Page 27 of Bound to the Enforcer

"You don't want to know the truth." I speak with great strain. "You think you do, but you don't."

"You're wrong," she says softly. "I need to know. I deserve to know. You've kept me in the dark for too long, Alessio. I can't be the leader I need to be if I don't know everything."

For a long moment, neither of us speaks. I'm not sure what to do next. Part of me wants to stay in the safety of stillness, to keep her in the dark for just a little longer. But I see the trust she's willing to give me, the vulnerability she's putting on display. And I can't betray that again.

Finally, I turn back to her, my shoulders heavy with the weight of what I'm about to do. "You're right," I say quietly. "You deserve the truth. All of it."

Her eyes search mine for any sign of hesitation, but there's none. I pull out the other files I've kept hidden, the ones that detail Domenico's operations, the names of people I've crossed to protect her. The betrayal runs deeper than she knows.

As I lay the files on the table between us, I can feel the shift between us. She's not backing down, and neither am I. But the truth is in the open now, and I can't take it back.

Chapter Eight

Alessio

Iclear my throat. "You've seen enough to know the basics," I utter. "Domenico has been running operations under the radar. Trafficking routes disguised as legitimate business deals and expansion plans. He's been using the family name to shield himself, Sophia. He's dirty. Worse than I thought."

She finally lifts her eyes to mine, anger and disbelief swirling in their depths. "And you didn't think I needed to know this?"

"I didn't want you involved," I say, stepping closer to the table. "This is... dark. This isn't something you can forget once you've seen it. The things he has done, the people he has hurt are…" My words trail off into nothing.

"I've already seen enough," she snaps, slamming her palm against the table. "The lies. The betrayals. Do you think I'm not capable of understanding what this life is? Do you think I don't know what my own blood is capable of?"

"It's not about what you're capable of," I counter. "It's about what this does to you. I've seen what happens to people who gettoo close to the worst parts of this world. I didn't want that for you."

Sophia lets out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. "And you think keeping me in the dark helps? How am I supposed to lead when you're hiding things like this from me?"

I take a breath, gripping the edge of the table to steady myself. "Because you don't understand everything yet. You think Domenico's trafficking is the end of it? It's not. It's just one piece of the puzzle. There are alliances, debts, people with far more power than even Domenico who are pulling strings. If you knew the full scope of what we're up against?—"

"Then tell me," she interrupts, stepping closer. "Tell me everything, Alessio."

"I can't," I say firmly, cutting her off. "Not yet."

Her eyes blaze with frustration, and she takes another step toward me, closing the distance between us. "You don't get to decide that for me," she says dangerously low. "This is my family. My legacy. You don't get to pick and choose what I know. What are you so afraid of me knowing?"

I meet her eyes, the fire in her eyes daring me to push back. "And if I told you everything, would you be ready to face it? To carry the weight of every decision you'll have to make? Because once you know, there's no going back, Sophia. The shit is heavy. No pretending this world is anything but what it is."

She hesitates, her lips pressing into a thin line. The anger in her expression softens just slightly, replaced by something deeper. Fear, maybe. Or understanding.

"You think you're protecting me," she says quietly. "But all you're doing is making me feel like I can't trust you."

The words hit harder than I expect. I straighten, my jaw tightening as I try to find the right response. But before I can say anything, she looks down at the files again, her fingers brushing the edge of one page.

"What else aren't you telling me?" she asks.

Her question echoes in the room, cutting through the tension. I hesitate, my mind racing. There's no easy way to tell her the truth, no way to soften the blow.

"There's something you don't know." My throat is tight. "Something about your sister."

Her brow furrows, confusion flashing across her face. "What about her?"

I glance at the files on the table, my stomach twisting. "The trafficking routes Domenico set up, they weren't just about moving strangers. They were about control, leverage. Your sister... she wasn't just killed, Sophia."

Her breath catches, and her eyes widen, but she doesn't speak. She is trying to be brave, but I see the surface pressure breaking her resolve.

"She was taken. Used. Domenico sold her out to the same people he's working with now." The words feel like poison on my tongue, but I force myself to say them. "Your father found out too late. By the time the truth had been revealed, she was already dead, and there was nothing more that he could do but to plan his revenge."

Sophia stands frozen, her face pale. Her fingers curl into fists at her sides, and for a moment, I think she's going to lash out. But she doesn't. Instead, her anger settles into something colder, quieter.

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