Chapter 9 #2
I turned to address the room: "I know I'm not who you expected. I'm not Bianca—thank God for that. But I am a Lombardo. I am Cesare's wife. And I'm asking you to honor that."
Silence.
Heavy and absolute.
Viktor spoke up: "Very touching. But this doesn't change the deception."
Don Caruso raised a hand, silencing Viktor. "The girl speaks honestly, at least. That counts for something." He looked at Cesare. "You should have told us immediately."
"You're right," Cesare admitted. "I should have. I prioritized the alliance over honesty, and that was a mistake."
Piero interjected: "But it wasn't a trap. It was a family betrayal—Bianca's, not Paola's. Should Paola be punished for her sister's sins?"
Don Caruso considered. "No. But Cesare must be held accountable for the deception."
I held my breath.
Caruso spoke with the weight of the eldest Don: "Cesare Monti. You have broken our trust. This cannot go unanswered."
I felt Cesare tense.
"However," Caruso continued, "you did so to prevent war. That shows wisdom, even if the execution was flawed."
Hope flickered.
"My ruling is this: the marriage stands. Paola Lombardo is your legal wife. The alliance holds. But you, Cesare, will make restitution."
"What kind of restitution?"
"The eastern territory you control—the docks, the warehouses. You will cede twenty percent to be redistributed among the families as compensation for the deception."
Twenty percent. But there was a small sliver of relief; it would go to the entire family, not just Viktor.
Massive, but not fatal. Better than war.
"And," Caruso added, looking at Viktor, "this matter is settled. No further challenges to the marriage's legitimacy. What's done is done."
Viktor's jaw clenched. He'd been outmaneuvered.
"Does everyone agree?" Caruso looked around.
Nods. Some reluctant, some satisfied. But consensus.
"Then it's settled. Cesare, you have two weeks to arrange the transfer."
The tension broke. But it was different now. Cesare's power had been publicly diminished. The families smelled blood.
"We should leave," Piero murmured. "Before anyone changes their mind."
Cesare nodded, took my hand. "Let's go home."
Viktor blocked our path one last time. "Congratulations, Cesare. You survived. Barely."
"I'm still standing."
"For now. But you're wounded. Weakened. And in our world, the weak don't last long." He looked at me. "And you, Mrs. Monti. You chose poorly. I hope your loyalty brings you comfort in the difficult times ahead."
Then he was gone.
Cesare's hand tightened on mine. "Ignore him."
"Hard to ignore someone who wants us dead."
"He's wanted me dead for years. This doesn't change anything."
But we both knew it did.
Everything had changed.
In the limo, finally alone, the adrenaline crashed. I started shaking—delayed shock.
Cesare pulled me against him, arms wrapped tight. "You're safe. We're safe."
"Are we? Viktor said—"
"Viktor says a lot of things. Most of them are lies."
I burrowed into his chest. "I almost ran. Viktor caught me at the door, tried to get me to leave you."
Cesare went very still. "What did he offer you?"
"Safety. Money. A new life. All I had to do was publicly denounce you."
"Why didn't you take it?"
I pulled back to look at him. "Because you're mine. And I protect what's mine. Always."
His own words, given back to him. Something fierce and possessive flashed in his eyes. "Paola—"
I kissed him. Hard. Desperate. Claiming.
When we broke apart, both breathing heavy, I said: "We're in this together. Remember? No matter what happens. Together."
"Together," he echoed, his forehead resting against mine.
Before either of us could say more, Cesare's phone rang. He glanced at it, frowned. "It's Piero."
He answered. "What's wrong?"
I couldn't hear Piero's words, but I saw Cesare's entire body go rigid.
"Where?"
A pause.
Then: "Fuck."
He closed his eyes, jaw clenched tight.
Alarm spiked through me. "What? What's wrong?"
He looked at me, and I saw something I'd never seen in his eyes before.
Real fear.
"Bianca. She just delivered documents to Viktor. Physical evidence. And Piero says whatever she gave him—it's bad enough that Viktor's already calling his lawyers."
My breath stopped. "Bianca? My sister Bianca?"
"You have another one?"
The sarcasm didn't land. My mind was reeling. "She's with Viktor? She's helping him?"
"Has been for weeks, apparently. Since before the wedding." His expression hardened. "She's the one who told him about the switch. About you. Everything."
The betrayal cut deeper than I expected. My twin sister—the person who'd drugged me, stolen my life—was now actively working to destroy me.
"What kind of documents?" I managed.
"We don't know yet. But if Viktor's moving this fast, calling lawyers, preparing motions—" He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
The threat wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
Cesare's hand found mine, gripped tight. "We find out what she has. Before Viktor uses it to destroy us completely."