Page 70 of Angelo

"I don’t like the sound of this, Alessio…”

Dread gnawed at her. Red flags surged in her mind. Elyse felt as though these sacrifices and risks might cause her to lose her husband.

If needed, I will take the fall.

Elyse wanted to ask Alessandro if he’d been talking to Valentina on the phone, but she couldn't bring it up without giving herself away.

"I intend to cut ties by giving up portions of my more unsavory businesses to the authorities. Allies are less likely to come after me—or blame me for distancing myself from the Beltrán cartel—if they believe that it is the law that snatches away my earnings."

More games.

More lies.

More charades.

Elyse's anxiety levels skyrocketed to an all-time high as her mind began to grasp what her husband was attempting to do. "What about our allies' profits? Won't they put up a fight if authorities come for their businesses as well?"

"I do not intend to touch their dealings. I only wish to rearrange mine."

He’d said—mine.Not ours. "I see."

Again, stupidly, Elyse felt as though her husband was pushing her away, even though his reasoning was more acceptable now. Worthy of respect even. This distance suggested that he was probably trying to protect her from these sacrifices and risks in his own misguided way.

"Valentina and I are working together to set up Gaspare. He will become our snitch. We will make the other clans believe that he turned in the evidence against my ties to the Beltrán's to avenge his father and brothers' deaths."

Horror clenched at Elyse. This was why Valentina believed that she was so important to Alessandro. Unquestionably, the blonde's role was going to be crucial in ensuring the success of this insane scheme.

"How can you trust your stepsister not to fuck you over?"

"I do not trust Valentina," Alessandro admitted. "I am counting on her ambition, her desire for power, and her commitment to her vision. I believe, as long as Valentina and I share the same objectives, she will not turn on me. Do not worry, wife. The moment I sense that our objectives are no longer aligned, I will end my partnership with Valentina."

In a way, her husband's attitude toward Valentina reminded Elyse a little of her feelings about Mariposa. They were both choosing to believe in the circumstances that had driven these women to become their allies rather than the integrity of the actual woman.

She couldn't help but worry about Alessandro's safety and sanity. "Once Gaspare turns in evidence about your cocaine dealings, you'll get implicated as well!"

"It is not as likely," Alessandro insisted, "for me to get implicated."

Elyse didn't know whether or not to believe him.

Her husband pressed on, "Up until last year, I was not really involved in my father's businesses. I spent most of my youth studying abroad. Traveling the world. Wasting my family's money. Fucking around. My prodigal past has become a blessing in disguise. The evidence I prepared for Gaspare will notentrap me. I used the data from my mother's memory card as the foundation for all the dates and names and details. It will be my father's old guard and some members of the Beltrán cartel who take the hardest falls."

Elyse whispered worriedly, "If the police decide to dig deeper into this evidence, surely, they'll find you guilty as well. Your hands aren't clean."

"This is why I must act soon," he replied, "to minimize the risk. I have only recently stepped into the role ofcapo. I am not in too deep.Yet."

With despair written all over her face, she rushed to Alessandro's side. Elyse buried her face into her husband's chest as she captured him in her arms, stammering and stuttering, "I-I don't approve of your plan! It's too dangerous."

"This was why I was hesitant to tell you. I knew you would try to stop me."

Elyse gazed up at him tearfully. "Can you blame me? I refuse to stand by and let you risk so much!"

Alessandro kissed her and asked, "Would you rather spend the rest of your life watching me turn into my father? Or Aberto? Or Domenico? I do not think I could bear to watch you fall out of love with me."

She protested heatedly, "But you aren't your father, or Aberto, or Domenico!You're my Alessio. I’ll stand by you even if you choose to burn the world to the ground."

"Maybe I can be your Alessio for a few more years. But I do not see how I can becapofor the rest of my life without turning into the very worst version of myself. You deserve to be with a man, a good man, Elyse, not a fucking devil."

The truth in his words sent her reeling even while she clung to him tighter. "You're not a devil. You're my husband. I'm your wife. We're in this together!"

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