. Only the sound of our shallow breaths can be heard. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking in every detail of Ermanno’s face. I’ve dreamt of this moment for so many years, imagining what I would say to him and how I would make him suffer for what he did.
I could have shot him and ended his life, but I want to hear him beg for mercy and listen to his empty promises and lies. I need him to know that he won’t get off that easily.
“You can stop pretending now.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replies, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief.
“Allow me to refresh your memory. Fiona gave birth to twins.”
“She did, but one of them died at birth. What’s wrong with you?”
Nothing and everything is wrong with me at the same time. If I unravel what’s wrong with me, the sun will rise.
“Do I look fucking dead to you? I’m not Mattia! My name’s Kazimir.”
“All right.” He nods calmly. “Then tell me, who do you think you are?”
I am my father’s son. And I’m pointing a gun at his killer. This night will not end well for him.
“As I said, Fiona gave birth to twins. She kept Mattia and sent me to Alexei Mordvinov, our father, in Russia.” I watch him closely, searching for any crack in his fa?ade, but it’s not there. “You eventually discovered the truth. You went after my father and blew him up. Does that ring any bells?”
“No, it doesn’t. And frankly, I think you’ve had too much to drink, son. I’m going to call you a car.”
He reaches for the phone, but I’m quicker. I grab his wrist, holding it firm. He looks up at me, puzzled. I press the barrel harder against his temple. He doesn’t plead for mercy or waver. He’s not afraid, and I admire that.
“Listen to me,” he says, turning his head slightly and placing the barrel in the middle of his forehead. I stand before him, awaiting his next words. “I knew your father. Let’s assume what you say is true, figlio.”
“I’m not your fucking son.”
“Right.” He raises his hands in a peaceful gesture. “So let’s say you’re right. Let’s say you’re not Mattia. You’re not my son.”
“No, I’m not.”
“So you’re Kazimir, Alexei’s son.” I nod. We’re getting somewhere. “And Fiona cheated on me. I never knew this.”
“You’re a fucking liar!”
“I’m many things, Kazimir. A liar is not one of them.”
This doesn’t make any sense. Any of it. I don’t believe him, but if there’s a chance that what he’s telling me is true, then who killed my father?
“You say that you knew my father.”
“I did.” He nods. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that we were friends. But we were associates.”
“If you didn’t kill him, then who did?”
“I can take a guess.”
“Then take a fucking guess!”
“He had a brother. I’ve met him once or twice. I told Alexei to watch his back with that one. He was bad news.” I shake my head in disbelief. My father only had a brother, and that’s my uncle Sevastyan. He is the one who set me on this path of revenge and fed me information for so long. “Where’s my son, Kazimir?”
His son. He honestly doesn’t fucking know about any of this. He considers Mattia his son. Even after I have just told him he’s not, and he sees me standing here, the exact copy of my brother, he’s not angry about it. He’s not enraged. He still calls him his son. Blood is not everything in this life.
“Don’t worry, he won’t get to live long after you.”
“Think about what you’re doing, figlio.”
“I’m not your fucking son,” I remind him. He lowers his gaze to under his desk, where he likely has a hidden gun. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He attempts to stand, maybe even to fight me, but his body is too weak. “Or that.” I sigh, pushing him back into the chair.
I try to focus, swallowing down the bile in my throat. “Tell me, Ermanno,” I finally utter, my voice barely a whisper behind the ringing in my ears. “Did you have anything to do with my father’s murder?”
A loaded silence hangs in the room, and I can see it clearly now. There’s something more at play here. Goddamn it. I let my guard down. I should’ve seen it coming.
“I had nothing to do with your father’s death.”
“Perhaps not. But you know what? You’re going to die anyway for how you raised Mattia. Considering the way he treated his wife, you fucking failed! And for that alone, you will die.”
Not solely for that, but it’s the most significant part. I can’t let him live. He will come after me, seeking revenge for what I have done to Mattia, if what he says is true and he had nothing to do with my father’s death. If Ermanno is not lying, I’ve started a war for nothing. He will not turn a blind eye, and I won’t leave this office alive tonight.
“Happy fucking birthday!”
I pull the trigger without remorse. There’s no emotional response. He’s just gone, and that’s it. I crouch, pressing the backs of my palms against my temples. I don’t have time for my thoughts to crumble the earth beneath me. I need to decide if I will kill Ludovic as I intended. So many things don’t make sense right now. There isn’t enough time to unravel them and find answers to the questions flooding my mind. I stand up and look at Ermanno’s lifeless body. There’s a pool of blood on his desk, spilling onto everything.
I take a step back, my heart pounding in my chest. I need to get out of here before someone sees me. I call Domenico, exiting through the office door that leads to the garden.
This has turned into a shit show rather quickly.