Chapter 4

SHADOW FROM THE PAST

Pov: Carmela Carlo

I couldn't sleep that night. I hadn't expected to, not after everything that had happened. The thoughts of Xavier's words still echoed in my mind, and the weight of them refused to leave. He was right about one thing: this was never just about his mother's surgery, not for me. It was always about control. About making sure that I stayed one step ahead.

But now... now there was something else I couldn't ignore. A feeling I hadn't asked for. The way his eyes lingered on me, the way he pushed back against me when I needed to be in control.

The way he didn't seem afraid of me.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, trying to push the thoughts away. But they wouldn't leave me. There was no denying it: Xavier had burrowed himself into my thoughts in a way I hadn't anticipated.

And then, like clockwork, my phone buzzed.

I picked it up without thinking. Leo.

I stared at the name for a moment, my finger hovering over the screen. The memories rushed back, uninvited, like a flood. Leo Ventresca. The name alone felt like a threat.

Leo and I hadn't spoken in years. I hadn't wanted to speak to him after everything that had happened. Yet here he was, like a ghost from my past, slipping into my present with no warning.

I opened the message. It was short, to the point.

"I'm in town. We need to talk."

I let out a slow breath, feeling the familiar anger creep in. The last time I had seen Leo, I had been seventeen, and we had been standing on opposite sides of an argument I couldn't even fully understand at the time. Our families had always been tied to one another through blood, but after that night... things changed.

It wasn't that Leo and I had ever been close-he had always been a few years older than me, and we had spent much of our childhoods running in different circles-but there was a connection, a strange bond forged by our shared history, by the fact that our families' destinies were intertwined. He had been more than just a childhood friend. He had been my... almost fiancé, in a way, even if we had never spoken about it.

The thought of Leo still made my skin crawl. I should have deleted the message. Blocked him. Told him to stay the hell away. But instead, I found myself typing out a response without even thinking.

"What do you want?"

Almost immediately, his reply came.

"To remind you of your place."

I felt the coldness of his words even through the screen. Leo was never one to play games. He didn't have the patience for them. If he was coming back into my life, it could only mean one thing: he was here for something. And if Leo Ventresca wanted something, it was never good for anyone else.

I sighed and put the phone down, running a hand through my hair. I couldn't avoid him forever. Not with the pressure mounting from all sides. My father, Vincenzo, was growing impatient with my leadership. He didn't trust my decisions, and I could see his eyes on me-watching, waiting for me to slip.

And then there was Xavier.

I hadn't expected to feel anything when I'd hired him. He was just another pawn in my game. But somehow, he had begun to turn that game upside down. And Leo... Leo was someone who could turn everything I had worked for into dust with a single word.

The next day, I met Leo at the usual place-outside a small, forgotten café in the heart of the city. The one place that neither of us had ever dared to forget.

When I arrived, he was already there, leaning against a brick wall, his hands casually shoved into the pockets of his dark coat. His presence felt like a weight in the air-heavy, unrelenting.

"Carmela," he greeted me coolly, his gaze narrowing as he took me in. "You haven't changed."

I didn't respond, choosing instead to stare at him, letting the silence stretch between us. Leo was the same as I remembered-tall, dark-haired, his sharp features chiseled as if carved from stone. But now there was a hardness to him, a coldness that hadn't been there before. His once easy smile had turned into something more dangerous, more calculated.

"I've changed," I said flatly, my voice betraying none of the emotions swirling inside me. "And so, have you."

Leo chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Always so serious, Carmela. You think you're in control, don't you?"

"I am in control," I replied, my voice steady, though I could feel the tension building. "But you've always liked to think otherwise, haven't you?"

He didn't deny it. Instead, he pushed off from the wall, taking a step closer. The space between us felt too small, but I didn't step back. I refused to give him that power. Not now.

"I never liked how you distanced yourself, Carmela," Leo said, his voice dropping to a softer, more personal tone. "You were never supposed to be a part of this life. Not the way you are now. You were meant for something else... something better."

I tilted my head, looking at him sharply. "Don't pretend like you care."

His eyes darkened, but there was a flicker of something behind them, something I couldn't quite place. "I've always cared. And I still do."

For a moment, I almost believed him. Almost. But then, just like that, the moment passed. And I remembered who Leo was. Who he always had been.

And the danger he represented.

I turned away, my back to him. "Why are you really here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Leo replied, his voice smooth and dangerous. "I'm here to remind you that the Carlo name is mine as much as it is yours. You're playing a dangerous game, Carmela. But we both know you'll need me before this is all over."

Before I could respond, I heard a voice-a familiar one-calling from behind me.

"Carmela."

I froze. Xavier.

He was standing just a few feet away, his posture tense, eyes flicking between Leo and me, sensing the tension in the air. The way Leo and I stood together, so close, was not lost on him.

"Everything alright?" Xavier's voice was casual, but I could hear the edge beneath it.

I didn't turn to face him. I couldn't. Not with Leo standing so close.

"Everything's fine," I said, my voice colder than I intended. "Xavier, this is Leo Ventresca. My... old acquaintance."

Leo's lips curled into a smirk. "Old acquaintances," he repeated, his voice dripping with something dark. "Nice to meet you, Xavier."

Xavier didn't flinch. He simply nodded, but I could see the suspicion in his eyes.

"I'll leave you two to it," he said, his tone stiff, before turning to walk away.

And just like that, the brief, intense moment passed. But the tension between Leo and Xavier lingered, thick and heavy.

Leo's eyes remained fixed on me, his expression unreadable.

"We'll talk again soon, Carmela," he said softly, before turning and walking into the street, leaving me standing there, caught between two worlds.