Keep it Together

Mantovani's P.O.V.

I needed to clear my. Most importantly, I had to leave that house before I snapped.

I didn’t know why I was driving to Conti’s, but I needed to talk to someone. My father had sent me to pick up his new wife and her daughter, Candice, this morning. He told me to behave, hide the mafia side, and act like the perfect older brother—the same lecture I’d heard too many times.

I was already mad about it all, so I made a dumb plan last night. I wanted to make Candice’s life miserable, to make her regret entering our world. I couldn’t kill anymore because of rules. Torturing was my only escape. But now, because of Candice, I had to pretend to be good.

But when I saw her, everything crumbled.

Last night, Conti warned me I’d be teaching at her school. I should have known she was a teenager. But I didn’t listen. I was too annoyed to care. My plan to torment her turned to ash the moment I laid eyes on her.

This morning, while I was deep in business talk with Mariano, I caught sight of Candice through the window. She stepped into the garden, standing quietly among the lilies. She wiped at her eyes, looking fragile and soft—too much like someone who didn’t belong in this harsh world.

When Dad called me to meet her, I turned, ready to be cold and distant. But the moment I saw her, all that changed. Those beautiful green eyes locked onto mine, and for a second, I forgot everything else.

She wasn’t the spoiled brat I’d imagined. She was hot!

Her messy dark curls framed a face that looked tired but real. The oversized sweatshirt hung loosely on her, and her pouty lips gave her an innocent, vulnerable look that hit me harder than any punch.

My stomach twisted, and worse—something deeper, darker inside me stirred. I hadn’t been touched in years. I didn’t care about women. But one look from her made me feel like a wild animal trapped in a cage.

The thoughts in my head weren’t right. They weren’t brotherly. They were twisted and wrong. She was too young, too innocent... and she was my stepsister.

That was why I ran from the house like a coward, my hands gripping the wheel as I drove like a man possessed, trying to drown the disgusting hunger clawing at my mind.

I reached Conti’s house after fifteen minutes, slammed the car door shut, and pounded on the door like a madman. After a few seconds, Jane opened it.

“Mantovani? You okay?” she asked with a soft voice.

I didn’t like it when people called me “Ro.” Only Conti did that when we were kids. But I swallowed my irritation and forced a polite nod.

“Need to talk to Conti.”

“Of course, come in,” she said, stepping aside.

Conti’s house was always warm and comfortable, unlike my cold mansion. I walked straight into the living room and sat on my usual spot, the couch they kept just for me. My chest tightened remembering old times, but I pushed the feeling away. I wasn’t here to get sentimental.

Conti walked in with two glasses of wine, Jane right behind him. They didn’t ask questions, just handed me a glass. They knew me too well.

“So, who pissed you off this early?” Conti grinned as he settled beside me.

I didn’t bother hiding it. “Candice. I met her today. I had this whole plan of making her life hell just to entertain myself. But then I saw her, and the plan went to shit.”

Conti raised a brow. “Mantovani… she’s a kid.”

“Don’t interrupt me,” I snapped, then sighed. “I know. I realised it after seeing her. Father doesn’t want her to know anything about our business, and I get it now. She’s just a kid.”

But I didn’t tell him everything. I didn’t mention the worst part. The part where my mind drifted into places it never should have gone.

Conti leaned back, shaking his head. “I told you yesterday. She’s a senior, Mantovani. She’s nineteen. Still a damn kid.”

I clenched the glass tighter. Conti was right, but it didn’t change the fact that my brain betrayed me in the most shameful way possible.

He kept talking, voice softer now. “She’s not part of our mess, Mantovani. She’s just a teenager who got dragged into this.”

I looked at him, ready to tell him the truth, but my chest tightened when I saw the excitement on his face.

“I mean, she’s our sister now,” Conti said, smiling. “Yours and mine. Finally, a little sister. I always wanted one, but instead, I got stuck with you.”

I gave him a dry glare, but he just laughed.

He went on, voice full of hope. “We’ll protect her, teach her self-defence, maybe even let her join the business when she’s old enough… if she wants to. She deserves a normal life, Mantovani.”

I stayed quiet. Conti didn’t understand. He never saw what I saw, never felt what I felt just by looking at her. He wanted to protect her, and all I could think about was claiming her.

Conti’s eyes lit up, already planning ways to spoil her. He missed his little sister, and I knew Candice had filled that hole in his heart without even meeting him.

I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t ruin this hope he finally had. Maybe one day I’d get rid of these dirty thoughts, bury them deep and never let them see the light of day.

But one thing was clear- no one would hurt Candice...

Not even me...