Page 40 of Diavolo

The discovery of these new branches in her family tree was shocking. Elyse struggled to process everything as more questions plagued her mind. How did her mother die? How did her uncle die? Why was her other uncle in prison? Turmoil swerved toward hysteria. If Gianna was a favored child, why hadn't her grandfather reached out to her before? A powerful mafia boss certainly possessed the resources to locate a missing granddaughter, right?

"Did my grandfather know about me?" she asked in distracted tones.

"He did not," Alessandro answered, "there were always rumors, of course, of a lost child, but none of us were certain until I found you and conducted a DNA test."

A heavy, sullen mood settled over Elyse. Her thoughts and feelings felt too overwhelming to process at the moment. "I see."

"In two weeks, we will be traveling to Sicily," Alessandro informed her, "for our wedding."

Elyse growled, "I haven't agreed to to be your wife, Mr. Vitale."

"But youwillwalk down the aisle with me," he assured her. "Even if I have to carry you every step of the way—kicking and screaming—over my fucking shoulder."

"That's not funny."

"I was not joking."

Elyse studied him anxiously. Alessandro looked very serious about his threat, and she didn't know whether it would be smarter to wait for him to release her. After the bastard obtained whatever he needed from the Gravianos. Or escape before the wedding sealed her fate forever. Anxiety spurred her heart rate. Chaos ruled her mind. She caged it all, though, sitting very still and very straight on the couch. Elyse refused to fall apart beside the very devil who'd strategized an entire chessboard to checkmate her into marriage.

Using a small voice, she requested, "I want to see the test results."

Readily, Alessandro obliged, "I will ask Mr. Schmid to send them to you."

Tightly, she returned, "Thank you."

He tried to reach for her hand. "Angelo..."

Elyse brushed him aside and abruptly rose from the couch. "I need to go."

"I am sorry."

Elyse wanted to scream. Why was he apologizing? He was the one who had placed her in this fucked up position! She stalked away without acknowledging his apology.

He called after her, "Where are you going?"

"To get ready for your physical," she replied over her shoulder.

"Let us reschedule the physical. I want you to take the day off.Per favore."

"I've taken it easy since I got here. I don't need a fucking day off," Elyse thundered back. "Let me do my job!"

This was the first time she had ever raised her voice to Alessandro. He took notice. Alessandro dropped his voice to a quiet, yielding timbre when he replied, "As you wish, Dr. Romero."

She hurried away from the living room. He didn't try to stop her again. Once Elyse made it to the bedroom, she closed the door. It was a moment of necessary solitude. Deep breath in. Out. Elyse wanted to clear her emotions so she could focus on the facts. She went to retrieve her laptop. Elyse pulled up a search engine and began scouring the web for any information she could gather on the Graviano crime family. She learned that the Gravianos originated in Catania, Italy. They appeared to be mostly involved in loan sharking, terrorism, and gambling. Elyse couldn't find much information about her mother or her grandfather, but there were brief mentions of their names in a few articles that she stumbled upon.

During her fact-finding mission, Elyse took a moment to process the news that her mother was dead. She'd always wondered about her mother's whereabouts. Now she knew for certain.The woman was six feet under.A pang of loss grazed Elyse. But it only stung a little. Like a stray projectile. She hadn’t known the woman, after all. They were, in essence, strangers. Her grief didn't feel real. Not like a bullet to the heart, but rather the sympathy one might reserve for the passing of a friend's parent. It made her feel like a heartless bitch. Feeling utterly disoriented, Elyse didn't know how to mourn her mother.

A while later, her phone chimed. It was an email notification from Mr. Schmid. The maternity test results were attached to his message. She saw her name.

Elyse Romero.

She saw her mother’s name.

Gianna Graviano.

It was unsettling to see their names side by side. With bated breath, Elyse opened the documents. Her eyes skimmed over the results.Fucking hell. The data laid before her was undeniable, science didn't lie, but reality felt warped, nonetheless.

She was the biological daughter of Gianna Graviano.

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