Chapter 35
Tiziano Constanzo
I entered one of our warehouses and found the soldier responsible for Bianca’s security standing near the office window. He immediately straightened when he saw me, as he should have after the mistake he’d made. I slowly closed the door behind me as I stared at him.
“Were you with her the entire time?” I asked as I approached him.
“Yes, Don Tiziano,” he replied quickly.
“Then why the hell did my wife leave that restroom pale as a corpse? Didn’t you find that suspicious?”
He swallowed hard, his lips trembling for a moment before he answered.
“I noticed she seemed nervous, sir, but I didn’t see anything unusual before that.”
“And you didn’t go in to check?” I asked, my voice low and controlled. I took a step toward him, and he instinctively backed away.
“I thought it would be inappropriate, Don. She was in the women’s restroom.”
I laughed without humor, anger consuming me. I had no patience for incompetence. I pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for him to come closer.
“What’s inappropriate is you not doing your fucking job,” I growled. “What did I tell you when I put you in charge of protecting Bianca?”
“That her safety was the absolute priority, sir.”
“Exactly. And you think ‘priority’ means letting something strange slide because it’s the women’s restroom?”
He tried to answer, but his mouth opened and closed without making a sound. I stood, taking off my jacket and tossing it over the chair.
“You’re lucky nothing too serious happened to her,” I said as I walked to the desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a small steel baton.
“Sir, I…”
“Shut up,” I cut him off, raising the baton and slowly turning it between my fingers. “Today, you’ll learn that failures involving my wife are failures involving me.”
Before he could react, I lunged forward, striking his knee hard with the baton. He fell to the floor, clutching his leg and groaning in pain, but I wasn’t finished.
“Get up!” I growled. When he didn’t obey quickly enough, I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up. “If you can’t keep her safe, then you don’t deserve to be under my protection either. Understood?”
He nodded frantically, his eyes wide.
“Yes, Don Tiziano. I’ll never fail again, I swear.”
I let him go, allowing him to fall to his knees on the floor. I dusted off my hands and looked at him with contempt.
“Get him out of my sight. Leave him here in the warehouse for a few days and send me someone competent for the job.”
He staggered to his feet, muttering thanks before hurrying away. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling my anger pulse.
“Here’s the security footage,” Enzo said, handing me the tablet.
The camera captured the exact moment Bianca entered the restroom. A few seconds before, the same man who had dared to stare at her at the event went in. My jaw clenched.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered. “Do you recognize the bastard?” I asked, pointing at the screen.
Enzo tilted his head to the side.
“He’s new on our radar, but I’d bet he’s connected to the cartel Bellini teamed up with. The audacity fits them.”
I let out a dry, humorless laugh and paused the image, zooming in on the man’s face.
“I want that bastard dead before dawn,” I ordered. “I want every record, every move, every contact he has. And, Enzo, if he crosses my path before then, I’ll make a point of killing him with my own hands.”
“Understood,” Enzo replied, taking the tablet and leaving the warehouse.
I got home, and my eyes went to the glass of whiskey on the table, but I didn’t touch it like I usually did.
I went straight upstairs to the bedroom.
When I walked in, Bianca was sitting on the edge of the bed, her restless hands folded in her lap.
Her eyes lifted to mine, and I could see all the questions she still didn’t have the courage to ask.
I stopped in front of her and knelt, something I would never do for anyone else.
I took her hands in mine, feeling how cold they were.
She looked at me in surprise, but she didn’t pull away.
My gaze dropped to her neck, and it was impossible to ignore the small mark.
A subtle bruise, but to me, it screamed.
I carefully touched her injured skin, my jaw locking when I saw the thin cut. No one but me would have noticed it, but I did. From the moment she had walked out of that restroom, pale and frightened.
“I’ll leave a mark on his neck even bigger than this one,” I promised. “He has a lot of nerve thinking he can put a blade to my wife’s throat.”
I slid my finger over the wound, caressing it gently.
