Chapter 21
Leena Pov~
Giovanni froze.
His gun remained aimed at the intruder, but his entire body went still. I stepped out from behind him, curiosity getting the better of me, and the second I saw who was standing there, my entire expression changed.
My jaw dropped.
Clara. Giovanni's ex-lover.
She stood there with a satisfied smirk on her face, almost as if seeing his reaction was exactly what she wanted. Like it filled some kind of craving inside her.
And instantly, my blood began to boil. What the hell was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be somewhere locked away?
Okay, maybe not an asylum, but definitely not standing in front of my house in Italy. She was supposed to be in New York. In prison. Under supervision.
Not here.
"'Vanni," she said sweetly, her disgusting voice making my stomach turn. She tilted her head to the side, studying him. "It's been a while, sweetheart."
My anger rose instantly. I glanced at Gio. He was frozen. Completely caught off guard. And for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to do with the reaction on his face. So I did the only thing I could think of.
"Nope." I stepped forward, pushed Gio back slightly, and slammed the door shut right in Clara's face. The sound echoed through the hallway.
I turned around to face my husband. Slowly, he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. My face was already twisted with anger, and he noticed immediately.
He took a step toward me. I stepped back.
"I'm going to get my brother," I muttered. His expression shifted into one of pleading. But I didn't care. Not right now. I turned and walked away, heading toward the stairs.
I tried to calm myself down as I marched through the house, but it wasn't working. My anger only grew with every step. How could he react like that? Like he had just seen the love of his life. Like he had just seen the one person he had been waiting for his entire life!
I marched down the hallway and knocked loudly on Adriano and Gianna's door. I didn't barge in, not again. The last time I did that, I had seen enough to scar me for life.
A few seconds later, the door swung open. Adriano stood there with an annoyed expression, but the second he saw my face, his entire demeanor changed.
Concern replaced the irritation. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"We have a visitor," I gritted out. His eyebrows furrowed.
Without asking any more questions, he stepped back into the room. A few moments later, he returned with a shirt on, Gianna following closely behind him.
Adriano immediately took the lead down the stairs, with the two of us following behind.
"Who is it?" Gianna asked.
"You'll see," I muttered.
When we rounded the corner, we saw Gio standing near the door, his gun still in his hand. The moment he heard us approaching, his head snapped up.
"Giovanni," Adriano said firmly. "Who is it?" Before Gio could answer, pounding echoed against the door.
A woman's voice called out. "Hey! I'm still out here!"
Adriano froze. "No way," he whispered, mostly to himself. Then he opened the door.
"Thank God," the woman exclaimed. "Finally, someone I can talk to."
Before she could take another step, Adriano grabbed her arm and pulled her inside in one swift movement. His face was inches from hers. The anger radiating from him was unmistakable.
"I thought I locked you up," he spat. She barely reacted. Instead, she simply chuckled. "Well, obviously someone thinks I'm more valuable free than chained," she replied.
Adriano's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"They told me some man named Aldo wanted me free." She shrugged. "I have no idea why, but I'm more than grateful."
His expression hardened. "How did you find us?"
Her smile grew. "I followed your tracks. Remember? I was the best tracker you ever had." She tilted her head. "You can't hide from me, Adriano Basilio."
For a moment, I saw his anger shift into something else. Recognition and maybe memories. Then his expression settled again. "You shouldn't be here." He released her arm.
"So you believe me?" she asked, rubbing the spot where he had grabbed her.
Adriano looked at her coldly. "No."
Her smile faded slightly. "But you have information I need. So you're not going anywhere." He turned toward Giovanni and nodded.
Gio sighed before walking upstairs. I stayed quiet as I watched everything unfold.
Gianna did too. She looked confused, almost lost, because she had never met Clara. She only knew the aftermath of whoever this woman was.
This was completely new for her.
"Amore," Adriano said, turning toward Gianna, his voice softening immediately. "Can you take Clara to the basement room? Ano V has some things in the closet down there." The change in his voice was immediate.
The cold leader disappeared. Her husband returned. Then his attention shifted back to Clara. "Tomorrow, we're going to have a conversation."
His voice hardened. "A long one." He stepped closer. "And if I feel like you are a threat to my family, you're gone."
Clara nodded silently. Gianna led her away, leaving me alone with Adriano.
