Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
KAI
The past week had been a special kind of hell designed specifically to break me.
Watching Aria exist in the same house but remain completely out of reach. Seeing her at dinners where we couldn't speak. Passing her in hallways where even making eye contact felt dangerous. Knowing she was sleeping in my father's wing, under his control, being molded into his perfect wife.
It was torture. Pure, calculated torture.
And the worst part? I couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Every instinct I had screamed to grab her, take her somewhere safe, fuck the consequences. But that would be suicide. Would get us both killed and doom Lia in the process.
So I played my role. The dutiful son. The enforcer who felt nothing. While internally, I was dying by inches.
Lia was suffering too. I could see it in her eyes at meals, in the way she barely spoke anymore.
My father had announced her engagement to Moretti like it was some great honor instead of a death sentence.
And I was supposed to smile and congratulate them both while my sister looked at me with betrayed, terrified eyes.
I hated this. Hated my father for creating this situation. Hated myself for not being strong enough to stop it sooner. Hated every second of every day that I had to pretend I didn't care while watching the two people I loved most being destroyed.
The rage sat in my chest like a living thing. Fed by helplessness. Nourished by fear. Growing stronger every day.
Soon. Very soon I'd get to unleash it. Get to watch my father's empire crumble. Get to see the fear in his eyes when he realized his son had outmaneuvered him.
That thought was the only thing keeping me sane.
My office phone rang. Internal line. My father's extension.
"Kai. My office. Now. Bring the northern territory reports."
He hung up before I could respond.
I grabbed the files, headed toward his wing. Every step measured. Controlled. Gave no indication of the fury simmering beneath the surface.
I opened his office door. Stopped.
My father sat behind his desk. Luca stood by the window, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
This wasn't a standard business meeting. This was an interrogation.
I studied them both before speaking. Read body language, micro-expressions, the energy in the room. Skills I'd honed over years of surviving in this world.
My father looked calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that preceded violence.
Luca looked smug. Like he'd been waiting for this moment.
Trouble. This was definitely trouble.
I needed to be smart. Careful. One wrong word and everything could blow up.
"You wanted to see me?" I kept my voice neutral. Set the files on his desk.
"Sit." My father gestured to the chair across from him. "We need to discuss your performance while I was away."
Performance. Right. Like I was some employee being reviewed instead of his son.
I sat. Kept my posture relaxed. Gave no indication of tension.
"Were there any problems with Miss Romano during my absence? Any attempts to escape? Any concerning behavior?"
"None. She was compliant. Cooperative. Exactly what you wanted. She attended her lessons, followed instructions, caused no issues whatsoever."
My father's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you were able to manage her effectively?"
"Of course. You gave me a job. I did it."
"Luca here has mentioned something interesting." My father leaned back in his chair. "He says you seemed very invested in watching the girl. Almost too invested. Private conversations. Closed door meetings. Time spent together that went beyond simple supervision."
Ice flooded my veins. But I kept my expression bored. Slightly annoyed at the implication.
"Luca is seeing problems where there aren't any. I was following your orders to watch her, teach her about the family, make sure she understood what was expected. That required time together. Private conversations. How else was I supposed to ensure she'd be the wife you wanted?"
Luca spoke up, his voice careful. Calculated. "I'm not accusing you of anything inappropriate. I'm simply observing that the amount of time you spent with Miss Romano seemed excessive for basic supervision. There were moments when you appeared quite... familiar with each other."
I turned to look at Luca directly. Let my eyes go cold. Dangerous. The look that reminded people what I was capable of.
"If you're accusing me of something, Luca, say it clearly. Don't dance around with vague implications like a coward. If you think I crossed a line with my father's future wife, state it explicitly so I can address the accusation properly."
He backed down slightly. Shifted his weight. "I'm not accusing you of anything specific. Just noting observations that seemed worth mentioning to Don Salvatore. For the family's protection, of course."
Of course. For the family's protection. Translation: trying to undermine me with my father.