“Do you know him?” I asked, still staring at the mark as if it were my enemy.
“No,” Bianca answered without hesitation. “I’d never seen him before tonight. He was the same man who seemed to make you angry at the event.”
My eyes rose to meet hers, searching for the truth beneath her words.
“What did he say?” I asked curiously.
“That he was surprised I was here, with you.” She looked away, as though it were somehow her fault.
“Surprised? Why?” I questioned, leaning closer and forcing her to look at me again.
“I don’t know.” Bianca shook her head slightly.
I brought my face even closer, my finger now tracing the line of her throat.
“Where else did he touch you?” I asked, feeling anger slowly burn inside me.
“Only my neck,” Bianca replied.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment as I tried to restrain myself. When I opened them again, my gaze was softer.
I pulled up a chair to sit in front of her, keeping our hands clasped as though physical contact alone could convey something my words still couldn’t.
“I requested a new soldier, someone who understands that your safety isn’t just an order from me, but a priority. I can’t be everywhere at once, Bianca. But you will be protected. Always.”
“You don’t have to worry so much about me,” she whispered, almost as though she were apologizing.
I laughed, a short, rough sound, before letting out a sigh.
“I don’t? Bianca, I could move mountains to make sure nothing happens to you. Do you have any idea what you mean to me?”
She shook her head no. I released her hands and slid my fingers over her face, tracing the delicate line of her jaw until I reached her chin. I held it gently, locking her eyes with mine.
“You’re my wife. It isn’t just a title,” I whispered. “You’re the reason I want more than war, more than power. You make me want peace. Something good in this fucked-up world I live in.”
She blinked, her eyes filling with tears she fought to hold back.
“I never thought I’d hear something like that from you,” Bianca murmured, her voice thick with emotion.
“I thought I made you feel it.” I brushed my thumb gently over the corner of her lips, as if I could erase any trace of doubt or insecurity still left behind.
Bianca looked away for a moment, but she didn’t pull back. Instead, she let out a shaky breath before meeting my eyes again.
“Sometimes, you’re hard to understand.” She gave a small smile, almost embarrassed. “But I think I’m starting to know you better.”
That drew a smile from me, small but sincere.
“That’s good to know.” I reached for her hair, brushing away a strand that had fallen over her face. “Because I want you to know every part of me, even the parts that aren’t always easy to accept.”
She didn’t respond, but the way her eyes studied me was enough. She would no longer doubt that she mattered to me.
“I’m not a good man, Bianca,” I continued. “And maybe I never will be. But you make me want to be better. Even if it’s only a little.”
Bianca bit her lower lip.
“I don’t need you to be perfect, Tiziano,” she finally replied. “This is the first time I’ve felt like someone cares about me.”
I ran my hand over her face with a care I rarely used for anything or anyone. She deserved that. Bianca deserved so much more than what the world had given her so far.
“I care,” I said, like an unbreakable promise. “More than I should, maybe. But that doesn’t matter. I will always care about you.”
She blinked rapidly, as if trying to hold back her tears. It completely disarmed me. I had faced enemies armed to the teeth without feeling a trace of fear, but seeing Bianca on the verge of tears made my heart tighten in a way I didn’t know how to handle.
“You don’t have to carry everything alone, Bianca. Not anymore,” I added, sliding my hand to her shoulders as I pulled her closer. “I’m here. I always will be.”
Bianca leaned slightly against me, as though testing how much she could trust me. I held her waist, keeping her close but gentle at the same time, as if she were too precious to break.
“Why are you being like this with me?”
“You’re my wife, Bianca. I want you to know how much that means to me.”
She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to.
The way she curled into me, as though seeking shelter in my arms, said more than any words could express.
Every day that passed, I found myself more tied to her, more involved, to the point of allowing her to become my little world.
The only place where I could let my guard down, where the weight of my name and my legacy stayed outside as I closed the door behind me and found comfort in the simple fact of having her by my side.