Chapter-2 Ready

                                                           Nico

“The jet is ready, capo,” I rubbed my face, fighting the exhaustion that threatened to get the best of me, and turned my eyes to Caelian, his expression impassive as always.

Caelian Rizza was my underboss—my right-hand man and the only person I could truly call a friend. I trusted him implicitly. Despite his rugged, bad-boy exterior, he was a very calm person. Like me, life had put him through the wringer. 

“Good,” I nodded. “We will be ready to leave in fifteen. Any news yet?” Caelian’s expression turned somber as he gave me a small nod. But before he could speak, the door opened and Domani, my advisor, and my next most trusted man after Caelian walked in, his expression dark.

“Morning capo,” he murmured, giving me a bow of his head.

“Any news?” I repeated, my eyes flitting between the two.

“The stolen shipment was tracked,” Caelian said. “But...”

“But?” I demanded, and looking at their expressions, I knew whatever came out of his mouth wouldn’t be good.

“They were all destroyed,” Domain replied instead, looking pissed. “There was nothing that could have been salvaged.”

“How much is the loss?” I could feel Domani and Caelian shift uncomfortably.

“Say it...” I hissed, meeting their gaze. “How much?”

“There were two million dollars worth of cocaine in there...” Caelian answered. “The estimated damage is around three million...” I closed my eyes and started to count to three to simmer down the rage that erupted through me.

“We are looking into this,” Domani said hurriedly. “We will soon find out who is behind this.”

“This is the third shipment that was destroyed in two months,” I said, shooting both of them a glare. “And your excuse is that you are looking into this?”

“We...we will soon find out,” he murmured. “We will surely have something soon...”

“I want answers, and I want them immediately. If another shipment is destroyed...” I warned, glaring at them.

“I will get my best men on this...once we get back...”

“Now...” I said, trying to keep my calm because Domani was much older than me, and I respected him. “I want you to get on it...NOW.”

“Yes, capo,” Domani murmured and then hurried out, slamming the door shut behind him. I let out a hiss and almost reached out to pour myself a damn drink. However, it was too early in the morning, and I didn’t want to give Gianna more reasons to be disgusted with me. Though I believe that ship sailed a long time ago.

Especially after last night.

“We will take care of this,” Caelian added after a beat. “You should focus on other, more important matters.”

“Yeah, I have several meetings lined up as soon as we get back,” I sighed. “And then there’s the party tomorrow...”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, giving me a look. I raised a brow at him, not quite liking how his caramel eyes studied me.

“Then what do you mean?” I demanded, lighting a cigarette.

“I meant Gianna…” he said. “And your marriage. You canceled the honeymoon? I figured you could’ve taken a few days. I thought you trusted me to handle things while you were gone, Nico.”

Right. Here comes the holy Caelian wisdom.

“This is not about not trusting you,” I said flatly. “This is too grave a situation, not just with the financial losses but the fact that someone dared to mess with my business, mess with Baldocchi's trade. We need to find out who the motherfucker is,”

“And that couldn’t wait a few days?” Caelian said, and I sure as hell did not like his tone.

“No Caelian...it cannot wait,” I hissed. “And don’t worry about Gianna. She is mature enough to understand her husband’s line of work. Her brothers are on the same ship, if you remember.”

“I guess that explains why you slept on the couch,” he muttered under his breath, glancing at the duvet and pillows lying on the couch. I clenched my jaw and threw him a glare in response.

“Is there anything else you want to report?” I demanded tartly. Caelian's lips pressed into a thin line, and he shook his head.

“No,”

“Good, then please see that the jet is ready for us,” I said, and my tone was dismissive enough that he silently turned on his heels and left. As soon as he disappeared, I let out a hiss. Caelian did test my patience sometimes.

Grimacing, I got up to see if Gianna was ready. Earlier, when I went to grab my clothes, she was still asleep, curled in the duvet. I had paused briefly to watch her. But something about her made me uncomfortable and so I quickly left. The thought was unnerving. She was one tiny person after all. 

