Chapter 3: The Proposal

Alessandro doesn’t come home until three in the morning.

I’m still awake, sitting in the dark of Father’s study surrounded by files that tell me nothing useful. Bank statements, shipping manifests, names I don’t recognize. Whatever Father was hiding, he hid it well.

The front door slams. Then footsteps, uneven and heavy.

I’m down the stairs before I think about it, before I consider what I might find.

Alessandro leans against the wall in the foyer, blood dripping from his nose onto his white shirt. His right eye is swelling shut, and there’s a cut above his eyebrow that needs stitches.

“Jesus.” I’m beside him in seconds, trying to assess the damage. “What happened? Who did this?”

He pushes me away, gentle but firm. “I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding all over the marble.”

“It’s our marble. I can bleed on it if I want.” He tries to smile and winces. “You should see the other guy.”

“Sandro.”

“The meeting with Valentis.” He finally looks at me, and there’s something broken in his good eye. Something that makes my stomach drop. “It went about as well as expected.”

“They did this to you?”

“Matteo did. Luca’s uncle.” He touches his ribs and sucks in a breath. “I wanted to make a point about respect. About what happens when Romanos forget their place.”

I can feel rage building in my chest, hot and dangerous. “We’re supposed to be allies now. The contract…”

“The contract makes you Luca’s property. It doesn’t make us equals.” He pushes off the wall, stumbles slightly. “Come on. Help me upstairs before the staff sees.”

I get him to his room, clean the blood off his face with more force than necessary. He doesn’t complain, just sits there taking it like penance.

“Tell me everything,” I say, dabbing at the cut above his eye.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Alessandro.”

He’s quiet for so long I think he won’t answer. Then, “They laid out the terms. The real terms, not the sanitized version in the contract. You marry Luca in three weeks. You move into his house. You cut ties with the Romano family except for supervised visits.”

“Supervised.”

“Luca’s orders.” Alessandro’s voice goes flat. “You’re not allowed contact with me, with Mother, with anyone from our organization without his permission. You can’t leave his property without an escort. You can’t make calls, send messages, nothing. You’ll be his wife, Elena. His possession.”

The cotton swab in my hand drips red onto the floor.

“And you agreed to this?”

“What choice did I have?” He looks up at me, and I see it now. The defeat. The resignation. “They have us cornered. The other families are waiting for us to show weakness, any excuse to move in. Without the Valenti alliance, we’re dead. With it…” He swallows hard. “With it, at least you might survive.”

“Might.”

“I asked him.” Alessandro’s voice cracks. “I asked Luca what he wanted with you. What his intentions were.”

“And?”

“He laughed. Said intentions were for people who had the luxury of choice.” He grabs my wrist, holds tight. “Elena, listen to me. You can’t do this. I’ll find another way, I swear. I’ll sell everything, make deals with the families in Naples, something. But you can’t marry him.”

“Why not?”

“Because he told me what Father did.” The words come out in a rush. “Ten years ago, there was a territorial dispute. Father and Giovanni Valenti, Luca’s father. They were supposed to meet, negotiate terms. But Father…” He closes his eyes. “Father didn’t go to negotiate. He went to send a message.”

My hands go cold. “What kind of message?”

“The kind written in blood. Giovanni Valenti and his youngest son, Marco. Sixteen years old, Elena. Father had them both killed. Made it look like a rival family, but the Valentis found out the truth. And Luca…” Alessandro opens his eyes, and there’s pure fear in them. “Marco was Luca’s baby brother. He found the body himself.”

The room tilts.

“Luca doesn’t want a wife,” Alessandro continues, voice barely above a whisper. “He wants revenge. He told me himself. Said he’s going to break you piece by piece, make you suffer for every day his brother didn’t get to live. And when he’s done, when there’s nothing left of you, he’ll destroy what’s left of our family just to make sure the Romano name dies with Father.”

I should sit down. Should process this. But my legs have locked, my body refusing to accept what my brain already knows.

This isn’t a marriage. It’s an execution.

“We have to run.” Alessandro stands, grabs my shoulders. “Tonight. I have money hidden, contacts in Milan. We take Mother and disappear. Change our names, start over somewhere Father’s sins can’t reach us.”

“And leave everything? Everyone?”

“What’s everything worth if you’re dead?”

He’s right. I know he’s right. Every logical part of my brain is screaming at me to run, to get as far from Luca Valenti as possible.

But…..

“If we run, the families move in. Our people, the ones who depend on us, what happens to them?”

“Elena…”

“What happens to them, Sandro?”

He drops his hands, steps back. “They suffer. They lose everything. Some of them will probably die.”

“So we trade their lives for mine.”

“Yes.” He says it without hesitation. “Because you’re my sister, and I can’t watch you walk into hell wearing a wedding dress.”

I think about Luca’s eyes at the funeral. Cold and calculating and completely empty of mercy. I think about his smile when he threatened my family, the casual way he promised to break me.

I think about Father, bleeding out in his bed while someone who should have been loyal stood by and watched.

“No,” I say finally.

“Elena…”

“No.” Louder this time. “I’m not running. I’m not abandoning our people because Father’s sins are catching up to us. And I’m not letting Luca Valenti think he’s won.”

“This isn’t a game you can win.”

“Maybe not.” I walk to the window, look out at the grounds Father used to patrol like a general surveying his kingdom. “But I’m not going to lose lying down. If Luca wants to break me, he’s going to have to work for it. And while he’s busy trying to destroy me, I’m going to figure out who really killed Father and why.”

“You think Luca lied about that too?”

“I think everyone’s lying about something.” I turn back to face him. “Three weeks, Sandro. That’s what we have. Use them. Find out everything you can about the Valentis, about their business, their enemies, their weaknesses. I’ll do the same from the inside.”

“And if you can’t find a way out?”

I don’t answer because we both know the truth. If I can’t find a way out, I’ll die trying.

Alessandro crosses to me, pulls me into a hug that hurts with how tight he holds on. “I’m sorry,” he whispers into my hair. “I’m so fucking sorry, Elena.”

“I know.”

“If I could take your place…”

“You can’t.” I pull back, make myself smile even though it feels like my face might crack. “But you can help me survive it. Deal?”

He nods, even though we both know survival might not be possible.

“Deal.”

After he’s asleep, I go back to Father’s study. This time, I’m not looking for evidence. I’m looking for weapons.

If Luca Valenti wants war, I’ll give him one.

And may God have mercy on us both.