Page 62 of Angelo

He looked into her eyes with a fervent helplessness on his face. "I am your fool in every way, Elyse. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Alessandro's words should've filled her with sweetness. However, the way her husband confessed his love felt different. This time, it seemed sad. His tone set her instincts on edge because each word sounded too much like a—goodbye?

Elyse replied with a slight frown, "I love you, too."

Surely, she was being paranoid? Yet, the snippet she'd overheard from her husband's earlier phone conversation flared up.

If needed, I will take the fall.

Fucking hell, what was the bastard up to now?

13

The following weeks racedahead at a frenetic pace. Figurative fires, great and small, required attention. Kingdoms were now kingless. In the absence of Aberto, Domenico, and Carlo, hungry eyes locked on the vacant thrones, and a collective swarm of greedy, ego-fueled power plays rippled through the clans.

To prevent another massacre among the surviving members of the De Leóns, Berlusconis, and Morettis, Alessandro wielded authority ascapoto handpick the new heads for the Berlusconis and the Morettis. He dismissed Domenico and Carlo's designated heirs. It ruffled some feathers but kept the peace.

Alessandro chose competent individuals who were willing to bend to his authority. A distant cousin, Andrea Berlusconi, stepped in for Domenico. Carlo's uncle, Cristian Moretti, took over for their clan. Gaspare De León was allowed to stay in power since they weren't planning to keep him alive for long, anyway, after his marriage to Valentina.

Alessandro and Elyse debated over what to do about Samuele Trevisano. The man had betrayed them by siding with the Berlusconis and Morettis during the standoff at the funeral. Instead of removing Samuele as head of his clan, or killing the traitor outright, Elyse advised Alessandro to seize some of his businesses instead.This one stone could strike down two birds by punishing the Trevisanos while rewarding their allies.

She suggested to her husband, "Maybe we should divide Samuele's earnings between Paolo Svizzi and my grandfather?"

Alessandro frowned. "That is not a bad idea, but..."

"What?"

"If we take too much, Samuele will not let go of his grudge. He will rebel against us again. If we take too little, it will make us appear weak and invite others to fuck us over down the line."

Finding the sweet spot was key. They eventually settled on a number that would weaken the Trevisanos' business operations without inciting anarchy. As these radical changes fell into place, to both Elyse and Alessandro's shock, no one came forward to defy them. It seemed the tragic fates of the Berlusconis and De Leóns served as an effective deterrent.

Aberto, Domenico, and Carlo's deaths at Vincenzo's funeral had altered everyone's perception of the former mafia princeling. In one fell swoop, they saw how Alessandro wiped out three of his strongest opponents, eluded the authorities, and saved the guests from the church fire. They noticed how he chose replacements for Carlo and Domenico who would ensure stability for their respective clans instead of inciting more bloodshed. They acknowledged the way he disciplined Samuele and compensated Paolo and Benedetto without using a single bullet.

Everyone began to whisper and speculate. People used to think that the older Vitale sons were the spiders to be feared. Alessandro had always been written off as a harmless, buzzing fly.

Now?

They were second-guessing everything. Maybe there was a reason why Alessandro was Vincenzo’s only surviving son. The youngest Vitale wasn’t the incompetent fuckboy they’d believed him to be.

What if he’d been the spider all along?

Spinning a deadly, decades-long web around his unsuspecting brothers. It was both terrifying and thrilling to see him in this new light. The psychotic level of calculation and patience it would’ve taken pull off such a feat was the stuff of nightmares.

The secret was out, and every clan arrived at the same conclusion. Alessandro was proving to be a surprisingly capable leader. Much like his father, Alessandro wasn't to be crossed ascapo. Unlike his father, however, Alessandro prioritized the bottom line, the almighty dollar, over violence for the sake of violence. It wasn’t a tough pill to swallow. After all, what self-respectingmafiosowalked away from acapowho knew how to fatten their wallets?

Confidence in Alessandro strengthened and, along with it, allegiances fell back in line. For the time being, at least. Elyse observed her husband's strategies as a businessman unfold in real-time. He possessed a head for numbers and an instinct that allowed him to stay two steps ahead of competitors. Elyse spent much of her time shadowing Alessandro, quietly learning the ins and outs oftheir businesses, reviewing financial accounts and transactions so that she might one day take on a larger role in these dealings.

A prosperous, promising start now defined their reign as the newly minted king and queen. Under the surface, though, a few loose ends still needed to be addressed before Elyse could feel at ease. Fraying strands like Valentina and Benedetto and their questionable alliances. Or the culprit-at-large who set the church roof on fire. Not to mention, Alessandro's unsettling phone conversation abouttaking the fall.

Elyse began to investigate in earnest. She brought Malina back from Salemi. A queen was nothing, after all, without a trusted advisor at her side.

The moment Malina entered the front doors of the palazzo, the entire household staff seemed to sense it. They started moving faster while completing tasks with more thoroughness. With Malina back at her side, some of the tension in her shoulders faded away. Elyse hadn't realized how much she missed her housekeeper until now.

Malina smiled at her warmly. "It has been a while,Signora Vitale."

Smiling back, Elyse rushed over and enveloped the older woman in a tight embrace. "I'm so happy to see you, Malina!"

The two women hugged and laughed, growing slightly teary-eyed at their reunion. So much had transpired since their last meeting. Elyse and Malina eventually pulled away and relocated to one of the guest rooms. Elyse shut the door, locked it, and spent the next half hour updating Malina on the good, the bad, and the ugly of her current predicament.

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