Page 138 of Massimo

"We loved one another, wholly and completely."

"And Mancini knows about these shares?" Massimo guesses.

"Yes. They're wrapped in legal red tape so he can't access them himself."

Massimo is watching me closely, ensuring I am okay. "With Mancini's conditioning of Nova all these years—trying to mold her and break her spirit—he was trying to ensure he'd be able to control the shares through Nova."

"He abused her?" Nathaniel seethes, nearly choking on his anger. He doesn't wait for Massimo to confirm his suspicions. "I suspect that is also why he's arranged for Nova to be wed to the heir of the French mafia, someone who is even more heinous than Mancini himself. They'll mentally break her and have Nova completely under their control."

Massimo's jaw is clenched so tight now, I'm afraid for his teeth.

"But there's more for why Mancini and the French want Nova back, so she's under their control," Nathaniel warns. "Miriana was as cunning as her husband; besides the shares in Synovex Biotech, she ensured Nova had another weapon to use as leverage. There's a ledger that details criminal transactions and dealings—secret betrayals amongst criminal factions—things that could topple empires and cause war if they got out."

"Things that could be used as blackmail."

"Yes," Nathaniel sounds urgent. "I don't know how Miriana came to be in possession of this ledger, but it also contains evidence that Nova could use against her father."

"Why now?"

"The legal red tape keeping this tied up runs out when Nova turns twenty-one, which is in a month's time. Then I can't protect Nova; the shares and the ledger will be turned over to her. If Mancini has her, then he'll get everything."

"He'll never have her," Massimo growls.

"Words. Pretty words, Massimo."

I see the well of Massimo's darkness and the lengths he'll go to protect me—and now, our unborn child.

"Not pretty words, Nathaniel. My actions will be 'by any means necessary' and 'with brutal and merciless force' because Nova is my wife and is carrying my child."

Nathaniel sucks in sharply. He suspected Massimo had me—likely thinking Massimo was using me for his war against my father—and had chosen to side with Massimo as the lesser of two evils. But he clearly didn't expect Massimo's claim.

"You son of a bitch. If you have forced her, I will come for you," he seethes.

"He didn't force me, Nathaniel."

Massimo exhales softly, but nods for me to continue.

"He's been keeping me safe from my father and Julien Moraeu."

And helping me heal.

"Nova," Nathaniel croaks, the emotion thick in his voice. "Dear Lord, child, you sound just like your mother…"

Tears well in my eyes, and I have to work hard to fight them. It's been a decade since I've lost my mother, and in all that time, I've never had someone who really knew her.

"Are you okay?" he presses.

I look at Massimo. "I'm more than okay."

"Good." Nathaniel's breath is shaky. "When you disappeared in Lake Como, I feared someone worse than your father had stolen you. Once Iheard the rumors of Massimo Santoro, I used all my sources to find out all I could. From what I learned, I'm glad he is in your corner, Nova."

"I am, too."

"What now?" he asks. "How do I get the ledger safely to you?"

I shake my head, but it's Massimo who answers, "Keep it where it is for now until we can destroy it."

"What? It's a power piece."

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