Chapter 30
Adriano Pov~
I sat back in my chair in my spacious office, watching my phone light up for what felt like the millionth time. I ignored it.
It had been a couple of hours since I told my family about Gabriel, and I had been successfully avoiding them...and they had been doing a damn good job of avoiding me too.
Gabriel, however, had wasted no time making himself comfortable.
He had been walking around the house, talking to the children, asking them about their lives, their hobbies, their interests. I was almost certain he had already gathered more information about my children in a few hours than some people had managed to learn in years.
That was just who Gabriel was. He had always been that way.
He had this inviting, calming personality that made people naturally gravitate toward him. He genuinely cared about people. He wanted to know who they were beyond their titles, their responsibilities, or their mistakes.
Their likes. Their dislikes. Their dreams.
He could talk to someone for an hour, and somehow they would find themselves telling him their deepest secrets without even realizing it. There was a warmth about him that surrounded him.
He had this way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room that mattered, even if there were a hundred other people standing right beside you.
He wasn't like me. He wasn't like my siblings. Well...maybe a little like Miliana. She had always carried that same lightness.
But Gabriel was different. And honestly? That was exactly how I wanted him to be.
When I was younger and I realized who he was, I knew immediately that I wanted to protect him from this life. From the darkness. From the expectations and responsibilities that came with the Basilio name.
He was too good for this world. Too kind. Too pure. And I refused to let the Mafia take that away from him.
Anyone could hate my decision. They could be angry with me. They could call me selfish or controlling.
I didn't care. Because at the end of the day, I knew why I did it. I made mistakes. Keeping Gabriel from his siblings for all these years was one of them. But there was also a reason behind it.
A reason that led to him growing up safe, loved, and away from the violence that surrounded our family.
I let out a breath and finally my phone stopped ringing, allowing me to focus on the other issue consuming my mind.
Mrs. Hart. Kale. The entire situation still didn't sit right with me.
When I was dealing with Kale in the basement, there was something in his eyes that bothered me. Confusion. Almost like he didn't fully understand how he ended up there.
A part of me believed he was genuinely lost. But then I remembered what he tried to do. He tried to take my daughter. My little girl. My fist clenched at the thought.
If he had succeeded...If we hadn't gotten there in time... I refused to even finish that thought.
A knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. Then my amore's pretty face appeared. And just like that, my expression softened.
She walked into the room, closing the door behind her before making her way toward me. "Hello, Big Bad Capo." Her velvet voice filled the room. "Got a minute?"
A small smile pulled at my lips. "There is always time for you, amore." She rolled her eyes slightly, but I saw the small blush that spread across her cheeks as she stepped closer. I reached out and pulled her into my lap the moment she was within reach.
Even after sixteen years together, she still had the same effect on me. I kissed her lips slowly, feeling her relax against me.
For a moment, everything else disappeared. The threats, enemies, responsibilities. Just her. But then she pulled away suddenly. I groaned.
"Don't distract me," she said, giving me a stern look.
I raised an eyebrow. Even after all these years, she still thought she could resist me. The funny thing was...she knew I would do anything she asked. And I knew it too.
"I came here to talk to you," she continued.
"Sorry, mama wolf. Proceed." I said with a smirk, still holding her tightly against me while my hand traced small circles against her waist beneath her shirt.
She took a deep breath, clearly trying to pretend my touch wasn't affecting her, before looking me directly in the eyes. "I think it's time you talk to your siblings." I felt my heart rate spike instantly. Just the thought of sitting in front of them again made my entire body tense.
"No." I deadpanned. She scoffed and lightly smacked my shoulder. "Yes."
I stared at her. "For Mafia people, you guys are such big babies sometimes." She said with an incredulous look.
I huffed and shook my head. My pride might have been getting in the way, but I was not ready to face them. Not after the way they looked at me. Not after hearing the disappointment in their voices.
"Look," she continued, her tone softening slightly. "You have to talk to them."
I stayed quiet.
