Page 58 of Useless Love

My heart is breaking.

“Your fucking sister,” Father grumbles to himself. “You need to get the date set so this game can end. We can’t afford to have the Satta organization hear you are running around town with Carmine Gaudino. Plus, I won’t pretend it would devestate me if Arianna does kill all the Gaudinos from the inside. I didn’t tell her to do that, but she’s a wildcard. Who knows with her.” He smirks to himself, with a hint of pride for Ari crossing his face. He glances at me. “Go tell everyone to prepare to play games tonight so Carmine doesn’t suspect the swap. You’ve done a great job, princess. He seems smitten and ready, you just need to get him to the altar and we need to keep him away from your fucking sister. Then this will all be over and you won’t have to be so stressed. Sound good?”

I nod, but I still feel faint. I hurry from his office and run to my room to cry. I knew it was a longshot, but I had to ask. I really want to be with Carmine but…I guess that’s not my future. But more than that, why does Father suspect Ari would try to kill the Gaudinos? She never told me that. Could she really have that plan? I can’t bear the thought of her killing Carmine. I would never forgive her. Never.

Where is she? I need to speak with my twin.

CHAPTER 18 —LIES & DECEIT

Arianna

In Brooklyn, I’m down on all fours, enjoying the long strokes of Jermaine’s cock, when I hear my phone buzzing.

Who the fuck is it? And why do they keep calling.

The person won’t stop calling, so I order Jermaine to take a break even though I was close to finishing. You never know when war is back on or if someone is dead, so I should probably answer the phone. Father, Gaia, and Uncle Agostini have all called and texted me while Jermaine was filling my pussy.

Damn, this shit can’t be good.

“You gotta go?” Jermaine asks, scowling at me. “Not until you finish me.”

I sigh. “Sorry. It’s my family, I have to—”

Jermaine slams me against a wall and pulls my hair backward. “I said, not until you finish me.”

Unfortunately, I’m naked and don’t have a weapon nearby, or else I’d kill this asshole. Instead, I let him finish fucking me until he cums. Then I wipe the mess away and start dressing.

Fucking asshole.

Once I’m outside Jermaine’s apartment, I text Father back first because Gaia can fucking wait. Father demands a chat before Mother’s celebration, so he wants me to get home ASAP.

Well, he can fucking wait too. Uncle Agostini lives in Brooklyn, so I decided to pop by. If Father is just going to yell at me about something, I want to spend time with someone in the family who actually likes me first.

I’m relatively close to Uncle Agostini. I come and go from his home pretty frequently without getting announced. But this time when I arrive, I see something that knocks the wind out of me.

He’s standing in the living room, not yet noticing me, and he’s talking to a man. But not just any man—it’s a fucking guard that works for Sal Gaudino. The son of a bitch that killed Luca before my very eyes.

What the fuck is going on?

“Hi Uncle,” I said loudly. All eyes are now fixed on me.

Uncle grins at me, giving me a hug. “Arianna, you’ve come to pay your uncle a visit. That’s great.”

I hug him back but he isn’t fooling me. I just saw something I wasn’t supposed to—my uncle talking to the man who killed Luca.

“Seems you’re busy,” I say, giving him a sweet smile. “I’ll just grab a drink so you can finish up with your guest.”

Not waiting for his reply, I head to the kitchen and pour myself a lemonade. Then I pour some whiskey for Uncle and the other man. Before I leave the kitchen, I pull a small vial out of my pocket and dump it into one of the whiskey glasses.

Upon my return to the living room, I offer them the drinks. They accept, happily drinking their whiskey. I linger in the corner, watching. As they finish up, they seem to be speaking in clipped tones, aware of my presence.

“We all want peace. Too much blood has spread,” Agostini adds, glancing at me.

Liar. I love my uncle, but it’s clear he’s a fucking traitor. How could he? I sip my lemonade, hoping that will settle my stomach. This was a shock I wasn’t expecting today.

Luca’s killer finally leaves, and I wait patiently for Agostini to speak.

He faces me, aware that I’m onto him. “It’s not what you think, sweetheart.” Agostini calmly assures me.

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