AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We finally get back to the Iacopelli compound, and my heart swells as I see the familiar mansion come into view. I’m finally home.
As we enter the foyer, I stop in my tracks when Bobby Shields emerges from the shadows.
Damian hisses and glares at his head of security. “What the fuck? How was he allowed in?”
I don’t hear what the head of security stammers out as Bobby’s gaze immediately zeroes in on me, his expression unreadable.
“Alexis,” he says, his deep voice rumbling. “I need to speak with you. Alone.”
Damian immediately stops bitching out his security, and I glance at him, bracing myself. I know my father won’t leave until he’s had his say, and the look in his eyes tells me this won’t be an easy conversation.
Damian steps in front of me protectively. “I’ll join you,” he insists.
I place a hand on Damian’s arm, shaking my head. “No, it’s alright. I can handle this.”
Turning to Bobby, I speak in a measured tone. “I’ll speak with you. Alone.”
Damian doesn’t look convinced, but a sharp look from Bobby and a nod from Nat convince him otherwise. “Fine,” he grumbles, “but if it lasts longer than ten minutes, I’m busting down the door.”
I guide Bobby into the sun room, softly closing the door behind me.
The tension in the air is palpable as we face each other, the years of distance and unspoken history weighing heavily between us. I gaze at his face, finding traces of myself in him—the hazel eyes, the slope of our nose, the high cheekbones…
I’m not even sure where to begin with this man. I haven’t seen him since I was a small child. But he seems to sense my hesitation, and he takes the first step.
“You look so much like your mother,” he says, his deep voice tinged with emotion. “Your mother… I loved her more than anything in this world. And you…” He pauses, his brow furrowing. “You were the light of my life.”
The raw sincerity in his words catches me off guard, and I feel a lump forming in my throat.
“Why don’t I remember you?” I ask in a whisper. “You… you weren’t around.”
Bobby sighs, suddenly looking much older. “It was dangerous,” he admits. “As the Don, I have a target on my back at all times. That includes my loved ones.” He meets my gaze, his hazel eyes filled with regret. “I was trying to keep you and your mother safe by keeping my distance. But I never stopped thinking about you, my darling girl. Not a day went by that I didn’t wonder how you were, if you were safe and happy.
“When I was told you and your mother had died…” Bobby shakes his head, a pained expression crossing his face. “It devastated me. I thought I'd lost everything.”
I open my mouth, wanting to ask the question that’s been weighing on my mind. “But how could you have believed Vincente? Without even seeing…” I trail off, unable to finish the sentence.
Bobby grimaces, his jaw tightening. “The grief,” he says simply. “It clouded my judgment. I never looked closely at the body of the child Vinny produced. I just… assumed it was you.”
I feel a shudder run through me at the implication. To have lost us so completely, only to find out later that it was all a lie? I can only imagine the pain and anguish he must have felt.
“But The Brotherhood,” I say, something about this not adding up. “How do they play into this if Vincente was the one who started the rift between Invicta and the Iacopellis?”
A ghost of a frown plays across Bobby’s face. “Vinny Iacopelli and Mario Rafa have been conspiring for years,” Bobby says. “It’s why they pushed Damian and Scarlett to be together.”
My heart lurches at the mention of Scarlett Rafa, her cold blue eyes and twisted smile flashing in my mind. I can almost feel the cool knife blade on my tongue as Scarlett taunted me, threatening to cut it off.
“When your foster family tried to sell you…” Bobby spits the word out as if it were poison. “Vinny Iacopelli was there and let Mario know who you were. That’s why The Brotherhood pursued you so badly. They knew having you would bring me to my knees.”
My head is swimming with all this new information. “But how did you find out I was alive?”
“Our intel heard about this girl The Brotherhood was pursuing. Some fucking Brotherhood soldier couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Once I saw your picture, I knew who you were and I did my best to find you.”
I freeze, remembering how the gun felt against my temple. “The soldier…” I whisper. “He–he was trying to rescue me?”
Bobby scowls, his face turning truly thunderous. “No,” he says shortly. “No. That soldier was disloyal and has been eliminated.”
The thought should terrify me, that the soldier was planning on doing something horrible to me, but I find that I’m more annoyed than anything else.
