Page 22 of Ivory Crown

“Fine,” I replied curtly, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest. “But that doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Doesn’t it?” His voice was soft now, almost pained. He stood up and approached me. He leaned down, his breath warm against my ear. “Tell me, Jade. Have I ever failed to make you come? Am I not the best lover you’ve ever had?”

I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply. There was no denying the raw pleasure Dante had introduced me to, a world of sensation and release I hadn’t known existed. But this was more than carnal truth; this was about survival, about right and wrong.

“Yes, Dante, you are,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper, as honesty won over pride. “You’re the best, but that’s not enough. This—us—it’s untenable.”

He straightened, his eyes darkening—a storm brewing in their depths. “Untenable?” he echoed, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“Look at our lives, Dante. Your... family, my career. We’re worlds apart, and you know it. It’s like mixing oil and water. Sooner or later, everything will separate again.”

looked suspiciously like hurt. He stepped back, putting distance between us once more.

“Then we enjoy the emulsion while it lasts,” Dante said, wrinkling his nose. “See? I know science words too.”

I laughed, despite myself. The sound bounced around the quiet room, slicing through the tension between us. Dante’s smile was crooked, almost playful, but his eyes remained serious as they held my gaze.

“Is it really that simple to you?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest protectively. “Enjoy the ride until we crash?”

“I’m trying to keep us from the crash, Jade,” he replied, moving closer again. His hand rose, hovering for a moment before he placed it gently on my arm. “I’m spinning some plates, whatever. I can drop some. You? Our baby? If I drop you…if you die because of me…”

His voice trailed off, but the implication hung heavy in the air, a weighty shadow I couldn’t ignore. He shifted his grip on my arm, just once, before pulling his hand back as if my skin were fire.

Dante’s jaw clenched, his eyes flickering with that internal storm. “I can’t lose you or our child, Jade. I won’t.”

I flinched at his words. It wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned our unborn baby—our accident—as a reason to be tied together. But it was the first time he’d sounded so... desperate. So afraid.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself to meet his gaze with a level one of my own. Okay, so he was afraid. I was afraid too. But I hadn’t kidnapped him.

So maybe I could still talk him out of this.

But before I could say anything, he spoke.

“You have to stay here, Jade,” he said, finally. “Don’t you get it? I can’t risk it. We can’t risk it. Not if we want the baby to live.”

Chapter Ten: Dante

Iperched on the edge of my desk, the city a tapestry of shadows and lights below. It was late; the kind of hour that whispered secrets through its silence. Jade was a soft sigh in the next room, lost to sleep. At least I hoped so.

The shrill cry of my encrypted phone clawed through the stillness, a harsh reminder that rest was a luxury I couldn’t afford. I grabbed it. “Talk.”

“Boss, Marco’s got a shadow,” Sal’s voice came through, a clipped warning from the other end. My grip tightened, the words slicing through me like razors.

Tracking my dad was one thing. He was a fucking Don. Of course people tracked him.

Tracking my mom was one step too far, but of course, my dad was the one who needed to handle it. He would have been beyond furious if I tried.

Tracking Marco? That meant war, no two ways about it.

“Will do. And, uh, there’s more.” The hesitation in Sal’s voice spoke volumes. “He got spooked tonight, left his date standing dumb in an alley while he played hide and seek with shadows. She got away but…it’s not great.”

“Ever the fucking gentleman, huh? What a nightmare,” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration knotting my stomach. This wasn’t some random act of aggression. Lorenzo Caruso was making moves, and the thought set my blood simmering with both rage and a dark thrill.

“Boss, you know we’re on it,” he reassured me, but I barely heard it.

“Keep me updated.” I ended the call with a click, my mind already racing ahead to countermeasures and strategies. Protecting Marco wasn’t just duty; it was primal instinct.

The phone rang again almost immediately, and I knew before answering who it would be. “Marco, what the hell happened?”

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