Page 130 of Rosetti Family New York
I get up in Rafe’s face, letting the anger take over, feeling its sharpness like a knife. My hands clench his shirt, and I want to hit him, to make him pay for the words he's flinging around.
"Watch what you say about my wife,” I spit out. “You might not like the consequences."
The room crackles with tension. Emilio stands silently, his eyes darting between us like he's watching a fight in the ring he doesn't want to miss. My father shifts in his chair, the leather creaking under him. I feel their eyes, waiting to see who will break first, who will back down.
But not Rafe. He doesn't flinch.
"You threatening me now, big brother?"
His voice is steady, a hard echo in the air between us. It infuriates me. It makes me want to shake him, to make him understand that he can't touch Besiana, not even with words. I release him, shoving him back with a disgusted sound.
"I'm warning you," I growl, the rage hot and barely contained. “Besiana is off limits."
Rafe’s jaw tightens, and there's a danger in his expression, a deadly calm that could erupt at any second. He folds his arms, a deliberate and slow movement.
"You're blind, Dom," he says. "You think because you put a ring on her, she’s not a threat? You think she gives a shit about this family? About you?”
“She’s not like that,” I say.
Emilio raises an eyebrow, skeptical but silent, and Rafe’s stare sharpens even more. I know what he’s thinking. To him, I’m lovesick. Weak. A fool.
Heavier than before, the silence presses in. Rafe's anger simmers, matching my own. Emilio’s smirk fades. I feel the push and pull of their suspicion, the weight of their distrust. But I can’t let them touch her. I can’t let them blame her for this.
I look at my father, my voice still low but calmer. “I’ll prove she’s not the leak.” Then I turn to Rafe, locking eyes with him one last time. “You won’t lay this on her.”
My father sighs heavily, his rosary beads clicking with each movement. "We fight the enemy, not each other. Our strength lies in our unity."
The tension in the room tightens, but no one disputes him. I keep my gaze trained on Rafe; he's a loose cannon — unpredictable and prone to act before he thinks. In this moment of crisis, he's the one I need to watch out for.
“We’re not getting anywhere with this,” my father states, standing up from his chair. The room goes quiet, all eyes on him. “We deal with facts, not theories. Find me proof, concrete evidence, and then we’ll decide what to do.”
A wave of relief washes over me as I turn away from Rafe to look at my father. At least one person in this room isn’t jumping to conclusions.
“I’ll find out who did this,” I say firmly, meeting my father’s gaze. “And when I do, they’re going to wish they hadn’t crossed the Rosetti family.”
26
Besiana
The night air bites a little, wind curling around the hem of my silk dress as I step onto a rooftop terrace at the Rosetti mansion.
The lights of the city shimmer against the dark sky, and the distant hum of traffic fills the silence. At this hour, I expect to have the space to myself, a chance to escape the crowded energy inside, to let the cold breeze ease the tension in my shoulders. The terrace is vast and empty, a sleek oasis of stone and chrome, with carefully arranged planters and the lingering scent of rain on steel.
I walk further out, my heels echoing against the tiles. I’m not alone.
There, near the railing, I spot him—Domenico. He’s standing with his back to me, tall and unmoving. I pause, hesitating in the shadows.
Domenico stands near the edge, hands clasped behind his back, still in his suit, hair sharp against the skyline glow. The city burns in the distance, lights like embers. He doesn’t turn when I walk toward him. That alone nearly breaks me.
I stop several feet from him.
"You said you loved me," I say, the words stark and bare.
No greeting. No caution. No kindness. Just that.
Dom’s head tilts slightly at the sound of my voice, but he doesn't turn. “I remember,” he replies, his tone steady and measured.
“Then why did you disappear?” I stop when I’m a few feet from him.
