Chapter five

Alessandro Caruso

The club lights bled red and gold through the smoke, flashing across faces that meant nothing to me. Music pounded through the walls hard enough to shake the glasss between my fingers, but none of it held my attention.

I sighed and relaxed back in the corner booth overlooking the entire club, one hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey while the other rested lazily against the leather seat. My bored gaze shifted to the women dancing on the stage with hungry smiles….. watching the way their bodies moved under the neon light like they were performing only for me. Every few seconds, one of them would glance my way, lingering just long enough to send an invitation without words.

I was already used to that.

I was already used to how women always looked at me like I was something to own. Something to climb into bed with so they could brag about it later. Some wanted money and some just want power…. Fame!

While others jist wanted the Caruso name tied to theirs.

But the more I looked at those strippers, the more her face kept popping into my head uninvited.

Those sharp dark hazel eyes

Full of hatred she didn’t even bother hiding.

My jaw tightened

And I let out a quiet scoff, swirling the whiskey inside my glass.

One brunette on the stage dragged her fingers slowly down her thigh while holding my gaze like she already imagined herself in my bed. But my sharp gaze snapped to another lady walking past my booth and intentionally brushed her hand against the table.

I ignored all of them and sipped my drink.

My anger still visible.

Because no woman had ever rejected me before. Instead they usually threw themselves willingly at the Caruso name.

But her?

The way she looked at me like I was some dirt on her cloth

A stripper???

And somehow that irritated me more because if not for that old cargo…. She wouldn’t dare stand beside me, talk more of marrying me.

“Damn asshole!” I gritted and took another swallow of whiskey, letting the burn settle in my chest.

“Still brooding alone like an old man?”

I looked up to see Luca Moretti sliding into the booth across from me, with those annoying signature grins.

“You’re late,” I muttered, taking another sip.

“Traffic,” Luca shrugged lazily before stealing the bottle from the table and pouring himself a drink. “Besides, I heard something interesting on my way here.”

I paused and gave him a black stare. “Something like?”

“That the mighty Alessandro Caruso got married by the side of the road this morning.” He chuckled into his glass. “Honestly, I almost drove into a pole.”

I took a slow sip from my drink instead of answering him.

But the idiot doesn’t know when to stop poking. If not that he is my best friend… I could have blasted his head long ago.

He laughed before continuing in his casual teasing voice as if this was funny. “Marco told me. The girl…” he hurled me an amused smirk. “The girl robbed you blind.”

Damn you!

My eyes snapped toward him so sharply his grin faltered for a second.

“I’ll kill that idiot,” I muttered darkly and Luca let out a light cough. “Relax. The whole city won’t explode because one guy opened his mouth and besides, nobody is mocking you.” He leaned back into the booth, his face getting serious. “But honestly, I’m shocked. Drugging your men and disappearing with half a million dollars?” He chuckled and shook his head, impressed. “…..that takes a ball.”

“Yeah,” I sipped my drink with an irritated look. “She drugged five armed men,” I said flatly though I won’t lie…. I was shocked and confused when I first heard that. “And left the club without anyone noticing,”

“So did you get your money?”

Silence.

I sighed and combed my hair backward before muttering. “No,”

Luca looked around confused before his gaze settled back on me. “You know… honestly man, I still can’t understand why you got married to her. I mean…” I shoot him a glare but one thing he doesn’t know when to stop. “I mean five hundred thousand dollars is nothing to you. I was expecting to hear how you blasted her head to the ground or even have her sorry ass rotting in jail but..” he paused and looked at me confused. “You married her,”

“It was just a contract bro. And besides it has been long I had fun,” I shrugged to ease the tension and pulled out my cigarette.

“You always have fun, Alessi so I’m not buying this,”

I watched as he poured himself another drink. “Why do I feel there is more to this,”

I sighed and looked away.

The music downstairs grew louder while lights flickered across Luca’s face. I noticed the way he was watching me carefully when sipping his drink. Those silly grins long forgotten.

I clenched my jaw

and rested my elbow against the table, rubbing my jaw slowly.

“You remember my father left behind locked assets,"I said after a moment.

And Luca frowned slightly. “You already own half the damn city, bro.”

“But not those assets!”

Luca flinched a little and I sighed, hating how my voice rolled out rougher than I intended.

I ran my hand exhaustively over my face, hating all of this.

Even thinking about the old man disgusts me more.

After his death, we got to found out that he personally sealed everything as if he knew he was going to die. He sealed everything, including the houses overseas. Accounts no one could touch. Private vaults hidden under the Caruso name. But none of that mattered as much as what sat inside them.

The Ledger.

Just hearing that name growing up was enough to make grown men lower their voices.

A collection of files powerful enough to destroy governments. Judges bought for decades. Politicians with blood on their hands. Offshore accounts tied to names the public worshipped. Every dirty secret my father ever collected on the people who sat above the law so as to control them all.

Insurance

That’s what he used to call it.

But to me… it’s just control disguised as paper.

I stared into my whiskey quietly. “Whoever owns that ledger owns fear. And you know, I only got to have access to that after eight months of legally married,” I sighed lazily like it was the craziest thing I have ever heard. Well, it was. “….I guess, that’s his final lesson about responsibility,”

I leaned back into the booth, my face tightened into a bitter smile. “Without the ledger, I’m powerful. But with it….” My eyes lifted toward him as I puffed out a smoke. “I became untouchable,”

Not even from my rivals

The politicians or even the batards waiting for me to slip off.

Nobody…… I mean nobody dares stand before me with that ledger in my hand.

Luca exhaled lowly before taking another drink. “So why not marry your fiancée? Problem solved.”

What!

I shoot him a sharp glare.

“Gianna is my mother’s arrangement,” I said coldly. “Not mine,”

“But she comes from a powerful family.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that.” I snarled, the word tumbling out sharper than the glass in my hand.

Luca let out a deep sigh. “You know your mother, Rosalia is going to burn down the whole place if she hears this news,”

I gave him a side glare and laughed. “I don’t give a damn what that woman does,”

“She is your mother, Alessi,”

His words pierced me but I quickly waved them away. “Just the title,” I gave him a withering look. “She is not worthy of that name.” Luca exhaled, concern written all over his face. “This is not going to be easy. And what about her?”

I arched my brow

“You know she doesn’t belong to our world. She doesn’t even know how we operate here. Isn’t this you endangering her life,” he said and a wicked smirk curled up my face.

I whistled slowly and leaned forward. “She should have thought of that before stealing from me.” I pinned my dark stare on him. “Alessandro Caruso, doesn’t run a charity organization and you should know well by now that concern is not my thing.” He blinked and my smile widened. “What’s the fun knowing I’m coming back to enjoy after a long day? Knowing I have my play thing at home…. a toy to mess with.”

He shook his head unbelievably and narrowed his gaze. “Then what happens after eight months?”

I shrugged and leaned back. “I will decide what to do with her after then.”