I stared at him. "You're really trusting her?" I asked, disbelief clear in my voice.
He looked at me. "Absolutely not, Leena." I crossed my arms. "Then why is she here?"
"Because she knows things we need to know." He sighed. "And don't you want to know where she's been for the last twenty years?"
I rolled my eyes. I hated admitting it. But he was right. Adriano sighed and pulled me into a hug. "Gio loves you."
I stayed quiet. "Don't ever question that." Those words hit harder than I expected. I nodded and pulled away.
"Thanks, bro." I gave him a small smile. "Goodnight." I walked upstairs, feeling completely drained. Well...this night went downhill quickly.
When I entered my room, Gio was sitting on the bed waiting for me. He opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him.
"Not tonight, Gio." My voice was quiet. "I need to sleep." I slipped beneath the covers beside him. I could feel his eyes on me. But I closed mine, pretending I didn't.
Because the truth was...this bothered me more than I wanted to admit. Seeing Clara again after all these years was clearly affecting him.
And a small part of me, the part I hated listening to, wondered if maybe she had always held a piece of his heart that I could never touch.
She was his first love. The first woman he truly fell for. And maybe...maybe he would always choose her over me.
I knew that wasn't fair. I knew I was letting my insecurities get the better of me. But tonight, I couldn't fight it. I was tired. I was hurt. And I just needed sleep. Although deep down, I knew I wouldn't be getting much of it tonight.
~***~
Next Day~
AJ Pov~
Ales and I made it to the stairs before she suddenly stopped. I turned around, immediately noticing the change in her expression.
"What's wrong?" I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing," she said quickly. Too quickly. She shook her head slightly and gave me a small smile, but I wasn't buying it.
I sighed and stopped her from walking again. "Cut the crap, Ales. I know when you're lying." My voice came out slightly annoyed, but it was only because I knew her.
I knew when something was bothering her. "What's going on?"
She looked away for a moment. "Nothing. I guess I'm just a little freaked out about yesterday still." Her voice softened. "But let's just drop it for now, okay?"
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell her she didn't have to pretend she was okay. But then I saw the look in her eyes.
The exhaustion. The defeat. So instead, I nodded. "Come on." We continued down the stairs and made our way into the dining room for breakfast. Everyone was already seated. But the second Ales and I walked in, we stopped. There was a woman sitting in my seat.
Someone I had never seen before. Ales and I exchanged a confused look.
Who the hell was she? I looked toward my father, expecting answers. Instead, he simply gave me a look that said to sit somewhere else. So I ended up taking the seat next to Lia and Bella.
The woman leaned back in her chair, looking completely comfortable. "Adri," she said with a laugh, "who would've thought you would have ended up becoming the family man?"
My eyebrows immediately raised. "Adri?" Marcio and I said at the exact same time.
Everyone turned toward us. The woman looked amused. "Okay, if no one is going to ask, then I will." Kalani crossed her arms. "Who is this lady?" Her attitude immediately earned her a look from our mother.
She shrugged. "Someone had to ask."
Lia looked between the adults, confusion written all over her face. "Mommy, is that another aunty?" She looked toward Yana. All four mothers answered at the same time. "No." The word came out much harsher than they probably intended.
Lia blinked. Everyone went quiet. Then she climbed out of her chair and started climbing over me. I grabbed onto her arm.
"Where are you going, Lia?" But she was already gone. She ran straight toward my father. "Uncle Adri!" She tugged on his arm until she had his attention.
Immediately, his expression softened. The same man who could intimidate an entire room looked down at a five-year-old girl with nothing but patience.
He picked her up and placed her on his lap. "I thought I was only allowed to call you Uncle Adri?" she asked sweetly. A small smile appeared on his face. "You are." He brushed a piece of hair away from her face. "You're the only one allowed to call me that."
His eyes shifted toward Clara. "Clara lost the right to call me that a long time ago." His voice remained gentle. But there was a meaning behind those words. A warning. Everyone at the table went quiet.
Wait. Clara? As in the Clara who left Uncle Gio? What the hell was going on?
Ales Pov~
Lia smiled at my dad and gave him a hug before hopping off his lap and running back over to AJ.
I sat beside Clara. At least, I assumed her name was Clara. I didn't know who she was or why she was here, but she seemed nice enough.