I made a face and just as I was about to knock on the bedroom door, it opened, and her dark eyes blinked back at me, looking a bit startled. She had eyes like Bambi, so big and beautiful. And innocent. Yes, it was that beguiling innocence of hers that tied me up in knots.

In all honesty, Gianna Ammassari was devastatingly beautiful. But not the kind you see in magazines and movies. The kind that reminds you of warm sunlight on a cold day, of hope and happiness, and that everything was good and pure in this world.

She was light itself, illuminating everything she touched. I was the shadow that consumed without mercy.

The two can never work together. If I allowed myself to get close to her, I might end up destroying that childlike pureness about her. She seemed so fragile, like a glass sculpture meant to be admired but never touched—beautiful, yet heartbreakingly vulnerable. And I knew I had every quality in me to shatter that glass into a million pieces.

“Good morning,” Gianna said in that soft, twinkling voice of hers, distracting me from my glum thoughts. 

She was dressed simply in a pastel halter-neck dress and, as always, she looked graceful and feminine. She reminded me of cherry blossoms in their full bloom for some reason.

Gianna was the beloved, pampered younger sister of Don Leonardo and Xavier Ammassari, the leaders of the Ammassari family. And two of the most powerful men in Italy. The Ammassari and Baldocchi families had been fierce rivals, locked in a power struggle until two years ago when the peace treaty was signed, and this marriage between Gianna and me was arranged to seal it. 

“Good morning,” I nodded. As always, an awkward silence settled between us, neither of us knowing what to say. 

“Did you sleep well?” I asked, anything to end the suffocating silence. She gave me a look in response.

“Yes,” Gianna muttered, nevertheless. “You? That couch seems a bit too small to fit someone your size.” 

“It was okay, and I can work just fine without sleep,” I said. “Are you ready to leave? The jet is ready.” She gave me a nod.

“Sure,”

“You should get something to eat first,” I muttered. “I will order breakfast. What would you like?”

“Thank you, but I am good,” Gianna said. “We can leave.

“You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday,” I pointed out.

“It’s okay, Nico. I am fine,” she said. “We should hurry. You have meetings to attend later on. I will get my things.”

I fought the scowl that threatened to creep out as she headed inside to get her stuff. I sometimes hated how understanding she was. It would make me feel better if she lashed out at me a bit. Then I could get to be an asshole without feeling the niggling guilt.

Gianna was silent, staring out of the window as we headed to the airport. We had stayed back in Tuscany for one night while my jet was getting serviced before the flight. Domani and Caelian were in the car behind us while the black Cadillac Escalade in front was occupied by armed security.

“I am sorry to have to cancel the er...honeymoon,” I muttered as we reached the tarmac. Gianna finally turned to face me, and it was a bit distracting when her full, plump lips pulled into a small smile.

“You have already apologized before,” she said. “And as I had said, I understand. Do what you need to do, the trip can wait.” 

“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “Your understanding means a lot.”

“Regardless of the circumstances and the truth about us, I am your wife, Nico. I must understand you and your needs. And if you need time to take care of things, that’s completely okay,” Gianna said, her eyes filled with sincerity.

How was I supposed to respond to that?

“We’re here,” I said instead, quickly climbing out of the car before I felt any shittier. Keeping my face blank and making sure that the cold, deadly mask I wear every day was in place, I walked over to open her door.

Domani, Caelian, and a few of my other men, along with the airline staff, were waiting for us by the airstairs, and everyone except the first two seemed eager for the newlyweds to arrive.

“They are waiting to welcome us,” I said, opening my arms for her.

Gianna glanced at me, and as our eyes met, the unspoken understanding between us immediately made her shift into my embrace. There was somehow no explanation needed. We both understood our part and the story we needed to portray to the world—

That we were in love and this marriage was not a strategic move, but a love so powerful that it brought two deadly rivals to end decades of rivalry.

At least that’s what the tabloids said. Inwardly shaking my head, I gently placed my hand on the small of her back and gazed down at her.

“Ready?” I asked, my voice softening involuntarily. Gianna looked up at me and nodded.

“Ready.”