Page 69 of Isle of Beauty

“He’s not. Stop! Stop this. This insane hate you have for Alessio cost me a parent, it cost me a childhood and it could have cost me my wife. If you love me, I beg you, please stop. Let me make my own choices.”

My knuckles blanches where they grip the steering wheel.

She sighs. “Fine. You’re a grown man. If you want to turn into your father, that’s your prerogative. But that marriage to the Moretti girl makes you head of the Moretti and the Bartoli empires. You’re Luc’s heir as well. Now we can grow like we were always supposed to. I told your uncle as much.”

“When did you speak to Luc?”

I’m alarmed that she’s so casual with talks of expansion for what I’m sure she thinks can be the Pierce Empire, supplied by the Moretti-Bartoli allyship and product. I thought she never wanted to be back into this life.

“I speak to him everyday, dear. And it’s becoming clearer for us that this alliance will be beneficial.”

“Is that what you want? Me leading three criminal empires. I thought you hated the mafia.”

“This was never about the mafia. You went back to Kalliste without consulting me, without consulting Luc who practically raised you. You trained with your father to step up, correct?”

I don’t answer because I’m not sure who she is right now. She clicks her tongue but her disappointment doesn’t sting as much as it used to.

“Now, if you’re done breaking the heart of the person who gave you everything, I’m late for brunch with the mayor’s wife. Come to London with your bride when you’re done playing small. I may hate your father, but his genius brain was good for something. Luc can tell you about his plans.”

She hangs up unceremoniously and I’m left reeling. This phone call was supposed to give me clarity and I’m more confused than ever. I need my wife.

Lana’s become my solace over the past two weeks and I need to replay this conversation with her. Both conversations. She knows my father better than I do; she’ll help me see through the lies. As for my mother, behind Lana’s tough exterior, she’s one of the most compassionate person I know. Maybe she can help me find forgiveness for the woman who kept me from the life I was always meant to lead and stroked the fire of rage with secrets and half-truths. Knowing her, she’ll probably tell me that it’s okay to experience emotions that pull my heart in different directions all at once. That thought alone is enough to lift my lips up.

I know my next step and it’s to find my little wife.

TWENTY-EIGHT

LANA

BEING STUBBORN WILL GET YOU IN TROUBLE

When I enter the living room of my apartment after the longest sleep I’ve had in years, Lisandru sits on the couch, eyes unseeing and a deep frown creasing his perfect face. His jaw is marred with light stubble and set tight and a plate of food sits in front of him, untouched.

Something’s bothering him.

I was selfish last night for the first time in a long time. I asked him to set my past on fire and he held my hand every step of the way. I don’t let anyone support me, even Giulia. I’ve been the one who holds everyone afloat without complaint and I’d do it in a heartbeat if anyone in the family asked. That’s what I do best.

When I see his pained expression, instinct takes over. “Something’s wrong?”

“I talked to my father this morning. And then to my mother.”

Lisandru might still be struggling with working so close to his father but it has nothing on the man he was three weeks ago. I have hope they can bridge the gap. I prefer to stay out of it, it’s his relationship to mend or break. I just want to be there to support him.

When I’m close to him, he grabs my wrists and pulls me to land on his lap. I can’t help but peruse his body and devour him with my eyes. The thought of having him again makes my heart pick up speed. He clutches me to his body and presses his nose at the crook of my neck before inhaling deeply. He softly thrusts up against my centre and I stop him with a hand on his chest. His heart is beating too fast.

“As much as I need you to sink into my pussy as soon as possible, you’re hurt. Talk to me, amore.”

The word is out of my mouth before I can think and I freeze but he doesn’t notice, lost in his own grief. His look is filled with uncertainty and hurt. I thought the first night at the hospital after my surgery was the most vulnerable I’d ever seen him. I was wrong. This moment is.

My heart falters and my breath hitches in my throat. I’m ready to take his pain away if it would help him. I lay my head on his chest so that it rests against his heart, then wait patiently.

“My father said he never raped my mother and that he tried to come back for me but my uncles banded against him and threatened war.” His voice lacks any feelings I see in his eyes. He’s protecting himself by removing himself from his story, just like I suspect he used rage and hate to protect the young boy he was. “I called my mother and she confirmed it. I don’t know what to do with all the rage I have inside me.”

I lift up to connect my gaze to his and mist clouds his hazel eyes. “Rage is the fear of not being seen, of not being heard. But I see you, and I hear you. And I’m here. I won’t go anywhere now that I’ve found you.”

I press our foreheads together, letting the truth of my words penetrate his armour, before I hug his body to mine and rest my chin on top of his head.

“You know I believe two situations can co-exist. Your mother is allowed to have felt miserable through their marriage and to hate Alessio. And your father is allowed to have found love and peace in the arms of someone else. I’ll tell you one thing about him though. I’ve never seen him as happy as I have over the past three weeks since he has you back in his life. His eyes are brighter, his smile bigger, he laughs more. Ask Jules, Hell, ask Bea. You’re loved, Lisandru. You don’t have to hold on to that rage forever.”

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