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I take a threatening step towards Giulio before I recall who I’m talking to. “Your obsession with Sloane is unhealthy.”
“It’s Valentino who has the unhealthy obsession. Why can’t you see I’m trying to save him?”
I stare stubbornly at him, gritting my teeth to prevent what I really want to say from escaping.
“Fine, don’t give me an answer now. We have a few weeks yet to stop Valentino from making the biggest mistake of his life.” Giulio stands and walks around my desk, stopping beside me. “When you come to your senses, I’ll do what I can to aid you.”
“You continue on this route, you’ll only increase the distance between you and your son and reinforce all his reasons for cutting you out of his life.”
Giulio sneers his disappointment at me and walks out. As soon as he leaves, I slump against the door. I’ve never stood up to him before, and with his departure, my bravado seeps out of me.
Once I reassure myself that he won’t return, nervous energy overtakes me. I pace the small confines of the room. Although I played off my reaction for Giulio’s benefit, Valentino’s response when he uncovers what Sloane and I have kept from him concerns me. Civility is a costume Valentino wears for his public image. Underneath, a monster resides. When roused, there is no telling how far he will go or what destruction he will pave.
We may be far from the neighborhood we grew up in, yet distance won’t stop him from declaring war on past insults. Not when Sloane lives with the fallout to this day.
I stare out the window wondering how the hell I will protect everything we’ve fought for when Valentino discovers the secrets Sloane and I have been hiding.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Valentino
Organized chaos dominates the mansion with the team of event planners running around and keeping guests in line. A stream of muted conversations and footsteps fill the first floor as ushers direct people to the south lawn.
Anticipation fills my chest, making it hard to breathe as I watch the caterers finishing the last preparations for the upcoming event. I continue making the rounds, ensuring everything is as perfect as possible, considering the few rogue elements that can derail this moment.
Today’s event will fill the society pages for weeks to come. From the best dressed list to the who’s who of Douglas, readers will devour every piece of gossip that escapes. Someone is bound to violate the non disclosure agreement I require everyone to submit with their invitation.
While the pageantry begins with the guests wearing designer clothes that most of my constituents could never afford in their lifetime, sweat chills my skin under my tuxedo.
The feeling worsens when the voice I’ve dreaded since childhood says, “Do everyone a favor and don’t show up at the altar. It will be tacky, but at least it will save you in the end.”
I unclench my jaw and relax my hands. I will not betray that I know he’s behind the plot to destroy my political future. Feigning ignorance is my only hope for retribution.
Without any sign of my internal turmoil, I face him. “Not this again. I’ve told you to keep your opinion to yourself,” I say as I adjust my cufflinks.
Today of all days, he won’t succeed in getting under my skin.
“Do you really think this farce will save that hood rat from me?” he sneers. “Are you forgetting Sansone’s mother?”
The reminder thrusts me back to the days when I first joined the DeLuca household, where everything was a threat to my friends, their families, and the younger brother I’d just met who mourned his mother’s disappearance the way I mourned mine. I was powerless then, a child with no connections, navigating a dangerous world with unwritten rules. Now, I don’t have to cower beneath the weight of the DeLuca name.
“Unlike your former wife, my wife will have all the protection she needs. And let me be clear, old man, after today, if I see you anywhere near her, our blood won’t save you from my wrath.” I stare into my father’s eyes, emptying my gaze of all emotions.
His indrawn breath tells me he’s glimpsed his death.
“Now you can either witness my nuptials outside or get the hell out of my house before I have you escorted off the property.” I reach for the phone.
After his altercation with Ethan, Giulio won’t risk the embarrassment.
He proves me right by stiffly replying, “Then I’ll warn you to find as much happiness as you can because it won’t last long.”
He departs and I return to my previous activity, overlooking the south lawn from my office, watching the greenery fill with people. I fold my arms to help me hold my residual anger inside. A tugging on my pant leg alerts me to a new presence in the room.
Cielo peers up at me with the most sympathetic look I’ve ever seen coming from an animal.
“Here to work your magic on me?” I pick up the small bundle Tácito introduced into our household. She is the first pet I’ve spent time with, amenable, playful, and with a little vinegar that keeps me amused.
Cielo licks my fingers until I cuddle her. With her in my arms, I turn to contemplate outside again. Her purring soon soothes me. To clear my head further, I picture Sloane. The coldness from my encounter with my father thaws as the promise of our nuptials warms my blood. The clock’s ticking marks the passing time.
