Page 101 of Angelo

Suspicion darkened Benedetto's wizened features. "You would sacrifice yourcoscafor me?"

"I would not call it a sacrifice."

Benedetto watched them with a stoic, unamused grimace. "Then what would you call it?"

"An opportunity," Alessandro drawled pensively, "to resolve both of our problems."

Her grandfather side-eyed him. "Go on."

Brown and blue-gray eyes darted in her direction. “Why don’t you update him on Gaspare’s cousins?”

Last week, Valentina had mentioned some passing rumors to Elyse. Bartolo and Carmine Rossi were the distant De León cousins in question, and they arrived in Palermo with an agenda. Since Bartolo and Carmine didn't possess the manpower or resources to go head to head with Alessandro, they attacked him through word of mouth, inflicting damage by casting doubt on his reputation.

Old rumors were nudged a step further. They claimed that not only had their poor cousin been set up by thecapo, but Alessandro had been the source of the leak all along. Little did Bartolo and Carmine know that the "lies" they spread were actually true.

Elyse cleared her throat. "Gaspare has been in hiding for months, but some of his distant cousins from Gela have shown up on our turf, and they’re telling anyone who will listen that Alessandro was the one who reached out to Boris. Not Gaspare. Some people are starting to suspect him.”

“But,” Alessandro suggested without missing a beat, “if Boris arrests me, thetarget they put on my back will no longer feel valid.”

Eyes flashing with disapproval, Elyse turned to Alessandro. "I don’t see why you need to volunteer as tribute. Gaspare’s cousins are more of an annoyance rather than a threat, and Valentina says she'll take care of them."

Alessandro shot back, "I do not trust my stepsister with the fate of ourcosca. For all we know, she may be the one helping them fan the fires against me. Without Gaspare around, Valentina has become head of the De Leóns. If she plans to turn on us, there is no better time than now."

"True," Elyse agreed, "but she hasn't done anything to break our trust so far."

"You're letting her lull you into a false sense of security."

His warning ate away some of her confidence in Valentina. Elyse wanted to believe that the blonde was still on their side. She wanted to believe in the partnership they had forged over the past few months. Yet, her husband was raising a valid concern here.

Elyse sighed. "Just tell me what you're planning to do."

"I will renegotiate our agreement with Boris," Alessandro explained, "by offering him access to a few misdemeanors from my youth."

Elyse exclaimed, "Misdemeanors may not put you away for life, but you could still be put behind bars for years!"

"You underestimate me, wife. I have no intention of going to prison.”

“What?”

“I will give Borisfalseevidence against me," Alessandro murmured. "He will lose all credibility when the court tries to prosecute me."

20

False evidence?

Perhaps, Alessandro's plan wasn't as insane as Elyse initially believed, however, she wasn't willing to gamble her husband's freedom on such a bet. "There are too many variables that we can't control. Something's bound to go wrong. Boris isn't Gaspare. He'll be much harder to fool."

"But my arrest will kill the rumors that Bartolo and Carmine are spreading about me."

This was another valid point, but was the trade-off worth the gamble?

"I think it is a sound plan," Benedetto remarked.

Elyse glared at him. Her grandfather's self-serving attitude was pushing her over the edge. First, he'd been selfish with her mother. Now, he was being selfish with her husband. Red clouded Elyse's vision.

Unable to hold back, she thundered at Benedetto, "Excuse me? There’s nothingsoundabout this plan. You’re only going along with it because you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You tore apart my family and nearly killed my mother. Now, you're threatening my husband's freedom. I'm not surprised that Isabella chose to cut ties with you.You're like poison. Your selfishness destroys everyone who gets too close to you."

As her accusations sank in, Benedetto looked as though she had physically struck him. "Is that how you view me, Elyse?"

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