"I know you're going crazy on the inside, love. You lost your second. The person who helps keep everything running smoothly. I'm pretty sure your phone has been ringing nonstop because of all the problems back home that you're supposed to be handling."
She paused, giving me a pointed look. "And your sisters feel horrible. They keep telling me how bad they feel every time they see me. But you Basilio children are all too damn prideful and stubborn to actually sit down and talk to each other."
I didn't respond. I let her words settle.
I hated when she was right. And she knew it.
Matteo wasn't just my brother. He was my right hand.
He handled the underground operations, the clubs, the bars, the businesses, the things I didn't have time to focus on because my priority was protecting my family.
Now that he was furious with me, he had stepped away. And suddenly I was receiving every small, meaningless problem. Complaints about shipments. Arguments over money. Issues between employees. Petty things that normally never reached my desk.
I didn't have time for any of it. Not when I had enemies waiting outside my door. Not when Aldo was still breathing. Not when my daughter's kidnapper was sitting in my basement. But even my stubborn pride couldn't deny the truth.
I missed my brother. "Your siblings are hurting too, Adriano." Her voice softened. "And so are you."
I looked away. She reached up and touched my cheek. "You're the oldest. The one everyone looks to. So be the bigger person." I narrowed my eyes at her. She smiled. "Man up, Adriano."
I let out a low groan. Only Gianna could tell the most feared man in the Mafia to man up and survive. She smiled proudly. "Go talk to them. I'll talk to Gabriel." At that, I looked back at her. "I think it's time I get to know my brother-in-law."
A small smirk appeared on her face. I shook my head. "You enjoy this, don't you?"
"Very much."
I rolled my eyes as she climbed off my lap despite my protests. "Amore."
"Nope." She walked toward the door. "You need to fix your family drama."
I sighed deeply. Then I stood up. There was no escaping this. I walked out of my office, silently cursing under my breath in Italian as I searched for my siblings.
Apparently, even the Capo di Capi had battles he couldn't avoid.
And unfortunately...this one required talking.
Gianna Pov~
Why do I always have to play peacemaker?
It wasn't like I had problems with people. I was kind, I cared too much, and I always worried about how everyone around me felt. Sometimes I wished I could shut it off, especially when dealing with stubborn Basilio men, but unfortunately, that was just who I was.
I knew Adriano was going to talk to his siblings because deep down, he knew I was right. He would never admit it easily, but he knew.
And while I was proud of him for finally facing them, I really did want to find Gabriel.
The hidden Basilio sibling.
The man who had spent his entire life knowing there was another family out there that he belonged to, but never truly being a part of it.
Everyone was in a strange limbo at the moment. AJ and the boys had left to bring Mrs. Hart back, and the rest of the house was still processing everything that had happened. I still couldn't believe she was the same sweet old woman whose house my children had broken into.
But then again...we were learning that appearances could be deceiving.
After searching around the house for a while, I finally found Gabriel outside with Ales and Kalani in the backyard. Their voices grew louder as I approached, and I could hear their laughter before I even reached them. From the sound of it, Gabriel was telling them a story.
Of course Ales had already attached herself to him.
My daughter loved meeting new people and learning about their lives. She was naturally curious, and after everything she had been through, I think Gabriel was the first new person she had met who didn't come with fear attached.
He wasn't someone who wanted something from her. He wasn't someone trying to hurt her. He was just...family.
As they noticed me approaching, all three of them smiled. "Hey guys," I greeted, taking a seat on the bench underneath the tree.
"Hey mom, what are you doing?" Kalani asked, a bag of chips in her hand as she looked at me. I glanced at the snack and mentally sighed. Of course she was eating junk food. She definitely got that from me.
"I came to talk to your new uncle," I said, turning my attention toward Gabriel with a teasing smile.
Kalani immediately caught on. "Well, Ales and I are going to go bother Uncle Gio. See you guys later," she said, standing up.
