Chapter 151

ArmaniI told Drisana where I was going.I didn’t tell her why she shouldn’t come with me. She didn’t ask either. She stood at the front door, watching me put on my coat.“Armani,” her soft voice made me pause. I looked at her.“Please don’t do anything you can’t take back.”Her words followed me all the way to Enzo’s estate.The drive was quiet. No security convoy. Just me.I wanted it that way.This wasn’t a family matter. It wasn’t a succession matter. It wasn’t something I wanted discussed around a table by men who had spent decades turning blood into business.It was between Enzo and me.When I arrived, one of the guards recognized me and opened the gates without question.I walked through the house alone.Enzo was in his study.He looked up when I entered.Neither of us said anything for a moment. Then his gaze dropped to the ledger in my hand. Something changed in his expression.Recognition.I placed it on the table between us. The sound of leather meeting wood seemed louder

Chapter 152

ArmaniThe same room had held my succession ceremony less than three weeks ago.There had been pride in this room when I was named Don. Tonight, there was judgment.Every capo had arrived.Some sat with their hands folded over the table. Others leaned back, their expressions unreadable. A few avoided looking directly at Enzo.He stood alone at the far end of the room.No guards beside him. No family members. No position to hide behind. For the first time in my life, he looked like what he had become.A man standing without the protection of his own name.I sat at the head of the table.My hands rested against the arms of the chair. I hadn’t slept.Not after Vittorio’s call, the message that followed, or even after learning the ruling circle had already been informed before I could decide what to do with the truth.I had wanted a private reckoning.Instead, I had been given a room full of men who expected me to decide what happened to my father.Not my biological father.The other one

Chapter 153

Drisana I came to the meeting because I was worried about Armani.That was the only reason.I had insisted on coming with him, even when he told me I didn’t have to. I knew what he was walking into. I knew what it meant to sit in that room and decide the fate of the man who had raised him.So I waited in one of the smaller offices down the hall while the ruling circle met.I told myself I was giving him space.The truth was, I was afraid of what I might see on his face when it was over.I didn’t know how long I had been sitting there when the door finally opened. I stood immediately. He stepped inside.My heart sank.He looked exhausted. Not simply tired. Exhausted in a way that made him look as though he had spent the entire week awake, carrying something far heavier than him and refusing to put it down.I crossed the room before I could think better of it.“Oh, dear.” I reached for his face, cupping his cheek. “Are you alright?”

Chapter 154

DrisanaI stared at Raj’s name on my phone for several seconds before finally pressing call.It rang twice.Then he answered.“Drisana.”His voice sounded different. I hadn’t heard it in weeks. I had heard it in my head often enough.There had always been something comforting about his voice when I was younger.Something familiar.Safe.Now, I wasn’t sure what to feel when I heard it.There was a long silence.I sat down on the edge of the bed. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then Raj exhaled.“I owe you the truth.”I closed my eyes.“Yes.”And this time, he gave it to me.He told me about Priya.About meeting her when she was already pregnant and running from a life she could no longer remain in.He told me how frightened she had been.How little he understood about what she had escaped from and how he had agreed to take her in. How he had eventually become the father I knew.Then came the

Chapter 155

DrisanaA year could change everything.I knew that now.A year ago, I had been living in the east wing of the Rossi estate, convincing myself that the distance between my bedroom and my husband’s was exactly what I needed.Today, I stood on the porch with a cup of tea in my hands, watching my husband chase our son across the courtyard.And I couldn’t stop smiling.Luca was almost two now.He had recently discovered that running was much more fun when his parents were trying to catch him.His little legs carried him across the courtyard with absolutely no sense of direction. His laughter echoed through the estate.“Luca!”Armani was right behind him.Or trying to be.Our son suddenly changed direction.Armani stopped so quickly that he nearly stumbled. Luca squealed with delight.“Again!”I laughed. Armani looked toward me.“Come on, don’t do that. You are encouraging him.”“I didn’t say anything.”“You’re

Chapter 156

DrisanaThree years.That was how long it had been since Armani and I had signed a contract that was never supposed to become a marriage in anything but name.Three years since I had sat across from him and agreed to rules I was certain I could follow.No expectations.No promises.And most importantly, no falling in love.Looking around the garden now, I almost laughed at the thought.String lights hung between the trees, glowing softly against the evening sky. Music played somewhere near the terrace.Agnes was arguing with Marcus about whether he had eaten enough.Charlotte was sitting beside her, laughing at something on her phone.Luca was running around the garden with absolutely no interest in staying clean.And Armani stood near the table, watching all of us with a glass in his hand.Marcus suddenly raised his glass.“I’d like to make a toast.”Several people groaned.“No one asked,” Charlotte said.Marc