Page 40 of Angelo

“No, we converse mostly in Italian.”

“Good,” she muttered. “Be careful going forward. Or else he’ll overhear something that we don’t want to share with him.”

“Your grandfather’s secrets seem to have secrets,” observed Alessandro. "Anything else I should know?"

Elyse considered coming clean about her Italian. Right as she was about to confess, however, something held her back. Even though Elyse believed that Alessandro hadn't intentionally deceived her, she was still a bit salty about him hashing out a whole new fucking arrangement with his stepsister behind her back. Elyse certainly didn't trust Valentina. Was her husband setting them up to be double-crossed? If Valentina kept her word, Alessandro made the right call. But if Valentina proved to be a false ally, they were fucked.

In choosing not to consult her first, he’d given her no choice but to go along with his decision. Wasn’t he the one who said a true king ruledalongsidehis queen? A flicker of rebellion sparked inside her. Elyse decided to wait a little longer to reveal the truth about her Italian. She began to rationalize. It wasn't like her proficiency was fluent enough to do any real damage.

Thus, she chose to bite her tongue. Elyse said nothing more as she washed his back with soap. She kept silent while he lathered up her breasts. Before exiting the shower, husband and wife fucked, hard and fast, to release their pent-up stress. His cock slammed into her from behind, and he kept his hand over her mouth when she came to muffle her cries.

When their bathroom door swung open, Elyse and Alessandro re-emerged, dressed and dry, not as lovers but soldiers. War called to them. Elyse didn’t envy the weight on her husband’s shoulders now that he wascapo. In the days to come, he would need to steer them away from many formidable enemies and deadly minefields.

Alessandro left the palazzo with his men to tie up some loose ends. Financial transactions needed to be carried out. Shipments with the cartel required attention. Petty disputes and violent ones, too, between friends and foes were waiting to be settled. The work required grind and grit and very little glamour.

While Alessandro tended to these messes, Elyse dove into her duties with the same level of focus and precision that she used to possess in operating rooms.

She took advantage of Alessandro's absence to inspect her mother's music box up close. She checked for signs of microphones and cameras. Elyse didn't find any blinking red lights or glass lenses peering out from inside, but it didn't take long for her to discover a thin black wire threaded along the interior ofthe piano-shaped container. There didn't seem to be a camera in the box. Most likely, her grandfather had them under audio surveillance. The realization was both disturbing and upsetting, but Elyse supposed it was better than being on video.

She didn't have time to dwell on it for long. After texting her findings to Alessandro, Elyse moved on to her next task. Last-minute changes to the funeral arrangements needed to be made to accommodate their new strategies. Elyse spent hours with her staff working on these alterations.

She then checked in with Malina to make sure that all was well. On the phone, the two women spoke briefly about Valentina.

Malina drawled, “Before I learned about Célia Toussaint, I often wondered whySignorina Rizzokept spreading rumors about datingSignor Vitale. She seemed to detest him. Now, I suspect, she has been usingSignor Vitaleto shield herself from judgment."

It felt strange to reimagine Valentina as someone who might be wrestling with identity and image. She seemed so confident and formidable during all the times they interacted in the past.

"I guess," Elyse mused with a furrowed brow, "even Valentina has struggles that we can’t understand."

"The world has never welcomed those who do not blend in."

“I feel for her. None of us are free to live the life we want,” sympathized Elyse. Her surge of compassion didn't last long, though. The blonde's character was still highly suspect in her eyes. "Do you think we count on her after she marries Gaspare?"

"I thinkSignorina Rizzowill always do what is best forSignorina Rizzo, and we can count on her whims to change as quickly as the wind."

The housekeeper appeared to be sounding the alarm. Malina’s warning felt like a deadweight, sinking into the pit of her stomach. “I hope Alessandro isn’t getting in over his head with Valentina.”

“Signor Vitalewill need to stay two steps ahead at all times,” Malina muttered. “Please keep a close eye onSignorina Rizzofor him.”

“I will,” Elyse vowed.

After getting off the phone, Elyse spent the remainder of her afternoon coordinating with Benedetto.

Gaspare's grudge against Domenico needed a nudge from outside forces. Per her grandfather's suggestion, they intended to fuel the flames from the bottomup, starting with Enrico, one of Gaspare's bodyguards, and Gabriel, one of Domenico's lower-level grunts. Both men were known alcoholics with short tempers.

Elyse and Benedetto's men worked together to employ some female escorts and strippers. The ladies were instructed to lure Enrico and Gabriel—anonymously, of course—to a local club later that evening. Elyse hustled on the back end. She paid the women a generous sum to incite a brawl between the two hot-headedmafiosithrough any means necessary.

Hours flew by as plans fell into place. Daylight dimmed to dark, velvety skies. Elyse didn't make it to bed until well after midnight. Her husband joined her shortly after. Alessandro pulled her into his arms. With her ass nestled against his cock, it didn’t take long for him to grow solid as stone. The music box still sat on her dresser.

She shot him a knowing look. “Go to sleep.”

He grinned sheepishly. “I will try.”

In the middle of the night, Elyse awoke in a fit of restlessness. Her husband sighed and shifted beside her. His body felt tight, tense, and not at all relaxed. Alessandro seemed to be wide awake.

"Still awake?" she asked.

"Sleep is not possible right now," he answered.

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