I smiled as Ales gave me a knowing look before following her sister away. Smart girl. Gabriel watched them leave with a soft smile.
"That was fun," he said. "Your kids are amazing. I still can't believe Adriano, Matteo, and my sisters actually have children. I remember when we were kids running around together. It feels like yesterday."
The smile on his face softened as he got lost in the memory. There was something almost bittersweet about seeing it.
"It must have been difficult," I said quietly, leaning back against the tree. "Keeping a secret that big for so many years."
Gabriel nodded, letting out a slow breath. "It wasn't easy. Trust me, there were so many times I wanted to say something."
His eyes drifted toward the yard, watching where the kids had disappeared. "Growing up with this other life right in front of me, knowing that was where I belonged, but still having to keep my distance..." He shook his head slightly. "It was hard."
He looked back at me, a small smile appearing. "I loved my family. I loved Adriano and the others like they were my siblings because they were. But..." He paused, searching for the right words.
"Come si fa a dire che..." he murmured. I waited patiently as his Italian accent became more noticeable. "Lonely."
The single word carried so much weight. My heart softened. Because that was the part people probably didn't understand.
Yes, Gabriel had been protected. Yes, he had been loved. But he had still been missing a piece of himself.
I subconsciously brought a hand to my chest and shook my head, sympathy rushing through me. But I didn't want him to mistake my reaction for pity. Gabriel didn't need anyone feeling sorry for him.
He had survived something most people would have struggled to understand.
"So...you had no other siblings?" I asked gently. He shook his head. "Nope. It was just me and my parents. And then the Basilio kids."
A small smile tugged at my lips. "Wow..." I breathed. "You are strong, Gabriel."
His eyebrows lifted slightly, almost surprised by my words.
"I don't know if I could have handled that," I admitted honestly. "But I think that's something people forget. Everyone carries their own baggage. After a while, you get so used to the weight that you don't even realize you're carrying it anymore."
I looked down at my hands for a moment.
"But if we suddenly switched lives, if we switched burdens, it would probably break us. Because we aren't used to carrying someone else's pain."
I looked back at him. "So I am really, really happy you came into our lives. You have no idea the impact you're going to have on this family." I meant every word. Gabriel's warm eyes softened, and a genuine smile spread across his face.
"I'm happy too," he admitted. "And I'm happy my brother found someone like you."
He chuckled lightly. "He did really good in New York." The compliment made me smile, but there was something hidden beneath his words.
A small sadness. A tiny crack in the happiness. I noticed it immediately. And I intended to find out why.
"So, Gabriel..." I said, leaning forward slightly with a playful smile. "I want to hear everything about you."
His eyebrows lifted. "Everything?"
"Everything," I repeated. "No skipping details." A laugh escaped him, warm and genuine. "Alright. Where do I even start?" And just like that, Gabriel began talking.
AJ Pov~
“This is it,” Marcio said as I pulled up to the all-too-familiar cabin house.
Everything was still. We all stepped out of the vehicle, immediately going into the habits we had been trained for. Raf walked toward the stairs first while Damien and Leo checked our surroundings.
Marcio and I followed behind Raf as he reached the front door and knocked. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then we heard movement from inside.
The lock clicked. The door slowly swung open, revealing Mrs. Hart.
Her plump little figure appeared, and the second she saw us, her entire face brightened. “Boys, you’re back!” she exclaimed happily.
I felt a small pang of guilt. She seemed so innocent. So kind. But her son...her son was a completely different story.
I stepped forward, forcing a polite smile. "Mrs. Hart, it’s lovely to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances.” Her smile slowly faded, replaced by confusion.
“What do you mean?” Marcio stepped forward, his expression turning serious. “Mrs. Hart, we need you to come with us.”
Her brows furrowed. “Your son is in trouble,” Marcio continued.
“A lot of trouble,” Leo added. The color drained from her face.
She took a small step back, and for the first time since we had met her, I saw something other than warmth in her expression. Fear.
“Let me get my coat,” she whispered.