"Enough." My father's voice cut through the tension. "Both of you shut up. Kai, the girl moves fully into my wing tomorrow. After that, your job watching her is done. You won't need to spend time with her anymore. I'll be handling her supervision personally."
Every muscle in my body wanted to tense. To react. To show some sign of how those words affected me.
I forced everything to stay relaxed. Controlled.
"I understand completely. If you don't need me to continue managing her, I'll focus on other family business."
My mind raced. I needed to discredit Luca. Make my father doubt his observations. Plant seeds that would grow into dismissal of anything else Luca might report.
"Though I have to say, Father, I'm concerned about Luca's paranoia.
He's been seeing threats where there aren't any for months now.
First it was the northern suppliers, which turned out to be nothing.
Then the shipping routes, also nothing. Now he's implying something inappropriate between me and your future wife based on me doing exactly what you ordered.
It makes me wonder if his judgment is becoming compromised. "
My father's gaze shifted to Luca. Assessing. "Is that true? Have you been seeing problems that don't exist?"
"No, of course not. I'm simply being thorough. Vigilant. As you've always taught us to be."
"Vigilance is good. Paranoia is dangerous. It makes people see conspiracies everywhere. Makes them unreliable." My father turned back to me. "You're dismissed, Kai. Send in Marco on your way out. We have other matters to discuss."
I stood. Nodded. Walked out without another glance at Luca.
Once in the hallway, I allowed myself one slow breath. One moment to process.
That had been close. Too close. If Luca had actual evidence instead of just suspicions, I'd be dead already. We'd both be dead.
But I'd managed to deflect. To plant doubt about Luca's reliability. It wouldn't stop him from watching, but it might make my father dismiss future reports as paranoid imagination.
Small victory. But I'd take it.
That night, I studied the guard rotations carefully. Memorized patrol times, camera blind spots, all the information I'd been gathering for years.
Tomorrow Aria moved to my father's wing permanently. After that, seeing her would become infinitely more difficult. More dangerous.
Tonight might be my last chance for a while.
I waited until 2am. When the changing of guards created a three-minute window. Slipped through shadows I knew by heart. Avoided cameras with practiced ease.
Reached Aria's door. Picked the lock in seconds. Slipped inside.
She was awake. Sitting by the window in a nightgown, staring out at nothing. She turned when she heard me, and the relief on her face made my chest ache.
I crossed to her. Pulled her up. Wrapped my arms around her and just held on.
No words needed. We both knew what tomorrow meant. Both understood this might be our last private moment for weeks.
She buried her face in my chest. Her hands fisted in my shirt. I felt her shaking.
"What happens now?" Her voice was muffled. Small.
"We wait. We're patient. I'm almost ready to move against my father. Just need a little more time to finalize everything with Father Benedetto and the Council."
"How much more time?"
"Less than two weeks. Then we make our move. Present all the evidence. Force the Council to act."
"And if they don't? If your father has more influence than we think?"
"Then we run. All three of us. Disappear and never look back." I tilted her face up. "But it won't come to that. We have enough. We just need the timing to be perfect."
She nodded. Didn't look convinced but was trying to believe anyway.
I lifted her, carried her to the bed. Lay down with her curled against my chest. Just holding each other in the darkness.
Heavy. The knowledge that this might be our last night making every touch, every breath, feel significant.
"When you're in his wing," I kept my voice low, "when you're preparing for a wedding that's never going to happen, when everyone thinks you belong to Salvatore, I need you to remember something.
You're mine. You've always been mine. From that first night in the club.
You belong to me and nothing changes that.
Not geography, not my father's delusions, nothing. "
"Always yours." She pressed closer. "No matter what happens. No matter what I have to do or say or pretend. I'm yours, Kai. Only yours."
The certainty in her voice did something to me. Made the rage and fear transform into determination.
I was going to save her. Save all of us. And anyone who tried to stop me would die.
Simple as that.
We didn't talk much after that. Just held each other. Made love slowly, quietly, trying to memorize every touch. Every sound. Every feeling.
When it was over, we lay tangled together, her head on my chest, my fingers trailing patterns on her back.